Petition to Lift Balmung Server Lock / Impact of Server Lock on FFXIV RP Community

[InkstainedGwyn]

If it wasn't for the fact that it would cause harm to a lot of other players, I'd say sure. Open the floodgates, and if nobody crashes, yay! You can finally stop spamming the forums. You're happy, we're happy. And if everybody crashes, well, actions have consequences. Then they can split the server, institute standard player-number caps that transfers cannot get around, and be done with it.

On an unrelated note, I wonder if there's a correlation between the attitude people use while posting on the forums, and the fact that they can't find anybody to play/RP with?

[Hyrist]

Just a couple questions Oaken, if you have the time.

First off, on what grounds did you assume the right to speak for the Balmung's RP communities? (Yes, plural, communities. Balmung's RP groups split up into subsections like most other RP locale.)

You take on this argumentative stance, attempting to hold an air of authority, but all of your so called facts are conjecture - making claims that a closed off community cannot remain healthy long term. Where's your cited examples of this? Why haven't you investigated counter examples and what made them successful?

In the end you're impressing no one, and are just making yourself full of bluster. I'm sure you think you're doing your best to represent your argument - but you are undermining yourself - and embarrassing the surrounding community which brings me to the next pointed question.

Did you truly think for more than yourself when making this thread. Are you aware of who you happen to be representing, intentionally or otherwise?

Sorry but IMO, you're making Ardent Lotus look bad within the RP community, which is sad because Shoshopu works so hard to host SpellGuard and to keep it as an attractive event to go to.

You're making the RP community look terrible, because most of the community doesn't bother taking up the official forums commonly and do their best to make due with their lot. I know drama is part of what we do and enjoy - but we don't need your help looking bad to non-rpers. We got plenty of other interesting things to keep people down-talking about us.

Have you considered the possibility of there being better, more fruitful efforts to invest your time?

Instead of raising this issue repetitively, you could be making attempts to rally more active RPers, have friends in Balmung who don't RP, consider trying it. You could assist with networking and organizing events and headhunting players who have "Walk ups welcome." on their status and connecting them with other people.

You could have taken the energy you've spent to argue with other people, and drafted a plotline for friends - private or public, that would have gotten people re-energized.

I don't believe FFXIV's RP Community currently has a population problem. We've got plenty of RPers that have sequestered themselves, paused role-playing or simply are wandering looking for a place or activities to enjoy themselves in.

You obviously have a lot of energy, so, why don't you apply it somewhere it's actually going to be useful. Your call for Balmung to be unlocked isn't unique nor will resonate its request any louder than it has already rung. But in the meanwhile, neglecting to properly assist and maintain the existing community by blaming outside sources will assure that the communities stagnate and fall apart before the Server opens again.


Which leads me to my last question.

Have you considered the notion that it may ultimately be the Balmung Rp Community's Responsibility for its own health?

We can blame outside sources or we can own our situation and make the best of it. Its your decision.

Meanwhile I'm helping work getting my circle of friend active again - and with that, this is about as much effort I'm going to spare for this conversation. Be patient. Balmung will unlock when it's ready. We have to do our part in the meanwhile.

[SilverObi]

Fantastic words

THANK YOU Hyrist. All this fuss is really just serving to give other people clubs to beat Balmung over the head with for no good reason.

[ArkNova]

Snip

I have no horse in this race since I'm not even on your data center but after reading every single post in this thread your's is the best response hands down.

[Oaken]

In response to the “lulz, u crazy, dude, where is ur evidence, SE knows everyting and hasn’t made mistake since 1.0, lulz” line of responses, I’ve edited the OP to address that issue:

There is no reasonable basis for anyone to conclude that there is a population problem on Balmung at the present time. SE has presented no data or information about the current population level. Some posters are acting like SE has released concrete information that supports its decision. It has not, and in many instances SE has struggled to accurately report data or made inadvertent errors (i.e. – “FFXIV has surpasses 10 Million Players press release”; 1.0; Diadem, etc.). If you want to believe SE has correctly continued to lock the server, you need more information to reasonably conclude that at the present time. For example, it could state: “There are X active accounts on Balmung within the last 30 days. A FFXIV server can presently handle Y active accounts before server instability becomes a critical issue. Over the past 3 months, Z active accounts have transferred from the server. At this rate, the server will likely be unlocked in U months.” It is likely that SE may be keeping the server locked based on a metric like total number of characters (without taking into account active accounts). It is likely that SE does not understand the full extent of how the server lock is harming FCs, dividing the FFXIV RP community, and creating stagnation, which will ultimately lead to a loss of subscribers. The point of this thread is to point these issues out to SE and give people impacted by these issues a place to voice their concern.

