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[Closed]Server Wipe in June/July?

Vote on what features or changes the server needs.
Let us know your thoughts on other topics with the polls posted here.

Would you like a server wipe?

Yes - After the dino Race on Saturday!
16
53%
Yes - 1st June
0
No votes
Yes - 1st July
0
No votes
Maybe - Doesnt bother me i will start from scratch again
1
3%
No - i would like to keep everything.
5
17%
No - i wont play on this server anymore if it gets wiped.
8
27%
 
Total votes: 30

Kitty Purry
Survivor
Posts: 9
Tribe: Bronies
Status: Offline

Re: Server Wipe in June/July?

Post#31 » Sun Apr 17, 2016 10:12 pm

T3aSpoon wrote:
Also i feel the voting system is flawed in that people that have been on the server for only a week for two getting as much say as someone who has been on here since the last wipe with a lot more to lose.

:!:


and even well before the last wipe too..

We, as a smaller tribe, expressed out discontent to wipe the server due to supposed alpha tribes at that stage. and the last wipe achieved nothing except long time player annoyance. We don't want to go through it again

User avatar
T3aSpoon
Dino Tamer
Posts: 44
Tribe: Bronies
Status: Offline

Re: Server Wipe in June/July?

Post#32 » Sun Apr 17, 2016 10:15 pm

We're one of the biggest tribes, we've stopped raiding people all together, we want the server to grow and gain more players. We've starting to give more stuff away and selling decent dinos at good prices to encourage new players to stick around.

I've played on a lot of servers, including 400 hours on official servers. the lag is the same everywhere. its the way the game is. The devs will be releasing more optimisations all the time. keep in mind its still in alpha.

Maybe the devs have a fix for that corrupt file, and all we have to do is ask them about it?

haissman
Survivor
Posts: 4
Tribe: blitz team
Status: Offline

Re: Server Wipe in June/July?

Post#33 » Sun Apr 17, 2016 10:31 pm

Was thinking maybe a trial wipe with a vote later if we go back to a backup or stay?

Diz
Survivor
Posts: 5
Tribe: Treasure Hunt
Status: Offline

Re: Server Wipe in June/July?

Post#34 » Sun Apr 17, 2016 10:45 pm

Cant say I'm thrilled about having to wipe the server but we are in the same boat as Spoons we have stopped raiding, helping and giving stuff away to new people to promote the server grow (Still doesn't keep people playing though) but i know a few people who want to start fresh and build in different locations. I'm on the fence myself i would not like the server to fuck up a week+ down the track from the corrupt files though and just waste more time if it has to be inevitably wiped anyways

I get the feeling a lot of people want a long term server without wipes (myself included) but because the game is in alpha and there is constant updates and bugs/glitches to go with those updates the game wont be as smooth (which people consider server lag) which would probably drive people away.

Just my opinion anyways.

User avatar
DrunkMunki
Server Admin
Posts: 1094
Tribe: Admin
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Server Wipe in June/July?

Post#35 » Sun Apr 17, 2016 10:52 pm

P.S Sorry for the long post.

Honestly, only a small portion of you even vote for the server/donate... or help bring anyone on/advertise, and i have give up as i constantly vote and encourage others to vote but not many take the effort to do so, even as i spend hours managing this server and no one can take 30 seconds a day to click, vote.
Let alone the $250 i spend on this server, i spent $250 on the software to manage the game ... Server 2008/2012 License, i spend time monitoring server loads, investigating server crashes and trying to prevent them, monitoring game chat for abuse and rule breaking, reading forums... and so much more.

On the note of the value of your vote, the vote you place is only a portion of what i weigh in on what is to be done, i compare to who i see active in chat, what history they have said, the regulars i value as they understand the game and its dynamics and know how the server works, the technical issues the server may be having, the flow of new vs old players, the exposure of the server, the feedback i receive through forum posts, pm messages and steam.... don’t think who ever votes, the majority wins.
As there was a large consensus to wipe while bloodlust were on the server, but that didn’t happen.

