As a Roblox developer, it is currently too hard to restart individual servers or subplaces without disrupting the player experience. Previously, using SoftShutdown, I could shut down a subplace or the entire game, and each player would rejoin the corresponding subplace seamlessly. For example, players would remain in the “No Abilities” game mode after the shutdown. However, when relying on the “Restart Servers for Updates” feature, I encounter the issue where everyone is teleported back to the main game instead of rejoining their specific subplace.
Additionally, without SoftShutdown, shutting down a single server requires each player to manually click on “Rejoin,” which is inconvenient and can lead to player drop-off. There is currently no “Restart Server” feature that allows for a seamless restart of a single server while keeping players in their current subplace.
If this issue is addressed, it would improve my development experience because it would allow me to efficiently deploy updates or fixes to individual servers or subplaces without disrupting players by sending them back to the main game or requiring manual rejoining. My workflow often involves shutting down a subplace under the main game, such as a pro lobby, multiple times in an hour to fix game-breaking bugs. Having players sent back to the main game each time is extremely inconvenient and negatively impacts the player experience.
Use Cases:
- Maintaining Game Modes: When updating a subplace e. g. game mode, developers need the ability to restart servers without displacing players to the main game. For instance, keeping players in the “No Abilities” game mode after a server restart enhances continuity and player satisfaction.
- Softshutdown Subplace (2x sped up), the shutdown process in this demo seems to be
alot slower than in real scenarios
vs
- Restart Subplace (2x sped up)
- Efficient Bug Fixing: Developers often need to fix/ debug critical bugs quickly by restarting servers. Without a “Restart Server” feature for individual servers or subplaces, this process disrupts players and may lead to frustration or loss of players.
- Softshutdown, singular server (2x sped up)
vs
- (Restart option missing, No Softshutdown) (2x sped up)
- Improving Player Experience: Minimizing disruptions during server restarts helps retain players and maintains a smooth gaming experience
By addressing these issues, developers can more effectively manage their games, deploy updates, and fix bugs without negatively impacting the player experience.