Roleplay/Partyfinder Discrepancies & Policy Enforcement by GM's

[Solarra]

I find it sad that most of the people arguing for the GM's take on this are equating RP with ERP, as if RP without the 'E' doesn't really exist, As people have pointed out, FFXIV has a story that explores some very dark issues (trafficking, murder, torture etc), any group exploring those themes is simply being responsible by flagging themselves 18+.

The GM in question has told RPers to advertise events in /shout. Are people agreeing with them really saying they'd prefer all the adverts they don't like, for whatever reason, to be spammed in a public channel in all major cities? If we are going to 'think of the children', I'd argue that keeping those adverts in PF is by far the best option.

RP might not be your thing, it's not mine in this game, but it does keep people subbed and the devs have gone out of their way to create areas that are RP friendly, e.g. the new Snowsoak Springs area in the Firmament.
I still think the best long-term solution is to give RP it's own tab in the PF menu, that way if you won't see it unless you go looking, but if you would like to RP you'd have a dedicated space to advertise or find events.

[Fawkes]

As you can see, it only describes the use of the PF as a means to find and/or create your own party. It does not state for what intent or purpose that you're allowed to form a party for, but only towards the point of finding people to join a party.
This translates into a tool intended to help find people for "whatever purpose you deem necessary".

I wonder if that means you can report anyone who sets the ilvl to 999 or whatever, because nobody can join their party. Even if the PF appears to be for building a party for content, they aren't using the PF to make the party they are using the PF to solicit /tells.

But then that begs the question, why can you make a PF that nobody can join? It's almost like that option exists so you can put up an advertisement that won't fill with players and be taken off the board.

[hydralus]

In the case of ERP/RP venues I honestly prefer the PF method over having to see people spam more of their huge text block ads

In my experience they spammed shout chat regardless. And at some point the dutyfinder adverts were getting ridiculous. You shouldn't need 2 advertisements for the same place/event up at the same time, let alone the 4 or 5 I'd see some days. Then you get 4 or 5 places doing the same thing competing with each other and you've got a big mess.

But the GM wasn't arguing against the spammy nature of it so that's kind've an aside.

[Saefinn]

I find it sad that most of the people arguing for the GM's take on this are equating RP with ERP, as if RP without the 'E' doesn't really exist, As people have pointed out, FFXIV has a story that explores some very dark issues (trafficking, murder, torture etc), any group exploring those themes is simply being responsible by flagging themselves 18+.

The GM in question has told RPers to advertise events in /shout. Are people agreeing with them really saying they'd prefer all the adverts they don't like, for whatever reason, to be spammed in a public channel in all major cities? If we are going to 'think of the children', I'd argue that keeping those adverts in PF is by far the best option.

RP might not be your thing, it's not mine in this game, but it does keep people subbed and the devs have gone out of their way to create areas that are RP friendly, e.g. the new Snowsoak Springs area in the Firmament.
I still think the best long-term solution is to give RP it's own tab in the PF menu, that way if you won't see it unless you go looking, but if you would like to RP you'd have a dedicated space to advertise or find events.

100% and RPers are one of those player groups who tend to stay subbed during content draught and also are partial to buying vanity items from the mogstation, so I see an incentive in sustaining a healthy RP community.

And if the PF is such an issue, the solution is simple and suits everybody.

[Nakarumi]

I wonder if that means you can report anyone who sets the ilvl to 999 or whatever, because nobody can join their party. Even if the PF appears to be for building a party for content, they aren't using the PF to make the party they are using the PF to solicit /tells.

But then that begs the question, why can you make a PF that nobody can join? It's almost like that option exists so you can put up an advertisement that won't fill with players and be taken off the board.

Based on the ACTIVE HELP description, this thought passed through my mind as well. This can easily be worked around in those terms but was never once mentioned in any of the screenshots I received or in any of the other reports I came across by the overseeing GM.

