The Devs Listen to Us

[DrWho2010]

why do they put the live letters at 4am my time without subtitles

because japan.

[Katish]

It's not about booleans but about how normally-working code can be inefficient on a large scale (like an MMO) and create a bottleneck.

That's the thing, this should be a simple check and shouldn't be done on another server that they query that's a spaghetti way of doing things...If the characters are objects you can relate the house object to the player object, doing it any way but than that seems very inefficient to me...I mean you can query SQL server data and have it read/ store it there but that's very inefficient for something that should be simple in practice...a lottery should be a boolean no matter how I look at it or at least baked into the server logic[so returning it is compatible rather then left unresolved]. You either win or you don't rather than take the time to query a server from...1..2..3..4..5..6..7..8..9...to how many total players, you see how inefficient that would be, of course they ran into the query stalling...(?) [That should already have been a concerning issue]. Assuming they are using IDs representing players to store information which again...they really shouldn't for something so simple. It's like if I asked you to keep picking specific socks out a plethora of cloths draws from the next door room with tons of different: socks, clothing, ties, suits, etc...[now imagine that expanded], but what should be happening is: the sock draw is already opened on the start and the person using the draw is you. (Understand the logic?) Of course big data takes forever to increment through. But, they shouldn't be querying data for something simple as a returned yes or no [true or false]. (There should be zero bottlenecking dbs, especially dbs on separate hardware that might have other information needed to be read in, for something that can resolved be relatively easily by relating objects). Normal programming would be fine because we already know the player exists and the house exists...You just make the connection, this doesn't query players but connects the action to the player or in this case the house to the player by functionality of the house thus being relatively instantaneous. <--- This is how many other games handle it. Assign function...pass character doing said function...Storing a bid might have some usage in a database but where it's just winners being randomized and bids fixed, bids do not need to be stored leaving the logic all binary in nature. I've seen games assign players an item that relates to that house indicating they have bid (This might be a better solution given if the server crashes or goes down for maintenance the bid remains...)

I work with game data and server code and big data is used when it needs to be, a good usage of an SQL database on separate hardware for example might be for messages, maybe even item information(?), save states, etc Note---> [Things that are checked once rather than constantly checked]. If you query big data continuously for the heck of it, it might freeze table information. Although, I suspect I know what reason they did it this way...and it's not a good one, the Japanese developers/businesses like their spreadsheets so I would fathom a guess that they keep that formatting as close as possible by making or loading an existing id database revolving around those spreads(Which would account for bottle-necking a return value from big data) [Which is terrifying tbh]. Some good advice from my coworkers: If I'm waiting for your answer, your answer was not worth waiting for. <--- not exactly for coding or data querying but works hilariously enough for the answer to that but yeah....I'll finish my thought here. xD

[Jeeqbit]

That's the thing, this should be a simple check and shouldn't be done on another server that they query that's a spaghetti way of doing things...

MMORPGs often split things up into multiple servers so if one fails or equipment fails, the whole thing doesn't go down...

• Login servers.
• World servers.
• Area servers (ie. Central Shroud and East Shroud are separate servers).
• Chat servers (which is almost certainly how things like CWLS, CW parties, PF and FC chat function across worlds and why occasionally these have had maintenance).

MMORPGs are much larger than the little console programs, UI applications, single-player games or otherwise non-server applications most programmers are probably used to.

I mean you can query SQL server data and have it read/ store it there but that's very inefficient

All I know is that in a game of this scale, database access congestion could be a real concern and although they are never specific, they do keep hinting at either database or network congestion such as "the player only has so much data they can carry with them" which is why you don't carry the Chocobo Saddlebag into duties.

Of course big data takes forever to increment through. But, they shouldn't be querying data for something simple as a returned yes or no [true or false].

I don't know why they did the lottery on a centralized server instead of on individual world servers, but I can see some risk mitigation in it. It prevents it interfering with the world's spaghetti code, it makes sure the lottery is synchronized across all worlds and data centers and frees it of delays that may be caused by the world's operations and likewise prevents it from delaying the world's operations. But obviously for all its risk mitigation, there are some risks it presents which came true.

(There should be zero bottlenecking dbs, especially dbs on separate hardware that might have other information needed to be read in, for something that can resolved relatively easily by relating objects).

I work with game data and server code and big data is used when it needs to be, a good usage of an SQL database on separate hardware for example might be for messages, maybe even item information(?), save states, etc

I will admit I have seen all these things not be an issue on modern hardware (and this was years ago). So I don't really know. But from what they said, somehow they created a bottleneck even if it was due to an incompetent method of storage or working around spaghetti code.

