Server Lockouts are limiting the growth of this game.

[KisaiTenshi]

Short windows where players can create characters is still unacceptable. This scenario you are stating has not happened for my friend attempting to join.

Literately, during those two days, I was refreshing it every 3-4 minutes, and there were times where only one server would be available, and there were times where every server but Excalibur was available for about 10 minutes.

If you want to try and "queuejump" you will need your friend to basically sit there and refresh the servers between 1 and 3am. There is a hotfix patch in 2 hours. I'd suggest having them save the character appearance of what they want to create now, and then create their character immediately when the server comes up. That was pretty much the only option for Excalibur. Other servers you need to camp the server selection screen until 5am. After 5am, it's usually just Diablos, Famfrit and Lamia availability rotating around until about 7pm.

But I'll understand if your friend is irritated by this. It's pretty hard to get populations to migrate.

I made a suggestion last week about making the congested servers "invite-only", whereby you need a friend already on it to email you an invite code to place in the mog station. That would temporarily reserve a spot on the server that the friend is on. There were suggestions that this might result in a kind of blackmarket (Eg people selling invites) but I think that might be overblown since that would be easily traceable as RMT.

[Nadirah]

http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodest...06d0909189e479

This information will be updated at the following intervals:
4:00 a.m./ 8:00 a.m./ 1:00 p.m./ 6:00 p.m./ 11:00 p.m. (PDT)


Those are your times to check. Those are the times in which the lock hits.

[Silvanoshi]

A lot of issues would be resolved if the population could get spread out more evenly across servers. Right now we got people bundled up on legacy servers and a few of the normal ones.

This is exactly why I mentioned free server transfers. Every other MMO in the industry does this to the lower population servers. I dont know why Square doesnt.

[nekuxdesu]

put a queue in the game
WAHHHH QUEUE
block people from joining the server so theyll populate others
WAHH NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE

you people are insatiable
grow up

[Silvanoshi]

http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodest...06d0909189e479

This information will be updated at the following intervals:
4:00 a.m./ 8:00 a.m./ 1:00 p.m./ 6:00 p.m./ 11:00 p.m. (PDT)


Those are your times to check. Those are the times in which the lock hits.

As I mentioned above, this feature isn't really serving any purpose other than to inconvenience new players. If server population/overload is the issue, you upgrade the server hardware or offer free transfers. You dont add in an extra hoop and make NEW PLAYERS go to such lengths as this (checking at certain times to make a character) to play a game.

[KisaiTenshi]

As I mentioned above, this feature isn't really serving any purpose other than to inconvenience new players. If server population/overload is the issue, you upgrade the server hardware or offer free transfers. You dont add in an extra hoop and make NEW PLAYERS go to such lengths as this (checking at certain times to make a character) to play a game.

It's also not true. That's only the time they update the message. The queues shift every 5 minutes or so.

New players who were not invited here by friends, logically would pick an available server. The resolution needed is for those that want to play with their friends. The solution suggested for Exalibur was actually "create character on another server in the data center, then transfer it"

[Ashkendor]

So... what, they should just throw the floodgates open and let people join and make as many new characters as they please until the server is so overloaded that it's completely unplayable? No thank you. >.<

[Silvanoshi]

[QUOTE=KisaiTenshi;3122550}

I made a suggestion last week about making the congested servers "invite-only", whereby you need a friend already on it to email you an invite code to place in the mog station. That would temporarily reserve a spot on the server that the friend is on. There were suggestions that this might result in a kind of blackmarket (Eg people selling invites) but I think that might be overblown since that would be easily traceable as RMT.[/QUOTE]

This is tens times better than to have someone operate on certain timelines that they cannot attend. I'll agree with you here.

[Silvanoshi]

So... what, they should just throw the floodgates open and let people join and make as many new characters as they please until the server is so overloaded that it's completely unplayable? No thank you. >.<

Ashkendor,

Many games handle populations much larger than an average server on Final Fantasy 14. Hardware upgrades can help with server instability due to population increases. If that is not feasible, free transfers can help remove the need for hardware upgrades.

[Silvanoshi]

It's also not true. That's only the time they update the message. The queues shift every 5 minutes or so.

New players who were not invited here by friends, logically would pick an available server. The resolution needed is for those that want to play with their friends. The solution suggested for Exalibur was actually "create character on another server in the data center, then transfer it"

Go take a look at Reddit. You'll see plenty of people who are trying the game for the first time and want to join a populated server.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/comme..._populated_na/
https://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/comme...ulated_server/
https://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/comme...ost_populated/
https://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/comme...ulated_server/

EDIT: The solution of making a character and paying for a transfer is flawed. Very few players are going to pay for the game, pay a monthly subscription, and then pay AGAIN to get a character on a server the game is physically locking them out of. Cash grab, for sure. Players might do this down the road if they are invested in the game, but very few will from the start.