I am constantly being told lag, fuck this lag, did anyone else get lag... so much lag .... (even now when i write this i can see it)
I have been told by quite a few people the main reason they left was because of the lag, and i have investigated thoroughly the server and dont believe its a hardware issue.
On a server so small there shouldn’t be much lag, i understand the technical reasons (sync between client and server, distance/ping, ground clutter, dinos spawns, base structures loading/rendering, tamed dino's loading) all play a part of the lag.
I personally haven’t experienced any lag while on the server, only the rubber banding during saves, which due to complaints has been pushed to 55mins instead of 30mins.

The reason for the corrupt was due to a BSOD causing the server to crash (BSOD was caused by ark, thanks devs), ever since that day i have been unable to get a clean save, so i believe that file has some clutter causing delays in reading the file before save ... but i could be wrong as i am not a developer.
There is a"fix" for the corruption, that didnt work.

There are quite a few large tribes, i know people have spent hours taming, grinding... but one aspect of the game is never played ... PvP ... Raiding isn’t PvP but people tend to only focus on that, not attack players in game ... maybe i should remove some PvP rules such as no KOS... allowed to attack people on dinos without warning...
So many of you put so much value on the Dinos, even with these higher taming rates that the dinos are no longer "Tools" that can be accepted as a loss but like a pet.

I would also like to acknowledge my appreciation for what Spoons are doing, selling dinos and helping players.

The server pop has greatly reduced, i went on a camping trip for 7 days, was averaging 25-30 people. i come back and there’s 60 playing... Muddy and Gambit were voting for the server (had close to 90 votes by months end) which helped get this i believe, and went all the way up to 77 (was a beautiful sight) this lasted several days ... but this was after the BSOD crash and again people were complaining of lag...again i do not know if a wipe will fix the lag, but its the only thing i havent tried.

The purpose of a wipe is 1, even playing field and 2, clear real estate for tribes to start new
If i provided compensation for the current playing tribes, wouldn’t that skew the playing field... i could make XP 25x for a week or something to get people to level up quicker, but where’s the fun in that, reach level 102 in a week... would you be happy with that?

<begin rant, please ignore>
I should prob have started events/competitions earlier as it appears most of you have played the game to death and are bored, hence why some of you raid, not for the resources but because your bored and want a challenge.
I offered to put up a passive only server so people can tame and grind without fear of raids... expense out of my own pocket.. but no one wanted it (saved me $60/mo thanks).
Maybe i should have a day where there are no rules, where everything goes.
Maybe i should place anyone below level 20 off limits?
Maybe i should just remove the rules, and leave it up to the players....
Maybe players should do their own events, such as the battle arena that was graciously setup
Maybe i should load up a bunch of mods to keep people entertained
Maybe i should just use the server for a whole bunch of other games and give up on Ark.... as i fork out the $ to help you all out so much, not expecting anything in return ... and i dunno just getting over it.
you know the saying, nice guys finish last.
Myabe i should just leave the server be, and stop monitoring it, and just wait for people to complain instead of being proactive.
<end rant>

If you leave, fine... ITS A GAME, i'm not going to force you, i just want you to have fun, and enjoy the game without assholes ruining it, that was the whole purpose of setting this server up.
I dont want to have to be the one to keep you entertained as that should be the games job. i understand its in Alpha, but some of you have done thousands of hours in this game, in an Alpha game.. so when it comes out to public release, then what?

P.S after all that i still havent decided on a wipe, i would appreciate any input, decision will be made after the race on Saturday, you have until then to vote your objection/support.
For emergencies such as server going down email: drunkmunki[at]gamingalliance.net

User avatar
Panterra-Arius
Dino Tamer
Posts: 34
Tribe: Painted Ones
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Server Wipe in June/July?

Post#36 » Sun Apr 17, 2016 11:14 pm

As Munki has just confirmed player count has dropped.

Im not going to repeat what I said earlier about Munki having to pay for our enjoyment, and thus we should help him out like wise. That point was made in my last reply.

One thing is I do not want to see the Big Tribes be given a better starting off, the WHOLE REASON a wipe occurs is to both give people a even playing field and to increase population. They go hand in hand people join a server that is wiped BECAUSE they have a even playing field, a chance to take on these other tribes.

Yes your bases aren't unraidable but Im currently in Cursed Syndicate and they are allied to spoons/head hunters/and another major tribe If i remember correctly. The other large stone/metal bases as Krystal has informed me are unofficial allies and friends to Cursed Syndicate.

