You can write scripts to parse lodestone to get the total number of active characters. But this will also include mules (like i have 16 characters (inc buddy key) and im 1 person lol) so its not accurate but it is accurate as to how many total characters there is. It can also take a long time >.> as there are 10 million possible characters. (thats max this game can have) so if 1 char parse took 1 second, it'd take like 3 months. Needs some optimization XD
But you could just guess through common sense. Before pt number was taken off they were usually 600-1000, i'd say about 1k is active now per day as game is a little better, maybe less at times, then just times that by conditions, I used to be logged on 24/7 so my number wouldnt ever change, a lot of others did so you'd work out the % of people who are static, then % of people who play a set amount of time (you can get this from the polls but i think it only goes to about 8hrs? or 3? idk lol)
There are probably hundreds of thousands of characters but about 50k active.
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03-20-2011, 03:38 AMviion
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03-20-2011, 03:38 AMAbriaelThis. Servers have plenty population still, and more people come back with every patch. With the PS3 version coming up in the future it'd be silly to operate merges just to have to open new ones then (creating a server divide between PC and PS3 players as a result).Quote:
Originally Posted by Valkyrie_Lenneth
Talking about a "gap" between PC and PS3 players doesn't make sense. There will always be people higher level than you in MMORPGs, and nothing in FFXIV determines that being lower level is a sizable disadvantage. You do your thing, higher level players do theirs.
Simply put optimism isn't misplaced. FFXIV has plenty chances to pick up, and there's absolutely no reason to doperate server merges before those chances are spent. -
03-20-2011, 03:41 AMviionSaying "people come back with every patch" is not very good fact to base your numbers on because i can garauntee you just as much leave at the same time. For example the amount of people pissed off with mini quests probably sparked the same amount to leave.Quote:
Originally Posted by Abriael
Also you have a spike of people trying out the patch, then realising its rubbish and theres still no content and off they go and quit again. -
03-20-2011, 03:43 AMAbriaelI base my facts on what I see. And what I see is that there's a lot of people online. I have no problem finding parties or repairs, or any other thing that needs collaboration, and that at every patch i see people I know coming back, and they tend to stay.Quote:
Originally Posted by viion
Also, the way the game is designed helps people gather at hubs, mitigating any population "problem", real or perceived.
Finally. SE didn't do the same error many did (and are still doing) going overboard with the number of servers at launch (because some people whined that they had to wait in line 5 minutes the day after launch), so the problem isn't really urgent.
What you say would have some degree of logic if the patches were really "rubbish". Fact is that they aren't. -
03-20-2011, 03:44 AMRydinthat just means the game would be horribly unplayable right after every patch....Quote:
Originally Posted by viion
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03-20-2011, 03:45 AMGreyJorildyn
You're also only seeing the world from the perspective of your server and your friends. That doesn't make your point any more or less valid than his.
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03-20-2011, 03:50 AMviionYeh pretty much this ^Quote:
Originally Posted by GreyJorildyn
We all have opinions based on what we see, on Besaid I see a lot of people during events/patches but they all diminish soon after. I'm in one of the most popular LS's and no one ever comes back from inactive state even during patches.
And when I say patches being "rubbish" its more like, not up to expectations? I thought miniquests were going to be something new and impressive but it turned out to be lacksum copy/paste feature from already ingame systems. And due to that I've quit for now until the game has "content". I will come back during patches and see how they are for a day or 2, but I will then go back to my "quit" status and work in my projects / play other games until this game has content. And looking from the many forums I'm not the only one who is taking this road.
I dont think a server merge would do much, theres no reason to EXP outside leves and leves are only good if you link and the link cap is 3 so findind 3 friends is not difficult in this game and doing that sort of stuff is not hard since its the only thing you can do. Most NM's are easy and either soloed or lowmanned so theres no need for a lot of people.
If there were content which required a lot of people or EXP pt's were like XI i would say a merge would be required, but sadly this game lacks any incentive to have a lot of people required for things and is now being built around that subject that there is just no need for a merge, it would do nothing but make the server feel more crowded. -
03-20-2011, 05:47 AMPunxsutawney
There is no need to Merge Servers. I have a character on Mysidia and one on Wutai. Mysidia is a 3 chocobo population and wutai is a 2. I can tell definitely tsee a different in populations, as the can be 80+ people in Camp Horizon at the same time on a given night, but I do not see wutai's zones ever dead either. so unless there is a huge discrepency between a 1 chocobo pop server and wutai i see no need.
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03-20-2011, 05:57 AMPeregrine
Merging servers would be fatally bad press, make balanced worlds imbalanced again, put the servers at risk of overpopulation if players do end up coming back, further gluttonize already gluttonized crafting avenues, and crowd the limited NMs. It may save money in the short term, but in the long term it would be a bad idea.
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03-20-2011, 06:06 AMAbriaelAnyone that knows even a little bit about game development (or any development) already knew that the first quests implemented (that are called "side"quests for a reason), were going to be the easiest/fastest to implement. Obviously they didn't hold those back in order to implement other kinds of content that obviously needs longer to be coded/directed/implemented.Quote:
Originally Posted by viion
I find that the people that find the patches "disappointing" (especially considering that this game is showing the fastest rate of evolution in every MMO I ever played since launch, which means the vast majority of the P2P market, and a large percentage of the F2P one), simply had irrealistic expectations.
And as Peregrine says, there's a very solid possibility that many will come back, as some are already doing. Merging the servers too early would just risk of making them explode is such a possibility was to realize.
Again, merging before you shot all your arrows is a very, very bad commercial and development decision.