So I can't play and tell with EU/NA/JP friends in ARR...

[Riced]

You can still play and talk with your friends as said by Yoshida in an interview

The new server architecture has brought with it a couple of additional benefits. One is the introduction of a content finder mechanism, which will help match players across servers globally so that they can play together. The other is a unified account for both PC and PS3 versions of the game, meaning that you can show off to your friends in the living room and play into the night at your desk.

Link of the interview here this information is found on the second page.

[Alhanelem]

The other is a unified account for both PC and PS3 versions of the game, meaning that you can show off to your friends in the living room and play into the night at your desk.

It's not like a PC can't be connected to a TV...

[Mijin]

This has already been said a billion times (I hope) but I'll post it anyway.

Multiple data centers =/= region-only servers. It just means the servers are in different places so they can be easier to connect to. Each server will still be a melting pot like they have been.

Plus, when given the choice, of (a) playing the game without latency whatsoever, able to competently do what I haven't been able to in the primal extreme dungeons and nael trollus darnus hard mode, or (b) share a server with a bunch of people whose language I don't speak who I almost never group with, talk with, or anything... I'd choose a. Just sayin.

This has already been said a billion times but I'll post anyway.

What your suggesting isn't technologically possible.

[Mijin]

It's not like a PC can't be connected to a TV...

True that. Computer desks are so 1990's.

[Colino]

True that. Computer desks are so 1990's.

Word up yo, should hop over to my hood so we can play some Pogs!

Kawabunga!

[Mijin]

Word up yo, should hop over to my hood so we can play some Pogs!

Kawabunga!

Word to your mother. I'll bring my tipple size slammer and smash yo' stack foo.

[AarosLunos]

This has already been said a billion times but I'll post anyway.

What your suggesting isn't technologically possible.

Network Engineer here. You're wrong. First off, lets say that there is one who plays from somewhere in the central time zone. They may end up having to pass through 20 routers(hops) to Japan. But this is heavily dependent on the persons ISP and associated peering agreements that that ISP may have.

Lets say that SE sets up a data center in El Segundo, CA (guessing here because they have offices there). On the public internet, there may be 5 hops between the players location in the central time zone and California. Now assuming that SE sets up these data centers as relay points, they would very likely be communicating with the master servers in Japan via a high capacity leased line network, not via the public internet. This could cut down the number of hops between El Segundo to Japan significantly, from maybe 15 routers down to 3-6 maybe. So all in all when a player would connect to their respective relay server it would drop the number of routes required for packets to make it to Japan AND latency.

Typically the more hops you have from two given points, the more latency because every router along the way has to make decisions about which physical route the packet will traverse to reach its proper destination. On the public internet this translates to roughly 250-350ms in transit time from the California to Japan. By using a leased line network that DOES NOT touch the internet in any fashion, this latency could be dropped by 1/4 to 1/2.

The other factor in latency is how much overall bandwidth is being used on a specific link and the overall utilization. If you have a horrible ISP that aggressively over subscribes its network, then that is hardly SE's fault, because your packets have to wait due to over utilization. If there is high utilization during specific peak times for certain overseas routes on the public internet, this can also adversely affect latency for players. However leased lines do not have this issue, even for oceanic backbones due to traffic shaping and QoS.

The fact that you claim its not 'technologically possible' just displays your blatant ignorance on the matter. People shouldn't post about things they do not know.

[Alhanelem]

This could cut down the number of hops between El Segundo to Japan significantly, from maybe 15 routers down to 3-6 maybe. So all in all when a player would connect to their respective relay server it would drop the number of routes required for packets to make it to Japan AND latency.

What you're saying would make sense if hops were the only factor in latency. It takes a certain amount of time for signals to travel, whether network devices get in the way or not.

[AarosLunos]

What you're saying would make sense if hops were the only factor in latency. It takes a certain amount of time for signals to travel, whether network devices get in the way or not.

This is true, in this respect the speed that the signal travels down the wire affects latency, but far less than other factors like I mentioned. Packet switching, link utilization, and number of routers in between has a far greater affect on latency.

Additional devices on a specific path affects latency far more because for every packet, there are routing decisions that are made. This is significantly slower than signal speed (speed of light in a copper or optical medium)

Also to back up my assertions. In a fiber optic medium such as trans-oceanic cables, it takes 90ms to reach Japan. Just for your benefit lets argue that its not a direct route maybe the raw signal itself will need an additional 10ms. 100ms in total is pretty decent, but if your packets are bouncing between 20 different routers from the central time zone to Japan, it could add an ADDITIONAL 5-10ms per hop. I've seen trans-oceanic leased line networks with just 140-150ms in total packet transit time for around 7,000ish miles of optical cable.

[Mijin]

Network Engineer here. You're wrong. First off, lets say that there is one who plays from somewhere in the central time zone. They may end up having to pass through 20 routers(hops) to Japan. But this is heavily dependent on the persons ISP and associated peering agreements that that ISP may have.

Lets say that SE sets up a data center in El Segundo, CA (guessing here because they have offices there). On the public internet, there may be 5 hops between the players location in the central time zone and California. Now assuming that SE sets up these data centers as relay points, they would very likely be communicating with the master servers in Japan via a high capacity leased line network, not via the public internet. This could cut down the number of hops between El Segundo to Japan significantly, from maybe 15 routers down to 3-6 maybe. So all in all when a player would connect to their respective relay server it would drop the number of routes required for packets to make it to Japan AND latency.

Typically the more hops you have from two given points, the more latency because every router along the way has to make decisions about which physical route the packet will traverse to reach its proper destination. On the public internet this translates to roughly 250-350ms in transit time from the California to Japan. By using a leased line network that DOES NOT touch the internet in any fashion, this latency could be dropped by 1/4 to 1/2.

The other factor in latency is how much overall bandwidth is being used on a specific link and the overall utilization. If you have a horrible ISP that aggressively over subscribes its network, then that is hardly SE's fault, because your packets have to wait due to over utilization. If there is high utilization during specific peak times for certain overseas routes on the public internet, this can also adversely affect latency for players. However leased lines do not have this issue, even for oceanic backbones due to traffic shaping and QoS.

The fact that you claim its not 'technologically possible' just displays your blatant ignorance on the matter. People shouldn't post about things they do not know.

Rocket scientist/Brain Surgeon here. True story. Data centers are facilities used to house servers. What you are suggesting is technologically impossible. Using this theoretical mystery device that you suggest exists, there would be just as many hops from the client side to the magic machine, and then from the magic machine to the servers in Japan. Unless SE is going to lay a direct line from their servers to the american west coast via the bottom of the pacific ocean, and those kind of things can get pretty costly.

All of that aside, the actual words from Yoshida's mouth were:

The players will have a choice of selecting a server based in their region or a server overseas

Servers based on region sound pretty clear to me. Even if what you're suggesting was possible, why would players have to choose their region? It would be unnecessary. Replace the word "server" with "magic machine," and why would players need to choose it?

Everything you said in that post is based on your misinterpretations of Google search results, and blatant ignorance on the matter. People shouldn't post about things they do not know anything about. In conclusion you are a liar liar, and your pants are obviously on fire.