[Aslae]

In my experience they spammed shout chat regardless. And at some point the dutyfinder adverts were getting ridiculous. You shouldn't need 2 advertisements for the same place/event up at the same time, let alone the 4 or 5 I'd see some days. Then you get 4 or 5 places doing the same thing competing with each other and you've got a big mess.

But the GM wasn't arguing against the spammy nature of it so that's kind've an aside.

But you're forgetting something. I don't advertise in cities because I advertise in pf. And I'm sure many others are the same. If we all suddenly have to shouting in limsa to advertise our venues, that's going to be a lot of shouts. not even necessarily spam, just a lot of different venues shouting. It's not a feasible option. That's obnoxious and I don't want to have to do that.

[hydralus]

But you're forgetting something. I don't advertise in cities because I advertise in pf. And I'm sure many others are the same. If we all suddenly have to shouting in limsa to advertise our venues, that's going to be a lot of shouts. not even necessarily spam, just a lot of different venues shouting. It's not a feasible option. That's obnoxious and I don't want to have to do that.

... I didn't forget it? I said right there, "In my experience they used shout chat regardless". Maybe you didn't, but LOTS did.

And I didn't even say anything about removing it. Just that you don't need more than 1 advertisement up in the PF at any time other than to be desperate for attention.

[Britha]

In my experience they spammed shout chat regardless. And at some point the dutyfinder adverts were getting ridiculous. You shouldn't need 2 advertisements for the same place/event up at the same time, let alone the 4 or 5 I'd see some days. Then you get 4 or 5 places doing the same thing competing with each other and you've got a big mess.

But the GM wasn't arguing against the spammy nature of it so that's kind've an aside.

You had to actively look in the "Other" tab to even see them so I'm not sure how they could be considered spammy honestly. Unlike clear sellers and weird feet pic advertisements which you see, no matter what, every single day just for opening the PF. They are all right there in a big list all the time in your face.

[Aslae]

... I didn't forget it? I said right there, "In my experience they used shout chat regardless". Maybe you didn't, but LOTS did.

And I didn't even say anything about removing it. Just that you don't need more than 1 advertisement up in the PF at any time other than to be desperate for attention.

I must have misunderstood what you said then. I was just saying, there will be even MORE now. But I agree, that you shouldn't need to advertise the same place more than once.

[PeanutCheese]

About two months ago, bored with how I was playing this game, I pulled up PF and dropped in on a NSFW venue.

I left the next morning with a new set of friends, some of the best people I've ever met in this game. I'm still paying my sub because of them.

I don't get into ERP, but I goto the various places that do. There's a whole other universe to this game which revolves around the social aspects and it's pretty amazing. Some of the most interesting housing, a whole sub economy, the various bard shows, synchronized dance groups, and countless other stuff that stretches the limited framework of the game and gives something to do for those of us who've done it all and don't care about raids. For the record, the vast majority of what you see in a place like this is the same stupidity you see at any aetheryte in any main city. You might get some tells about how cute you are or the occasional racy mistell but it's not like you're stepping onto the grounds of the Playboy Mansion in the middle of one of Heff's orgies.

Looking at PF at any given time I can see far more ads for RMT and clears, "cute feet pics," and countless other non-content things than I do for venues, and even then there's often a healthy amount of SFW venues as well as 18+ NSFW stuff.

If you were cracking down just on courtesan ads (including venues), I could see that falling under ToS, but the simple fix to mandate that they don't advertise the service openly. But to try and remove the entire scene itself from this game would being doing FF14 a severe disservice as these people provide far more value and interest than the idiots standing in Limsa trying to be funny.

Further, to suggest someone uses shout or yell is ludicrous. I can choose to not open PF, but I certainly can't choose to ignore the blaze orange text about the guy asking me to find to win a prize or the two jackholes having the same extended conversation about cooking lalafells you'll see in every Limsa on every world every goddamn hour.

If venue ads are such a nightmare, remove "Other" from the main PF display list so that I only see the RMT and feet adveristers using the main PF options on the screen and have to tab over to the "Other" to see those listings, but stop trying to muzzle the most interesting set of people this game probably has to offer.