[Katish]

MMORPGs often split things up into multiple servers so if one fails or equipment fails, the whole thing doesn't go down...
MMORPGs are much larger than the little console programs, UI applications, single-player games or otherwise non-server applications most programmers are probably used to. maintenance).

Yes I know, I'm speaking in perspective of someone who has worked on mmo code before XD.
When you know the mmo is experiencing massive amounts of people you want to keep it concise as possible...when you know something is binary in nature you make it binary...no super trick ponies needed. The issue comes with storing information... and I've seen items be the solution to that if only expected to hold a singular value that you want to keep saved. These items are usually dispensable to save it being written and kept. When doing large sets of information that you know is checked once the etiquette is to then think about having data tables.

Back to what's at hand, memory could be an issue but if they're having issues with memory to begin with...there's something else wrong. They either need to upgrade their server or figure out what logic or declarations can be simplified if it's garbage collection. I have seen lots of foreign developers run on a tangent on live code with ifs, comments, and blank space, it's usually the ifs that call their own functions that create problems but all of truly affects memory somewhat if it has declarations. If their conclusion cannot be assumed quickly i.e....do work code takes time to get to (this is less to due with memory and more performance) or they are experiencing high resource usage (this due to declarations or things kept), they should do something re-evaluation. Purge what is not needed.

I imagine the bottleneck they created happened because the promise was not met and when multiple asks on the query kept happening, that information wasn't readily available and returned nothing because the table was frozen. As the information is still utilized in the main code...If we assume large amounts of data...you're bound to experience issues especially when having to requery the same 20 million records when you already querying those records...and who knows how many fields if they're keeping it saved to the same table as available characters without it being partitioned (Which hopefully they didn't do this but you never know and since I have seen things horrible things from mmo developers in general it wouldn't surprise me if this was it.) [There's also what's being stored that matters too..] [Basically Database Overload] <--- Although that's just my guess. Could also be a combination issue where it's this mixed with poor querying in general. 20 million lines is a nothing query but..if it's being done multiple times at the same time could have issues.

[Arohk]

The game has so many small issues that can be improved, and i don't see any of them adressed, or very very rarely any improvements.
It is probably badly coded in the first place.

[MAJRIS]

Did the team got tired over time and all the past expansions, or is it the usual case of californian laziness where devs just do the minimum + focus on cash shop?

inb4 "If you don't like it, don't play" - This approach does not solve anything. Multiple people notice and point out it's on downward slope and the offered solution is to ignore it.

Ion winning by not making wow better but by sabotaging ff.

https://imgur.com/a/MyvG9SO.png

[LuciferNacht]

I agree that there is evidence that the devs listen to us and as a long time player, I'm grateful for the amount of regular communication we have, but there still comes a point where it feels as though we're being ignored.

Housing is my best example, and I am fortunate enough to have housing since I've played for so long.

There is no reason they haven't DIRECTLY addressed the inclusion of instanced housing, or what their long term goals are considering we are pretty united as a gaming community in being dissapointed in what we have.

There are other things as well but I wanted to give one example in case a dev sees this. I'm not asking for you to do everything at once, but I do find it tiring that live letter after live letter we aren't receiving anything of substance on the QoL improvements for the game.

We cannot go another 10 years on this foundation in good faith. We need the spaghetti code addressed, or for you to tell us finally what the limitations of it are and why.

I just want a clear roadmap of the journey you want to take this game on in terms of server stability, addressing all the system and QoL concerns that come up often and your vision for reaching that goal.

Maybe too much to ask but that would be what I want if I could choose.

[VerdeLuck]

why do they put the live letters at 4am my time without subtitles

Definitely makes me raise an eyebrow every time there's communication from the devs and the multi billion dollar company can't pay for a live translated restream or subtitles. NA has to rely on randoms from reddit, who are subject to mistranslation, for all of their information.

That's honestly the more damning thing is they can't be bothered at SE to properly communicate with their NA players so why would they ever pay attention to their feedback.

[vetch]

The game has so many small issues that can be improved, and i don't see any of them adressed, or very very rarely any improvements.
It is probably badly coded in the first place.

You don't like clicking five to seven times to confirm a turn-in?

You don't like ARR dungeon music still not looping properly, almost ten years after it launched?

You don't like moving your gear sets up or down one number at a time?

[Reinha]

You don't like clicking five to seven times to confirm a turn-in?

You don't like ARR dungeon music still not looping properly, almost ten years after it launched?

You don't like moving your gear sets up or down one number at a time?

Not being able to double weave because ping makes your animation lock longer.

Not being able to open your chocobo bag when interacting with something.

Not having a subcommand to deposit items into the fc bank, so you have to drag and drop each one.