FFXIV ARR is 3 this year, Server upgrades?

[Kosmos992k]

In that case, really the only thing we would see is increased processing speed and amount of data in cache, since they probably have the servers tied to large storage arrays. They could update the controller caches and add more server memory, but I think mostly SE would have to do re-coding of the software in order to get more of what you guys are looking for.

Well, of course changes to character design and such would require some re-coding of different aspects of the game, so does every expansion and major update. Better server hardware facilitates that exercise, and that is the point. If you no longer have such tight budgets in character data because you can double the database bandwidth for writing back character data, or loading characters into active zones, or whatever other aspect you want to discuss; you can start expanding on the existing character data without running into limits defined by the older hardware. Of course there will still be limits because clients need to be sent some character data in order to display other characters.

But let's not pretend that improving the server side would not benefit the game, which appears to be your position. I'm sure they use storage arrays, and there will be any number of in-line caches in the components of the system, but increasing the system bandwidth, number of processors, network bandwidth, system memory and so forth all have impacts in terms of what the server can do within a specific period of time, and alters the calculation as to how much character data can be moved/processed. That has a direct impact on what changes can be handled with respect to characters.

Honestly, the way you are talking, it sounds like you are basically saying that improved infrastructure means little to nothing - in which case perhaps we should all stick to PS3s and laptops with DSL network connections and be happy about it?

[Valkyrie_Lenneth]

What I'm saying is that its not the "big fix" everyone seems to think it is. If they got upgraded servers, it would not mean automatically everything is suddenly possible and any limitations that existed disappear, which is what most people seem to think.

Sure it would help them improve the game, but by how much? At what expense? How soon would we see these improvements?

A lot of the things people are requesting would require reworking the client application, as well as the server side services, client, and all that jazz.

[Geula]

I'd love to see servers for the folks at Oceania & Australia but other than that, for me, it has been smooth sailling on Chaos, don't know about other servers.

[Kosmos992k]

What I'm saying is that its not the "big fix" everyone seems to think it is. If they got upgraded servers, it would not mean automatically everything is suddenly possible and any limitations that existed disappear, which is what most people seem to think.**snip**
A lot of the things people are requesting would require reworking the client application, as well as the server side services, client, and all that jazz.

OK, I understand better now. Sorry for the mis-understanding. I don't think it would fix anything overnight, but it would allow them to perform an incremental upgrade/update on the server side in preparation for changes introduced in a subsequent expansion. For example, 3.0 added flight and a new character race, along with zones that appear to be approximately 4-8 times larger than the ARR zones.

I wouldn't expect major changes to character options or modeling, or anything else like that outside of an expansion. But we are approaching 3 years, and the 1st anniversary of Heavensward. It just seems to me that now would be a good time for them to begin planning for a server refresh along side the 4.0 expansion; which would make it possible that we would see some of the changes people want to see with that expansion. Given how long it takes for major changes to materialize, I figured now would be a good time to start the conversation.

[ErzaScarlet77]

what does better servers have anything to do with better models for characters and gear?
and i personally dont think we need server upgrades, the ones currently exist is alreayd empty as is

[Gardes]

I'd love to see servers for the folks at Oceania & Australia

Wishful thinking I say. If anything, servers need cutting down. Came back at 3.2 release and its nowhere near as crowded as 2.1/2.2 mor dhona, even in ydyllshire and I'm in a top 5 western server (iirc). I wouldn't be surprised if we're already in the winding down phase of an mmo.

[Nicobo]

....What do you think? ...

Maybe the budget went to Chinese and Korea new servers. ^^;

[Laraul]

With increasing network bandwidth and better server hardware, how many of the limitations we hear of might be overcome?

Valkyrie_Lenneth already has explained things pretty well. It's not the hardware but the software that's responsible. I wish I had read the entire discussion before I responded. Oops.

[Catwho]

Don't forget, the whole reason they transitioned from 1.0 to 2.0 was because they already completely overhauled the server infrastructure and the client/server programming once. You think it's bad now, you didn't play 1.0 where a simple UI command took the server 5 seconds to respond because everything was done server side.

They've already done some hardware upgrades since 2.0 launched though. The EU data center basically got brand new hardware, and the old servers were (I imagine) re purposed back at the NA data center to help balance out the Primal/Aether loads. There have also been a few longer maintenances where they flat out said in the notes they were doing some hardware upgrades.

[Colorful]

Maybe the budget went to Chinese and Korea new servers. ^^;

Those are handled by different publishing companies, so SE was paid to license it out to those publishers. The budget probably went to FFXV, FFVII, or any other nonsense project that they're working on that will take another 10 years.