Subscription consumption while being unable to play

Shouldn't there be a compensation or a way to freeze the subscription? with this queue of 6000 players i can't play at all, and if i wait hours anyway i end up getting disconnected and having to get in the queue again.

EXACTLY!
I want to cancel subscription cuz it seems i wont be able to play for a long while now (all those ppl have to finish EW) until i inevitably start another game and get hooked on it, but im afraid to be booted for good or something, but i paid recently so my 30 days are just going to the dumpster!

The queue times are expected and aren't actually all that bad for a launch. However, the fact that you get errors when logging into the lobby server and/or kicked from your server queue is another matter.

They should just pause the countdown until people can actually get into the game.

I can't say it's impossible - we were playing for free during the 1.0 calamity. But if I was working for SE I wouldn't even be thinking of compensation right now - I'd be focused on bug fixing and server stability. Depending on how long it takes, then I'd start thinking of compensation.

But I do ask this; If I have been able to play hassle free with no errors and was at the front of the que - should I also get compensation?

edit*Oh temporarily pausing subs actually sounds reasonable.

I wouldn't be surprised if we get a lengthy apology from Yoshi-P when things have calmed down somewhat later in the month, crediting us all like a week of game time to make up for this instability. Because that's how long I expect this to keep up.

They're doing the best they can right now. Remember that the back end is ancient and full of holes and spaghetti code from 1.0, and they couldn't update the hardware as they wanted due to the chip shortage. They've known this was coming, all we can do is try to be patient and play when the server population isn't all hammering the servers at the same time.

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Originally Posted by vexis58

...and they couldn't update the hardware as they wanted due to the chip shortage.

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Good lord this is a meme at this point.

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Originally Posted by vexis58

They've known this was coming, all we can do is try to be patient and play when the server population isn't all hammering the servers at the same time.

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Umm, there is such a thing as risk management planning. A good planner knowing an issue would exist would say "I can't get the number of new servers we'll need by x date, we need to push launch to y date instead."

i'll push for time credit myself. just started ff14 a month ago, and the first xpac i see come out is unplayable. at least for me and more than a few others. with the long queue's and constant lobby crashes putting you at the back of the line again, i havent played once since the launch. meh not looking to be that promising a game to me atm.

People act like because there is a chip shortage means you can't buy any servers anywhere. I'm sure they are doing all they can, but damn... a chip shortage is a reason a GPU may be expensive, not a reason for a giant company not to be able to buy a few more servers for a game... lol

I haven't been able to play at all today due to connection errors after waiting for 4k+ queue. Yet my subscription is running and I paid for early access. They need to make new servers. I'd understand if this was a crappy free to play MMO, but this is absolutely unacceptable while having to pay to play.

And to those defending them saying that they knew this was coming, why not give those who purchased early access a week or so of free subscription to compensate for not being able to play?
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Originally Posted by RyoXander

I haven't been able to play at all today due to connection errors after waiting for 4k+ queue. Yet my subscription is running and I paid for early access. They need to make new servers. I'd understand if this was a crappy free to play MMO, but this is absolutely unacceptable while having to pay to play.

And to those defending them saying that they knew this was coming, why not give those who purchased early access a week or so of free subscription to compensate for not being able to play?
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They already said that they cannot create new servers due to a chip shortage. What they haven't said is what they're planning to do now. The last thing they said about the wonky login queues is that they're "working as intended," which is a giant middle finger to the player base.

Like someone else said, the chip shortage doesn't mean new servers couldn't be purchased at all. It means they can't get the numbers needed by a specific date or at the price SE wanted.

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Originally Posted by NasaLaughta

People act like because there is a chip shortage means you can't buy any servers anywhere. I'm sure they are doing all they can, but damn... a chip shortage is a reason a GPU may be expensive, not a reason for a giant company not to be able to buy a few more servers for a game... lol

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Um have you even been keeping up on it? It's not hitting just GPUs. The car companies have to ship cars, trucks, etc bare bones for the most part because of the chip shortage. My Uncle who owns a company that makes battery testers can't get what he needs. This is not a GPU issue it's a world wide tech issue in that anything that needs and uses chips can't get them.

