Dev Tracker: Discussion

[Malithar]

Alright, not force, but still that'd be a hefty choice. Go with the NAs to a server where I'll be playing way out of prime time, picking scraps from the server, or stay with JPs where at least I play during an active time, but I'm stuck with a communications barrier and problems being accepted into runs. Either way, I'd lose friends and ability to play. It's not a choice I'd want to make.

To be clear, I agree that mergers would be best, I just don't think it'll realistically happen until the JP population dips to the point that it won't cause them any issues.

[Damane]

Alright, not force, but still that'd be a hefty choice. Go with the NAs to a server where I'll be playing way out of prime time, picking scraps from the server, or stay with JPs where at least I play during an active time, but I'm stuck with a communications barrier and problems being accepted into runs. Either way, I'd lose friends and ability to play. It's not a choice I'd want to make.

To be clear, I agree that mergers would be best, I just don't think it'll realistically happen until the JP population dips to the point that it won't cause them any issues.

as said allready existing servers, so JPs would still be there!

[arus2001]

Make server transfers free, but put a week cooldown on them. Odds are the players will wind up deciding what the NA server(s) wind up being while the JPs can just remain happily scattered. The logic for wanting more evenly distributed populations throughout the day is kind of failing, otherwise. Yay logistics.

[Sechs]

Increase player base on each server by a merge? <Yes, please.>
Regionalize each server so that there's a lot of people during certain times but it's completely empty during the others? <Thanks for the offer, but I'll have to pass.>

[Byrthnoth]

The reason they can't combine servers is because SE's shit old "instancing" system for BCNMs doesn't handle more than 3 groups in any zone and they've decided to make that a centerpiece of their rehashed fight strategy. Congestion is a legitimate problem during JP time and they don't seem to want to fix the systemic problem, so the only way to fix it is to keep the population low. This freezes out the NA/EUs and also fails to fully eliminate congestion (there are still queues for AA BCs during JP times), but it is probably better for the average JP than if they merged servers.

Average JPs are probably their core subscriber, which is why we get the short end of the stick.

[Damane]

The reason they can't combine servers is because SE's shit old "instancing" system for BCNMs doesn't handle more than 3 groups in any zone and they've decided to make that a centerpiece of their rehashed fight strategy. Congestion is a legitimate problem during JP time and they don't seem to want to fix the systemic problem, so the only way to fix it is to keep the population low. This freezes out the NA/EUs and also fails to fully eliminate congestion (there are still queues for AA BCs during JP times), but it is probably better for the average JP than if they merged servers.

Average JPs are probably their core subscriber, which is why we get the short end of the stick.

dont need to regionalize servers, i would just put the NA and EUs on the same 1-2 servers but not remove the allready existing JPs from them. Would be imho the best solution for most.

[Draylo]

They aren't ending the game any time soon, there is no way. It's a numbered FF title and look how badly they tried to keep XIV afloat due to that reason. Anyways, it will have slow periods and then it will have times where there is a lot to do. As far as the population, I'm sure they notice it and have plans for it. Either they want to add more content and this new unity concord thing before they decide on an action or they already have something specific planned. Also there are plenty of linkshells recruiting across different servers, not even the ones that just advertise on forums. If people find one within their playtime they should move servers.

[Damane]

They aren't ending the game any time soon, there is no way. It's a numbered FF title and look how badly they tried to keep XIV afloat due to that reason. Anyways, it will have slow periods and then it will have times where there is a lot to do. As far as the population, I'm sure they notice it and have plans for it. Either they want to add more content and this new unity concord thing before they decide on an action or they already have something specific planned. Also there are plenty of linkshells recruiting across different servers, not even the ones that just advertise on forums. If people find one within their playtime they should move servers.

i have a linkshell, its not about that, its about being able to do stuff with random people when your shell isnt doign anything/has no events assigned/not enough people on. Thats where the lack in people is currently due to low population. I really hope they do something but I am not crossing my fingers since they havent said anythign in that regard, and the welcome back campaign was rather... poop, people logged on for 1 day from our shell and then were again never seen. you know somethign is wrong when its allready getting tedious to setup 6 man events without any form of mules.

[dasva]

Yeah trust was supposed to be an answer to that kinda but that's clearly not enough... should just introduce the gambit system to the game to enable legit multi boxing easier. Plus that would encourage people to gear up more characters lol

[Damane]

Yeah trust was supposed to be an answer to that kinda but that's clearly not enough... should just introduce the gambit system to the game to enable legit multi boxing easier. Plus that would encourage people to gear up more characters lol

thats not a solution either, i dont want to play solo constantly. meeting fresh new people would be nice for an exchange.