Just a couple questions Oaken, if you have the time.

Thanks for your post. It poses several good questions. Short on time, so forgive typos and conclusory explanations.

1. First off, on what grounds did you assume the right to speak for the Balmung's RP communities? (Yes, plural, communities. Balmung's RP groups split up into subsections like most other RP locale.)

As much as any other member of the RP community. Most observations made in the OP are derived from the observable state of Balmung. There are no queues or server congestion issues at the present time. Without new players, FCs and groups are finding it increasingly difficult to find new members, and most are continuing the trend of turning inwards. Unfortunately, there are no empirical studies or concrete data. But thankfully, basic reasoning and antidotal observation are sufficient to prove the points in the OP. I’m fully aware advocating forcefully against a SE policy may annoy some in the community who have no vested interest in Balmung and simply enjoy trolling the forums to feel better about themselves. I usually avoid online forums for this reason (see post count). Ultimately, who cares? If SE even glances at this post (or another like it), and decides to at least release more information, it will be worth the minimal amount of time it has taken to draft.

2. Did you truly think for more than yourself when making this thread. Are you aware of who you happen to be representing, intentionally or otherwise?

Yes. I made the thread because the server lock is damaging the long-term viability of the FFXIV RP community and causing stagnation on Balmung. It would have been easier to do nothing. I’m well aware that some consider these types of posts pretentious and annoying. Again, who cares? The important thing here is that SE needs to understand that the server lock is harming the community, and players are aware of no valid reasons why the lock is in place. We have seen no data, heard no responses, or any type of concrete update on the issue. You seem intelligent enough to understand that an individual can never really speak for the community, and forming an opinion about an organization based on the personal views of one of its members is immature and stupid (and quite similar to how many RPers hold prejudicial views towards RPers). The RP community has been the subject of Kotaku posts about brothels and ERP. If this post is the tipping point that destroys its reputation, the risk was worth taking. There is nothing unreasonable about the points made in the OP, and one purpose of this forum is to alert the developers to potential issues with the game.

The RP community should not embrace passive, defeatist attitudes and “live with what they have.” We are paying consumers and have every much as right to voice opinions about the game, especially when the size of the community likely exceeds other discrete sects of the community, like players seriously attempting ultimate raiding. You might be content to sit on your hands and hope for the best. Others are not.

3. Have you considered the possibility of there being better, more fruitful efforts to invest your time?

These posts take minimal time and effort. There are plenty of people making attempts to rally RPers and drum up RP. The absence of threads that address the consequences of the server lock and question the validity of SE's decision, however, is alarming. It possibly stems from the contentment many RPers feel with the status quo, and the fear of speaking out against the quo (as shown as the vitriol and trolling displayed in this thread). Creating plotlines and RP events does not address a systemic issue with the server itself: stagnation arising from an excessive and unneeded population control remedy.

4. Have you considered the notion that it may ultimately be the Balmung Rp Community's Responsibility for its own health?

Yes. That is why this post was drafted and many in the community work hard to support the community. It is unfortunate some members of the community adopt a passive approach to this issue, and forget that they have the ability to question unsound policies and advocate for reasonable changes to those policies. Instead of fearing that others will “beat up RPers” or “give people clubs to beat up Balmung,” it is better to address major problems and inequities head on. We’re all nerds playing a six-year old catgirl simulator, after all, and shouldn’t be concerned with others think of us. If the best thing a few forum lurkers can do is post juvenile memes and mock how someone thinks and types, it should be a sign that someone has a decent point. I’d explain more, but I can’t find anymore colorful words in my thesaurus to use. Sorry.

