SE, Yoshi-P: Please Restrict Server Transfers to Certain Worlds

The most populated worlds in FFXIV are the only ones receiving these 2002/5006 errors.

For months we've asked you to do something about restricting server transfers to these worlds when you knew these worlds were getting too full and we feared what the launch of Heavensward would do to the servers we have been on since 2.0 and before, Yet you ignored us and our cries.

Now these servers are so full that it takes several frustrating trials to try to even get to the character select screen because the lobby error does not simply return us to the initial screen to try and attempt to log into our data center.

The re-implementation of the 30 min AFK kick timer does little to solve the issue of these filled to the brim servers because there are far too many people active to make it a plausible deterrence.

Coupled with the fact that you are being silent over the course of the weekend that your expansion is being released, when the influx of players most likely adds triple the amount of stress to other players wishing to log in, this is not a very good launch.

I suggest you offer free transfers off over populated realms with an incentive to transfer to lesser populated realms while restricting the transfer and return to these over populated realms until these over populated servers can be upgraded or altered to handle the mass amounts of stress they have been enduring with so many people being on them.

Those errors are the lobby server before you connect to a specific world. We just need more capacity.

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Originally Posted by EveK

Those errors are the lobby server before you connect to a specific world. We just need more capacity.

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Please read the entirety of my thread as this is what my thread talks about.

The reason we are getting these errors is because we have too many people on the over populated servers, like Balmung, is because people have been leaving their lower pop realms and coming to Balmung.

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Originally Posted by Grimmel

Please read the entirety of my thread as this is what my thread talks about.

The reason we are getting these errors is because we have too many people on the over populated servers, like Balmung, is because people have been leaving their lower pop realms and coming to Balmung.

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Didn't you do this none to long ago? :/ You left, then came back an already overpopulated server right after telling people in a different topic not to go there.
I say ride the waves and let people transfer where they want to. You did, so can they.
It's only hell because the expansion so yes, it's tough to get in. I'm sitting 337 in queue for 20 mins now.
I give it a month before the hype settles.

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Originally Posted by Mhikail

Didn't you do this none to long ago? :/ You left, then came back an already overpopulated server.
I say ride the waves and let people transfer where they want to. You did, so can they.
It's only hell because the expansion so yes, it's tough to get in. I'm sitting 337 in queue for 20 mins now.
I give it a month before the hype settles.

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My Main has been on Balmung since 2.0; This is my second account which I was forced to start on another server and transfer to Balmung way back a while ago before Heavensward was even announced. I only did it once.

I might also remind that I wouldn't have been forced to start off server if people hadn't over-populated Balmung by transferring over there to make it locked in the first place.

A lot of people are on balmung, have transferred to balmung, or have always been on balmung for a reason. Whatever their reason, whether its to play with friends, be on a populated server, or rp with fellow roleplayers, doesn't really matter. Their reason for not wanting to leave might be the same reason you yourself stay on Balmung. I understand that its overpopulated, but by asking them to leave you have to think about how you would feel if someone told you to leave. "I've been on since 2.0" "Well so have all of my friends that I joined the game to play with." It's very much a tit for tat thing. All we can really to is be patient and wait for the hype to die down. I wouldn't dream of asking someone to go to a server they don't want to be on. I know it's frustrating now, but it'll get better. If people really wanted off, they would have already left to a smaller server. Just please be patient. (:

Welcome there is nothing they are going to do about this iv been in a queue of 150 ppl for 40min and the dang queue never drops. But that's life some of us will miss out more then others and since i already know SE is not going to go all out and fix it ill just deal like most others.

While I agree that people should be able to transfer wherever they like, it does zero good to lock a server from creating new characters if people can just transfer there anyway. It's like the 1000 character limit here: it doesn't stop people from posting novels, we just have to jump through an extra hoop to do it.

MMOs lock servers to ensure full servers' stability and to usher other players into less populated servers. If you don't do that, you get server merges which can be complete disasters for economy and overall community due to potential conflicts in various areas (guild/FC names, player character names, etc.). Now add each servers' housing situation on top of that should a merge be needed. It would be complete and utter hell.

I will admit that I was/still am considering a transfer, and Balmung was naturally on the list. But if they close it before I could then I know I would understand.

to the OP: You could always transfer to a less populated people.

