Are we getting a server merge soon?

[Diavolo]

Players are moving by their own volition and planning to ODIN (the unofficial JP server, which was already a fairly large server) and Asura (the unofficial english server, which was already one of the larger servers), nobody is making them do this.

Again, you're ignoring the reasons for the transfers. The fact they exist underscores the need for server merges, waiting for each player to move of their own volition at this point in its life is a poor way of managing such a successful game.

By your logic everyone wants Asura and Odin to be merged for this utopian mixed server

That's not true at all. Suggesting servers with mixed regional players is a utopian idea is asinine, too. They existed during this game's best years and they exist today. Your xenophobia is showing again.

but that isn't the case because it offers no benefit and a lot of negatives.

That's a rather insular opinion. Having a worldwide player base available on each server provides a number of benefits, some of which can make life in game more enjoyable. It was the very foundation the game was built on. Watch this promotional video for the game. Note the line "Experience a living, breathing, persistent world that exists 24/7 whether you're in it or not." What do you think happens to the game if we were to have region-specific servers? Think you would be able to find other players to help you with a particular battle if you happened to login on a sick day from work/school? Think the AH and bazaars would stock themselves if everyone was playing the same few hours a night after work/school? No, of course not, you would login and the server would look like a ghost town. Whether you choose to interact with players from other countries or not is your own personal decision, but having them on your server helps you and everyone else there even if you can't see it. Don't take away the choice to play with European, Australian or Japanese players just because you're uncomfortable with it.

If people wanted what you are talking about the Japanese would not of completely moved off Asura and would of instead made Asura the unoffocial JP server would they not? There used to be a fairly large JP base on Asura, they moved enmasse to Odin and now there are almost none there at all, because very much like english players they made plans to make a regional popular server.

There was a fairly large JP, EU and NA base on all servers, so you can apply your line of thinking to all servers. If JP players from Asura moved to Odin "en masse", as you stated, it's for the same reason people have been moving to Asura - server numbers across the board are alarmingly low and everyone thinking about transferring is eyeing the most active servers. I mean, why move to a server with 600 active players during peak times and risk having to move again in a few months when you can just choose the most populated server instead? I know of players on Asura who spent time recruiting players from other servers to join them there. Likewise, entire linkshells moved to Asura together. They didn't do this because they wanted to escape the JPs on their server, they did it because Asura has the most active English-speaking community. The fact that Asura is now lacking a JP community to balance out the NA/EU community is an unfortunate side effect of migrations, not a reason for them moving there to begin with.

Again, you are pushing what you like and want onto everyone else.

What do you believe that is, exactly? The only thing I'm pushing for is what the development team sold us on, hard to get that on a server that sometimes struggles to crack 250 online accounts.

You aren't even on Asura. The auction house is fine, the playerbase is fine. There are no problems with Asura that would be fixed by adding 100% more players that want nothing to do with us and vice versa for them.

Speak for yourself. What did the Japanese players ever do to you for you to exhibit such disdain for them? Is this an opinion you have for all players that do not speak your language, such as the French, Italian or German?

If your goal is to just be "fine" you aren't aiming high enough.

Merges are for the small servers

Progress at last.

[Aisu]

Here we go as i stated many times the "New" thing "Ambuscade" is so overcrowded there is a ton of people waiting outside the book spamming it i have been trying for 20 minutes and not gotten in. Many have left to come back and try again later. Worst part is most are asleep at this time with only 300 on from about 600(during NA primetime) to 900-1000 (during JP Time). SE has never been any good at making instances everytime they do there are restrictions based on the max amount of people at any given time. No one seems to get it

With everything soloable/low manable. Which was designed that way by SE themselves due to the fact the loss of players/server. They have just made it worst and impossible to really risk merging for a larger community, I hear Asura is probably the biggest NA community but doesn't make it better.

The Hype with Asura is word of mouth. You get enough people saying 1 thing then others are going to believe it and start saying it to others themselves without having actually experience first hand. I have heard a lot worst things about asura than good and the only good thing i have heard about asura and its the only good thing i will point out again is the large amount of NA/EU players. Now back to main point the larger the population in the current state of this game is worst for the people trying to accomplish stuff.

Before adoulin there were tons of things you could do such as. ADL event/ VW/ Neo Salvage / Meebles/ Neo Nyzul/ Legion. People wern't able to solo/duo/trio these. You needed a party to an alliance. There were no trusts and we needed the community to be large at this point.

Look at the current state of the game. Not how it use to be

This is important cause too many people think back like the point i posted above and are all like omg i miss the large communities. I do too but that doesn't mean with the state of the game as is now that it would be a good thing to have too big of an population anymore and so many people are too stubborn to accept this.

[Castanica]

"You feel repelled by a competing presence. Please wait a moment and try again"

[Diavolo]

Aisu, arguing that today's solo-friendly events like Ambuscade are reason to avoid merging servers is like arguing that no one should ever take a public bus, get on a plane or even get on a highway. It's congested, so let's stop server transfers. Let's start limiting the number of people a server will allow online at any given time. Let's stop accepting new subscriptions. I mean, really, stop and think for a minute how silly that argument is.

This is a problem that would have arisen even on a server with a population in the single digits - a few people all download the update and log on at the same time, run to Mhaura to try out Ambuscade, a few get in, but one player gets left out and thinks "OMG, only half a dozen people online, why is this happening?!" then runs to a forum to post about it. Do you think that server with half a dozen people is too large to entertain a merge? It's a rhetorical question, but in the context of this thread I get the impression it won't be treated as such.

