Raubahn Extreme will return? Version 6.0

[Daniolaut]

Hello community, I am curious what are your thoughts for the launch of version 6.0?

Currently this message is ongoing almost all day everyday, even for small servers, most likely due to the free trial.

This world is currently full.
Players in queue: ###.

During peak hours this can easily get over 100+ players, again, even on "small" servers.

With the launch of version 6.0 just around the corner, what do you think will happen on launch day/early access?

With this massive influx of players all at once (hopefully) how do you think things will go, and how do you think Square-Enix will handle it?

Will we experience another similar situation to Raubahn Extreme? But on a much larger more damaging scale?

To my understanding Square-Enix cannot split over populated servers like they can with FFXI due to the lack of changes to the housing system. Could you imagine Square-Enix pulling you off a server, and you lose your house? Even if they would compensate players in gil, I'm sure many players would not like that so I dont believe it is an option.

What do you think it will be like come 6.0, do you think the free trial players will all quit before 6.0 freeing up server space?

What are your thoughts?

[ItMe]

In 5.0 there was a point where the player has the option of going to Eulmore to meet up with Alphinaud, or going to Amh Amaeng to meet up with Alisae.
SQEX later mentioned they did this in order to divide the server load in a place where they saw potential for something like Raubahn EX to happen again.
They're def conscious of the issue and working hard to try to circumvent it. As for what tricks they have in store for 6.0, we can only guess, especially since (as I understand it) they've been addressing this problem on the back end too.

[Daniolaut]

In 5.0 there was a point where the player has the option of going to Eulmore to meet up with Alphinaud, or going to Amh Amaeng to meet up with Alisae.
SQEX later mentioned they did this in order to divide the server load in a place where they saw potential for something like Raubahn EX to happen again.
They're def conscious of the issue and working hard to try to circumvent it. As for what tricks they have in store for 6.0, we can only guess, especially since (as I understand it) they've been addressing this problem on the back end too.

Oh thats great news, Do you have a link where they are mentioning addressing the Free trial/current constant cap of player connections? I seemed to have missed it. If they are already aware of it, and have plans to address it before 6.0 then thats wonderful news.

[ItMe]

Oh thats great news, Do you have a link where they are mentioning addressing the Free trial/current constant cap of player connections? I seemed to have missed it. If they are already aware of it, and have plans to address it before 6.0 then thats wonderful news.

Unfortunately I have long since lost the link
I am sorry.

[Daniolaut]

Unfortunately I have long since lost the link
I am sorry.

Thats fine, I wasnt questioning your honesty, I just was curious the details of any statements made. As long as they are aware of the issue, and have plans to address it then thats great. It would be very unfortunate it for them to frustrate such a large portion of the playerbase due to lack of foresight/preparation. I'm sure no matter how much they prepare they will face some issues with congestion, no MMO has had a "successful" launch without congestion issues. Congestion is a good thing to a certain extent.

[Daniolaut]

If you're a new player and unaware,

normally on a launch day for an expansion, the FFXIV servers become extremely congested. In so much, over the years, they had to add measures to counter the severe congestion. Such as creating instanced zones, for example, when traveling to "Lakeland" a player will either automatically enter a certain "Lakeland" instance numbered 1-4 or 1-5, or choose a specified instance (to try to stay with a party) which divides the players from each other to lessen the load on the server.

They also added the log-in queue, as you are very likely accustomed to already.

They even had to change/adjust/regulate how story quests are created to prevent having an instanced battle (the type of quest that makes you enter a solo duty) early on in the quest line of the expansion which is where the term "Raubahn Extreme" originated.

So since the log-in queue currently is an ongoing experience to FFXIV, which is not a normal occurrence for FFXIV, one would assume, upon launch day of 6.0 the "normal" influx of hundreds of thousands of players will exceed the current already reached cap of players.

For example what this means, is if the server can hold only 90,000 connections (I'm using the 90,000 error when you get kicked from the server) on a normal day pre free trial, there would be only 50,000 connections at a time.

