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Fewer layer jumps at launch: what Blizzard said in WoW: Forever Podcast episode 6

· by Davina Asaria

Episode 6 of the WoW: Forever Podcast is all about tech. Host Countdown to Classic talks with Aggrend (Josh Greenfield), Lead Software Engineer Ana Resendez, Principal Software Engineer Frank Williams and guest Shobek. The biggest topic: layering, something everybody in the beta noticed.

Why layering works differently in Forever

Forever has no realms, only rulesets. That's why Blizzard built new layering tech. The system tries to put you on the part of the world where your community is: guildmates, people you've met before, even the enemy guild you keep running into. The idea is that you see the same faces while leveling, so you're more likely to do a dungeon together or join a guild.

Fewer forced moves

At the start of the beta you got the pop-up that you were being moved a lot. Frank Williams admits the system was too aggressive and tried too hard to keep everyone with their community. After two weeks of tuning it moved players much less, and that is the state we get at launch.

The biggest change for launch:

  • When you join a group, you are no longer moved automatically. You get the pop-up and a time window to make the jump yourself.
  • In the beta (and on retail) joining a group moved you instantly. Blizzard wants to avoid that, especially with Hardcore coming: nobody wants to land next to an elite in a cave.
  • In general the pop-up shows up less often and is friendlier.

Zones and layers

Ever stood in Durotar and saw someone appear out of nowhere when they walked out of Orgrimmar? That's because Blizzard decides which zones share a layer. At launch Durotar will be packed and Orgrimmar quiet, so they are kept apart. A month later that can flip, and Blizzard can change the grouping. You will still see players disappear at some zone borders, but they keep tuning it.

Big world PvP fights

In the beta it was hard to get everyone on the same layer for large world PvP battles. Blizzard is looking at ways to detect big PvP fights and let the server grow a little so the battle keeps going. There is even a whiteboard on campus with the word "megaraid" on it. But for launch: what we saw at the end of the beta is what we get.

Also in this episode

Name reservations, bigger parties, rulesets, realm communities, the day and night cycle, faction locks and community building. The next episode comes in two weeks.

What this means for Legends of Azeroth

Good news for a guild: the system wants to keep us together. The more we play and group together, the more often we end up on the same layer. And no more surprise jumps when someone invites you. Just accept the move when you're ready.

Source: Blizzard, The WoW: Forever Podcast episode 6 on the official Warcraft YouTube channel.