In the sandbox MMO ArcheAge, the head start has some issues. ArcheAge is struggling to grant benefits to founders, the opening cinematic is for some not only a starting point but also an endpoint, the server Eanna is constantly down and rumors about possible Gilda Star exploits are circulating.
Yesterday at the head start at 7 PM, there were the expected problems: The queues were long, not everyone received their founder package immediately, the congestion was significant.
ArcheAge: Old problems are replaced by new ones
Now it has been almost 24 hours and the initial problems have been replaced by a series of new ones. Many players can’t currently log into ArcheAge at all, because they get stuck in the video, in the opening cinematic. The client reports: Account verification is missing. The problem lies with Trion Worlds’ Glyph system: It’s currently having issues. They say they are working on it.
Moreover, the server “Eanna” is causing major stress. It has repeatedly gone offline, maintenance has kept it down for a considerable time now. For anyone who planned to play on Eanna, this is quite frustrating. Their head start, which they had been looking forward to, is at least partially going down the drain. Stressful, because the first days in ArcheAge promised a high intensity for many, and some had planned their weekend around it.
Exploit or just really good work by hardcore gamers?
A rather annoying problem might still be felt in the coming weeks: At the moment, rumors about possible exploits are already circulating, for example in the official ArcheAge forum. Through these, players might have acquired too many “Gilda Stars”. With these, it is possible to place houses on free building spots. And these are a limited and highly sought-after commodity in ArcheAge.
Even before the head start, it was clear that some hardcore gamers and guilds would make a reckless sprint and then start a marathon for the building spots. In the release, it shows: Exactly this has happened and even harder than predicted. Whether the large number of houses is solely due to the rush and top-organized players, or whether an exploit was at least partially exploited here, is currently hard to tell. The next few days will surely reveal that.
On Tuesday, there will be another chance for a perfect start
At this point, it seems clear: There is a significant difference between the players who were well-prepared and came to the servers first at 7 PM with a clear battle plan and played optimally and effectively, and those who arrived a bit later and then started their work with a two-hour delay and faced various problems.
Especially the main quest, the main source for Gilda Stars, caused quite a stir, on some servers, for example, real queues formed at the “Flora” quest in the Nuia area, until everyone could click. On Reddit, the game has earned the nickname ArcheQue because of this and because of the server queues.
A conflict-oriented MMO like ArcheAge quickly raises emotions in such difficulties. It was probably clear to everyone that ArcheAge would have unfair moments, but how quickly players would be confronted with them was unexpected.
However, Trion Worlds will likely launch additional servers at the release on September 16, so that those who are disappointed now will get a second chance.
