Horrible experience due to poor design choices

I have been playing this game for years but have never tried to coordinate creating a character with a friend on PS4. Here is a time line outlining an extremely frustrating experience.

1. I buy girl friend FFXIV on PS4. I am then constantly hammered with the "Patch cannot be downloaded". Google shows that this is a well documented issue. Considering that my FFXIV on PC updates just fine, and the PS4 is on the same network (and never had issues). Takes 2 days for the patch to finally work.

2. Girl friend cannot create a character on my server, so I figure XIV is a great game and I'll just pay for a transfer to hers. I pay a transfer.

3. Girl friend wants to remake character...finds out the server I transferred to is now locked.

This is incredibly frustrating. I've paid $19.99 + $14.99 + $18.99 and have to pay another $18.99 to transfer again...?

You can get around the forum word limit by editing your post.

SE periodically locks high population servers to encourage players to make characters on lower population servers. These locks and unlocks are updated regularly, all you can do is keep checking.
Off hours are the best chance to get in (late night-early morning for the timezone for most players on that server).

I play on PS4 myself. So far I've had one patch that wouldn't download (the game didn't seem to recognize that it needed an updated launcher) but it worked after I uninstalled then reinstalled the game.

Both my girl friend and I have full time jobs. I'm also a software developer myself. If I told a customer to work around a implementation flaw I would be fired. I suppose working in the industry may have jaded me a bit but I am very very close of issuing a charge back for everything; I do not care about getting the accounts banned at this point. Trying to play a game with a friend should not be so difficult.

All 3 in my household play on PS4 and the only issue we ever have is related to wireless range and not the Internet, PS4 or PSN.

Character creation locks on servers have been known since day one with ARR.

(Edit: when I wrote this comment, your server was listed as Hyperion, not Leviathan) You're on Hyperion, very well known to be character creation locked almost all the time. Comment still stands, even on crowded servers the lockout is not 100%...

Fantasia allows you to remake your character, so I don't know why you ran into character creation locks a second time.

You said you transferred to your GF's server, and then in the next sentence you talk about her finding out the server you transferred to is locked, except you previously said that you transferred to her server.

So, did your GF delete her character (kind of a big mistake) on hyperion, instead of using Fantasia? and then run into chaacter creation restrictions?

Servers unlock from time to time even when they are 'locked', so patience would work well at this point, as would a more measured approach to making this work.

Afaik you can still transfer to a higher populated server though - thats not helping you anymore, but it would have meant: GF creates character on any server thats available; GF transfers to your server - done.

This forum limitation is very annoying, yes. But the server locks are actually working as intended to balance population between servers...

I do understand that you're upset about this - but it seems a little if you rushed things here instead of doing some research first (as in: looking into servers being locked/unlocked etc.). While it would be nice if it were easier to just play with a friend server-locks seem to be kinda needed to ensure note everyone is either playing on Blamung or Gilgamesh...

(maybe you want to check this: http://de.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodest...06d0909189e479 before rushing things again, if you choose to continue playing this game^^')

https://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/comme...512_25008_ps4/

Order of events:

Gf makes character on Leviathan
I transfer to Leviathan
Gf wants to make a new character, cannot create on Leviathan

Kinda wish the lock was a bit more strict.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lynart

https://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/comme...512_25008_ps4/

Order of events:

Gf makes character on Leviathan
I transfer to Leviathan
Gf wants to make a new character, cannot create on Leviathan

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GF can use a fantasia to change her characters looks/race. No need to make a new one unless she wants to select a different starting class.

...funny/ironic enough: characters can be created on your original server atm... Leviathan will become available again, just wait

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lynart

Both my girl friend and I have full time jobs. I'm also a software developer myself. If I told a customer to work around a implementation flaw I would be fired. I suppose working in the industry may have jaded me a bit but I am very very close of issuing a charge back for everything; I do not care about getting the accounts banned at this point. Trying to play a game with a friend should not be so difficult.

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What you have described is not an implementation flaw. the problems associated with downloading a patch are almost certainly network (Internet, not LAN) related. Character creation lockouts prevent server overcrowding.That is not an implementation fault. You and your GF could have easily arranged to create characters on the same server, or one of you transfer to the other without all the messing around. Deleting her character to remake it was inevitably going to result in a problem with the character creation lockout, that is not an implementation flaw.

the flaws here (except for issues with downloading patchnes) are entirely procedural, and they fall upon you and your girlfriend.

First month's sub veteran reward comes with a Fantasia. If your GF still has her original character I'd suggest she stick with it and use the Fantasia to make it look like her new character to avoid any more transfer issues.

http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodest...06d0909189e479

If possible, try creating the character at other times of day. The locks are based on current server activity, rather than total character population.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DPZ2

Aethestician quest also rewards a Fantasia. You're eligible for the quest after completing the "Be My Personal Envoy" story quest chain

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Since when? I'm pretty sure you're only getting some tokens for a new, free haircut from him...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DPZ2

Aethestician quest also rewards a Fantasia. You're eligible for the quest after completing the "Be My Personal Envoy" story quest chain

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Uh, no it doesn't. It provides a ticket for a free hair cut. Not a fantasia.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DPZ2

The Aethestician quest (around the time you get your first dungeon instance quest) also rewards a Fantasia.

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Nope, that quest just gives a token for a free aethestician appointment: http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodest...t/3d4685a71a9/

You can just try to create a new char at a different time.
Diabolos is always locked, but I created a character and my brother created one 8 months later.
The locks lift at random times during the day and even if the Character Creation restrictions says that they are locked doesn't mean they actually are.

However, if you're on a limited account (1 char/server) like I am, no matter what you do, you will not be able to create a second character on a server unless you delete the first one.