So from a new players perspective they join, server lags a bit, all big bases will take a long time to raid, when they do get big enough to raid said tribe they will then be disliked by ALL tribes on the server and either vexed or group raided. It may not happen buts its how fresh spawns think when they first join.

As Munki said this server has no pvp what so ever, now Chill this isnt because you guys are being nice to new tribes its because all the big tribes are allied or friends. People build up, tame, and then just slowly stop playing. Friendly competition and pvp is what keeps server running. Until I joined and planned on raiding other tribes for some action I do not feel ANY of you tribes would have raided any of the existing large tribes. Not from fear of retribution but because you were in a peace state of mind.

I feel the wipe needs to happen, and after it the PvP rules need to be tweeked Munki, it is a good system but it creates to many boundaries that some people do not want to cross. Make it fair and fun but not so strict you need to make and fill a deceleration of war every time you shoot someone with a bow. (sarcasm)

-Yes to wipe
-No to free stuff for regular tribes
-Yes to competition for free stuff
-Yes to PvP Changes

Also as a side note agian, in the last week I've been here today IS THE ONLY DAY ive seen someone from the Server use the teamspeak which Munki pays for as well, it was Krystal and she was the only one on from the server alongside me. This needs to be more actively used by players and tribes I feel, not only does it promote competition (people see others in channels and feel they are conspiring) but it promotes the popularity of this entire community and helps bring revenue to Munki to help him run these things YOU all enjoy so much.
Image

Chill
Gatherer
Posts: 18
Tribe: The One
Status: Offline

Re: Server Wipe in June/July?

Post#37 » Mon Apr 18, 2016 12:32 am

I agree that the PvP system needs some tweaking, having to announce that your going to attack someone turns me off, i'm pretty crap 1v1 and need the element of surprise lol. The only thing I would 100% keep is the volcano free zone for trading etc. The Raiding system seems fine to me and look forward to participating :P. (which will be/ would have been soon now that I'm established.)

I think Cursed Syndicate is a special case as Krystal has stated often she's not a raider. As for the other big tribes I'm not in those circles so can't comment.

Lag issues aside, I agree that a fresh spawn may not see an opening but feel that would be case on any pvp server.

As for an "even playing field", there's no such thing. So wiping a server to create one is pointless... wiping to try and fix lag is another story.

Everyone has different amounts of time to invest in playing which is inherently uneven. Some play solo, some play with a group of friends, some create big tribes and poach noobs to do their menial labour lol, all inherently uneven. A truly even playing field will last less than an hour.

Accepting that an "even playing field" is an illusion.... putting people who have invested 100's of hours on the same level as people who have played 1 hr gives the new players a huge gift and the established get nothing except fun already had. I personally have no problem with those who would want a leg up getting it, though from what Munki posted it seems many don't give much so prob don't deserve anything anyway :P

Anyway I changed my mind from don't care too...

Yes to Wiping the server to try and fix lag and gain population
No to Wiping the server to create an 'even playing field'
Yes to Tweaking PvP rules
No to Tweaking Base Raiding

lol :P

Gambit
Veteran
Posts: 148
Tribe:
Status: Offline

Re: Server Wipe in June/July?

Post#38 » Mon Apr 18, 2016 11:59 am

Most of you know me. Most of you are scared of me. My tribe left due to real life commitments and the server started having bad latency. Personally id like to start playing ark again. Yeah we all put a fuck tonne of hours in..i did 100+ hour weeks on ark for like 5 weeks at one point. Everyone will lose something but realistically you always have stuff to gain so who really cares. If you want the server the grow and you enjoy it then go ahead with a wipe. Start up voting it and see where it goes. If it dies then it dies
Munki ends up saving money.

Ill be on teamspeak all day if anyone wishes to discuss further.

Gambit
Veteran
Posts: 148
Tribe:
Status: Offline

Re: Server Wipe in June/July?

Post#39 » Mon Apr 18, 2016 12:36 pm

On the note of PvP on the server, it just does not exist, based off curent rules it can't and won't.. it only ever happens if an online raid happens ( almost never )

Jaysee
Dino Tamer
Posts: 24
Tribe: Belan
Status: Offline

Re: Server Wipe in June/July?