The only tech that you can find are TVs and PC monitors.

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Originally Posted by agbear9

The only tech that you can find are TVs and PC monitors.

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The fact that TVs and PC monitors have chips in them means someone is getting the chips somewhere. So, it's not that semiconductors aren't available at all, they aren't available in the numbers needed to keep up with demand which makes the price of what is available go up. In other words, Server Hardware and chips are available to those who want to pay the price required or have the patience to wait for their order to be filled.

I've got 34 days left, I paid for early access into Endwalker and have barely been able to play. Haven't played at all today due to the lobby errors booting me completely out and closing the game on me. I'm on-board for getting some type of compensation for this because I'm getting tired of the consistent inability to even log into my character.

I don't think you understand the scope of one of these servers. These are massive multi-million dollar plus machines that takes weeks to even setup that are likely super custom with huge lead times. If you've worked in Enterprise before, you'd understand it's not that simple. Yeah I can get a couple servers off the shelf right now. But if I want one that does the job I need tomorrow, I need to have ordered it at least a year ago. Probably longer for super specialized ones.

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Originally Posted by Walkerged

The fact that TVs and PC monitors have chips in them means someone is getting the chips somewhere. So, it's not that semiconductors aren't available at all, they aren't available in the numbers needed to keep up with demand which makes the price of what is available go up. In other words, Server Hardware and chips are available to those who want to pay the price required or have the patience to wait for their order to be filled.

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It means some supply of some chips are available. On low dollar, low specialization chips. Servers are astronomically complicated. And you need exactly the right combination from specific vendors to even get them to work. With a TV I can use a thousand different parts from a thousand different manufacturers. With a server, I need to buy a specific set of motherboard(s) and card modules from one company, a set of processors from one company, and hundreds of sticks of ram from one company. And I can't mix items even with "identical" specs because they just won't boot. And if I can't find all of that at the same time, I can't make my server. And if it's been built for a specialized load, like some super data center specific IBM chip at the core, then you're looking at even less choice. You're essentially locked into a specific vendor.

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Originally Posted by FunkyBunch

I don't think you understand the scope of one of these servers. These are massive multi-million dollar plus machines that takes weeks to even setup that are likely super custom with huge lead times. If you've worked in Enterprise before, you'd understand it's not that simple. Yeah I can get a couple servers off the shelf right now. But if I want one that does the job I need tomorrow, I need to have ordered it at least a year ago. Probably longer for super specialized ones.

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After a manner of speaking that's the point I think some of us are trying to make. They've had the time to plan properly, or to further delay the expansion with a public apology, but don't appear to have chosen either course.

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Originally Posted by FunkyBunch

These are massive multi-million dollar plus machines...

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Citation Needed

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Originally Posted by FunkyBunch

It means some supply of some chips are available. On low dollar, low specialization chips. Servers are astronomically complicated. And you need exactly the right combination from specific vendors to even get them to work. With a TV I can use a thousand different parts from a thousand different manufacturers. With a server, I need to buy a specific set of motherboard(s) and card modules from one company, a set of processors from one company, and hundreds of sticks of ram from one company. And I can't mix items even with "identical" specs because they just won't boot. And if I can't find all of that at the same time, I can't make my server. And if it's been built for a specialized load, like some super data center specific IBM chip at the core, then you're looking at even less choice. You're essentially locked into a specific vendor.

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Again, the point isn't that the required components aren't available at all. The situation is more likely the required components either aren't available in the price deemed reasonable by Square Enix or time frame deemed reasonable by the players.

I'd be in on the push for a week, or more depending on how long this crap continues. People should not be waiting 2+ hours patiently only to get booted on an error and wait ANOTHER 2+ hours. This is beyond insanity, and the countermeasures they claimed to have have all failed at this point.

