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ArenaNet looking into causes of group splitting in GW2

Guild Wars 2 players have been running into some issues with grouping, with many party members getting lost within the MMO's overflow servers. ArenaNet studio head and co-founder Mike O'Brien has said the team is aware of the issue, but until players spread out more into the game world, it's going to happen.

Speaking with Eurogamer, O'Brien said the fact groups are being split up on overflow servers is indeed a problem, and there are a "few different root causes," for the splits.

"We're learning about things that are causing that one by one," he said. "We have been fixing each of those day after day after day, fixing more things. What you're seeing is, day after day after day, the incidents of this are getting lower and lower. We're just basically keeping working to minimize, minimize, minimize.

"It's a super important thing we need to make a top priority and fix. We're making some really good traction on it, of course, I wish it wasn't happening at all, but we're getting it licked with each passing day."

O'Brien said the team is "working around the clock to address this stuff," reiterating that everyone at the studio is "getting very little sleep right now."

"Each day we hope we're addressing the last few things. I think we're very close, but things could come up - I can't make promises," he said. "What we don't want to do is, we don't want to say: 'Because there are so, so many people playing in Queensdale right now,' for example, we will create many times as many worlds as we need and then, when people move on from Queensdale, and spread throughout the entire world, all the worlds will feel empty.

"That one [when overflows will stop being needed] is actually really not in our control. What will keep people playing in overflow servers is when people actually have levelled up a bit and spread themselves throughout the world.

"The thing that makes overflow servers a lot more understandable and palatable is when you can easily find your friends, and you can keep your parties together through overflow servers, and that's why it's such an important thing to get the party problem fixed. S that when you travel to a different map, you're staying with your party.

"That's the primary thing that's causing people stress about the overflow servers - difficulty finding friends. Hopefully, very soon, those problems will be fixed. That will get overflow servers to a much better state.

"Really, people, as they spread through the world, that's what will ultimately cause them to stop seeing the overflow servers."

Guild Wars 2 released on August 28 after a three-day early start for pre-purchasers.

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Stephany Nunneley-Jackson

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Stephany is VG247’s News Editor, with 22 years experience (with 15 of them at VG247). With a brain that lacks adhesive ducks, the ill-tempered, chaotic neutral fembot does her best to bring you the most interesting gaming news. She is also unofficially the site’s Lord of the Rings/Elder Scrolls Editor.

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