[Draylo]

Well if you start your own shouts and go as BRD or WHM, I bet they would fill up faster. I know what you are saying, but in the mean time that is probably the best solution.

[dasva]

thats not a solution either, i dont want to play solo constantly. meeting fresh new people would be nice for an exchange.

I'm not saying you have to be solo but to enable so you can be if you can't find people. Or not even necessarily solo but like when your shout gets held up at 4 you still go and fill the less vital slots with those multis.

[PSOfanatic]

If you want to play with more people maybe it's time to play another game that has a larger population?

The only counter to that is having SE merge servers. Not sure why they haven't. Would save them more money in the long run by not having to maintain as many servers as they have now.

The thing that is most disheartening is the fact that low population is causing even MORE people to quit because they can't do anything due to lack people. If they don't fix this quick the game WILL die. It's like a gun shot wound and bleeding out. It's the complete opposite of diminishing returns...It's fix the population thing quick before there isn't even a population to work with. GG.

[NynJa]

Thing is, its known that the population isnt a problem in JP time, so if you try to fix the smaller playerbases population problem by merging servers, you piss off the larger playerbase.

The ideal solution would be NA and EU server, but that wouldnt be optimal as half the time, those servers would be dead (or the night owls would have an even bigger problem, since there would be no one from the other time zones on).

[dasva]

I say Byrth's Idea of getting rid of shitty instancing. Could merge just fine if it wasn't for that. And merge or not it's still a problem and has been for a long time

[Sechs]

I'm not saying you have to be solo but to enable so you can be if you can't find people.

With how sociopathic MMO players tend to be if you give that chance to people it would be like the final killing blow to group content in a wide range of situations Dasva.
People would just react like: "Why bother getting random people when I can solo this and get all the loot/stuff/points for myself?"

[NynJa]

I say Byrth's Idea of getting rid of shitty instancing. Could merge just fine if it wasn't for that. And merge or not it's still a problem and has been for a long time

Do you really want to go back to dropped packets like that?
inb4 use battlemod


Pretty sure skeleton crew cant fix the instancing issues.

[Sechs]

It's not even an instancing issue.
There is no instancing system.
BCs are all in the same zone and there is a set number for each of them. If you poshacked back in the days you know how a BC area looks like.
It's just a hub where you zone in, a hub you exit to, then there's a set number of copies of the arenas where you fight, suspended in "space" into the same zone/area.

An instancing system is where a difference instance of that zone/area is created on a specific server each time a player/group requests access to that zone.
There is a limit to this too of course since the server can only handle a certain amount of stress, but virtually there is no limit.

They cannot transform the current system for BC areas into an instanced system. It would be an insane amount of work and would require a very different infrastructure behind in their servers clusters.
What I wonder about though is creating new copies of those "arenas". In the current zones there is space enough to create at least a few more copies.
They wouldn't mean more stress on the server, it's not an instance, it's the same area... it would hardly make a noticeable difference server-wide if they were to add a few more copies of those arenas.
So I really wonder why they aren't going this route.

I'm not saying they're lazy, there have to be other reasons but I cannot imagine why it would be so complicated to add a couple more arenas.

Either way I think this is realistically an issue only for the "La'loff Amphitheater" zone though.
There is a possible amount of 6 different fights (5 AAs, DM2), not counting the original mission fights.
They are all in the same "zone" server-wide, even if you have 5 different hubs it's all the same zone for the server.
It's not really a problem in other zones honestly, even at peak times.
Their "solution" has been that to add many more BCs to spread users more, but they failed to take into account that people weren't doing AAs just for the chapters, but also because they still have some pretty unique/useful drops that people are after.

[Byrthnoth]

No, there is a real instancing system but it was only designed to host a few events (Salvage, Assault, etc.)

It has been consistently problematic, but SE has still forced half the content in the game into the system since then probably while simultaneously cutting back its hardware infrastructure in some way. Remember the hands of darkness? Sandworm being unable to absorb people? Those were limitations on the number of groups sucked in to the instancing system that were probably designed to prevent dropped packets and other shit. With Delve, Skirmish, Salvage v1/2, Assault, Meebles, etc. all in the same instancing system, SE either has to face the bottleneck in their instancing system or get people to stop using it by making new content not involve it and keeping the number of people low. They're doing the latter.

[Sechs]

Yes, I meant "There is no instancing system" talking about the BC fights. Of course FFXI has its own (too weak ) instancing system used for instanced events like the ones you mentioned and more.
I was just saying that BCs are not instanced and I'm pretty confident it would be quite a huge work on both SW and HW side to convert them into instanced content.