[Keridwyn]

But thankfully, basic reasoning and antidotal observation are sufficient to prove the points in the OP.

Basic reasoning also points to there being a hard cap on the amount of data a server can store and with Balmung's legendary population size a person can quite easily draw the conclusion you were running close to the point of instability.

Secondly I am going to guess you meant anecdotal observation in which case your double standards are delicious. You cannot claim people are making fallacious arguements when your entire argument is based on evidence that is 'not necessarily true or reliable because it is based on personal account rather than research'.

Happily willing to continue a polite debate as long as you realize you are arguing with passion not fact and that not everyone who disagrees is a 'troll'.

[NanaWiloh]

In response to the “lulz, u crazy, dude, where is ur evidence, SE knows everyting and hasn’t made mistake since 1.0, lulz” line of responses, I’ve edited the OP to address that issue:

There is no reasonable basis for anyone to conclude that there is a population problem on Balmung at the present time. SE has presented no data or information about the current population level. Some posters are acting like SE has released concrete information that supports its decision. It has not, and in many instances SE has struggled to accurately report data or made inadvertent errors (i.e. – “FFXIV has surpasses 10 Million Players press release”; 1.0; Diadem, etc.). If you want to believe SE has correctly continued to lock the server, you need more information to reasonably conclude that at the present time. For example, it could state: “There are X active accounts on Balmung within the last 30 days. A FFXIV server can presently handle Y active accounts before server instability becomes a critical issue. Over the past 3 months, Z active accounts have transferred from the server. At this rate, the server will likely be unlocked in U months.” It is likely that SE may be keeping the server locked based on a metric like total number of characters (without taking into account active accounts). It is likely that SE does not understand the full extent of how the server lock is harming FCs, dividing the FFXIV RP community, and creating stagnation, which will ultimately lead to a loss of subscribers. The point of this thread is to point these issues out to SE and give people impacted by these issues a place to voice their concern.



Thanks for your post. It poses several good questions. Short on time, so forgive typos and conclusory explanations.

1. First off, on what grounds did you assume the right to speak for the Balmung's RP communities? (Yes, plural, communities. Balmung's RP groups split up into subsections like most other RP locale.)

As much as any other member of the RP community. Most observations made in the OP are derived from the observable state of Balmung. There are no queues or server congestion issues at the present time. Without new players, FCs and groups are finding it increasingly difficult to find new members, and most are continuing the trend of turning inwards. Unfortunately, there are no empirical studies or concrete data. But thankfully, basic reasoning and antidotal observation are sufficient to prove the points in the OP. I’m fully aware advocating forcefully against a SE policy may annoy some in the community who have no vested interest in Balmung and simply enjoy trolling the forums to feel better about themselves. I usually avoid online forums for this reason (see post count). Ultimately, who cares? If SE even glances at this post (or another like it), and decides to at least release more information, it will be worth the minimal amount of time it has taken to draft.

2. Did you truly think for more than yourself when making this thread. Are you aware of who you happen to be representing, intentionally or otherwise?

Yes. I made the thread because the server lock is damaging the long-term viability of the FFXIV RP community and causing stagnation on Balmung. It would have been easier to do nothing. I’m well aware that some consider these types of posts pretentious and annoying. Again, who cares? The important thing here is that SE needs to understand that the server lock is harming the community, and players are aware of no valid reasons why the lock is in place. We have seen no data, heard no responses, or any type of concrete update on the issue. You seem intelligent enough to understand that an individual can never really speak for the community, and forming an opinion about an organization based on the personal views of one of its members is immature and stupid (and quite similar to how many RPers hold prejudicial views towards RPers). The RP community has been the subject of Kotaku posts about brothels and ERP. If this post is the tipping point that destroys its reputation, the risk was worth taking. There is nothing unreasonable about the points made in the OP, and one purpose of this forum is to alert the developers to potential issues with the game.

The RP community should not embrace passive, defeatist attitudes and “live with what they have.” We are paying consumers and have every much as right to voice opinions about the game, especially when the size of the community likely exceeds other discrete sects of the community, like players seriously attempting ultimate raiding. You might be content to sit on your hands and hope for the best. Others are not.