So I play on Goblin... a rather low pop server. I get these errors connecting to the lobby as well. This isn't necessarily a server overcrowded error. It's the lobby server being hammered. So if all those people just move off to another server in the same data center you'll probably end up with the same problem.

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Originally Posted by DreadRabbit

While I agree that people should be able to transfer wherever they like, it does zero good to lock a server from creating new characters if people can just transfer there anyway. It's like the 1000 character limit here: it doesn't stop people from posting novels, we just have to jump through an extra hoop to do it.

MMOs lock servers to ensure full servers' stability and to usher other players into less populated servers.

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This is what SE needs to do. Why they haven't done it yet is beyond me.

Servers are fine. Honestly if you don't like the que you can transfer to another server.

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Originally Posted by EveK

Those errors are the lobby server before you connect to a specific world. We just need more capacity.

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I don't get this lobby server error if I pick a diff dc than primal. Such as the one aegis is on. My alt in the jp dc. It is going on strong. it's the numbers not the lobby and no capacity in the world is gonna solve this. 2 solutions: players don't play (lol w/e) or we get to move free to a diff dc. That's really all I can come up with to solve this issue. Not fair to suck this bad and make players not play. They deserve to play.

I think the 2002/5006 errors affect everyone in the our (Aether) Datacenter. The only issue is queue to enter the server/world if it's overpopulated. I'll hold my judgement until the 23rd when the expansion is open for the general public, but so far queue have been quick here in Gilgamesh/Balmung at least for me.

Otherwise, maybe the OPs issue is just peopel from smaller pop servers going into larger pop servers .... which then causes issues? IMO, for the sake of smaller pop servers they do need to prevent CC into overpopulated servers. Since new players can just research which servers are larger and just wait until it opens.

This won't stop people from paying to transfer, but it should at least keep low pop servers healthy player-wise

The bigger problem, in my opinion, is that they need to make it easier to LEAVE overpopulated servers. Why would I give up most of my gil, a large house, a portion of my friends (assuming my FC would transfer with me), and on top of that pay real money to SE for the privilege of helping them balance their server load? Just to get around server errors caused by other people crowding the server I've been on since 1.0 early access? There's every reason for people to flock to crowded servers (to play with friends and to avoid "dead server" during lulls) but there's no compelling reason to leave. I don't think it's a ridiculous idea to ask for realistic housing compensation and a lifted gil transfer cap and a fee waiver for players seeking to transfer from high pop to low pop servers. It would be doing SE a favor by balancing load, which should be incentivized not discouraged.

They could offer a special server transfer program. Where if you transfer to a low pop server that you get free service for 6 months, only stipulation is you must remain there, or on another low populated server. For new accounts offer a additional month or two free if you agree to remain on that server, or other low pop server. Sound crazy, but that could work perhaps.

I love my short queue (at this time). Thank you and please I don't want the queue getting any longer. (My shortest was 5 people waiting and the longest was 15 people waiting)

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Originally Posted by Nektulos-Tuor

Servers are fine. Honestly if you don't like the que you can transfer to another server.

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The servers are fine now. As the game continues to grow, so long as all servers are open to transfer the problem is only going to continue to compound on itself. While I doubt server population is the one cause of the data center hiccups, there are far bigger problems on the horizon if SE doesn't take a staunch stance in the near future.

Everywhere on the internet only two servers get recommended for any reason, not just RP: Balmung and Gilgamesh. And that only contests to how great those servers are. But when every single new player that tries to research where to join only see those two names, that drives all traffic to those two. That in itself is not a good thing. A lot of issues such as housing, log in queues, dead server spaces, etc. are only a small part of the problem. Not trying to be a doomsday person here, but even players on Balmung besides OP in other threads have commented that the population is getting out of hand. This isn't just about long waiting queues, this is an actual potentially big long term problem.

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Originally Posted by Raikki

The bigger problem, in my opinion, is that they need to make it easier to LEAVE overpopulated servers.

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I agree with this. Put some kind of incentive for players to leave overpopulated servers and give those of us already on underpopulated servers incentive to stay.

It's like telling people in real life that they can't go to a certain city because it is too crowded... it doesn't work like that. Just like in real life, people of the same country (FF14) should have the right to move freely inside its territory... it doesn't matter if a city (server) is too crowded or not. It is simply not fair.

What the hell?

They have money, they aren't just a small enterprise like others. We're talking about SQUARE ENIX.


