Is it maybe time for a full infrastructure rebuild? (Re: Database and netcode issues)

[Bourne_Endeavor]

An infrastructure overhaul of that magnitude will likely never occur. They are better off creating a brand new FF MMO at that point. We are seeing gradually deviations away from 1.0 code but a complete overhaul just doesn't happen to an active game. Citing that because FFXIV managed to recover once following 1.x's shutdown doesn't mean they can do it again without player revolt. Keep in mind, to the average player, nothing is amiss. Sure, they may want more QoL features but they likely wouldn't agree with temporarily shutting down the game or to have it remain without much content for an extended period of time.

At best, any significant changes such an infrastructure won't occur outside expansions.

[RichardButte]

The OP's post really hits the nail on the head. SE rushed the hell out of their database and netcoding design process when they were making 2.0. And if they don't spend some time getting their act together, the whole thing is just going to collapse in on itself someday.

This.

It's not going to be an option, and we're going to hit the point where they'll need to start deleting expansion items from the game to make room for new ones.

Remember that chest piece appearance you're so fond of? Better not get too attached to it...

They are better off creating a brand new FF MMO at that point.

Even if, logistics-wise, that's what they'd be doing, the story, setting, and content of this game are still very much loved by the community.

We're not talking about rebuilding the ENTIRE game from scratch, just about updating database and netcode.

Again, they built 2.0 WHILE maintaining and updating 1.0, and that required rebuilding nearly everything except some parts of major cities, since the old world was built from copy-pasta.

[RukiaFae]

This.

It's not going to be an option, and we're going to hit the point where they'll need to start deleting expansion items from the game to make room for new ones.

Remember that chest piece appearance you're so fond of? Better not get too attached to it...

Now you're being dramatic. That's not going to happen. You're trying to cause panic where there is none. Just like any other game once this game hits it's max of where they want to take it, it will fade over time while they create a new game. For example FFXI which is still active.

[Tridus]

This.

It's not going to be an option, and we're going to hit the point where they'll need to start deleting expansion items from the game to make room for new ones.

Remember that chest piece appearance you're so fond of? Better not get too attached to it...

No they won't. On the server end, the database requirements for that chest are a primary key and a few bits of data. Anyone who has it will have more data tied to their specific copy of it, but that applies to every item. If you can store 200 clothes, it doesn't matter in the slightest to the server which 200 clothes they are or which expansion they're from.

They'd only have to delete it if the client couldn't handle the data requirements to have all the models, and with the PS3 gone that doesn't seem like any kind of urgent issue.

[Aylis]

If the database is THIS limiting to what they can and cannot do with the game, it's literally only a matter of time before they can go no further with it and need to do a full revamp anyway.

Better sooner than later.

They more then likely won't do another full revamp, they already did one at a large cost revamping from 1.0. In the future once things reach a point where they can go no further, if anything they'll just let the game go the way XI did, take what they learned from here (hopefully) and work on their next MMO from the ground up.

[Istaru]

They more then likely won't do another full revamp, they already did one at a large cost revamping from 1.0. In the future once things reach a point where they can go no further, if anything they'll just let the game go the way XI did, take what they learned from here (hopefully) and work on their next MMO from the ground up.

I agree. They rebuilt 1.0 because it was a main title Final Fantasy game. Simply put, they did not want that blemish in the brand.

Even with its limitations, this game is not a blemish on the Final Fantasy name.

Before you get mad, I agree there are problems from the things you listed, I don’t see them redoing it again. Even if we complain.

[Darrcyphfeid]

Just throwing it out there that SE as a whole still hasn't recovered from XIV 1.0 and Fabula Nova Crystallis (XIII/XV).

Would the game be better off with some overhauling? Yup. Will it actually happen? Nope.

[Aylis]

I agree. They rebuilt 1.0 because it was a main title Final Fantasy game. Simply put, they did not want that blemish in the brand.

Even with its limitations, this game is not a blemish on the Final Fantasy name.

Before you get mad, I agree there are problems from the things you listed, I don’t see them redoing it again. Even if we complain.

Oh I'm not mad at all ^.^, but yeah exactly like you said, they didn't want to, or even could not let 1.0 blemish the name and had a very short time to save things. A full rebuild from scratch wouldn't have worked in that light. Despite my own personal feelings of FFXIV I can't lie, for what they had to work with, they did okay. Yeah, all the complaining and requesting in the world is never gonna change that the very soul of this games coding is still the 1.0 engine. No matter what Yoshida's vision may be. Tanaka's vision will always be at the games root. It will never be remade. They'll just spend that funding to launch another MMO. One director/producer, one vision. Not two visions clashing forever.

[Istaru]

Oh I'm not mad at all ^.^, but yeah exactly like you said, they didn't want to, or even could not let 1.0 blemish the name and had a very short time to save things. A full rebuild from scratch wouldn't have worked in that light. Despite my own personal feelings of FFXIV I can't lie, for what they had to work with, they did okay. Yeah, all the complaining and requesting in the world is never gonna change that the very soul of this games coding is still the 1.0 engine. No matter what Yoshida's vision may be. Tanaka's vision will always be at the games root. It will never be remade. They'll just spend that funding to launch another MMO. One director/producer, one vision. Not two visions clashing forever.

Oopsie!

My mad comment was really directed at the OP. I missed the call out before that line.

But, I’m glad your not mad just the same.

[Callinon]

Now you're being dramatic. That's not going to happen. You're trying to cause panic where there is none. Just like any other game once this game hits it's max of where they want to take it, it will fade over time while they create a new game. For example FFXI which is still active.

FFXI is still adding new content and items with every patch (monthly). Also a lot of FFXI's "technical limitations" turned out to not really be limitations once the dev team stopped making excuses and started finding solutions.

Maybe the OP is being a little dramatic, but their point is 100% on target. The number of times Yoshi P has come out and said they can't do some basic expansion of a particular in-game system after only 2 expansions is, frankly, alarming. Do you remember back in 2.0 when SE said your entire character data including all your retainers is sent to the server every 15 seconds and that's why they couldn't expand retainer storage? The number of cut corners and band-aids revealed in that statement alone made alarm bells go off in my programmer brain. And that was in 2.0. What happens in 7.0?

The point is this needs to be addressed now while it's a manageable problem and not later when it's a behemoth of a problem.