[Feedback] Data Center Travel Changes

[Brynne]

This change has been a net negative for sure I don't dare transfer to other worlds because I don't want to be caught unable to return to my home world for whatever reason, so I've just been playing less overall... and it sucks being unable to attend art parties and the like because they're on a different DC.

I can at least alleviate this fear. I've been traveling constantly from Aether to other places and it's never been more than a 1 minute wait to get back. I don't think getting stuck is a big concern right now.

[CuteBucket]

This change has been a net negative for sure I don't dare transfer to other worlds because I don't want to be caught unable to return to my home world for whatever reason, so I've just been playing less overall... and it sucks being unable to attend art parties and the like because they're on a different DC.

You will always have priority to return to your home server, so I wouldn't worry about getting stranded. But that said, I feel you on trying to visit friends at events and such. I have a friend trying to put together a small art party for some Discord server members, but we're trying to figure out where to host it. They wanted to hold it at their house on one of the Aether servers, but those are closed most of the time, so only other Aether players could come, and that's no fun at all. But if we host it somewhere else, then they don't get to use the housing space they spent all that time and gil decorating in the hopes of inviting people over!

So much of the casual social fun I've had in this game is inviting friends over to each other's houses to just talk and hang out just like we would IRL, but from anywhere in the world. But having some servers constantly closed to DC travel means we can't do simple little acts of friendship like that with each other anymore, and it makes me sad.

[wirebones]

I have two characters I primarily play on, with my main on Aether and my alt on Dynamis, however I raid on both. My alt's static is all Aether based, but so are most of my friends! So I have to prioritize keeping my alt on Aether, which means I can't risk transferring to other DCs in the event I can't get back to Aether. It's awful, and I've missed out on a lot of social and roleplay events I wanted to attend because of this. I made this alt character for roleplay and my favorite venue is Aether based as well, but I miss out on events on Dynamis or Crystal because if I leave Aether I won't be able to return in a timely fashion when I need to.

I can't even do Island Sanctuary content on my alt, because I'd have to go back to my home world for that, and unfortunately I'd rather prioritize being able to stay on Aether. A lot of other people I know also feel like they're trapped on Aether with how easily the DC gets congested, so they don't dare move their non-Aether characters off of it, which essentially... clogs the DC further since we can't come and go as we please like we used to. It's frustrating. I'd genuinely just move my alt to Aether at this point next opening if it weren't for the fact that I own character housing.

[DolphinsFan]

I have two characters I primarily play on, with my main on Aether and my alt on Dynamis, however I raid on both. My alt's static is all Aether based, but so are most of my friends! So I have to prioritize keeping my alt on Aether, which means I can't risk transferring to other DCs in the event I can't get back to Aether. It's awful, and I've missed out on a lot of social and roleplay events I wanted to attend because of this. I made this alt character for roleplay and my favorite venue is Aether based as well, but I miss out on events on Dynamis or Crystal because if I leave Aether I won't be able to return in a timely fashion when I need to.

I can't even do Island Sanctuary content on my alt, because I'd have to go back to my home world for that, and unfortunately I'd rather prioritize being able to stay on Aether. A lot of other people I know also feel like they're trapped on Aether with how easily the DC gets congested, so they don't dare move their non-Aether characters off of it, which essentially... clogs the DC further since we can't come and go as we please like we used to. It's frustrating. I'd genuinely just move my alt to Aether at this point next opening if it weren't for the fact that I own character housing.

I'm in the exact same situation here. Ironically, for all the supporters of the change who think segregating the playerbase is a good thing, it's made me avoid ever returning to dynamis and contributing to the queues there. Its frustrating not having access to retainers, and when friends go to other servers, but its way more frustrating being hit with a grey wall when I need to get to Aether.

[KitaiAryik]

also want to add my voice to this thread, meager though it may be. i had bought FF14 due to wanting to play with my friends and hearing good things about it ((and you guessed it, my friends have their characters on AETHER, of all places)). well, i go to create my own character only to find out I can't play with my friends, with the servers they play on locked off or restricted.

needless to say, not a happy camper. so im out $60 for a game I can't play where I bloody hell want. needless to say, if these servers don't open up by the time my sub runs out, won't be coming back to the game regardless of how good it may be. one thing i do not take kindly is being told i can't be where my friends are or being discouraged from doing so. it floors me to think after over 3 and A HALF MONTHS of so much of a single region being either closed off or so restricted for this goddamned long is so ridiculous for a game we PAY for every 2(ish) yrs on top of a MONTHLY SUB no less to not be able to play where we want. and your average joe like myself plays with friends and making ppl jump through hoops just to play with others is a huge turnoff in my book.

so, alas unless these servers unlock by the time my sub runs out, i will not be back til it does if i ever will. wanted to add my 2 cents for what its worth though it may not amount to much

[PassinLay]

Seems like SE didnt like my message and got it removed, and the other poster agreeing with me as well.