Post#40 » Mon Apr 18, 2016 2:06 pm

I've noticed quite a bit during my time on this server since the last wipe, the 3 main things I think are worth pointing have been highlighted, being:

  1. Current Rules
  2. Offline Raiding
  3. Fluctuation of Player Numbers

Regarding point 1. (Current Rules), some of these rules really set this server apart from other servers in a positive way, rules such as not completely wiping a tribe's structures out and causing pointless damage (as a sort of "fuck you") are a large part of the reason that new players enjoy this server over many other servers. Similarly, making passive dinos off limits means those harder to tame dinos that people invested a lot of time and energy in are safe from just being pointlessly killed out of spite, or sad and pointless displays of power from alpha tribes. These sorts of rules prevent an alpha tribe from bullying/scaring and wiping someone off the server, and keeps newer players around for longer. I've been on plenty of servers where as soon as I joined the server, the dominant alpha tribe with 10+ constantly active members were immediately demanding cementing paste on a regular basis or they wiped you off the server. Becoming a slave is not fun, and preventing this kind of bullying will keep a server active, which I think these particular rules mentioned really helps set this server apart from the rest in a good way.

There are some rules, however, which people continually try and find a way around, or bend, such as attacking without declaring something in chat. Too often I see a fight in chat about "No you didn't engage me with conversation, blah blah" and two different people try and interpret the rules differently. Instead of dealing with that rule, many people clearly just find it easier to offline raid where there is no one around to supervise if you follow the rules perfectly. Regardless of how black and white one person sees the rules, way too many people will interpret them differently either through their own fault/misunderstanding, or some rules which are sort of vague. I know this must be especially challenging for Munki, who has to continually update/change rules to stop people from finding loopholes or exploiting the fact that some rules appear to have some flexibility.

The issue of point 2. (Offline Raiding) is always going to be an issue, regardless of the rules, however it's clear that the current rules make players find it easier to just offline raid people, instead of dealing with the abundance of rules. One example of this is having to declare to someone/a tribe that you're about to raid them, giving them a window to make the first move on you, completely losing any element of surprise. I watch the same people stay up until early hours of Saturday morning (when everyone else goes to sleep) then offline raid tribes, I have even seen the most dominant alpha tribes on this server do this. Rules such as "You have to have a sleeping bag to re-spawn and can not go back to base for supplies/more stuff" are just non existent when no one is around at 3am to supervise, so of course people are going to choose to offline raid instead of dealing with that. Same with "You can not hit the same tribe twice in 2 weeks, to allow them to recover", this rule would work great if it was followed, but I have seen the same tribe hit people offline every weekend, because no one is around to see them (except when I'm lucky enough to be on a ptera in the sky above them while hunting red drops :P )

The point I'm trying to make here is that some of the current rules just force people to offline raid, and thus PvP doesn't exist.

As for Point 3. (fluctuating player base), this is always going to be an issue, particularly with the way ARK is being developed at the moment. As it stands people want to join a fresh server when they start (like this one when it was wiped back in Feb) because they will be on an equal footing with everyone else. This is always going to have a huge initial boost in numbers, just like it did after the last wipe, but then two things happen, either:
People get bored over time and you lose a large percentage of that number no matter how good your server is, because it's the game itself that gets boring for many people. This is something you can't really do anything about.
OR
The people who play heavily get ahead of the casual players and start dominating. This is normal and the people who put in more time deserve to be ahead, but again I think with current rules many of the casual players expect things to work out better for them than they do. I've seen plenty of casual players leave because they spend most of their short time they have to play ARK, repairing their continually raided crappy base, because the same tribe keeps offline raiding them every week. They complain that they have nothing of value to steal and state that they wish people would stop raiding their stone base every week, so those offline raiders (who are highly progressed compared to most of the server) are not following the "You may only raid a base if you have sufficient reason to do so, this includes grudges, knowledge of high end gear to steal, tribe rivalry and such." rule, and that is why they choose to offline raid, because no one is there to enforce these rules. It's a tough situation to work out, with no quick and easy solution, I'm interested to see how you decide to move forward. I'm happy to give input and suggestions I think will help the server, I am still deciding if I will play if you decide on a wipe but until then I'm happy to help out.

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