[Jeater]

Everyone donate so Intelli can make one mega server! Problem solved!

[Laserminer]

Splitting up a community doesn't usually end well. Just throwing that out there as I have experience in that regards.

You say chat will be linked. Will you be able to transfer credits across channels? More details and some answers to some of the points brought up would be great. Thanks.

I really don't think this will "spilt up our community".

I realize invisible players gets tricky. Because there are separate URLs and linked chat, it will be fairly easy to link up with people who you're trading, pvping or whatever with. All you really need to do is say (channel2) or something at the end of your offer, and people will know what to do. I think it will not be as big of a deal as lots of people are saying, and we just have to find out when it is launched.

[physaux]

Perhaps Intelli can code like "ghost" versions of players who are in other channels. So things would make a bit more sense when they randomly disappear. Idk about coding, but would it be possible just to display sprites of players, like half opaque and with their name and channel above their head? I think that would cut down on server resources, since it would just be displaying players like it displays mobs, it wouldn't even have to do any AI for them or render the environment on servers where they appear as ghosts. Seems complicated, but anyways just an idea.

[Prodigy9]

Perhaps Intelli can code like "ghost" versions of players who are in other channels. So things would make a bit more sense when they randomly disappear. Idk about coding, but would it be possible just to display sprites of players, like half opaque and with their name and channel above their head? I think that would cut down on server resources, since it would just be displaying players like it displays mobs, it wouldn't even have to do any AI for them or render the environment on servers where they appear as ghosts. Seems complicated, but anyways just an idea.

I would think that having the sprite moving around the map would take up server resources, even if they're not opaque (pretty sure tracking the location takes up the majority of the resources, as opposed to rendering the image of the character).

[mitchie151]

I think a system similar to the plugin/mod spout could be well used for a system like this. The server/client interfacing would probably help, but i understand Intelli doesn't use outsider plugins.

[_iBiS_]

I seem to be in the minority, but I believe this idea is horrible for several reasons.

1) New players will become even more confused. Any given new player will have a one-in-<insert number of channels> chance of actually being able to interact with anyone trying to help them. This will make realm recruitment, guides, escorts, employment and most other player-interactions difficult.

2) This will smother the pvp that multiple spawns is fueling. Combatants can't fight with people that aren't there. Cowards will just swap channels instead of fighting while in the nether. With the current system they at least have to suffer when logging off.

3) Sneakier agitants will grief other players by attempting to suffocate or burn them across channels. Disrupting trades will become laughably easy. You'll never be able to prove anything because you can't prove that they knew what they were doing.

4) The in-game economy will suffer as trading with other players becomes a hassle. People will get tired as they have to (or aren't able to) switch channels because of things like: "No, I'm in the OTHER trade room!" or "Shamps is only open on C1" or "selling diamonds on C2 only!"

5) Exactly how vanilla is watching blocks mysterious apear/disapear right before your eyes.

6) This will increse the rate of moderator burnout. The frustration of having to bounce back and forth will drive some of them away from service.

When people play a multiplayer game it is to achieve the goal of having as much fun as possible with other people. The inconveniences introduced by multi-channeling will sow confusion and impede cooperation. This will reducing the total amount of fun while dividing the community.

I do not believe this is worth the questionable amount of lag reduction multi-channeling might provide.

I agree with you to, I do not like this new channel system at all.

[jtcanon]

You guys do not understand the beauty of these channels. If these channels actually do become something detrimental to MineRealm, each channel could serve its own purpose. You never know, rules could change depending on the channel *Ahem* Pvp Channel*Ahem*. Since you would only physically interacting with someone on the same channel, more people would be involved at a more specific basis. These channels are just the beginning of something that could become very large.

[CirJohn]

Dumb question:

Wouldn't it also be possible to have each channel communicate player location/interaction data to the main server which can then distribute it among the servers? If dropped item data is also handled by the main server, this would successfully eliminate all cause for complaint. I'm assuming of course that all of the servers are at the same physical location.

Modifying server interactions usually isn't an overnight thing, but I hope you'll consider my idea. If you got this running properly, no one would even know we are on different servers.

Also:

You never know, rules could change depending on the channel *Ahem* Pvp Channel*Ahem*.

I like the idea, but I doubt it will ever happen. Too many people avoid pvp at all costs. The pvp channel would remain empty while the others overflowed. It makes me want to cry for the lost opportunities.

[wrongcoder]

Quick sync problem report.

Channel 2, where I was digging:


Same spot on Channel 1, taken seconds later:


There's a floating gravel block, and some of the torches are misplaced (on the wall instead of on the floor) or missing.

(I was going to start a new thread for this but then I saw http://minerealm.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=3812 and figured it might be safer to post here. Hope that was right.)

[RyGuy130]

To note, pretty much any online multiplayer game with a large number of players has multiple channels. This isn't optional, and is a necessity to be able to maintain a large number of players on the server.

This isn't exactly what "any online multiplayer game with a large number of players" does. In other games, players in other channels are generally completely separated from one another. Keeping the chat and worlds linked without allowing the players to directly interact with one another is going to cause many players, myself included, a great deal of frustration. Nobody likes having to "channel hop" to interact with somebody they were just talking to. As somebody who trades fairly frequently, this is something that I can already tell is going to make this server a lot less enjoyable for me. Unless something like this is added along with it that syncs between channels, then as a merchant, this channel system is something I'm strongly against implementing.

Also to note, people are not meant to interact across servers. They can chat with eachother, but there's not meant to be any other cross-channel interaction beyond that. If players want to build together, they should be on the same channel.

The main problem I have with this is that the only trading system in place right now relies on chat. Having one sync across channels without the other is simply going to be a nightmare for anyone who trades.

I'd also like to mention that although I'm not an active PvP-er, I know a large amount of the server population is. This channel system is inevitably going to destroy PvP, as anyone who is under attack can easily switch channels to escape. I'd also like to mention that "destroy" isn't any sort of exaggeration. PvP will likely be practically nonexistent after this.

My final concern is for moderators. Having to change channels for every other rollback is sure to make their jobs much more of a hassle. We have few enough of them as it is, with a lot of my time on the server being mod-less. I would really prefer if more of them weren't driven off.

Be sure to also keep in mind that "channel hopping" will be much more frustrating than it may at first seem if channel one is constantly full. In many games I've played, for one reason or another, the first channel is constantly full. If this becomes the case with Minerealm, anyone forced to frequently channel hop, such as traders and moderators, will likely be either driven away from doing what they love or from the server itself.