Limited Data Travel System

[TwistedTea]

They don't. You have to realize the forums tend to be... extreme. Yoshi makes a statement about wanting to be careful of Market board prices and economies, but they're considering implementing full on cross-server play in the future and that somehow equals Yoshi-P hates Westerners to them and wants to keep them out. It's a huge stretch by any margin, but human beings behind computer screens always seen to lose all rationality.

Seems like you're making the stretch to hating Westerners - my take was that SE might be protecting JP markets not about hating gaijins.

Again, when World Visit was first introduced, it brought together legacy servers with low pop servers etc - yet back then, SE stated that the Data Centre economies would normalize over time even though there were differences in server economies before World Visit. eg Balmung's economy vs Diabolos

So it's interesting, for Cross Region Data Centre Visit - SE is using the reason of differences in game economies and values - shouldn't the economies of the different regions normalize over time?

[Krotoan]

Seems like you're making the stretch to hating Westerners - my take was that SE might be protecting JP markets not about hating gaijins.

Again, when World Visit was first introduced, it brought together legacy servers with low pop servers etc - yet back then, SE stated that the Data Centre economies would normalize over time even though there were differences in server economies before World Visit. eg Balmung's economy vs Diabolos

So it's interesting, for Cross Region Data Centre Visit - SE is using the reason of differences in game economies and values - shouldn't the economies of the different regions normalize over time?

I would say that the differences in marketing strategies, courtesy to other sellers and willingness to bot gathering/crafting are wildly different between data centers but not between servers. NA marketboard sharks being a different breed to the JP ones and the EU ones (though probably to a lesser degree between the EU and NA).

If anyone is willing to take a look at the actual price differences and selling habits between the servers that might provide some perspective.. but all I can guess is that there are large differences noticeable in each economy that they are worried about.

All in all it would of course normalize, but it might disenfranchise a large swath of whatever data center and cause their gaming experience to be bad enough that they'd quit or swap to what SE considers undesirable tactics.

[Sarevok_Thordin]

I don't feel that the economy should be a barrier to preventing cross DC play, just block MB Access if it's a huge issue.

[TaleraRistain]

I definitely think NA / EU / OCE. I would worry about both cultural differences with JP coming to other regions where we are, I guess, looser with things and gameplay differences causing conflict? We're not taught from a young age such strict social etiquette. I would not want that to turn into conflict and NA folks getting reported, for instance, for something that we're completely fine with.

There's also a concern about gameplay. From what I've seen, JP use DF and PF exactly opposite. Macros also seem to be fairly popular. Whereas macros in NA are usually just us being silly in chat. I could definitely see differences in opinion and arguments over those items.

[Moonlite]

The MB thing seems weird. Are they going to move retainers when you move data centres? In a perfect world we would all buy and sell from the same MB. No player would feel they missed out because JP servers know how to farm X item better. Or a certain NA server has more gatherers and crafters so by far has the cheapest mats. Even though stuff has been separated it would balance in the end. The ones most effected would be hoarders and speculators.

[Marcman]

I think its completely fine to start off with region restricted DC travel. It gives the developers an opportunity to both test and observe the systems, as well as see the impacts it has on market economy and player interactions.
When world visit was introduced there was significant worries that that would impact the in game economy too much, but that turned out to be fine.
On different data centers and servers there is different etiquette for how one behaves and what topics are acceptable (for example), this is a clear concern for how it will affect player interactions and a healthy environment.

When DC travel was first mentioned, it was said that they would most likely be opening up in-region first.
If they choose to implement worldwide DC travel and it turns out to be a mostly negative affair, it'll look really dumb if they have to turn that off again.

[Jaxxa]

I really hope they allow cross region travel. Even if they lock down the market and item trading to keep that separated into regions.

As someone who has half of their friend group moving onto the new oceanic data center I need to pick a half to stick with or create a new alt character and loose all of my progress and a bunch of my content that I bought on the mog station.
It really does reduce my motivation to play the game.

[Joeking]

Why you guys so thirsty for JP data? lol..

[Jaxxa]

Why you guys so thirsty for JP data? lol..

For me because I am there now and soon half my friends will be there and half will be in OCE.

[Colter_Hildibrand]

I really hope they allow cross region travel. Even if they lock down the market and item trading to keep that separated into regions.

This. This is exactly what I want. I highly doubt that cross cultural issues will happen (the average English speaking player will likely be intimidated by JP party finder/duty finder, and the "heaven forbid" strat macros we use on JP. Hunt sniping is a minor concern, but it seems most data centers have a solid way they handle hunts, and going outside of that to visit another DC for hunts sounds extra painful since you'd need to literally log out. People speculating the effect on the market vastly underestimate just how different market prices on JP and NA are though (I have characters on both so that's the only experience I can draw from).

I will happily have cross region visits with marketboard and trading locked away from me. I just want to be able to play on my main character with my NA friends. And I do ask that anyone who does visit a different regions data center respect the culture of that data center, similarly to if you visit another country. People have a different background/way of thinking/doing things that isn't necessarily better or worse. Just different, and that's ok. Who knows, maybe you'll find some things you like.