Request for official comment: Status of EU servers

[Wibz]

I am curious as well, where is the news on this move?

The latest avoidance of the subject is Here.

[UwS-Harledir]

The latest avoidance of the subject is Here.

now you done it, the big Frelorn will close this thread as well now - since it´s asking an uncomfortable question....

[maartena]

We will have an official statement about the Amsterdam move in the next week or so. We are still gathering information and any official statements regarding EU have to be translated, so they go through more process.

For now, the current status is that all servers EU and US are being moved to NJ today in a more centralized location for all internet traffic and new hardware, so we hope all customers worldwide will see improvement. Beyond that is still TBD. That is all I will say on the subject for now.

Vyvyanne, I think a lot of people are still waiting for this "official statement" that was supposed be released last week. The post above was on 1/11, and "In the next week" would have been before Friday the 22nd. Of course the part "or so" might be open for debate regarding what kind of timeline that entails after the "in the next week" timeline.

In any case, I think a lot of EU players are very eager to know what is going to happen with their servers, and when.

[Vyvyanne]

Vyvyanne, I think a lot of people are still waiting for this "official statement" that was supposed be released last week. The post above was on 1/11, and "In the next week" would have been before Friday the 22nd. Of course the part "or so" might be open for debate regarding what kind of timeline that entails after the "in the next week" timeline.

In any case, I think a lot of EU players are very eager to know what is going to happen with their servers, and when.

I apologize for the delay on this. We are focusing on troubleshooting the New Jersey move and getting to a stable place then we can discuss what comes after.

[Coeprandua]

Vyvyanne, I think a lot of people are still waiting for this "official statement" that was supposed be released last week. The post above was on 1/11, and "In the next week" would have been before Friday the 22nd. Of course the part "or so" might be open for debate regarding what kind of timeline that entails after the "in the next week" timeline.

In any case, I think a lot of EU players are very eager to know what is going to happen with their servers, and when.

For me, it's not about the when, it's about the how. Just like Turbine couldn't forsee what this move to NJ would entail, so they won't be able to tell the possible short and long-term outcome of an Amsterdam move. In other words, I'm almost certain, if and when an EU move occurs, EU players (and also Turbine) will have to endure the same ordeal again. Crashes, dc's. lag, etc. Personally, I would want to wait and see how well the NJ datacenter works out for EU players.

[MessyR]

I apologize for the delay on this. We are focusing on troubleshooting the New Jersey move and getting to a stable place then we can discuss what comes after.

Why can turbine not just say, yes there is one, we will discuss this after the NJ datacenter is fixed.

Seems fishy

[Ogmios]

. . . I'm almost certain, if and when an EU move occurs, EU players (and also Turbine) will have to endure the same ordeal again. Crashes, dc's. lag, etc. Personally, I would want to wait and see how well the NJ datacenter works out for EU players.

Upgrading old hardware to new plus virtualizing = painful

Duplicating fixes that work on one place to another physical place (assuming they are careful to find and duplicate all dependencies) = less painful.

[dmark101]

Why can turbine not just say, yes there is one, we will discuss this after the NJ datacenter is fixed.

Seems fishy

sounds like she is saying that, albeit indirectly.

[matalan]

I apologize for the delay on this. We are focusing on troubleshooting the New Jersey move and getting to a stable place then we can discuss what comes after.

That sounds reasonable, perhaps, if you hadn't said this BEFORE the move to NJ:

"Just to confirm, yes on Monday all the US AND EU servers will move to the same datacenter in New Jersey. Further move dates are still to be determined. Due to contractual obligations and logistics it was a safer call to do it this way and then re-evaluate once more data is gathered."

https://www.lotro.com/forums/showthr...21#post7513421


So are the EU moves delayed due to contractual obligations and logistics, or because you are focusing on troubleshooting in NJ? And, for the umpteenth time, do you INTEND to move servers to EU - you can say yes, as intending to do something has nothing to do with gathering data, troubleshooting, restarting servers, etc.

We would like to know your intentions, honesty please. If you do have to make a statement about the EU servers NOT moving to EU, it won't look good that you didn't openly let us know. We're going to find out at some point, whatever the issue is, we just want to be treated as paying customers, what is the PLAN for the service?


It's either)

A - We PLAN to move to the EU, and we will try really hard to make it happen, but maybe xyz stands in the way.

or

B - We PLANNED to move to the EU, then we realised we couldn't due to xyz, we are SORRY we said we would.



Pick a side Vyv! I backed you for a long time, it's only lately I'm thinking you should get a job in politics.

[HeirOfNumenor]

Originally Posted by Vyvyanne
I apologize for the delay on this. We are focusing on troubleshooting the New Jersey move and getting to a stable place then we can discuss what comes after.

I take this to mean (MY interpretation):
"We planned to move a datacenter to EU, then saw potential problems with logistics and contracts. Once we work through and fully resolve this clusterfudge of a move to NJ, THEN we will evaluate our options - specifically problems with contracts (either terminating old/starting new/stuck in existing contracts), logistics (can we ACTUALLY get a datacenter set up in Amsterdam without any more tech problems?), and financial (do we even have enough money to set up datacenters in Europe?)"


