A plea to SquareEnix: Linkshell - Quality of life improvements and current problems.

[Tiktaks]

Hello everyone, my name is Tiktaks. I am the leader of the official Reddit Linkshell over on Asura. We are one of the largest active Linkshells to date and we have a major problem in hitting the player cap of 64 people online at once.

While I understand there are many technical problems on the side of Linkshells from your end SquareEnix, I really would like to see this problem addressed somehow.

My biggest problem as a leader is trying to please everyone. Our community is focused on helping all new players and returning players feel like they have a family in-game they can depend on. Teaching them the ropes of Final Fantasy XI, showing them what they have missed, and much more. While I understand some players would just suggest making a second shell, I don't want to split the community in two. It would be like asking a family to split in two. It just isn't the same.

I know SquareEnix has a lot of problems they are dealing with everyday, as well as new content getting ready to be released, I ask of this change with the greatest of intentions. We willingly go out of our way to help new players get started in the world of Final Fantasy XI and many players have told us that if it wasn't for this Linkshell they most likely wouldn't have continued playing the game. Final Fantasy XI is a very unforgiving game to new players, especially if this is their first MMORPG. While I know we are not the only Linkshell that helps new players, we have one of the largest communities (the Reddit community) that does this. We help new players get into an older game, which results in more subscriptions for you SquareEnix. We just want to be able to keep our community together without having a 64 player limit/cap and you just want to continue getting those subscription numbers up, as well as keep your current subs. Why not help each other out?

I know many other Linkshell leaders would also love this change. Even if most Linkshells don't have the problem of reaching the cap consistently, we are one of the Linkshells with this problem and it does effect us heavily. I hope you can help with this and I hope other people who think this is a problem can show some support for this issue.

_____

While the problem listed above is my primary concern there are also a few others problems that are worth mentioning, so I will put them in this topic as well. These ideas were brought together by Zenoxio, a mod over on /r/ffxi and a Pearlsack in the Linkshell.

- Ability to invite players to LS from anywhere
- Basic permission/rank system so a LS doesn't just die out when the leader vanishes
- Ability to break pearls/kick players while they are offline

I repeat - I know some things have technical limitations on your part SquareEnix, but this is just some of the things I really hope can be worked around somehow. I want our community to continue growing, so we can help more and more new players get started and feel like they have a home. Thank you!

What the Reddit Linkshell is about: http://www.reddit.com/r/ffxi/comment..._asura_server/

The Reddit Linkshell Subreddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/RedditLinkshell/

Final Fantasy XI Subreddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/ffxi

[Greenkin]

Totally agree with OP. The LS is central to the play experience. I resubbed last month because I knew there was a large, healthy LS on asura. Without a good LS im not sure I would have resubbed so readily or with as much confidence that I would be able to make friends.

The world feels empty compared to the early days, but its awesome having a full and thriving LS

I have a good friend from college that just resubbed and he may not be able to join the same LS as me because there is not enough pearls.... Friendships and in-game connections are what will keep people subbing. The community needs to be strengthened. For this to happen, I agree that LSes at least need the option to expand to take in new players.

What should the LS membership limit be? 100? 200? I don't know, but anyone who is friendly and can contribute to the community should not be excluded from having one.

[MDenham]

I'd be in favor of the LS "number of people on at a time" limit being 750, like Besieged's limit is, but I have my doubts that raising the cap that far is feasible (or necessary).

128 might be enough, 160 probably is, and 192 almost certainly is, though.

[Limelol]

I think a lot of people might see this and think that it's not a big issue because they're not currently in this situation.

For those people, I'd like you to think of your first social Linkshell that really made you feel at home. Great experience, right. Of course it was. Now, can you imagine how terrible it would be to log on one day and want to talk to all of these new friends you made only to be denied access to the Linkshell due to having too many people online? I know I would never want that.

Ideas like splitting the shell and creating a second one wouldn't be a great idea in my opinion. Everyone would want to be in the main one, but they'd have to settle for second best in that scenario. A less than ideal situation, no?

Because of this, I think the best solution going forward is to increase the number of online Linkshell members allowed. Nobody has to settle for second best. New players get the full welcome. When someone is trying to talk to a few Linkshell members, they won't have to figure out which shells that the other people are in.

[Volkaru]

I agree that this does need to be addressed. Even a boost to a 100 limit would be more than enough. But as it is many people are being turned away at the door, as it were, because of this archaic restriction.

[Almet]

I'm also in agreement with this. If I hadn't discovered an active social LS, I would not have the same level of interest in the game that I do.

[ebox86]

Yes! fully support this

I don't see why, given the lifecycle and stage the game is in currently, why the linkshell limit would not be able to be raised. Especially with a motive of enticing new players to join, sub and keep p[l]aying

[Kimithras]

Building a Linkshell up from the ground, piece by piece, seeing it succeed, only to be hurt by an arbitrary limitation is truly frustrating.

I believe it is a limitation that no longer makes sense and I don't think it would be overly difficult to modify.
Even today, Square Enix still manages to surprise us with new ideas, changes to game mechanics, new content... It is difficult to believe it is a twelve year old game.
I don't think this change would be beyond their skills.

Come on, Square Enix. You can do it. Your faithful community needs it.

[Alhanelem]

Building a Linkshell up from the ground, piece by piece, seeing it succeed, only to be hurt by an arbitrary limitation is truly frustrating.

I believe it is a limitation that no longer makes sense and I don't think it would be overly difficult to modify.
Even today, Square Enix still manages to surprise us with new ideas, changes to game mechanics, new content... It is difficult to believe it is a twelve year old game.
I don't think this change would be beyond their skills.

Come on, Square Enix. You can do it. Your faithful community needs it.

The limitation is unlikely arbitrary, it is probably due to ps2 memory limitations.

[Olor]

Then they should just drop PS2. I mean, they have already locked NA PS2 players out, it's garbage that they keep the restrictions in place for JP PS2 players only.

Anyway, I fully support the Original Poster. I was also in an LS awhile back that regularly hit the player limit, and they did do a second shell and it really broke down the community. It's not a viable option.