Transfer Restrictions and Roleplayers

[Ultimatecalibur]

Quite exaggerating on XIV can only have 40 characters max per account anyways. Sorry they have all 40 characters slot filled (8 per server) but it only $18 per transfer and can do all the characters that are on the same server and transfer them to the same new server for the one price.

That was not what I meant.

If a 250 character FC with the same number of unique players wanted to transfer it would cost the group $4,500 dollars to move if there is an $18 fee.

Plus the fact that you lose a good chunk of your gil, your house, all of your current IC connections and plotlines, etc...

Several of those factors can be mostly mitigated by whomever else is moving. You wouldn't lose your IC connections and plotlines if most of your play group is moving.

[Zojha]

The $18 transfer fee per person is the primary reason that the large seed groups that are needed to create a stable RP groups are unwilling/unable to transfer away from Balmung.

Meanwhile, new players transfer TO Balmung in large quantities, rather than joining some of the smaller groups on the other servers.

Balmung hasn't exactly been accessible without transfers for a long while now. What do you think communities on other servers would look if people had went there in that time, rather than transferring? Bigger, that's for sure. They didn't do that, though. They rather transferred. So I'm pretty sure that the main issue isn't the cost (new players didn't have to transfer), but the critical mass.

[Bourne_Endeavor]

Meanwhile, new players transfer TO Balmung in large quantities, rather than joining some of the smaller groups on the other servers.

Balmung hasn't exactly been accessible without transfers for a long while now. What do you think communities on other servers would look if people had went there in that time, rather than transferring? Bigger, that's for sure. They didn't do that, though. They rather transferred. So I'm pretty sure that the main issue isn't the cost (new players didn't have to transfer), but the critical mass.

I know more than a few people who transferred specifically because things happened on whatever server they were on and rather than try starting fresh on a small server, the more sensible option has always been transferring to Balmung. It's largely what killed roleplay on Gilgamesh.

[Naunet]

Several of those factors can be mostly mitigated by whomever else is moving. You wouldn't lose your IC connections and plotlines if most of your play group is moving.

For people who are very much linked into the community, this would require moving almost the entirety of the main Balmung RP community. As things have stood so far, that's simply not possible. Even with the incentives SE is going to offer, without zero gil limit and the ability to preserve housing, I bet it will be a hard sell.

[Ultimatecalibur]

Meanwhile, new players transfer TO Balmung in large quantities, rather than joining some of the smaller groups on the other servers.

Yes, individuals and small groups are willing to put up with the $18 migration fee to improve playlife, but the reverse isn't really true which caused Balmung to become a blackhole.

Balmung hasn't exactly been accessible without transfers for a long while now. What do you think communities on other servers would look if people had went there in that time, rather than transferring? Bigger, that's for sure. They didn't do that, though. They rather transferred. So I'm pretty sure that the main issue isn't the cost (new players didn't have to transfer), but the critical mass.

Its not a new player immigration issue, but the inability for older groups to emigrate away from Balmung effectively. The "critical mass" needed to create a new RP colony isn't able to leave effectively.

For people who are very much linked into the community, this would require moving almost the entirety of the main Balmung RP community. As things have stood so far, that's simply not possible. Even with the incentives SE is going to offer, without zero gil limit and the ability to preserve housing, I bet it will be a hard sell.

Considering Dunbar's number, I believe that Balmung is a lot less solidly connected than you think.

[Naunet]

Considering Dunbar's number, I believe that Balmung is a lot less solidly connected than you think.

Consider 150 people for each person, with many overlapping... that is a highly intertwined community where one person's leaving can have a cascade of effects on RP.

I'm quite familiar with Balmung's rp community. I was a member of it for over two years and only started fresh on a new server because I stopped roleplaying in-game (only do FFXIV rp in skype/forums now). It's definitely tight-knit with a solid core of players that support each other and housing hubs that people have spent tens of millions of gil on. A new server has none of that.

[Lexia]

Consider 150 people for each person, with many overlapping... that is a highly intertwined community where one person's leaving can have a cascade of effects on RP.

Almost like RL

[Derio]

It makes sense though. Remember when HW launch and Balmung had insane queue times just to log into the game.

[Naunet]

Almost like RL

Indeed. That's essentially what roleplay is - a model of real human relationships.

So you should understand that uprooting people is asking a lot, especially when SE can't seem to offer a complete transfer.

[Ultimatecalibur]

Consider 150 people for each person, with many overlapping... that is a highly intertwined community where one person's leaving can have a cascade of effects on RP.

I'm quite familiar with Balmung's rp community. I was a member of it for over two years and only started fresh on a new server because I stopped roleplaying in-game (only do FFXIV rp in skype/forums now). It's definitely tight-knit with a solid core of players that support each other and housing hubs that people have spent tens of millions of gil on. A new server has none of that.

The many overlapping part is what makes things less solid than you think. It is not one solid community of 26k active characters but closer to 26 1k communities loosely connected.

The groups most solidly connected to the server (i.e. have houses and direct connections to those with houses) are unlikely to leave while those that are more loosely connected are more likely to transfer away.