I will repeat it, the reason why this fake congestion thing is still a thing (hint : there is no congestion, https://steamcharts.com/app/39210 , we are already under pre-DT levels of population) is because of this community never holding SE accountable for anything, yall are restricted from meeting with friends on aether and even crystal and primal to some extent when they deem it "congested", visiting venues, raiding, participating in events, and much more because of your own inaction, you just sit there and take it, except for the people that posted in this thread in favor of the restrictions being removed, you get what you deserve.

There is no congestion anywhere, the actual evidence that this congestion thing is a joke is that Balmung is constantly on congested status in the afternoon and night, and you are unable to visit it unless you spam for 30 minutes, but at the very same time you can just make a new character on balmung or transfer there, make it make sense SE.

Whenever you are annoyed by this whole "congestion" thing, you can blame no one else but this community for tolerating it and letting it go on for this long, especially when its very obvious that worlds are not congested in the slightest.

[HanaMayhem]

I feel like Dynamis players are being punished for the sheer fact of being on Dynamis. :/ I queue for content almost exclusively on Dynamis with the exception of events, with the ability to be able to visit other DCs for roleplay events being the main reason I wasn't all too choked up about leaving Balmung. I get the intent behind making it so people on the Aether DC have first priority for logging in, but the implementation has been miserable. Additionally, if in some roundabout way it's meant to help with the constant DDoS attacks, it hasn't helped at all.

[Brynne]

The reason people are being quiet about this change is because they've found workarounds (like piling onto Primal instead of Aether). The fact that Aether is closed does nothing but hurt RP venues on Aether and make it difficult for folks to visit their friends' houses. The only feasible solution to the problem of players piling onto one DC to run their content would be to open a cross-DC party finder.

It's far too late to close DC travel altogether. People have moved servers to do things like get housing with the promise that they could still play with their friends because of DC travel. Closing it now would almost certainly cause massive player dissatisfaction. SE has to work with what they've got.

[CuteBucket]

As someone with one character on Aether and another on Dynamis, this sucks for both of them.

Dynamis really isn't much more active. These changes did nothing to "fix" Dynamis. I can get most dungeons and trial roulettes to pop, but getting DF to pop for normal or Alliance raids is really hit or miss, and it's often faster to go to Primal. Those with friends and raid statics on Aether transfer over and then park there because they don't want to get locked out again, and I don't blame them. These changes don't help Dynamis at all.

Meanwhile on Aether, I can't invite my non Aether friends over to hang out anymore like I used to, and social hubs are hurt by the lock down. I've been traveling off world to visit my friends, but they can't return the favor and visit me. Sure, Duty Finder pops easily and Party Finder is as full as ever, but what does that matter if I can't play with the people I logged in to play with?

I continue to feel like I'm being punished for using the opening of DC travel during Endwalker to make friends and recruit players from all across the NA servers for my raid static. I just genuinely don't get why anyone thinks these changes are a good thing.

[CidHeiral]

the devs are very unaware of the damage this does for social aspects of the game.

I highly doubt that but we're talking in circles. I suppose only someone in the dev office would truly know.

we should not be punished for using a system THEY implemented.

That doesn't really make sense. Who made the system is irrelevant, restrictions exist on things because a few bad apples spoil the bunch for everyone. We all have to go through rigorous security at the airport because some people can't be trusted. We all have restrictions on portraits because some people made lewd portraits. We all can't use way markers in combat because some people used them to cheat. These travel restrictions exist because some people piled on one DC which made the game worse for everyone else. If you weren't one of the people doing that then I can empathize with being upset that you still have to deal with the consequences, but unfortunately that's life.

the "problem" you keep wanting to bring up just happens to move to primal (SURPIIIIIIISE) instead of aether so maybe you aren't the genius you think you are. so lets stop kidding yourself here, the only reason you don't want these restrictions lifted is that you don't want to lose primal being the defacto "hub" now for raiding since aether is so inaccessible to most.

If you have to resort to insults that says a lot about your position, bud.

In any case, I wasn't aware Primal was the new gathering hub until now, if that's even true. If it is then they should definitely make changes to fix that issue as well. My issue with piling on Aether was how it effected the game at large, not just my own DC, so it would be completely nonsensical for me to be fine with the same thing happening on Primal.

I also explicitly said I would prefer if DC travel was disabled entirely. If you have an explanation for how DC travel not existing would benefit my supposed ulterior motives of putting Primal on top I'd love to hear it.