Server congestion - solutions wanted

[Geirskogul]

FFXIV does undeniably have some really antiquated user interfaces outside of the game.

The fact that the launcher is closed when you launch the game and that there is no auto-login feature is actually mind-boggling. Like, pretty much every single piece of software these days has an auto login feature by default that you need to manually disable if you don't want it. Steam, Origin, Uplay, Battlenet, Spotify and probably even the epic game store (even Tarkov has it!). FFXIV is literally the only piece of software on my computer that requires a login that does not have an automatic login feature and no option to leave the launcher open upon starting the game. There's just no excuse for this in 2021.

Even though i've gotten used to SE's crap interfaces outside of the actual game at this point i have to admit that i think interacting with any FFXIV related services outside of the game is just an absolute pain in the behind. I don't know much about the newly updated mogstation but the old mogstation looked straight out of 2004 and was just awful. Then we have to process of purchasing optional items; you log into the mogstation and click the optional items tab, that sends you to a different site, the square store where you need to log in again, then you put your items in the cart and in order to finalize your purchase you have to log in AGAIN. I mean wtf? 3 logins to purchase a fantasia. I don't think i know of any games these days with microtransactions that doesn't just have it directly accessible in the actual game, and requiring you to enter your details 3 times across 2 different websites in order to make a purchase is just absurd.

And something else i really dislike is the pre-order system. You get 2 different codes. Why? Why do i need a special pre-order and then a second key to avoid being locked out after i've already started playing the expansion, and this key you sometimes don't even get mailed to you, i don't think i've encountered such a bizarre system with any other digital game purchase, ever. With Endwalker i never got it mailed to me. I had to dig up the old pre-order confirmation and click the link to access my pre-order key in order to view the key for the full expansion. All these extremely archaic quirks add up and it's just annoying to deal with. I hope the updated mogstation is a sign of things to come because good lord they're far behind in terms of user interface design outside of the game.

[Packetdancer]

And something else i really dislike is the pre-order system. You get 2 different codes. Why? Why do i need a special pre-order and then a second key to avoid being locked out after i've already started playing the expansion, and this key you sometimes don't even get mailed to you, i don't think i've encountered such a bizarre system with any other digital game purchase, ever.

The reason is because you get the pre-order perks well before they actually charge you for the order. Most games, if you pre-order a thing, they eventually charge you, and when you enter that code you now have access to the thing. They either issue you a "pre-order edition" code when the payment goes through that's different from the later normal retail code (and has early access), or they charge you two weeks early or whatever and then say "if you enter the code now, prior to launch, you get early access and these perks".

However, FFXIV gives you a perk immediately (an XP-generating accessory to let you catch up classes to the cap level prior to the expansion), long before they charge you for the pre-order. If they had you register the entire expansion, they'd either have to charge you the full price immediately, or else not offer that item (i.e., no code until the pre-order was actually charged).

Otherwise, if they had only one code and gave it to you immediately, folks would pre-order, register the expansion... and then could cancel the pre-order and not be charged for it, even though they'd already registered it to their account.

So instead they give you two codes: one immediately (that gives you the XP-generating earring, and the early access perk) and without charging you when you make the order, the second when they actually charge you for the pre-order and the payment goes through (that gives you the actual expansion). If you cancel the expansion pre-order before it comes out, yeah, you still have the earring (and early access during the early access window), but you don't get the actual expansion.

It feels clunky, I don't disagree, but there is actually a (semi-)rational reason to do it that way.

[Geirskogul]

I'd honestly much rather just pay for the expansion in advance and not have to think about it later and fumble around with different codes. I mean, that's what pretty much every other game does. I haven't played WoW in a long time but i really wish FFXIV had a launcher similar to the battlenet launcher. WoW may have gone down the drain along with every other neglected Blizzard franchise at this point but if there's one thing Blizzard does well nowadays it's user interface.

[Valkyrie_Lenneth]

I'd honestly much rather just pay for the expansion in advance and not have to think about it later and fumble around with different codes. I mean, that's what pretty much every other game does. I haven't played WoW in a long time but i really wish FFXIV had a launcher similar to the battlenet launcher. WoW may have gone down the drain along with every other neglected Blizzard franchise at this point but if there's one thing Blizzard does well nowadays it's user interface.

Isn't that cuz battle.net is for more than just 1 game? the XIV launcher is.. just for xiv.