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Originally Posted by ApeKing

Citation Needed

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-Seeing quotes for the crappy Linux servers the EMR at my old company was using that met the design specifications. A moderate host for a 2 virtual server setup with 10 TB RAID 10, and 128 GB RAM with a handful of Xeons was around 188k. And that was for Dev. For production they rang 500k/piece. And that was for a shitty web application with 15-20 small apps hosting about 500 users each at max.

The queue times are expected but are 100x worse than they've ever been. Saying they're not all that bad, for peak play-time, is like saying "I have a peanut allergy, so I'm gonna have a peanut butter jelly sandwich. It's not gonna be that bad..."

The errors are a byproduct of server congestion. It happens. But waiting half an hour just to log in because the servers don't have the capacity is beyond asinine. But SE already told us capacity would be at a premium since they can't get parts to build additional servers. Chalk it up to the COVID-inspired supply chain, guys. Things will continue to be this bad until a number of things happens:

1) additional servers are brought online (best outcome)
2) bots and RMTs are all killed (never gonna happen, but also ideal)
3) someone mentioned rolling logouts... might be worth considering

Ideally, SE oughtta have reconsidered launching EW without ensuring adequate server capacity, first. Unfortunately, it happened. The expansion, when available, is really good so far. Until availability is better, this will only remain as the new normal.

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Originally Posted by TeemoTeemosson

They should just pause the countdown until people can actually get into the game.

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Amen brotha amen

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Originally Posted by Akasier

I'd be in on the push for a week, or more depending on how long this crap continues. People should not be waiting 2+ hours patiently only to get booted on an error and wait ANOTHER 2+ hours. This is beyond insanity, and the countermeasures they claimed to have have all failed at this point.

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Due to holiday and early access… 1 month this will last

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Originally Posted by KevikFenrir

waiting half an hour just to log in

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I wish it was that short.

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Originally Posted by YukikoKurosawa

I wish it was that short.

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You can say that again.

Two days I've been unable to play. Currently can't log in due to the 3001 error. There really should be time compensation for this. If it was just a long wait in the queue, I'd be totally fine. I can't even get into a queue, however.

I am sorry but this is unacceptable, their excuses are just that! Hire some servers buy some. The cues are insane when you know u cant even join a cue and when you do its over 8000 in the cue and it takes 5 hours to get into game. I have only been able to get into game at 2 am in the morning Aus time. They need to do something now. Saying you are sorry isn't enough. Words are cheap actions speak louder than words.

The wisdom that comes with age. I purposefully resubbed for 30 days prior to the world release date, knowing from other MMO's how releases can sometimes go. I see this was the wise decision. My subscription ends tomorrow. It will have to stay that way until the capacity is increased.

8700 people in Queue last evening. Couldn't play. Day before the same. Yep, I am fairly new to the game and I am getting frustrated with days of not playing. When the long maintenance came, I was still fairly positive, that they would use the time to make sure their launch went smoothly. But since launch I have been unable to play.

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Originally Posted by Floppyjo

The wisdom that comes with age. I purposefully resubbed for 30 days prior to the world release date, knowing from other MMO's how releases can sometimes go. I see this was the wise decision. My subscription ends tomorrow. It will have to stay that way until the capacity is increased.

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I have been with a number of MMO launches, WOW, SWTOR, ESO to name some and while many where chaotic and "never play on patch day" is the general wisdom, not being able to play for days on end was rarely the case. Second or Third maintenance slots to address problems yes, but unable to play for days? Nope. Even now, in the early morning there is a queue on the servers. One SWTOR start screwed two servers over, but one could migrate to another and was once again able to play. So to me this is not understandable at all.

I honestly don't think I'll be able to play for weeks. It's a dead game to me right now. Might just have to wait until sometime in mid-January as I cannot just start the MSQ and each subsequent time be greeted with ungodly queues to continue.

Been trying to log in for the last 5 hours. For a good 30 min i couldn't even get IN the queue. I'd get 2002 error before i even got to the character screen. Got a 2002 error when i was at 28 in the queue. Didn't save my spot. I was just number 2 in the queue like 10 min ago. Got up to get some water for my play session, came back with a 2002 error. Didn't save my spot. NUMBER 2!