At least we know there were good intentions at the start....fortunately we are not on a paved road to Hell.....

[Beaniemooch]

I take this to mean (MY interpretation):
"We planned to move a datacenter to EU, then saw potential problems with logistics and contracts. Once we work through and fully resolve this clusterfudge of a move to NJ, THEN we will evaluate our options - specifically problems with contacts (either terminating old/starting new/stuck in existing), logistics (can we ACTUALLY get a datacenter set up in Amsterdam without any more tech problems?), and financial (do we even have enough money to set up datacenters in Europe?)"


At least we know there were good intentions at the start....fortunately we are not on a paved road to Hell.....

This is my interpretation too, exactly. Well put.

[Padhril]

I admire your optimism. My interpretation is "We're not going to do it, but we won't tell you as long as the performance of the new datacenter is this horrible, so at least the Europeans are pacified with hope for improvement. Once we've (somewhat) fixed the New Jersey problems, there will be no reason to move to Europe, will there? And if the game is still running badly, we will tell you it's something on your end."

Yes, I'm a cynic, but the old-style, non-information politics we've seen up to this date, such as the way it was almost sneaked in rather than announced visibly that the servers would all go to New Jersey for now, seems familiar.

[Montezuma's]

wait and see is all we can do. Turbine is testing new software on new hardware on new data outlet. The most important is testing of load capacities. If load capacities of new soft/hardware are not sufficient then no sense to create additional datacenter. Because lagging consists of two parts - ping (data route) and servers response to data requests. Improving only one element won't help. So let them test and improve server software and wait for their decision.

[BangoTwinkletoes]

I apologize for the delay on this. We are focusing on troubleshooting the New Jersey move and getting to a stable place then we can discuss what comes after.

As someone who both works in Enterprise IT who faces off to customers on a daily basis, I fail to understand why you're unable to signal Turbine's intent towards the further move of the EU data centres.

For example you could have said:

I apologize for the delay on this. Whilst it is our intention to relocate the EU servers to Amsterdam as previously mentioned, right now we are focusing on troubleshooting the New Jersey move and getting to a stable place. Once we have the problems resolved and the game on a stable footing, then we will be in a position to look at how we progress the next steps.

Let's be absolutely clear on this, as a customer I'm not asking for the exact date and time as to when the EU move will take place, nor am I asking for a "promise" that it will be done. Rather, it would be comforting to know that an move to Europe of the EU servers is still "on the agenda" and that what you're not doing is stalling the communication of bad news.

Leaving it to the community to try and "interpret" your intentions is not exactly the outcome you should be aiming for.

[ertr]

I take this to mean (MY interpretation):
"We planned to move a datacenter to EU, then saw potential problems with logistics and contracts. Once we work through and fully resolve this clusterfudge of a move to NJ, THEN we will evaluate our options - specifically problems with contracts (either terminating old/starting new/stuck in existing contracts), logistics (can we ACTUALLY get a datacenter set up in Amsterdam without any more tech problems?), and financial (do we even have enough money to set up datacenters in Europe?)"

My interpretation is slightly different: "We do plan to move EU servers to an EU datacenter, but we are not quite ready to do so [for whatever reason]. However, due to contractual obligations [read: having already cancelled the hosting contract for our old datacenter] we need to move out of the OLD datacenter within the very near future, so we will move all the servers to our new NJ datacenter as a first step. Right now we are all too busy to handle the problems that popped up from the datacenter move to even think about the EU move"

(Yes, I am an optimist.)

[jfdiogddsfsd]

My interpretation is slightly different: "We do plan to move EU servers to an EU datacenter, but we are not quite ready to do so [for whatever reason]. However, due to contractual obligations [read: having already cancelled the hosting contract for our old datacenter] we need to move out of the OLD datacenter within the very near future, so we will move all the servers to our new NJ datacenter as a first step. Right now we are all too busy to handle the problems that popped up from the datacenter move to even think about the EU move"

(Yes, I am an optimist.)

Your interpretation maybe .

But thats not what it says.

[Padhril]

Let's be absolutely clear on this, as a customer I'm not asking for the exact date and time as to when the EU move will take place, nor am I asking for a "promise" that it will be done. Rather, it would be comforting to know that an move to Europe of the EU servers is still "on the agenda" and that what you're not doing is stalling the communication of bad news.

Leaving it to the community to try and "interpret" your intentions is not exactly the outcome you should be aiming for.

Bingo, Master Bango - the fact that it's worded so carefully to avoid any hint that the EU move might still happen makes me choose the somewhat less optimistic interpretation. It's such obvious marketing-speak that it looks intentional. Also, to be clear: I don't blame Vyvyanne, who is just following instructions and made to face the customers' wrath for things she didn't decide. I blame whoever higher-up makes these decisions both on what Turbine does and how it's communicated to the players.

[Coeprandua]

Upgrading old hardware to new plus virtualizing = painful

Duplicating fixes that work on one place to another physical place (assuming they are careful to find and duplicate all dependencies) = less painful.

