568 average active players on server ..... Is that enough ?

[NimrodXI]

Is probably enough if you take in count 3 trust x per player... what a joke
why not do a server merge ?

[Karbuncle]

The only reason I'd support a server merge is because it'd probably save them money... which is probably a good thing for us.

[Feary]

they dont have any plans for it.

they wont have any plans for it until their current plans are finished.

their current plans are to make the game more playable with game updates rather than server merge.

ie. don't expect an answer or anything to change until next year when they are back to the planning/brainstorming phase. if its not added to their plans then we'll wait til next time the phase comes around.

overall its better for them to say nothing and not take a side/ keep us guessing
as much as i hate the server population's numbers, this it just how its going to be.

unless there is an uproar so big, they have to change it.

guess what? most of us will have to deactivate for that. it will be bittersweet because we all be in the same place we were in the first place.

[Camiie]

SE will merge servers when it suits SE's interests and not a moment before no matter how much we tell them that there is a problem.

[Zarchery]

Yes it's plenty. You need 6 people at most for endgame events. 6 out of 568 is like 1% of that.

Events take time to set up because it takes time to fill key jobs like mage and tank jobs. If all you have is, like, Dragoon in sparks gear, no server merge is going to fix that.

[Aeron]

Yes it's plenty. You need 6 people at most for endgame events. 6 out of 568 is like 1% of that.

Events take time to set up because it takes time to fill key jobs like mage and tank jobs. If all you have is, like, Dragoon in sparks gear, no server merge is going to fix that.

No matter how true or not this is, its what normally comes to my mind when ppl talk about server merges. Its like ppl expect to shout for 5 out of 6 other ppl and fill a party full of competent players that can do D content in 5~10mins. I play in a ls that has a plethora of geared and good players and needless to say we already have the hard part out of the way and that's the ppl and it still takes longer then 10mins to setup for a run sometimes.

[Pixela]

Is probably enough if you take in count 3 trust x per player... what a joke
why not do a server merge ?

That's actually not a low number, most mmo population numbers average around that per server. They just don't let you search.

To answer the question though, it's more than enough (and it peaks up above 1-2k during JP prime). FFXI is not a game with much instanced content, so everything in the world you have to fight with others over to do. More is not always good.

I played FFXI when it had 3-4k per server and it really wasn't fun fighting over everything, going to do limbus and being unable to enter, being unable to enter salvage etc etc

Everything is limited, more players means less access to content. You also have to keep in mind that more people seem to quit after a merge than will leave due to low pops. Losing names, losing track of familiar faces because of the name changes, unable to do content etc.

If you are asking for more players because you think it will mean more shouts, think again. The reason there are so few is because everyone does things with their linkshell and most are capped on stuff anyway.

[Elexia]

SE will merge servers when it suits SE's interests and not a moment before no matter how much we tell them that there is a problem.

To be fair a lot of people told SE there was a problem with x job because they couldn't solo every end-game content. So I don't think they'd be wise to listen to players all the time. It's not a "problem", it's just the nature of the game currently - who's to say 2 weeks after merger it drops even LOWER than it was pre merger? What then? Start merging XI with DQX? xD

[Draylo]

A server merge won't fix the problem... It's been said many times in this thread. All that does is add more people to compete with (already have tons camping ontop of me for job points) and a large /sea all number. You can practically 3 man everything in this game now, so I don't see why you need that many people.

[Camiie]

To be fair a lot of people told SE there was a problem with x job because they couldn't solo every end-game content. So I don't think they'd be wise to listen to players all the time. It's not a "problem", it's just the nature of the game currently - who's to say 2 weeks after merger it drops even LOWER than it was pre merger? What then? Start merging XI with DQX? xD

http://i.qkme.me/367ouv.jpg

[Vivivivi]

While it's sad to see players shout occasionally for NNI and not be able to get a group (due to low numbers), I do have to praise SE for recognizing that new content moving forward is designed for 6 people, or if it's designed for more (like the new walk of echoes), allowing for people to freely come and go. Since changing delve to 6 person+ groups, I never see shout groups disband for lack of interest. If the content is currentish, 6-person content feels like the right number in 2014. On Quetz during NA primetime I usually see 600-800 people, and on the weekends during JP/NA overlap time I still see 1200~ people which honestly hasn't changed much in the past two-three years.

In my opinion, a server merge would be nice just for the liveliness feeling, and maybe a more well stocked auction house, but it would be annoying for things like Dynamis. I don't think it would affect 6-person content in the slightest.

I'm all about SE continuing their direction in FFXI, and maybe tweaking some older things like NNI by adjusting the lamp stuff to allow people still trying to clear it the ability to do so.

[Malthar]

A server merge won't fix the problem... It's been said many times in this thread. All that does is add more people to compete with (already have tons camping ontop of me for job points) and a large /sea all number. You can practically 3 man everything in this game now, so I don't see why you need that many people.

Didn't you hear Dray! They're coming out with an exciting new event that linkshells can actually do together! Yeah! You enter, and other people can enter too, and you fight monsters and such progressing to a boss, then you kill the boss. And the most amazing thing is what it's called! Walk of Echos II!

Wait... I'm having a sudden sensation of Déjà vu.

[Karbuncle]

well at least theres Incursion, which while specialized for 6 man, has a reward system than can reward every player, and you can bring up to 18 with nothing more than an HP boost to the enemies.

Hopefully the HP boost isn't so stupid that it outweighs the benefits of bringing more folk.