Are they really adding cross-data center visit?

[Katie_Kitty]

• Some data centers are known for RP and some data centers are known for raiding and being able to visit them will make it easier to do both things at once.

This is the big one imo. Imagine how DC travel will open up the raiding scene in this game. It'll be amazing having the ability to seek out members and statics from all datacenters in the region. Gone are the days when you have to choose between Primal, Aether, and Crystal. That's assuming you can join parties and run duties while DC visiting, which hopefully you can because otherwise there really is no point.

I hope they consider the implication on the community when they start combining data centers. Watering down the community for convenience is arguably what started the problems with that other game whose players currently flood the FF XIV data centers. I can't speak for other servers, of course, but getting anything done has, so far, never been an impossibility in FF XIV so the need for the feature seems...questionable at this point, at least from my limited perspective.

And yes, I'll be the first to admit I wouldn't be able to play at the level I did back then (ooof, has it been really that long?) without the conveniences offered by the likes of automated cross-realm LFG, which I'm OK with if it means a healthier game overall.

Huh? There's no downside really. And you don't seem to be considering the impact this change will have for the high-end raiding scene, which could be an immense positive impact. Restricting people in data centers has never been a good thing for the game, why would it be now?