patches in a persistant game

chipshop · 2012-07-02, 06:00 AM

i was just wonderin how patches get implimented into a game which is constantly on. surely with the scale of this game they'll be needin to add in fixes and updates regularly but if the match (so to speak) doesn't end how can this be done without disruptin the flow of the gameplay?

exoteror · 2012-07-02, 06:17 AM

I remember seeing a post saying that Maintenance will still occur like in other MMO's. I would assume that when the servers come up that the factions control will be the same as it left off.

Gimpylung · 2012-07-02, 06:57 AM

Originally Posted by exoteror

I remember seeing a post saying that Maintenance will still occur like in other MMO's. I would assume that when the servers come up that the factions control will be the same as it left off.

Correct. That's how it happens in Planetside 1 anyways.

NoDachi · 2012-07-02, 08:49 AM

The same way it happens with every other persistent online game ever made.

chipshop · 2012-07-02, 09:14 AM

was just curious...i've never played a mmo or persistant game before. thanks for the info folks

NoDachi · 2012-07-02, 09:15 AM

I'm sure you'll never leave now :P

chipshop · 2012-07-02, 09:30 AM

Originally Posted by NoDachi

I'm sure you'll never leave now :P

if it delivers what it looks like it will deliver i can see no reason i would - i'd be countin the days if i had a number of days to count

exoteror · 2012-07-02, 10:39 AM

As you have said you have never played an MMO before.

Maintenance generally happens once per week, sometime midweek and early in the morning so from 6am till 11am for example.

This is used to generally do housekeeping on a server and apply patches. This keeps their servers running nice and smooth.

Hope that clears it up abit more what to expect.

Kezz · 2012-07-03, 01:55 AM

Originally Posted by exoteror

As you have said you have never played an MMO before.

Maintenance generally happens once per week, sometime midweek and early in the morning so from 6am till 11am for example.

This is used to generally do housekeeping on a server and apply patches. This keeps their servers running nice and smooth.

Hope that clears it up abit more what to expect.

Some games (EVE, IIRC) have an hour a day set aside for maintenance, not all of which is always used. All games very occasionally have longer-than-usual downtimes at major content patch times, but these are usually telegraphed well in advance.

If the pace of action is anything approaching the pace of PS1, I don't think they can have any shortening of maintenance times under the stated duration, since entire continents can be hacked in half an hour if the hackers get their act together and are unopposed because the server's empty.

DirtyBird · 2012-07-03, 04:47 AM

I only hope they run maintenance on the US servers from about 5am onwards and pray that its not a lengthy maintenance every week.
Tho if they run at 5am I personally wont care how long it goes for

And please dont run maintenance on the same night as Guild Wars 2!
Need something to do during the downtime.

Also, no maintenance on Fri, Sat Sun.

To the OP, when you are hooked, maintenance is a bitch!!

Timithos · 2012-07-09, 04:16 PM

What about server resets? What if they're having major problems and they need to reset all the hexes to neutral? I know this happened in the early days of PS1. Does that still happen ocassionally, or on a regular basis - say every 4 months - in PS1?

Exmortius · 2012-07-11, 02:03 PM

they bring servers down for a few min patch em then turn on client patch. bring servers back up and turn on logon service for all the players/clients. servers were rarely down on ps1. there will probably be lots of patching the first month or 2 after that should be pretty rare.

Salidin · 2012-07-20, 05:07 PM

Originally Posted by Dogbolta

I only hope they run maintenance on the US servers from about 5am onwards and pray that its not a lengthy maintenance every week.
Tho if they run at 5am I personally wont care how long it goes for

And please dont run maintenance on the same night as Guild Wars 2!
Need something to do during the downtime.

Also, no maintenance on Fri, Sat Sun.

To the OP, when you are hooked, maintenance is a bitch!!

GW2 usually do not require you to restart your client. GW1 didn't and Anet is using the same method for GW2. Hopefully PS2 will have a similar system but if not they can just bring it off line for a few hours if needed.