During the launch of an expansion, the amount of players connecting to the server could be lets say 95,000 or even 100,000. But now with the free trial, the servers hover over 90,000 continuously, meaning the influx of 45,000+ players will now be instead of 95,000-100,000 will reach 145,000 or even 150,000 or even beyond that.

This means nearly 1/3rd of the player base will not be able to log in at all whatsoever. As many players on a normal launch day would sit in a 15 minute queue just to even log into to FFXIV, under these new conditions players would be sitting for an hour or even potentially more. Many players try to combat this issue by just going on busy and staying in crafting mode, which means any other players actively wanting to play, and not just sit AFK to avoid the log-in queue will not be able to log in.

So what are your thoughts?

(We're not here to argue my numbers. I literally just said 90,000 was just a number I choose for the example, that statement or "example" is not a reality fact, its just a representation for the reader to gain a basic understanding of the question which said question is what do people think 6.0 launch day will be like with the already reached cap number of players connecting to the servers, as there very likely will be a massive influx of players at the launch of version 6.0, unless of course it is a massive failure in comparison to the previous expansions.)

[Brill_]

The Raubahn extreme problem wasn't due to server login, but was due to them putting a solo instance early on in the MSQ that every player had to do to unlock the rest of the expansion. Raubahn ex brought progress to a standstill. In 5.0, they did not put any solo instances that early to prevent that from happening. Aside from some login queues, I don't recall any major issues during ShB launch.

[Daniolaut]

The Raubahn extreme problem wasn't due to server login, but was due to them putting a solo instance early on in the MSQ that every player had to do to unlock the rest of the expansion. Raubahn ex brought progress to a standstill. In 5.0, they did not put any solo instances that early to prevent that from happening. Aside from some login queues, I don't recall any major issues during ShB launch.

Yes, these are all the things I already stated.

If you're aware, during every expansion/2.0 launch even the 1.0 Armageddon the servers were severely congested, players had long log in queue's, Square-Enix has had to add measures such as force d/c'ing AFK players, so on and so forth, just to keep the congestion managed.

Right now, as I said, currently the servers are already full. Without the influx of players from a launch. This means, when the influx of players do come (which of course no one can guarantee, but is extremely likely) the servers will become congested by that exact amount of influx, because again, stated as clearly as I can, the servers are already at maximum capacity day in and day out, very likely due to the free trial, (as that is the only thing that has changed since each expansion.)

So the question remains,

will the XIV address the issue? are they aware of it, and have plans already in place to address it before the launch of 6.0?

Surely they are aware the servers are already at maximum capacity and are anticipating more players come 6.0, and already are doing something. Per the comments above, that is the case, of which it is pleasing to me to hear, as I would like to see the continual success of FFXIV.

[Ultimatecalibur]

The Raubahn extreme problem wasn't due to server login, but was due to them putting a solo instance early on in the MSQ that every player had to do to unlock the rest of the expansion. Raubahn ex brought progress to a standstill.

It wasn't just the Raubahn solo instance that was causing problems. A quest or two after Raubahn there was another solo instance originating with Pipin and SAM and RDM both started with solo instances. It was the combination of SAM, RDM, Raubahn and Pipin all being solo instance content that caused the traffic jam.

While true, the way they changed it up to dungeon before solo instance, and a split quest where you go can here or there, helped as well since there was a larger population of players at the time of launch.

HW and StB both started with split pathing. In HW, you went to help the Fortemps sons in SoC and CWH before returning to CWH to progress the story. In StB, after traveling a bit through the Fringes there was a bit of questing in the Peaks and Fringes before the story merged together right before the traffic jam at Raubahn.

[Moonlite]

The Raubahn extreme problem wasn't due to server login, but was due to them putting a solo instance early on in the MSQ that every player had to do to unlock the rest of the expansion. Raubahn ex brought progress to a standstill. In 5.0, they did not put any solo instances that early to prevent that from happening. Aside from some login queues, I don't recall any major issues during ShB launch.

Not to mention most job quests also used an instance. It was horrible design to lock content behind something like that. They were so puffed up with all the MSQ fanboy's from the end of HW's. When anyone mentioned problems from the fuller servers they got dismissed as it was those players fault and not SE.