Snapshot of PF activity on North American data centers

[EorzeaWanderer]

Some interesting comments thus far!

In particular regarding Thanksgiving holiday travel, that shouldn't be too relevant to this thread, as the question we are looking at is not, "Are people playing?", but rather, "When people are playing, where are they playing?"

Players have the ability to fix the problem if they wanted since they're the ones that created it.

Players as usual will expect everyone else to "do the right thing" to fix the problem while they personally continue to go to Aether for PF.

I cannot disagree more strongly with the idea that players somehow created or are responsible for, in any way, the problems that arise from unlimited data-center travel.

Server and data center design for a multiplayer game are part of the game design, just as much as the amount of HP a boss has or what abilities our jobs have. And the players did not design this game, SE did!

The stated intent behind enabling data-center travel (allowing you to play with your friends) is not relevant at this point. The game, as currently designed by SE, allows for unlimited travel for all NA players, not just those seeking to play with some pre-existing friends.

Multiplayer games function better with more people. People WILL tend to cluster together given unlimited means to do so. And that is what we currently have. Asking players not to cluster in this environment (doesn't matter where, it's Aether but that is not important, it could be any ONE location) is like asking water not to flow downhill.

Players who want to play together in a multiplayer game will join up with each other. It is the logical, rational thing to do.

Indeed, the current DC travel paradigm, that being unlimited DC travel for any character, actually *incentivizes* people to all play in one location.

What happens to those of us who are bound to other DCs? We weaken our connections in our FCs, we lose our retainers, etc. We have fewer options for people to play with if we stay home.

In other words, we receive a lower-quality experience playing the game as it is currently designed, with unlimited DC travel and the current restrictions on off-worlders.

This is 100% SE's problem to solve.