Server Merge

[Authority]

In any MMO, this is a hot topic. Some people are for it, and some people are against it. However, with FFXI being such a social MMO, and after a bunch of people left for FFXIV, I think it's about time to have another merge.

Have there been any announcements regarding upcoming server merges? I would be completely for it, because starting fresh with barren auction houses and nobody in old zones kind of sucks... XIV didn't really hold out for me, and I want to come back and enjoy this.

What do you think?

[Demon6324236]

We need it, but we don't need it. Admittedly we do have congestion in WKs, we need them to die down before we start getting merges, otherwise we are only walking into issues we asked for.

[Afania]

We need it, but we don't need it. Admittedly we do have congestion in WKs, we need them to die down before we start getting merges, otherwise we are only walking into issues we asked for.

We need it for sure, but atm there's such a huge gap between JP prime time and NA/EU prime time. On my server there's 1.5k player every JP night on weekdays, weekend can hit 1.8k. But NA/EU time is like 600~700.

We need a merge because NA/EU population is too small, on the same time it's going to be 3k+ player per server on JP time if we merge ><

[Demon6324236]

We need it for sure, but atm there's such a huge gap between JP prime time and NA/EU prime time. On my server there's 1.5k player every JP night on weekdays, weekend can hit 1.8k. But NA/EU time is like 600~700.

We need a merge because NA/EU population is too small, on the same time it's going to be 3k+ player per server on JP time if we merge ><

That's my point, some things will be better with a merge, some things will be worse, which do you really choose? No merge which means less people to do things with, or merge and have massive server clutter of people and congestion? There is a good and bad to it no matter how you look at it.

[MarkovChain]

server merges would be a nice thing.

[predatory]

server merges would be a nice thing.

Actually not a nice thing, a very needed thing, the game is in its death throes now, and a server merge might stave it off long enough for SE to fix the problems they created with SoA, but the longer they wait on a server merge, the more people will leave simply because of low populations, and staring at a screen hoping for something to pop up. I've always been a take charge and shout to get shit going kind of guy, but there are a lot of people who don't shout and they kind of wait, the longer the wait the less likely they are to keep playing, and right now with populations so low, there isn't many shouts for stuff going on.

[Authority]

Actually not a nice thing, a very needed thing, the game is in its death throes now, and a server merge might stave it off long enough for SE to fix the problems they created with SoA, but the longer they wait on a server merge, the more people will leave simply because of low populations, and staring at a screen hoping for something to pop up. I've always been a take charge and shout to get shit going kind of guy, but there are a lot of people who don't shout and they kind of wait, the longer the wait the less likely they are to keep playing, and right now with populations so low, there isn't many shouts for stuff going on.

Agreed. A bunch of people I've spoken with in-game would love a server merge too. Hopefully SE has some news regarding this soon.

[Anjou]

They love the idea of a merge...until they find out it's -their- server merging and they lose their name to someone's inactive mule.

[Sapphire]

They love the idea of a merge...until they find out it's -their- server merging and they lose their name to someone's inactive mule.

There's this.

And there is the fact that just because a server has a low population during the hours people in NA play doesn't mean it's as low at say, Japanese prime hours. Sylph is a small server, (has been for a while), and the population has taken a hit during the hours I play. However more than once I have stayed up WAY later than I should, and did a /sea all, to find nearly twice as many people on.

I'm not saying server merges aren't likely in the future. I think in 2014 there will be some. But the folks who actually have access to hard data on how many people log in from where and what time likely have to crunch those numbers a lot to determine when and what servers will go. Simply halving the servers is likely to cause a mess during the hours of the day where for years now the most people have been logged in. And that won't help any either.

And before someone comes in a says "well just make JP only servers and NA only servers etc etc." that may "solve" YOUR issue, but would needlessly move people who are perfectly ok on global servers and maybe (I know, crazy) play with people from all over the world.

(Personally my fear is that since Sylph is tiny, it will be a source server and not a target one, and I may lose any of my character's names, as they were all carefully chose. /sigh)

[Teraniku]

There's this.

And there is the fact that just because a server has a low population during the hours people in NA play doesn't mean it's as low at say, Japanese prime hours. Sylph is a small server, (has been for a while), and the population has taken a hit during the hours I play. However more than once I have stayed up WAY later than I should, and did a /sea all, to find nearly twice as many people on.

I'm not saying server merges aren't likely in the future. I think in 2014 there will be some. But the folks who actually have access to hard data on how many people log in from where and what time likely have to crunch those numbers a lot to determine when and what servers will go. Simply halving the servers is likely to cause a mess during the hours of the day where for years now the most people have been logged in. And that won't help any either.

And before someone comes in a says "well just make JP only servers and NA only servers etc etc." that may "solve" YOUR issue, but would needlessly move people who are perfectly ok on global servers and maybe (I know, crazy) play with people from all over the world.

(Personally my fear is that since Sylph is tiny, it will be a source server and not a target one, and I may lose any of my character's names, as they were all carefully chose. /sigh)

I work nights so my play hours are non standard. I like Global Servers at least that way I don't hit a dead zone where me and only about 200 other people are on...