I can't tell if you are trying to be smart or funny. Will you be the first to jump to their defence when it doesn't work? I'm sure they will have just the right excuses for you to believe. ;-)

[BangoTwinkletoes]

Bingo, Master Bango - the fact that it's worded so carefully to avoid any hint that the EU move might still happen makes me choose the somewhat less optimistic interpretation. It's such obvious marketing-speak that it looks intentional. Also, to be clear: I don't blame Vyvyanne, who is just following instructions and made to face the customers' wrath for things she didn't decide. I blame whoever higher-up makes these decisions both on what Turbine does and how it's communicated to the players.

Absolutely, and as in my job, I take the flack from my customers when matters decided by my senior management displease them. But until such time as Mr NamelessandFacelessWBExec decides to engage with us on this forum, Vyv is our only channel.

[Coeprandua]

Absolutely, and as in my job, I take the flack from my customers when matters decided by my senior management displease them. But until such time as Mr NamelessandFacelessWBExec decides to engage with us on this forum, Vyv is our only channel.

I really truly believe that they desire nothing more than to engage with us. The problem is they are struggling to think of things to say that we don't know yet. I'm afraid if a wb exec ever decided to come to the forum and speak up, the only thing that they could tell us is "We want your money."

[Daguest]

I take this to mean (MY interpretation):
"We planned to move a datacenter to EU, then saw potential problems with logistics and contracts. Once we work through and fully resolve this clusterfudge of a move to NJ, THEN we will tell you why it's best for the UE players if the servers stay in the US

Fixed it for you.

[Ogmios]

I can't tell if you are trying to be smart or funny. Will you be the first to jump to their defence when it doesn't work? I'm sure they will have just the right excuses for you to believe. ;-)

Illuminating. Was intended to be serious. Current and former coders and testers will recognize the specific problem I mentioned as being one of the hurdles to overcome when changing platforms.

[Xhiu]

As someone who both works in Enterprise IT who faces off to customers on a daily basis, I fail to understand why you're unable to signal Turbine's intent towards the further move of the EU data centres.

For example you could have said:



Let's be absolutely clear on this, as a customer I'm not asking for the exact date and time as to when the EU move will take place, nor am I asking for a "promise" that it will be done. Rather, it would be comforting to know that an move to Europe of the EU servers is still "on the agenda" and that what you're not doing is stalling the communication of bad news.

Leaving it to the community to try and "interpret" your intentions is not exactly the outcome you should be aiming for.

I dislike conspiracy theorists but I do look carefully at what someone does not say. It is an art that politicians use regularly to fool the electorate into voting for them.

"No new taxes" means I'm going to raise the old ones. Make no mistake.

"Our plans have not changed." We just didn't tell you that we weren't planning on doing what we said we were going to do and not going to tell you that cuz our deal fell through. I made the mistake of telling you before that you could move from EU to NA and reverse. I should have asked if that was possible first. "Our plans" are to keep our jobs.

"The next step" and "then we can discuss what comes after" both mean that whatever we said before is out the window and we will plan after this mess is straightened up and THEN tell you about it.

"We are still planning on the move" would be better imo. Plans change.

The biggest problem is this forum. It matters not what they say. What matters is how we are going to spin it here and now. Anti Turbinists will spin doom and gloom and incompetence and Pro (will not call them apologists) Turbiners will paint a glowing picture. Realists will speculate, just like we both did, Bango.

If they wanted to keep us guessing they could bot a blue name with the post :We are still working to make the game the best we can for our customers. Please /bug any issues you have and thank you for playing Lord of the Rings Online.
And do this on a weekly basis. we could then cheer/complain/postulate to our hearts content.

[Thorgrum]

When collectively you are all willing to use your consumption as leverage you'll get the outcomes you want faster. Supply and demand is still king.

Since it would appear, still, the community is not willing to do this you are going to take what they give you and like it. Everything is going to be done on their time frame not yours. Further you dont have to like it, you just go back and continue to consume the product and be thankful you can log in at all.

[Beaniemooch]

When collectively you are all willing to use your consumption as leverage you'll get the outcomes you want faster. Supply and demand is still king.

Since it would appear, still, the community is not willing to do this you are going to take what they give you and like it. Everything is going to be done on their time frame not yours. Further you dont have to like it, you just go back and continue to consume the product and be thankful you can log in at all.

Many people have taken their consumption and left. It hasn't sped things up. People are doing it every day. It isn't speeding things up. Take a look around and people are saying they are done. It still isn't speeding things up. It didn't speed things up when thousands left after the trait trees and no new raids either. It did result in reducing the number of servers by two-thirds though. But it didn't speed things up. Turbine moves at their own speed and we have almost no influence over it.

You have no proof people aren't using their consumption, yet the indication is they are. The problem is Turbine isn't reacting fast enough and probably can't react fast enough for your measurement or the measurement most of us use. They can't dump 20 people on it and have it fixed by tomorrow saying "omg people are leaving in droves, fix it NOW". If they could do that I actually think they would've. They're just not that good or that staffed.