by befowler Wed Feb 22, 2012 11:53 am
I coop a lot, and here are some entirely unscientific observations/superstitions - assuming as you say you are sure you're in the sweetspot for summoning in terms of level and location:
1) The "first" summon sometimes takes longer for some reason. When I load a game, my first summon often takes 2-5x longer to happen than ones subsequent to that. Once I get summoned once, subsequent summons often happen a lot faster. No idea why - might be a function of the different regions as discussed below.
2) By placing my sign a lot at the same location, I can tell when my sign has moved to a region/server where due to the time difference there's nobody around to summon me (i.e., I'm in U.S., sign is on a Japanese server where it's 5 am their time). In other words, I'll be getting summoned every 2-5 minutes like clockwork, and then suddenly I hit a brick wall. If that happens, I'll drop my sign quickly a few times (~every 2 minutes) to hopefully cycle back to more favorable regions. It's actually possible to be summoned as soon as you put your sign down -- I've received a summoning notice while still in the animation of dropping my sign -- so if things are dragging you should reset your sign a few times.
3) Stick close to a bonfire for a little while. If you are seeing a lot of "full" phantoms -- where you can see their gear -- you are seeing people who are at or very close to your own level and can summon you. I've actually seen these people get up from the bonfire, walk over to where my sign is in their world, get a summoning notice, and then show up in the world of the same guy wearing the same gear. The frequency of these phantoms can give you a rough sense of how active potential hosts at your level are at that spot.
4) Covenant matters. I find it easiest to be summoned as a sunbro, due to possibly both the servers having a bias towards sunbros as a coop covenant, and because people gravitate towards the golden summoning signs. Way of the White is probably next, and then descending order through the good/neutral covenants. I find it hardest to be summoned (or summon) when I'm a darkwraith or gravelord.
5) Connection problems/Internet speed can also be a factor. People may be trying to summon you, but getting summon failed messages at their end. You won't see any sign of this yourself and just think nobody is trying. It is also rare but possible to get stuck in a state where you cannot summon or be summoned. You can see summon signs for other people, but all summon attempts fail and you also won't get invaded or summoned. If this happens, quit and reload the entire game (not just the char).