3. Have you considered the possibility of there being better, more fruitful efforts to invest your time?

These posts take minimal time and effort. There are plenty of people making attempts to rally RPers and drum up RP. The absence of threads that address the consequences of the server lock and question the validity of SE's decision, however, is alarming. It possibly stems from the contentment many RPers feel with the status quo, and the fear of speaking out against the quo (as shown as the vitriol and trolling displayed in this thread). Creating plotlines and RP events does not address a systemic issue with the server itself: stagnation arising from an excessive and unneeded population control remedy.

4. Have you considered the notion that it may ultimately be the Balmung Rp Community's Responsibility for its own health?

Yes. That is why this post was drafted and many in the community work hard to support the community. It is unfortunate some members of the community adopt a passive approach to this issue, and forget that they have the ability to question unsound policies and advocate for reasonable changes to those policies. Instead of fearing that others will “beat up RPers” or “give people clubs to beat up Balmung,” it is better to address major problems and inequities head on. We’re all nerds playing a six-year old catgirl simulator, after all, and shouldn’t be concerned with others think of us. If the best thing a few forum lurkers can do is post juvenile memes and mock how someone thinks and types, it should be a sign that someone has a decent point. I’d explain more, but I can’t find anymore colorful words in my thesaurus to use. Sorry.

Thank you for a more reasonable and less condsending post in comparison to the original. I want to adress one subject in your post and that is the need for more information from SE. Your asking a company too give information or data that could be harmful too their servers. There are security risks involved with releasing server info to the public, giving exact server caps for example while may seem innocent. To a person with the right knowledge and malicous intent it is a gold mine of information. If you want more information then you need tell them what exactly it is you want to see. just keep in mind they wont risk security just too calm the curiousity of disgruntled players. So you may or may not get what your seeking if you ask.

[Mahrze]

4. Have you considered the notion that it may ultimately be the Balmung Rp Community's Responsibility for its own health?

Yes. That is why this post was drafted and many in the community work hard to support the community. It is unfortunate some members of the community adopt a passive approach to this issue, and forget that they have the ability to question unsound policies and advocate for reasonable changes to those policies. Instead of fearing that others will “beat up RPers” or “give people clubs to beat up Balmung,” it is better to address major problems and inequities head on. We’re all nerds playing a six-year old catgirl simulator, after all, and shouldn’t be concerned with others think of us. If the best thing a few forum lurkers can do is post juvenile memes and mock how someone thinks and types, it should be a sign that someone has a decent point. I’d explain more, but I can’t find anymore colorful words in my thesaurus to use. Sorry.

Based on this post that I quoted and the sentence I underlined. It seems it really is a community effort (the RP community gathering together to see the issue and the possible solutions) vs SE trying to offer an equal experience across the board (Because you're not the only population in Balmung nor the only paying customers). Unofficial census sources point at Balmung being very overpopulated and the one server many people want to go to, and for that the RP community has put the noose on themselves.

• Should the sever be unlocked? They (SE) will decide that with the data they have available. But with the RP community continuously trying to gather on one spot, lockdowns are something you can see happen.
• Should there be an RP Server? Maybe, the bigger question is regarding people who do something more than RP in x server. I am sure people who RP do more than just that (OOC is the term used iirc) and they might not like moving elsewhere, so you have a conundrum where I am sure there's enough people in the RP community that have that same issue and as such, likely disagree with this, even with the datacenter FL and tell option.
• Should I keep doing this? Of course you do, you have every right to express your opinion and concern, but as much as you seem to try to represent the community you're trying to be vocal for, you're just adding fuel to the flame that antagonizes you. We tend to get what we ask for, the issue is always the way we ask for it.

[SinisterJoints]

There is no reasonable basis for anyone to conclude that there is a population problem on Balmung at the present time.

Except maybe the recent census that was just posted showing balmung at 22k active players. The closest server to that IIRC is 16k.(sure its not by SE, but if your "facts" are legit then so is the census"

Yea, im thinking balmung needs to stay locked.