Recently, the popular MMORPG Albion Online just announced the creation of a second server, which will be placed in Singapore according to PlayerAuctions. While this might not be noteworthy for many other MMORPGs who have created multiple servers to handle their various player bases, Albion Online has operated with a single server cluster for its almost six-year lifespan. This server is going to be put in place starting on March 20th which will include time-zone-specific events meant for people closer to those servers (including East Asia, South East Asia and Australia).
To elaborate a bit more on what this additional server means for the game, Albion Online has been working with a single server cluster located in Washington D.C. for the past six years according to Albionstatus. This means that people who live farther away from that server nucleus will experience higher ping and a harder time experiencing the game without the game slowing down or lagging. A server in Asia is meant to solve this issue by placing another server nucleus on the other side of the world, which will help more players globally have a server closer to them that might aid their high ping.
However, what this new server will also do is split up the existing player base into two separate worlds. To elaborate on that point, one key feature of Albion Online has been its single server. How Albion Online manages this is by using server clusters, which according to Racksolutions, is group of servers that work under a single IP address. This allows for Albion Online to have everyone work within a single server, while only needing to hold upwards of a few thousand people per individual server, which is the maximum most MMORPG servers can handle according to an article written on Linkedin on the backend of MMO servers. These server clusters are important for helping the game run smoothly, as according to MMO-Population, Albion Online has around 121,000 daily players worldwide.
Having only one server cluster means that all of these players inhabit the same world, while not overloading the single IP address they are working from. Every player in the world is able to interact with one another in some way, which adds to the community aspect of the game and helps build the economy and society within said world. Creating a new server cluster in Asia will take a large portion of the player base, and move them to another world, which will take away the players’ ability to interact with any other player in the world, something the game had been known for.
It is unclear how this new server is going to affect the overarching community formed by those in the Albion Online sphere, however, it is an important addition to aid those who live far away from Washington D.C. and will hopefully allow them to play the game smoother and more effectively in the future.