SE needs to make their severs BIGGER, the characters restriction from the beginning is a juke joke . We're paying for this game every single month and we have to deal with crap like server restrictions/logging issues etc
make the stupid servers (legacy) like balmung with more capacity, a lot of my friends cant join this game because this.

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Originally Posted by Grimmel

My Main has been on Balmung since 2.0; This is my second account which I was forced to start on another server and transfer to Balmung way back a while ago before Heavensward was even announced. I only did it once.

I might also remind that I wouldn't have been forced to start off server if people hadn't over-populated Balmung by transferring over there to make it locked in the first place.

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AKA, it's ok for the OP to do it, but no-one else should.

I normally don't pick high pop servers but I got RL friends that play on Excal so when I came, ofc I went to Excal.

Please no. Balmung is the only active unofficial RP server in this game. If you close transfers then people who want to RP won't have a community to do it with. SE should not be punishing people for being on high pop servers. They should encourage people to transfer to low servers by making them more ideal IE: drastically reducing transfer limitations and providing free transfers to low pop servers.

Or even proving experience bonuses to low population servers.

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Originally Posted by Sapphic

AKA, it's ok for the OP to do it, but no-one else should.

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My MAIN ACCOUNT has been on Balmung since 2.0. I am a Balmung player from the start. These people who are transferring over have NEVER been on Balmung and are only doing it because: A. It's a higher pop server. B. We have several FC's who have cleared End Game Content. C. They want a bigger community.

Yet they aren't taking the time to check out other servers. People are throwing out "Come to Balmung!" without thinking of the consequences of stress and other things that could happen to a server that was already full to the brim with players.

I have known what Balmung is like, It has been my home since the beginning of 2.0 and some of 1.0 (despite not playing much in 1.0). So yes, I would like to have my second account on Balmung as well.

The main influx of players I am concerned about are the level 50's. The low levels yes, I don't mind if they transfer to Balmung to be with their friends. But Balmung's main problem is all the high levels coming over to be on Balmung because of the reasons I stated.

As for the subject on my reasons, I've stated them and I'm not going to talk about it any further so you can continue to bash me by yourself. At least I have the balls to explain my reasoning instead of deleting my previous post and denying any of your accusations.

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Originally Posted by Grimmel

My MAIN ACCOUNT has been on Balmung since 2.0. I am a Balmung player from the start. These people who are transferring over have NEVER been on Balmung and are only doing it because: A. It's a higher pop server. B. We have several FC's who have cleared End Game Content. C. They want a bigger community.

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Doesnt matter you still did something you are telling others not to do. You moved an account to what you call an over populated server thus contributing to the problem. In fact you where being greedy by taking 2 spots for yourself instead of leaving one for someone else.

Unfortunately it's one of the downsides to being on a hugely populated server. Most of the data centers aren't having any problems... so the problem is not the servers, but players refusing to play anywhere except a server with a giant population.

If you want the benefits of such a server, you should expect the downsides too.

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Originally Posted by seida

Unfortunately it's one of the downsides to being on a hugely populated server. Most of the data centers aren't having any problems... so the problem is not the servers, but players refusing to play anywhere except a server with a giant population.

If you want the benefits of such a server, you should expect the downsides too.

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As a matter of fact, no, you shouldn't.

Square Enix is offering a service, which we pay for. It's their responsibility to make sure that all the servers work within parameters, no matter their population. If population in a server becomes too high, it's their responsibility to increase capacity or find a solution so that the service we pay for is delivered.

That's how the give and take relationship between service provider and customer works. The size of the population of a server has absolutely zero bearing on it.

I am not sure about non-legacy accounts, but legacy gives you 8 charaacter slots. Perhaps at the expense of 2 character slots, your character could be "cloned" to a less populated world. During Tuesday night reset, character data could be reconciled so as to not lose progress. This might also make it more attractive for people with friends that are just begining to play to start on a less populated world, as they wouldn't have to start completely over. Just a thought.

GET OUT OF MY SANDBOX!!!!

Lol, some people's sense of entitlement....

I would be absolutely livid if they completely locked down Excalibur. I have friends who are still trying to get into the game, two of which who haven't been able to play because they can't make characters on the server that me and several of our other friends play on. The solution shouldn't be that we have to pay for transfers to play with him or start new characters on a low pop server.

