Important Announcement from the Devs!!

[Fensfield]

This.

The people who want to be on a specific regional server aren't doing anything with you now anyways. You'll not even notice them missing.

Except.. you know, being there.

The beauty of this genre is the fact that everyone, everyone is a part of your experience.. even if the only role they play in your experience is to make your backdrop all the more alive. Given the majority will, likely, choose not to be on the global servers, I think that benefit will be impacted - unless, perhaps, there are proportionally less global ones I suppose.

Sure, having the choice to only play with people can understand you might outweigh that benefit.. but all the same, I think I'd notice they were missing, for my part and were I to go to a segregated server, especially if I opted to play during off-peak hours.

... Now, if they were to link day-night cycles to the server's language's native region's, that might result in the world getting quieter during its night. Which.. might actually be kind of cool. Of course as much as I favour a 23 hour day/night cycle (so the time in game is always different but the sun doesn't rocket through the sky like it does now), that's probably really, really unlikely.

[Wynn]

Except.. you know, being there.

The beauty of this genre is the fact that everyone, everyone is a part of your experience.. even if the only role they play in your experience is to make your backdrop all the more alive. Given the majority will, likely, choose not to be on the global servers, I think that benefit will be impacted - unless, perhaps, there are proportionally less global ones I suppose.

I guess they should only have one server. You know, so that way everyone is there and you aren't missing out on their presence.

[Alerith]

I guess they should only have one server. You know, so that way everyone is there and you aren't missing out on their presence.

Sarcasm aside, that would be pretty nice. Assuming the lag wouldn't be so thick you could taste it and the game would run just as smooth, I'd be all for this.

That being said, it's not gonna happen for many years to come, and probably not in this game.

[Fensfield]

I guess they should only have one server. You know, so that way everyone is there and you aren't missing out on their presence.

... Yes?

Ideally speaking, they should. Sharding isn't a feature; it's a consequence of the limitations of modern server technology. Being able to dedicate blade servers to individual star systems and subsequently have everyone on the same 'world' is one of the things makes EVE Online so special (and something CCP tout regularly and enthusiastically, and consider one of the game's a big selling points).

I'd consider a working, single-shard fantasy MMO on Final Fantasy XIV's intended scale an amazing, wonderful feat in and of itself and a draw in its own right - although for everyone's sanity it would require realistically sized cities and spaces between them, probably. Then again by the time server tech's on a level could make a standard-form fantasy MMORPG work with a shard-less setup, that probably won't be terribly difficult.

Sarcasm aside, that would be pretty nice. Assuming the lag wouldn't be so thick you could taste it and the game would run just as smooth, I'd be all for this.

That being said, it's not gonna happen for many years to come, and probably not in this game.

Exactly, thank you.