Merge the darn servers already!

[Stompa]

If they are reducing the timer for Meebles, and people still want their glowy gaxe etc. you are going to see lines of people waiting to enter the battlefields. If you then merge servers, those lines will double in length. Similar problems with your favourite Dynamis farming spot.

Any server merge at this stage would have to be accompanied by alternative methods for acquiring items from instanced or very popular events that are discouraging players because of overcrowding. For instance, being able to buy Meebles or VW glowy items, using large amounts of credits that can be obtained by farming other less overcrowded MB/VW zones. Or changing repop/drop rates in Dyna, so that lots of people can farm the same areas at the same time.

Its not that server merges are wrong, it is only that they would need to happen alongside appropriate changes to some of the current battlefields.

[Traxus]

There is something wrong with meebles besides overcrowding. I get frequent congestion errors trying to enter, even when I'm the only player on my entire server trying to do the event.

[bazookatooth]

If they are reducing the timer for Meebles, and people still want their glowy gaxe etc. you are going to see lines of people waiting to enter the battlefields. If you then merge servers, those lines will double in length. Similar problems with your favourite Dynamis farming spot.

Any server merge at this stage would have to be accompanied by alternative methods for acquiring items from instanced or very popular events that are discouraging players because of overcrowding. For instance, being able to buy Meebles or VW glowy items, using large amounts of credits that can be obtained by farming other less overcrowded MB/VW zones. Or changing repop/drop rates in Dyna, so that lots of people can farm the same areas at the same time.

Its not that server merges are wrong, it is only that they would need to happen alongside appropriate changes to some of the current battlefields.

I don't think you understand. There are servers with 3 times the population of other servers. Dynamis etc. still functions on those servers. During NA prime time, I'll see 250-350 people on my server while other servers are hovering at 1,000-1,200. There's no reason that some of the less populated servers cant be merged.

And for what it's worth, I don't think that the minor convenience of getting into meebles easier or not having to /sea a dynamis zone before I head there is worth the inconvenience of never being able to get a group together that can clear Vagary, or Escha NMs or UC NMs etc. Right now, Dynamis, meebles and Salvage are almost always empty on my server, so I don't think too many people would notice anyways.

[Bluestar2kx]

I'd say that at least 150 of those people were AFK and / or bazaar mules. If forcing people to create more characters and leave them logged in, in lieu of a proper auction house system is the only thing keeping this above standard multi-player game levels, then it isn't an MMO in my book.

There are literally 3 LS doing vagary on my server. One is JP only, one is a mercenary shell that won't bring outsiders without them paying and the other can't seem to beat anything.

I highly doubt there's 150 bazaarers out of 250 people.
I've noticed people everywhere seem to drastically overestimate the number of people bazaaring goods because it makes their argument seem better and be more favored.

There's an average of 600 people active at any given time on shiva, if we took the 70% number everyone seems to love, then god, I'd never see people stop shouting for help for multiple events every 30mins in town and zones would be empty because that would be stretching 180 people (averaged) across 3 dozen zones, and another 2 dozen event instances, wouldn't be enough people to do much with.

And in your case, there would hardly be anyone doing anything but vagary on your server, because those 3 shells doing it would consume 55% of everyone left (assuming vagary is capped at 18 people).

I think 30% is a much more effective number of bazaarers in a given server. Maybe a bit more on really populated ones but nothing approaching 70%.

SE said they would look into transfers after november, I'm sure we can live a few more months after making it this long.

p.s. most people bazaar for one of two reasons: to avoid ah taxes, esp on expensive items that can rack up quickly, and/or because the item they're trying to sell can't be put on the ah, which accounts for 2/3rds of everything worth selling these days. Nothing wrong with the bazaarers.

[Draylo-]

Vagary can be low manned, you don't need an LS for that so I highly doubt you know all the groups doing it.

[bazookatooth]

I highly doubt there's 150 bazaarers out of 250 people.
I've noticed people everywhere seem to drastically overestimate the number of people bazaaring goods because it makes their argument seem better and be more favored.

There's an average of 600 people active at any given time on shiva, if we took the 70% number everyone seems to love, then god, I'd never see people stop shouting for help for multiple events every 30mins in town and zones would be empty because that would be stretching 180 people (averaged) across 3 dozen zones, and another 2 dozen event instances, wouldn't be enough people to do much with.

Your server has twice as many people. If they are equally as active (per capita) as the people on mine, that clearly supports my theory that merging is needed to support an active community. Unless of course you think you have to many people on your server. Is 600 too many? 250 isn't a difficult number to keep track of. I walk through jeuno / adoulin a hundred times a day. I can see which characters haven't moved all day. It's not like I'm guessing how many active cabs there are in new york at rush hour while looking out the window of an airplane.

And in your case, there would hardly be anyone doing anything but vagary on your server, because those 3 shells doing it would consume 55% of everyone left (assuming vagary is capped at 18 people).

The 3 shells don't run at the same time. And yes, they do constitute a large portion of the active community. Right now, I have three active linkshells and between the three of them, they have 89 of the 370 people total on the server. About 2/3 of them are AFK.

Looking at my chat log since I went to dinner / drinks tonight, there has been 1 akvan shout that looks like they gave up and went with 3 people, 1 Cirdas skirmish run and a handful of people trying to buy UC upgrade items in the last 4 hours. This is american prime time and no one has shouted for content from this year in the last 6 hours. Possibly longer. There are currently 12 people in escha right now. 8 of them are in my linkshell and 3 of them have been afk at the entrance since yesterday.

I think 30% is a much more effective number of bazaarers in a given server. Maybe a bit more on really populated ones but nothing approaching 70%.

I think marshmallows are delicious.

SE said they would look into transfers after november, I'm sure we can live a few more months after making it this long.

That doesn't mean things couldn't be better.

p.s. most people bazaar for one of two reasons: to avoid ah taxes, esp on expensive items that can rack up quickly, and/or because the item they're trying to sell can't be put on the ah, which accounts for 2/3rds of everything worth selling these days. Nothing wrong with the bazaarers.

Like I said "in lieu of a proper auction house system..."

Vagary can be low manned, you don't need an LS for that so I highly doubt you know all the groups doing it.

I know it can be low manned, I'm the person you have been arguing with about how low manning things isn't right and that jobs that can low man things need to be nerfed.

[Numquam]

Its not about low-manning or over crowded...its about finding other people that like to play the damn game other than just leveling crap in abyssea. Its about team building and just losing yourself in the fantasy with others. It sucks that PuGs are really non-existent on Phoenix (at least NA shouts). It sucks that LS's are being built and not really doing a wide variety of things. Its like one thing or another and you're just sitting there. Plus, my schedule sucks. By the time I get on all the EN players are in bed and EU/JP players are getting their days started. But its just me wanting something. I know I can't be the only one working crappy hours and playing during crappy hours, but it just feels that way on the server...

[Belmonts]

I think marshmallows are delicious.

I like pie (´・ω・`)ノ

[Zeargi]

I like pie (´・ω・`)ノ

I like trains.

[Ritsuka]

Its not about low-manning or over crowded...its about finding other people that like to play the damn game other than just leveling crap in abyssea. Its about team building and just losing yourself in the fantasy with others. It sucks that PuGs are really non-existent on Phoenix (at least NA shouts). It sucks that LS's are being built and not really doing a wide variety of things. Its like one thing or another and you're just sitting there. Plus, my schedule sucks. By the time I get on all the EN players are in bed and EU/JP players are getting their days started. But its just me wanting something. I know I can't be the only one working crappy hours and playing during crappy hours, but it just feels that way on the server...

Move to another server i guess might be your best bet.