SE: Please address the enormous imbalance created with the data center changes.

[Flarestar]

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...VrgGdh-fBDJU5g

This is data regarding active, successful raiders across the existing NA data centers, taken from FFLogs, tracking individual characters per server and grouped by data center. It shows the numbers that have cleared the O8S through O12S Final fights as best as we're able to see that data. It also shows what percentage of those players are attached to a static.

The net result of your proposed reordering is a massive reduction in the raiding playerbase for servers that will be located in Crystal. There are literally 50-80% more active raiders on each of the other two data centers, depending on which fight you're looking at. This will be massively detrimental to the raiding scene for Crystal. Party Finder is already pretty rough the farther into the current tier you get, this will make it substantially worse.

Every data center is taking a hit in the number of active raiders, obviously, but this is an imbalance that needs to be addressed beforehand - otherwise the problem will end up being even worse than it already appears to be once Crystal raiders start transferring in droves over to Aether or Primal.

[AxlStream]

Then use the free 2 weeks of transfer to not get bundled in Crystal?

[Flarestar]

.... yeah, I'm aware there's a free server transfer option. Maybe read what I actually posted, dude.

[Astarotha]

im actually curious what prevents them from using this extra data center as a combination of extra instance servers or overflow, but im betting they have looked into that multiple ways and theres some limitation in the way the dataflow and engine works that prevents them from keeping it the way it is

[JackHatchet]

Have you considered that the reason Crystal's clear rates are low are because those people just don't care to raid?

Servers provide different amenities and atmospheres similar to how different cities act in real life. If you want to live in a college town--you move to a college town. If you want to live in New York--you move to New York. If you want to live in a small rural town--you move there. Think of servers like cities. Find the server/city that gives you the most benefit for what you're looking for--and only then establish your roots.

One of the biggest problems I see with MMOs, is that new people don't even realize that servers can provide vastly different atmospheres from one another. Too many folks plant their roots down in terrible servers (for them), and then gripe that the servers can't accommodate them, or get jelly at other servers. It's just like a city. Instead of trying to plan out their lives--they settle for a server that doesn't suit them--and then they get invested in friends (on that servers/in that city), and then find it almost impossible to expand, because they've already rooted themselves. Now they're stuck between two worlds.

Sometimes the best thing to do is to find the things that can't be replaced, raiding scenes, RP scenes, college town, big city--and chase those. Because as shallow as it is to say--you can make friends anywhere, and they're more replaceable than a larger community. You can literally move to 'any' server or city and make friends--so pick the one that gives you what you crave, and foster friendships with like-minded individuals.

[Rangar]

That is interesting compilation of data; and it raises a fear many have, and one SE is trying to avoid and is going to be doomed in repeating.

The whole point of what SE is doing is to try and balance the DCs; the result of this will see large numbers of people flocking back to Aether in the very attempt to avoid being locked from being able to do content they want to; which returns us back to the very imbalance SE is trying to fix. His numbers compiled from FFlogs shows a rough idea of how the distribution of the raiding scene will be broken up, and offers a warning that many raid groups spread across smaller worlds will have to rush to already crowded worlds to get themselves all back on the same DCs so their statics aren't broken. This means crowded worlds will only get larger, and already smaller one's will shrink. Additionally, it will start to create a vacuum of player talent on DCs as most will collect on a single DC.

[Flarestar]

Have you considered that the reason Crystal's clear rates are low are because those people just don't care to raid?

Even if a larger portion of the playerbase on those servers doesn't care to raid, that doesn't change the core problem. A large number of players on them DO care to raid, and will be severely impacted by this change.

[JackHatchet]

The whole point of what SE is doing is to try and balance the DCs; the result of this will see large numbers of people flocking back to Aether in the very attempt to avoid being locked from being able to do content they want to; which returns us back to the very imbalance SE is trying to fix.

I think you're wrong.

There's two major population groups, raiders and RPers. Square-Enix did a good job segregating the communities. Aether for raiding, and Crystal for RP. Obviously, people should choose the data-center that provides the content they prioritize above all else, and then find little nich groups of the other content when it happens. RPers can still raid with pugs, and Raiders can find niche RP clubs on Aether. It's win/win.

Ultimately, no one data-center can support BOTH the Raiding and RP communities, so a split was destined to happen.

[Atlantasia]

Yes, this is entirely my fear as a raider on Coeurl. I've been raiding since before Cross World party finder and the raid scene on Coeurl has always been small, tight knit and if there's any fall out you were black marked from raiding. It was also hard to find an even distribution of players with the classes needed for raids back then... *shudders*

._. I also don't want to give up my housing plot, the one I waited two years to obtain and the one that I've spent 2 1/2 years in... nor the friends who are staying on my server, since I've been here for 4+ years. But I still want to raid... because raiding makes this game a challenge and fun for me.

I lose my raid group entirely when this hits AND my FC because they're moving for their raid groups!

[Barraind]

Have you considered that the reason Crystal's clear rates are low are because those people just don't care to raid?

As someone on a Crystal-bound world, every single static I know of that isnt Coeurl-only is 1-2 Coeurl, 6-7 Aether. We have a very strong core of active players, we just end up, thanks to cross-server raiding, playing with the other raiding servers. People who wanted the Balmung/Mateus experience left for those servers, people who wanted to raid didnt have to.

Thats the BIGGEST issue. To go roleplay on a RP server, you HAD to be on that server. to get your raiding and EX clearing, you could be on any server, with any rl friends, or people who were casual, or people riading with other statics, and still raid with that static. Thats what a lot of aether's small servers were. I didnt have to move to Greg to find a ton of statics this expansion, I had to say "Hey, I'm a tank looking for a static".

Cross server raiding basically meant we could play with people we know on other servers, or actively seek out groups which met our raid times (there were 0 coeurl raid groups that needed a tank in 4.2 or 4.4 and dont raid on Tuesdays, for example)

They now, pretty much have to move to one of those 5 or 6 servers. If you had a static on this server, or a lot of the other crystal servers, its probably dead now, or you're moving.