This is almost as bad as the current housing system.

One of the things I'm curious about is:

Are Free Trial players part of the log-in queue as all players? While I know subscription players are priority, does anyone know if both Free Trial and Subscription-based players are in the same queue line?

Not that I'm against anyone playing free, but is Square's system able to sort out who has a subscription and who doesn't? Because with the longest line I've found myself in (4,167)- latest to date for me over the past 2 days and if that's the case then Square was seriously unprepared for this congestion and it happened back in July 2021 (source posted below) so much so that the game had to be taken off websites for sale due to congestion issues- meaning they've had at least 6 months of awareness of something that would need to be addressed by Endwalker's release date.

https://www.ign.com/articles/final-f...-sales-stopped

Edited: Nevermind. Answered my own question:

"When a login queue is in place, players on the full version of the game will be prioritized for logging in. Free Trial characters will be able to log in after the login queue has been cleared. This allows us to prioritize our paying customers and will mean longer wait times for Free Trial users, but we would like to ask for your understanding on this matter."

Source: https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodes...0e73ebb986a6ee

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Originally Posted by Cardhwion

I have been with a number of MMO launches, WOW, SWTOR, ESO to name some and while many where chaotic and "never play on patch day" is the general wisdom, not being able to play for days on end was rarely the case. Second or Third maintenance slots to address problems yes, but unable to play for days? Nope. Even now, in the early morning there is a queue on the servers. One SWTOR start screwed two servers over, but one could migrate to another and was once again able to play. So to me this is not understandable at all.

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Oh yeah, I'm not saying that this release has been the same as other MMO's. But the general release outcome is always a lag or capacity related issue, and this time preparatory actions have proven favorable to me instead of lining the pockets of a developer, where I am left unable to play. I am not making excuses for this release result, at all.

I completely agree with you and this release has been a mess. There is no way that you could be unaware of how this is going to turn out when you have a storefront and you are selling access per purchase, they made a choice to take the money under these circumstances and this will probably have a negative impact on the company as a result. Personally I will be back after things have stabilized. They really should have sorted thew oceania datacentre and whatever other changes need to happen there, before they released an expansion.

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Originally Posted by Fallen_Esper

One of the things I'm curious about is:

Are Free Trial players part of the log-in queue as all players? While I know subscription players are priority, does anyone know if both Free Trial and Subscription-based players are in the same queue line?

Not that I'm against anyone playing free, but is Square's system able to sort out who has a subscription and who doesn't? Because with the longest line I've found myself in (4,167)- latest to date for me over the past 2 days and if that's the case then Square was seriously unprepared for this congestion and it happened back in July 2021 (source posted below) so much so that the game had to be taken off websites for sale due to congestion issues- meaning they've had at least 6 months of awareness of something that would need to be addressed by Endwalker's release date.

https://www.ign.com/articles/final-f...-sales-stopped

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LOL... if subscription players are priority... then it's an utter failure as I've been a subber for years and absolutely have been locked out of the game.

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Originally Posted by FunkyBunch

I don't think you understand the scope of one of these servers. These are massive multi-million dollar plus machines that takes weeks to even setup that are likely super custom with huge lead times.

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Eh, you aren't wrong I guess. The amount of server blades and hardware and people to run that stuff costs a LOT of money. But this is Square Enix we are talking about and they had months to prepare for this knowing it was going to be a thing.

At this point if we are being real about it; It's not a good look but the price to buy the server hardware to satisfy a fraction of the player base for a month until the new wears off the Xpac may not be worth the money to them. They know most people will keep their subs, whine for a while then relax when it blows over. This is how the corporate world operates. You have to stop pretending that FFXIV is an outlier and is immune to business decisions based on the bottom line. Square Enix is just as much of a corporate monster as any of them. They had to know this was coming and made the decision to not blow the money to solve it. At least they aren't raping women though. We are just going to have to wait this one out. I'm sure they will get new servers eventually. *shrug*

I feel sorry for the producers of the game, because they probably know exactly why the problem wasn't solved and are probably depressed about it.