The high population servers deserve more attention than the low pop ones, they need stronger infrastructure and support for the bigger strain they endure. I shouldn't have to be complaining about this in the first place. No other MMO I've played has had an issue like this. If the server is overpopulated at a time, you're place in queue, nbd, that's expected. But completely locking down the server and preventing players from inviting their friends (ESPECIALLY WHILE ADVERTISING A BRAND NEW RECRUIT A FRIEND CAMPAIGN!!) to their server? Absolutely ri-freaking-diculous.

Free transfer off Balmung PLEASE!

1. I didn't ask to be on it (shifted in 1.0)
2. I'm not a RPer
3. Some people want ON it and I'm happy to go if my friends come but making everyone pay a heap doesn't happen smoothly
4. I'm Aussie and the lines are screwy when its like 4am in the states. C'mon!

p.s. Would be SUPER brilliant if we had an oceanic server, or an official one for us Aussies! We are all over the shop!!!!

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Originally Posted by Raikki

The bigger problem, in my opinion, is that they need to make it easier to LEAVE overpopulated servers. [snip]

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Agreed! The gil cap could be raised. And if you must give up a house, you should be compensated somehow. Facilitate people transferring off that would be just as happy elsewhere, and free up space for people that really want to join for friends/RP/whatever.

I was on a JP server and wanted to transfer to a NA one, and saw Gilgamesh, Excalibur, Balmung, and Leviathan recommended. I picked Gilgamesh, for no particular reason. I had thought that transfers were locked if character creation was locked, so I didn't think it was that crowded. Sorry, people of Gilgamesh!

I would happily transfer again for free to a less crowded server . . . whether or not I'd go to a truly low pop server would depend on how they did the free transfers, though.

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Originally Posted by Tatl

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Don't know what MMOs you've played, but even WoW has had to lock their servers. Not always permanently, but they do. I agree the heavier servers need more attention, but what kind? You expand the server space and allocate more resources. Okay. So what does that do to fix this problem?

Not a single thing. You know why? Because then when people hear that full to the brim servers are suddenly no longer full, even more people flood the servers with new characters and transfers. In other words it's a band-aid.


In a perfect world we would all be playing on one gigantic server. But notice how no large scale MMOs have been able to do this effectively. Because no matter how much money you chuck or how advance the tech you use, there are limits to what a server can do. No, players who have been on packed servers since launch shouldn't be punished and should be offered free transfers to encourage population redistribution. But eventually there has to be a close out, even if temporary.

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Originally Posted by DreadRabbit

Don't know what MMOs you've played, but even WoW has had to lock their servers. Not always permanently, but they do. I agree the heavier servers need more attention, but what kind?

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WoW may have locked their servers temporarily but it was literally that, temporarily a day to a week at most. This character creation restriction on FFXIV has been around since 2.0's launch, on and off almost every single day. It is CLEARLY an issue, and because of that needs to be resolved. The servers who are constantly locked and unlocked every day need larger server space and larger server load to accommodate their population if it's REALLY that bad. No one said they have to ANNOUNCE they're increasing the server load, but they could easily upgrade the servers and increase the allowance of players thus allowing new players (such as friends who've been invited to play) onto the server.

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Originally Posted by Tatl

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While you are correct, this is the internet. That kind of secret can't be kept long simply because players already on the populated servers would notice a change. And you can bet there'd be plenty who would spread the news. Also, a company looking at a dev team is not going to approve more funds to expand server space if they only see 3/9 (or however many servers Aether has) servers full. They'll tell them to use the server space their funding has already allocated by finding a way to promote lower populated servers. That's why I personally agree with everyone offering the idea of free server transfers for those on high pop servers. It would be better than a permanent or even temporary lock. But something has to encourage the use of what they already have available server wise.

Aren't the Lobby servers connected to data centers, and not specific servers? Henceforth, anyone who is connecting to Aether is having these issues?

Odin server in FFXI was locked down for years. No new characters, no transfers, nothing. I think it's because that's where some magazine journalists played and JP players wanted a shot at getting seen on the scene, so to speak.

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Originally Posted by Grimmel

My Main has been on Balmung since 2.0; This is my second account which I was forced to start on another server and transfer to Balmung way back a while ago before Heavensward was even announced. I only did it once.

I might also remind that I wouldn't have been forced to start off server if people hadn't over-populated Balmung by transferring over there to make it locked in the first place.

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a 2nd account you say? Well now we get down to the real problem haven't we. Its not the people who are transferring who are to blame its people like you who make a 2nd account for what ever reasons and all those alts.