Your worries of overpopulation aren't unreasonable, but considering how Odin and Asura have been handling life with 1,000+ simultaneous users just fine I'm sure servers with only a fraction of that activity would hold their own after a merge 'cause, y'know...

[lllen]

There is only 250 people on Cerberus all areas, the most I saw last week was 350.

[Castanica]

There is only 250 people on Cerberus all areas, the most I saw last week was 350.

Last I checked 250 was a lot of people.

[Aisu]

Yes they can "manage" but doesn't mean it is better. That is what you don't seem to understand. People could "manage" with 4000 people on a server but it would be hell trying to get into anything you want to do. What good is being able to shout and get people together easier if you can't even enter or pop the NM you want to fight because there are too many people Low Manning the fights?

I miss the big communities so don't get me wrong with that at all but i am being realistic here and not assuming anything like you are. you are saying well they can manage it but there are already a ton of people having issues with just 300-400 people online.

The picture above shows only 384 people on cause some are at work or asleep at this time and there are so many issues. the population can go upto 1000 on this server and i dread trying to do this at that time.


It's the same with everything they do. It is all designed as low mannable. People spamming volume 2 dragon cause you can solo VD and get 300 a run. Then go to zitah and get KI in like 2 mins and come back spam again.

The only positive thing about merging is more people but that is both a positive and negative and i'm sorry but the negative easily outweighs the other by far at the current state of the game. If they can change the state of this game where it is 100% required to have alliances to complete content then yes it will be better to have that bigger community. That is not a bias view on anything cause i wish it was viable to have the big community i miss from years ago but i am able to see that it isn't going to help anyone.

Again that isn't the current state of the game.

[Diavolo]

I miss the big communities so don't get me wrong with that at all but i am being realistic here and not assuming anything like you are.

Oh, let's not get presumptive now. I'm using facts to back up my argument - that the two largest servers have been doing well - while you're making the claim those population numbers are too high based off of anecdotal evidence that has no bearing on the topic at hand. As explained, your issue with Ambuscade (and other "hard mode" fights) is one that would be present even on a server with a population in the single digits, so there's no point playing it up. It's an issue with the game's PS2-centric software engine, not one made better or worse by population numbers as being on Cerberus today with only 220 online accounts I encountered the same situation you did above.

Again that isn't the current state of the game.

The game has been in a constant state of change since its very first days of public release. Do you agree or disagree with this?

[Aisu]

Oh, let's not get presumptive now. I'm using facts to back up my argument - that the two largest servers have been doing well - while you're making the claim those population numbers are too high based off of anecdotal evidence that has no bearing on the topic at hand. As explained, your issue with Ambuscade (and other "hard mode" fights) is one that would be present even on a server with a population in the single digits, so there's no point playing it up. It's an issue with the game's PS2-centric software engine, not one made better or worse by population numbers as being on Cerberus today with only 220 online accounts I encountered the same situation you did above.

How do you know the two largest servers are doing well?

As far as i know my friends i have on asura are doing nothing but complaining saying it is ridiculous and are thinking of coming back to shiva because of the huge population. The hype for asura isn't as great as some make it out to be. Many i know in my ls on Shiva are from asura saying it was just getting worst.

There are a limited amount of instance as SE has officially announced and they had a maintenance to try to fix it by trying to increase the amount of instances. Still having issues even when SE has Officially announced the congestion problem and are still having issues. Please tell me how merging servers will be beneficial in any way other than you can get more people to do stuff a little faster cause that doesn't mean anything if you can't even do the relevant content due to the population issue.

The game has been in a constant state of change since its very first days of public release. Do you agree or disagree with this?

Yes i do agree with this but the fact still remains Until They actually change it to where the current population on servers aren't already causing issues for many people. Just adding more people will just make it worst. The likely hood of this happeneing ever since they announced the likes of Rhapsody/HP scaling/Battle field difficulty choice and the big one is to summon 5 Trusts/person and solo most things is very unlikely.

[Diavolo]

How do you know the two largest servers are doing well?

Earlier in this thread Olor stated they hadn't seen any congestion at all for at least the past year. Likewise, detlef said almost everything he's read about the server's conditions has been positive. I don't spend a great deal of time browsing FFXI forums, but I've spent enough time on them to know if the conditions there were problematic we would have heard much more about it by now. In my experience, Asura's more vocal players tend to give off the impression of being a rather content group.

As Castanica pointed out, players want to be on larger servers, they "are moving by their own volition and planning to ODIN and Asura, nobody is making them do this." If, as you say, your friends on Asura are doing nothing but complaining maybe you should all take his advice and have them transfer to one that would be more to their/your liking. I hear Cerberus is a nice, quiet world.

Yes i do agree with this but the fact still remains Until They actually change it to where the current population on servers aren't already causing issues for many people. Just adding more people will just make it worst.

See, we at least agree that change is constant. Now forgive me for sounding a bit idealistic for a moment, but as a member of this community you are capable of bringing about some of that change. The development team does, in fact, pay attention to what we are saying and doing. Are you going to sit idly by and watch Final Fantasy XI fizzle out over time or are you going to discuss possible solutions to its current shortcomings, potentially bringing attention to concerns the development staff may be able address?