Comments from the Devs

**Charismatic** · 2011-10-20 13:53

Let us conveniently forget about the fact the crafting system isn't as retarded now, NPC prices on lowbie gear was just lowered... NMs have been added to the game that drop mid level gear, toto-rak exists, and so on.
I'm pretty sure a brand new server with this existing content (and more) would be way easier to manage on than XIV's launch.

Even starting fresh TODAY it wouldn't be anything like it was... a year from now, probably even better. I don't think it matters much either way but if I were new I'd prefer to be on a new server.

**Spider-Dan** · 2011-10-20 17:15

You could also mention that Market Wards are actually useful now and you don't have to literally check every retainer one-by-one to see what's available, or that gear sold by NPCs has been consolidated and is now clearly marked on the maps, or that there are NPC vendors in several wards that have relevant wares.

But all of those points are only useful to compare today's XIV to retail-launch XIV (i.e. one of the worst MMO launches of all time). So would the economic experience on a brand-new server be as horrible as it was for the highest-profile MMO launch failure in recorded history? No, but that isn't exactly a ringing endorsement.

**Spider-Dan** · 2011-10-20 17:16

[double post]

**Charismatic** · 2011-10-20 19:15

Your point being?

**Priran** · 2011-10-20 20:14

noobs are made of lesser stock so even though everyone playing right now survived a brand new economy, and even though doing it again in the game's current state would be much easier, we can't let there be a server without the influence of launch gil because then current players can't turn them into indentured servants look out for them.

**Elrina** · 2011-10-20 21:25

Originally Posted by Spider-Dan

As I've already said, the reason why I'm against it is that I don't think it's good for the game to have a bunch of veterans join new servers just so they can abuse true newbies and quickly take control of the market.

Okay, I can actually agree with this argument. That is a potential problem, and one that I hadn't actually considered (veterans intentionally playing on new servers strictly to play overlord).

The problem with that argument is this. You have argued repeatedly that established servers are superior, however they contain this same problem magnified by a hundred times. Not only do those same players have that same advantage, but they have one an order of magnitude greater due to the resources they were able to obtain during the game's broken and unbalanced periods.

And rofl @ talking about veterans being "forced into a situation where they would be taking advantage of unsuspecting newbies". Why would a veteran start over on a new server for any other reason? The only other would be to play with friends who insisted on starting fresh (although I'd imagine the established player trying to convince them to just come to his server first). And your proposed idea is absolutely no different than just being offered the option at the server select screen, just adds pointless hoops to jump through. People don't want to jump through hoops for XIV, they want to be convinced it's worth playing.

I'll do you one better. Make it so that only people without current Final Fantasy XIV characters are able to create characters on the new/empty servers.

The people who then truly want to start fresh have every opportunity, and nothing to lose, as new players don't have pre-existing characters. People who started at the original release but didn't play long (like myself) won't feel any remorse at deleting the lowbie characters we had if we want to start fresh. And veteran XIV players who just want to "take advantage of a true newbie economy" would have to be willing to sacrifice the characters they've trudged through so long with in order to do so, making it an almost pointless option for most of them, since they would have a greater advantage on their own servers anyway by just keeping their current characters.

People need to get over the whole "taking advantage of others" shit. I realize it goes on, and that there are a fair amount of people who try to do it, but most people I've met and know of mainly just want to enjoy playing a game. They aren't worried about cornering markets or studying BG's XIV forums to have intel on how to take advantage of others economically. They want the game to be fun to play.

Force the status quo. No server transfers for at least the first year, to or from, and only the first XIV character made on an SE account can join a new/empty server. Problem solved, or mitigated to such a degree as to relegate it completely insignificant compared to the advantage those players would have on servers they're established on already.

**Priran** · 2011-10-20 21:31

you do realize everyone who ever bought FFXIV got two working reg codes right? and you can get a new box for like 15 bucks? optimally, cut the temporary transfer embargo crap and make the server a house of doom: no transfers to or fro, ever. also acceptable would be restricting the amount of gil a character can bring with them.

**Elrina** · 2011-10-20 21:43

I wouldn't be against that either, honestly. Or possibly offering free transfers to/from, but requiring a currency/item wipe to do so, establishing that people who did so would have to be really committed to it.

Either way, it's still dumb to argue that new servers are bad because veterans could take advantage of newbies, while arguing in favor of starting those same newbies with those same veterans, just on servers where the veterans have an even greater advantage.

**Enygma55** · 2011-10-21 00:31

I highly doubt they will have server transfers when the new servers come up. Everyone who is gonna play on new server is gonna start out fresh. Whether they have 2 years of prior knowledge or not doesnt matter, everyone starts on page 1.

Getting mad at people who want to transfer their existing char I can agree with, but getting mad at those same people who want to start fresh with game knowledge I cannot.

**Spider-Dan** · 2011-10-21 03:23

Originally Posted by Elrina

The problem with that argument is this. You have argued repeatedly that established servers are superior, however they contain this same problem magnified by a hundred times. Not only do those same players have that same advantage, but they have one an order of magnitude greater due to the resources they were able to obtain during the game's broken and unbalanced periods.

In both situations (new or existing servers), people with more knowledge and experience will have a significant advantage.

The difference is that on an existing server, newbies at least get the benefit of a mature economy, with a ready-made supply of gear (at all ranks) and built-in demand for materials (at all ranks). And with the entire server already being full of grizzled lifers, the odds of one particular person/group seizing a choke point in the economy is drastically reduced.

In other words, on an existing server, you have the benefit of stability to offset the "disadvantage" of richer-players-than-you-existing (which still has yet to be justified as an actual disadvantage, outside of straight jealousy). On a new server, newbies get the wild instability of a new market, the disproportionate expense of NPC fees in a deflated economy, and to top it off, they still have the opportunity to be "exploited" by veterans, exactly as they would be on an existing server.

And rofl @ talking about veterans being "forced into a situation where they would be taking advantage of unsuspecting newbies". Why would a veteran start over on a new server for any other reason?

THAT'S AN INCREDIBLY GOOD POINT, AND WHAT I HAVE BEEN SAYING REPEATEDLY.

And your proposed idea is absolutely no different than just being offered the option at the server select screen, just adds pointless hoops to jump through.

Wrong. It's an option that you will never know about unless you specifically research it, which is the point. The game should not be evaluated (by new players) as if there was a complete wipe, because there isn't a complete wipe.

I'll do you one better. Make it so that only people without current Final Fantasy XIV characters are able to create characters on the new/empty servers.

I believe this suggestion is LITERALLY unenforceable.

Tell me, if I create a new account with a new key (which is required to create a new account), how would they associate that account with some other account that was created with a different key? Compare the credit card account information that SE no longer has access to?

People need to get over the whole "taking advantage of others" shit.

And there goes the entire argument against protected servers.

**Patriarch** · 2011-10-21 17:28

New players will survive regardless.

**miokomioko** · 2011-10-21 20:47

I like having preexisting high-level players in the game before I set foot in it. Fuck having to do all my own crafting/gathering for every stupid little thing I need because the market isn't established. Burning gil on NPC-purchased ammo because no one makes or sells arrows/arrowheads/arrowshafts/fletchings yet. Yay.

**Patriarch** · 2011-10-21 21:08