SimCity Server Distress on Release - News
by VGChartz Staff , posted on 20 June 2013 / 2,498 Views
EA Games will go down in history for the server issues and downtime experienced by millions of gamers after its highly controversial 2013 SimCity launch. The development of the game includes a required internet connection for all players to participate in the game, even if they are not interacting with others via the multiplayer option. This forced online participation led to various issues of overloaded servers and intermittent connection problems.
These performance issues led to a wide-ranging public backlash across online communities and in the media. Businesses that leverage servers and cloud tools should look to the challenges of the SimCity launch to learn how to avoid potential issues with upcoming projects. Here are four of the major factors that made the server downtime a major issue in SimCity.
1. Ineffective server use
When companies are seeking to connect any volume of computers to a server, IT teams should create contingency plans in case servers are inaccessible or experiencing slow traffic rates. Many traditional PC games include game content that is downloaded by the player, and stored on a hard drive. This allows gamers to play while offline, since environments and characters are stored locally.
The constant need for internet access in SimCity has drawn sharp criticism. It isolates players who may not have reliable internet connectivity. Playtimes are contingent upon servers operating efficiently, with very little interruption. Many gamers who purchased SimCity were unable to play the title immediately after its release due to these server problems, leading to a public backlash.
2. Downtime
Every company suffers during server downtime if it is not planned. Most IT departments will schedule regular maintenance in the middle of the night, so that normal work operations are not interrupted. For a massive company like EA, maintaining servers for millions of players poses a huge challenge with a lot of risks attached to it. Since playability hinges on a working server, the product is not available while performing routine maintenance.
A company should have backups of vital information stored locally on hard drives, in case of planned or unexpected server downtimes. This can allow a company to jump back into the flow of business as their servers are repaired. Data warehousing specialists can advice businesses on best practices for storing information and maintaining backups.
3. Criticisms
Much of the criticism against EA came from players who spent their money on a brand new release, only to get booted off servers as they attempted to play. Companies like Amazon removed the title from their inventories until the issue was fixed. For both EA and their resellers, this was becoming a customer service and PR nightmare.
4. Next steps
Since the server debacle of the SimCity launch, EA has released multiple patches during updates to address these server issues. Some of these patches help regulate server traffic, so that players do not overload the SimCity network. Companies experimenting with new server techniques should release changes through beta testing, allowing companies time to gather feedback and address known issues. As EA and other gaming companies unroll new products, we can be sure the SimCity server debacle will influence how they approach future releases, testing, and development.
