@Devs: Please allow us to travel at will between servers.

[Abriael]

Except decisions like this will always have to be made. Even if you have a single global network, friends will have to decide between friends and whatnot for linkshells, parties, guilds, whatever. You can not eliminate these problems entirely as they are not just constructs of the game- they're also real life problems.

You're comparing apples to oranges.

Even if you are on a different party or guild, you still can play together without any hassle.

If you are on different servers you can't.

I am guessing its a really expensive feature to develop

If it was that expensive, The Secret World wouldn't have it. Funcom is a much smaller company than Square Enix, with a much smaller development team, and a lot less resources and smaller budgets.

[Alhanelem]

You're comparing apples to oranges.

Even if you are on a different party or guild, you still can play together without any hassle.

If you are on different servers you can't.

Actually, you'd be suprised how often what you're claiming is false.

For a long time me and a good friend were in different linkshells. Since both LSes ran events at different times it was very difficult for us to do things together until eventually he left his other LS to come to mine.

This is not apples to oranges. These are similar situations, the only difference being the nature of the barrier between.

[Soukyuu]

Except decisions like this will always have to be made. Even if you have a single global network, friends will have to decide between friends and whatnot for linkshells, parties, guilds, whatever. You can not eliminate these problems entirely as they are not just constructs of the game- they're also real life problems.

Yes, but unlike in real life, we have a possible solution presented in this thread, so that this doesn't have to happen.

Also, I'm someone who doesn't differentiate between RL and net friends. In our age, that doesn't really matter, especially considering I already met some of them irl (and it was awesome).

[Alhanelem]

Yes, but unlike in real life, we have a possible solution presented in this thread, so that this doesn't have to happen.

Also, I'm someone who doesn't differentiate between RL and net friends. In our age, that doesn't really matter, especially considering I already met some of them irl (and it was awesome).

I don't know one person in teh world that is able to claim that their online friendships are equally strong compared to the ones they have in real life.

Also, i have not seen a possible solution presented in this thread. The only way to solve this problem is to get rid of the server concept entirely, which would require a massive restructuring of the backend of the game which has already been built and rebuilt a second time on the premise of having distinct servers. Proposing that they do it all over a third time means the game would take another year or more to come out. It's simply not realistic or plausible.

[Abriael]

Actually, you'd be suprised how often what you're claiming is false.

For a long time me and a good friend were in different linkshells. Since both LSes ran events at different times it was very difficult for us to do things together until eventually he left his other LS to come to mine.

That depends on you, not on the fact that you were in different linkshells. I never had the slightest problem playing with anyone on my same server, whatever linkshells they were on.

The fact that you couldn't play together depends simply on the fact that you weren't willing to set aside time to do so. There was no physical barrier preventing you to play together.

People that play on different servers do have a physical barrier preventing them to play together unless they create a whole different character or abandon all their friends on their home server to join the other one.

Apples to Oranges.

[Alhanelem]

That depends on you, not on the fact that you were in different linkshells. I never had the slightest problem playing with anyone on my same server, whatever linkshells they were on.

Then you were a very lucky guy or online 24/7. The rest of us who have life schedules face problems like this rather often. "That depends on you" is a meaningless statement. It depends on either of us to make the exact same kind of decision that you have to make in transferring servers. Of course it depends on me (or him). If he didn't leave his LS, I would have had to leave mine- A compromise had to be made somewhere if we wanted to play together.

People that play on different servers do have a physical barrier preventing them to play together unless they create a whole different character or abandon all their friends on their home server to join the other one.

People in different linkshells/guilds do have a physical barrier preventing them to play together unless they break that barrier (leave the guild) or find some way to schedule time to play around both guild's events. It's the same concept- an issue of some sort gets in the way of friends being able to enjoy the game together.

Apples to Apples. It's the exact same kind of situation, and no amount of saying "apples to oranges" will change that.

If it was that expensive, The Secret World wouldn't have it. Funcom is a much smaller company than Square Enix, with a much smaller development team, and a lot less resources and smaller budgets.

With a much smaller customer base as well.
If their game (which i've never heard of) was as big as WoW, yes it absolutely would be expensive and difficult to implement.

[Soukyuu]

I don't know one person in teh world that is able to claim that their online friendships are equally strong compared to the ones they have in real life. So you really don't have a "best friend" or close friend that you cherish/value over that of a person whose face you may not have even seen, maybe even voice not heard?

Stop ninja-editing D:
As for relationships, there are even people who meet online and end up getting married, as rare as it is (or is it?). There is also a difference in definition of a "friend". Many people are too hasty to call someone a friend, see some facebook friend counts for example.

[Alhanelem]

There is also a difference in definition of a "friend". Many people are too hasty to call someone a friend, see some facebook friend counts for example.

Well that's exactly what i'm referring to here- your best buddy from school or since years and years ago vs someone you met while playing the game. people meeting in an online game and developing a serious relationship is not unheard of but is still an extraordinary event.

[Abriael]

Apples to Apples. It's the exact same kind of situation, and no amount of saying "apples to oranges" will change that.

A situation in which you only need to make time in order to play with someone is undeniably completely different from a situation in which you have to level an entire character from scratch or to abandon everyone else between your current friends.

So yeah, Apple to Oranges, but feel free to continue denying it. It's not like it's not evident that you're grasping at straws anyway.

With a much smaller customer base as well.
If their game (which i've never heard of) was as big as WoW, yes it absolutely would be expensive and difficult to implement.

You already demonstrated that you know nothing about the topic (according to you this solution didn't even exist), so I'm sorry if I won't exactly take a cost assessment from you

Server systems are modular. The bigger cost is in creating the core system, not in adding more modules to fit a higher population.

[strallaalaa]

i agree and i don't. if the situation is like now i think yes we don't need server limitations. i don't want NA and JP and EU servers. i want everyone all mixed together. i like how a lot of mmo's now have no servers almost cause you can just jump to any server you want or they just instance each zone as many times as needed and you can jump between them.

this separates players though, in gw2 i was hoping around servers every day and i didn't feel connected really to anyone or any guild. but i wasn't heavy into the pvp so that game had nothing to offer me really.

as the op knows lol i'm more of a separator by game styles lmao. it makes no sense for people who play 10hrs a day to be scattered around different shells/guilds or servers. or new players ..why are you in a veteran guild that has done the content to death and your begging for people to help when there are tons of new players in same position and need exactly what you do in another shell. theres a place perfect for all of us but mmo's kinda mush us together and hope we fall into the right place when usually people just jump right to the first place they find.

i think either way flexible ways of going to other servers is good, or a mega servers is really awesome, but it wouldn't work for mmo's like ffxi where HNM's existed. could imagine the same linkshells jumping over and over killing them 24/7. and while ffxiv doesn't seem to be getting them and no idea of buffalo and peiste will make a come back in the difficult forms they first launched them as. i think ffxiv should stay seperated ...not by regions though, just simply by players. like in ffxi. or like op knows ...like the way i mention in my other thread lmao. http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...icated-Servers

in general it will all depend on the content and how it's implemented, till you see this it is kinda hard to say if it's a good way to go or not.