Please Update Server Status - Way Too Many "Congested" NA Servers

So, awhile back, several servers on the NA datacenter were changed to "congested" which locks character creation and world transfers 24/7 until that status is updated. Guessing it was maybe when 5.31 was patched in, but I admit I wasn't paying attention to the server status before that. The queues on Gilgamesh have been basically the same for months now, so I don't understand how now suddenly it's congested, but anyway... After talking to a relative of mine a couple weeks ago, I found out they were playing the game on another server, which is also currently marked as congested. I've been hoping to transfer over so we can play together, since we cannot world visit because he's on Primal and I'm on Aether. I volunteered to be the one to pay to transfer, because money isn't really an issue, and we both shouldn't have to pay to transfer to a less active server. Neither of us want to move to a lighter pop realm, we like busier servers, but this is super frustrating.

I know it takes a maintenance to change server status from congested, so I'm sure this is pointless to even post, guess I just need to vent...but hopefully 5.35 will come VERY soon and get us off of being congested, but I doubt it since it's adding more stuff to keep people going or bring them back.

You might be pleased to know that server status is updated multiple times a day. I had a friend trying to join the game recently on my same server who couldn't join because the world was congested, then a couple hours later it was opened up only to be closed off again by the time he finished character creation again, then opened back up a few more hours after that at which point he was able to start on my server.

But to your point, the population of NA servers in general is way too high. Even the highest populated JP server has a lower population than most of the lowest populated NA servers (which has more effects than just congestion when you consider the finite number of houses on each server) We absolutely need additional servers added to North America. Hopefully with the new data center added, this will be coming in the not too distant future.

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Originally Posted by wereotter

You might be pleased to know that server status is updated multiple times a day. I had a friend trying to join the game recently on my same server who couldn't join because the world was congested, then a couple hours later it was opened up only to be closed off again by the time he finished character creation again, then opened back up a few more hours after that at which point he was able to start on my server.

But to your point, the population of NA servers in general is way too high. Even the highest populated JP server has a lower population than most of the lowest populated NA servers (which has more effects than just congestion when you consider the finite number of houses on each server) We absolutely need additional servers added to North America. Hopefully with the new data center added, this will be coming in the not too distant future.

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No, not that server status.

They have 2 types. One based on characters logged in which varies during the day, and 1 that is a hard lock they add during maintenance.

This is where you get "congested" "standard" and "preferred" server status.

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Originally Posted by Valkyrie_Lenneth

No, not that server status.

They have 2 types. One based on characters logged in which varies during the day, and 1 that is a hard lock they add during maintenance.

This is where you get "congested" "standard" and "preferred" server status.

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If he's referring to this status, then it does update multiple times per day

https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/worldstatus/

Congested servers don't allow for new characters to be created, which I've seen Faerie flip back and forth to allowing new characters and being flagged as congested multiple times a day.

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Originally Posted by wereotter

If he's referring to this status, then it does update multiple times per day

https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/worldstatus/

Congested servers don't allow for new characters to be created, which I've seen Faerie flip back and forth to allowing new characters and being flagged as congested multiple times a day.

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Yes. There is status and classification.


Classification only changes with maintenance. This is "preferred" "congested" "standard"

Character creation status updates during the day.

No server with the classification congested will ever update during the day.

Faerie was made congested with the most recent patch. Which is why prior to that, you saw the character creation status fluctuate. It will not do that now until maint removes it's congested status.

Valkyrie is exactly correct, hence why I used the term "congested" in my post. That is a hard lock on character creation and world transfers until they change it. :(

They tend to update the preferred, standard, congested classification near the first week of every month usually around the 5th to the 10th. There was a long time from April to August when they didn't, however, so it's not a guarantee and not every world changes classification when they do make changes. They always post a news article on the lodestone titled "Regarding Changes in Congested/Preferred Worlds" whenever they change them. This is the most recent one from Sept 8, so it'll be at least 2 weeks before it might change again:
https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodes...0430f5b02303e3

The character creation allowed status gets updated multiple times a day based on current server data and never gets announced. The only thing you will know for sure about this status is that worlds that are classified as congested will never allow character creation.

if you look at the pattern of server congestion it's like that because they want more people on Crystal right now. when they feel world populations have balanced out to their liking they'll change it. it could be as soon as 5.35 or it might not be til 5.4.

The servers probably wouldn't be so congested if Square actually got off their bums and bothered to deal with the amount of bots...

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Originally Posted by Derby_Crash

The servers probably wouldn't be so congested if Square actually got off their bums and bothered to deal with the amount of bots...

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SE does ban bots regularly. I know this is crazy but do you believe the people that have bots actually make more? I wonder why? You want to see bots disappear tell your fellow players to stop buying.

The world classification exists as a tool to balance world populations. They want players to be creating new characters on worlds with lower populations and avoiding those worlds with high populations. As a world's population shifts to one or the other extreme, they'll change the classification.

Considering NA players tend to demand high population servers to play on, don't expect SE to add any more NA worlds unless all NA server populations are getting close to what the servers can handle. And expect the highest population worlds to remain marked as congested.

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Originally Posted by Derby_Crash

The servers probably wouldn't be so congested if Square actually got off their bums and bothered to deal with the amount of bots...

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Fun Fact - a bot operator can't create new characters on congested worlds any more than actual players can. If bots were the true cause of congestion, congested worlds would very quickly lose their congested status as the existing bots get banned (see the weekly notice).

This game is getting insanely popular. It might be time for new worlds.

it's not there yet.

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Originally Posted by Jojoya

Fun Fact - a bot operator can't create new characters on congested worlds any more than actual players can. If bots were the true cause of congestion, congested worlds would very quickly lose their congested status as the existing bots get banned (see the weekly notice).

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Balmung was completely bot-free for years because of this. No gil selling tells or shouts, no packs of teleporting black mages and/or archers, no DoL gathering from inside the terrain, etc. As soon as character creation was opened up after the big data centre reshuffling, the bots came flooding in. :(

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Originally Posted by Mhaeric

Balmung was completely bot-free for years because of this. No gil selling tells or shouts, no packs of teleporting black mages and/or archers, no DoL gathering from inside the terrain, etc. As soon as character creation was opened up after the big data centre reshuffling, the bots came flooding in. :(

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Luckily most of the bot on Balmung are gone. Sadly they just visit from another server.
I think all 3 Data Centre need more server.

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Originally Posted by Kewitt

Luckily most of the bot on Balmung are gone. Sadly they just visit from another server.
I think all 3 Data Centre need more server.

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SE very much prefers that players fill out the existing servers, so as long as there is even one under-populated server in a given Data Centre there won't be any new servers added to that Data Centre.