Population control post 2012.

[ChiefCurrahee]

Once sub fee are reinstated we know there is going to be a dip in population on a per world basis.

I want to know if there are any plans in place to merge some servers to keep the population in balance. I don't think we'll be playing in ghost towns (since people will conglomerate in Uldah even more so) but the more people around the merrier.

I know server merge is taboo in MMOs but I'm thinking of our "quality of game life" over the next year. More people per server (via merge) will create a more robust economy. Material will be plentiful. Crafters will have more competition driving market prices to more reasonable levels. More people to exp and raid with is never a bad thing.

On SE's side it's less over head costs by maintaining all those servers.

When Ver 2.0 launches there is window of opportunity to open more servers.

Thoughts?

[Tidonius]

After they start charging a sub I think they should make server transfers free. Maybe they should gate it so you can only transfer once every 30 days or so. That seems like it would be the best option for SE to keep them off headlines and make it easy for people to consolidate. Another option could be to give incentives to move to particular servers, either way I would love to see more ppl out and about, the world feels a little dead imo.

[Tonkra]

the problem is you cant undo a server merge... and you need to rename your character or there are funny things like "Quichy sturmbruch [Lindblum]" which i really dont like in any MMO..

isnt it too early for a server cluster? especially if we all know that the server population will rise again with 2.0. (at the latest)?

[Eekiki]

They're making new servers! Why waste time and energy on these servers when they're going to be going away?

[lynex]

We have a lot of people now on our server. It is great seeing all the people I don't know what will happen after they start charging. Trabia is my server.

[Tonkra]

they should stick to f2p like Guildwars does

well thats the price for they kindness to their customers to keep FFXIV free to play for such a long time
The players get used to it and now its hard for SE to change this

[Teakwood]

XIV was never intended as a f2p game; it was only made f2p because of the catastrophe of its initial year of release.

As far as server transfers go, from what Yoshida's said it's -literally impossible- to implement this without spending a huge amount of time on it with the way the servers are currently set up, and the entire server structure is going to be changing after 2.0.

[Esk]

Yeah wait and see.. I think if a server is dead, sub 200 active accounts then they should look at it, but really we all know the pop will drop off then slowly pick up..
So they can just ram everyone on one or two server.

An If they do it, has to be a 1 off controlled move from X to Y or Z from the dead server, and then only a move back option once 2.0 is out. no more Imo anyway.

[ChiefCurrahee]

Keep this on topic, it's not about whether FFXIV shoudl be F2P or P2P but how to balance world populations.

[Eekiki]

Keep this on topic, it's not about whether FFXIV shoudl be F2P or P2P but how to balance world populations.

And I already said these servers are going away and being replaced by a whole new server infrastructure.