115909-queue-times-is-it-possible

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I wrote this in another thread as a response to off topic hyperbole, but it made me think that there is some merit to this line of thought.
 
Cross-server queue times:  Anecdotally speaking, I (and some others) have found that queue times improved greatly when moving to a high population server, regardless of the fact that match making is cross-server.
 
I have the feeling that it works something like this:
 
The queue probably prioritizes same server matchmaking before looking to other servers.  Now Stormtalon has a good population while Rowsdower is dead.
 
People queued up on Stormtalon get matches quickly to other people on Stormtalon.  Simultaneously, someone on Rowsdower tries to queue for something, and their matchmaking doesn't find anybody local, so it goes out to other servers to look.  It has to query every single server queue to see if anyone is LFG before it gets to Stormtalon.  Now the problem is that Stormtalon has already matched all of the people looking for a group locally because it never had to query another server, and simply returns a "sorry bro, too late, don't need your guy" back to Rowsdower.
 
Now take into account partial groups queuing together, or specific roles missing (ex. a tank and 2 dps queue together on Stormtalon, but a tank and healer queue together on Rowsdower), and Rowsdower can't seem to get the number of people it needs in the roles it needs from other servers before those people are matched by their local server.  Also, don't forget that there are undoubtedly people on Stormtalon who are also selecting "My Server Only" which will decline any participants from Rowsdower.  It doesn't even have to be the whole group, just 1 person needs to check that box, and if the matchmaker prioritizes local players like I think it does, it will still pick the guy who checked that box over the cross-server guy (even if the 9 other people didn't check the box).
 
You have to think of cross-server matches as a last resort, and the fact of the matter is that if you're on a populated server, the matchmaker has plenty of options to pick from most of the time and won't even bother with people from other servers.  I certainly can't recall seeing a cross-server participant in my matches in at least a couple of weeks.
 
Summarily, if you want quicker queues, you still need to be on the most populated server.  It also occurs to me that if this is true, it would seem to anybody that stayed behind on dying servers that the queue times have actually gotten worse since the transfers began... which explains a lot of the Chicken Little reactions.
 
That's just a guess mind you, but it sure feels like it works that way - and if it does, then the merger will improve queue times for a lot of people.
 
Just my 2 cents.	
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			I've actually noticed this myself. I do feel like the matchmaker prioritizes your server first (particularly since no matter what server I've been on population wise, I've often gotten people from my server). 	
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Although it does seem like there's something odd about the matchmaking process in this game, I'm not convinced it prioritizes same-server. If that were the case we would, by default, end up in groups with people mostly from our own servers. That's never been the case for me, and yesterday I ran four adventures (first available veteran queue) that each time put me with people from Pergo, Stormtalon, and Evindra. Given the high pops of Pergo and Stormtalon, if the system worked as proposed here, we should be seeing stacked groups of either Stormtalon OR Pergo, not consistent mixes.
 
Of course that's just my experience, we'd need more data to make an educated guess!	
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			The matchmaker does prioritize your server first, however if it can't make a game from your server it will quickly move on to cross server matching.  This "slowdown" shouldn't really affect your queue times any if all.	
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You have to think of cross-server matches as a last resort, and the fact of the matter is that if you're on a populated server, the matchmaker has plenty of options to pick from most of the time and won't even bother with people from other servers.  I certainly can't recall seeing a cross-server participant in my matches in at least a couple of weeks.
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The matchmaker does prioritize your server first, however if it can't make a game from your server it will quickly move on to cross server matching.  This "slowdown" shouldn't really affect your queue times any if all.
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The matchmaker does prioritize your server first, however if it can't make a game from your server it will quickly move on to cross server matching.  This "slowdown" shouldn't really affect your queue times any if all.
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This "slowdown" shouldn't really affect your queue times any if all.
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			Mega Servers should theoretically make the queues move a little bit quicker.  I am just saying I wouldn't expect drastic improvements over night.  Please continue to monitor the situation and report back!	
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The matchmaker does prioritize your server first, however if it can't make a game from your server it will quickly move on to cross server matching.  This "slowdown" shouldn't really affect your queue times any if all.
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So, if I'm queuing on a dead server and matchmaker decides I can't get a group there, it moves on to other servers and "places a token" there for me to be matched up in the next group? Or will the other servers still match from the local population first before considering "foreigners", even if I as someone queuing from another server have been waiting longer?
 
In short, when match making, does "wait time" get a greater preference than "being local to server"?
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So, if I'm queuing on a dead server and matchmaker decides I can't get a group there, it moves on to other servers and "places a token" there for me to be matched up in the next group? Or will the other servers still match from the local population first before considering "foreigners", even if I as someone queuing from another server have been waiting longer?
 
In short, when match making, does "wait time" get a greater preference than "being local to server"?
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