Data Centers? (Yes or No Poll)

[Jaimie]

I can't believe people are voting NO based on language. If you have foreign friends, why can't they play on a NA server ?

Maybe they don't want to deal the lag issues.

When ever I run into town, I stand at the counter, and count 1 2 3 4 5 6 and then maybe the NPCs show up.

And don't blame my ISP, I download pron just fine.

[Tonkra]

When ever I run into town, I stand at the counter, and count 1 2 3 4 5 6 and then maybe the NPCs show up.

that has nothing... but nothing to do with the connection speed.. thats the game client and the server structure itself.

people will never understand that. play Phantasie Star Online 2 (jp server)... trust me, it wont take a second for loading nearby characters..

Final Fantasy XIV jp players experience exactly the same issue.. although they are located near to the server.

[Jaimie]

that has nothing... but nothing to do with the connection speed.. thats the game client and the server structure itself.

people will never understand that. play Phantasie Star Online 2 (jp server)... trust me, it wont take a second for loading nearby characters..

Final Fantasy XIV jp players experience exactly the same issue.. although they are located near to the server.

Hmmm, I knew they implemented client server validation as a way to prevent certain exploits, but seriously, I have to wait 10 seconds for NPCs to appear in town?

So, what you're syaing is this:

If I join a NA 2.0 server I'm still gonna have to wait 10 seconds for NPCs to show up ?

I for one, will not be a regular subscriber, if thats the case. I don't care how pretty the graphics are, or how complex the story is. I have better things to do with those 10 second intervals. And there are a lot of them in this game.

[Jynx]

If I join a NA 2.0 server I'm still gonna have to wait 10 seconds for NPCs to show up ?

Chances are you wont wait for 10 seconds on a regional server or a global server. XIV had a rediculous ammount of back and forth between the server and the client.

It's pretty much the whole reason they needed a whole new game was to rework it so it wasn't taking ages to say what was happening to your character. Hell even in XI the server and your client were in synch with the rest of the game world even in "Teh ubar leet need no lag" PVP that XI had you never really hit any issues because of lag.

I still think regional servers are a rediculous move and throwing away a great thing SE had going for them, especially considering peoples complaints are hardly even related to the network latency issues at all. People getting murdered by Ifrit cracks isn't your location, it's the game code.

[Kuzak]

Regional data centers are happening, and thank goodness for that. Get over it.

[Exn]

NO 4 ME. Lag hasn't been a personal issue, so there is no added benefit of even having Regional data centers for me. I'm not entirely sure why it's so hard for some people to grasp that this WILL split the servers by language/region.. though I respect the opinion of those who could careless about it due to their lag issues. I personally enjoy playing/puggin with JP/EU/etc on off times, and even during primetime for big seasonal events. But even I know that the NA Data Center is my only viable choice unless I want to get stuck on a server where 90%+ of the population doesn't either speak my language, or play during my times. Servers now, and back in XI, had a good mix across the world so there were no heavily dead times (not so much these days of course...) and it was cool playing with other cultures and learning new languages and script. If the world/chat window becomes what you'd typically see in a WoW/Rift/etc.. just another -1 for XIV imo as it conforms to become the newest version of the same basic mmo. ARR doesnt really seem like it's trying to stand out anymore.. it's just salvaging what 1.0 was and trying to compete with the rest of the clones..

[Alhanelem]

Lag hasn't been a personal issue, so there is no added benefit of even having Regional data centers for me.

I want your magical conneciton of lag-free-ness.

Latency is hardly the only benefit of regional servers.

-most everybody speaks your language
-for the most part, everyone's online when you are
-Easier to find groups, especially if you're not an elitist.

I'm not entirely sure why it's so hard for some people to grasp that this WILL split the servers by language/region..

It won't split them forcibly. It will only split them by way of people who don't care about being in a multicultural environment vs people that do. You can still play on every server, create characters on every server, you can still play with or communicate with people in other regions. Yes, the majority of people on any given server will be from that region. However there are factors that will ensure some mixing still takes place, such as people who play at unusual hours, people who live in countries not specifically serviced by the officially supported regions, and people who would prefer being among those not of their region. There is no region locking on the servers, therefore you can still immerse yourself in another region's culture if you prefer (though I think there are a lot of more effective ways to do this than to play a video game- Totally my opinion of course, not meant to be taken as a statement of fact or an assertion)

Division of communities is inevitable in any game with a multiple world structure. The only truly ideal solution would be to have a single world structure, but the game would have to be specially designed to handle that.

I still think regional servers are a rediculous move and throwing away a great thing SE had going for them,

I won't deny there are some nice things about having mixed servers. However, it is hardly a "great thing going for them," in that it's really not a selling point. I don't know anyone who specifically bought the game (or bought FFXI) specifically because people from different regions played together.

There is nothing "ridiculous" about the move. It is a logistically sensible move that has a number of benefits that, at least in SE's view, benefits more people than it hurts. Only time will tell if that's actually true or not.

considering peoples complaints are hardly even related to the network latency issues at all.

Not every complaint relating to global servers is specifically about latency. It is just one factor of several.

The current servers are not going to change immediately. If you like the way things are now, not a lot is going to change for a good time to come afterward. Most people have established friendships on their current server and thus I think a lot of current players will stay where they are.

[Exn]

I want your magical conneciton of lag-free-ness.

Latency is hardly the only benefit of regional servers.

-most everybody speaks your language
-for the most part, everyone's online when you are
-Easier to find groups, especially if you're not an elitist.

Lag-free would be nice.. yet hardly what I claimed. The minimal lag I've experienced has hardly prevented me from completing any content I've attempted.. which is why I'm using the term minimal. It also hasn't been a bother for ME in cities.. I may wait 2/3 seconds or so for people to load in packed areas but never really considered that annoying or anything. It USED to be horrible about a year or so ago.. but has definitely improved alot for me since launch.

The three points you made. Well the first one is a personal preference of yours. I've already said I personally prefer to see and talk with people from different cultures in different languages.. The second one doesn't even really makes sense when your talking about comparing to GLOBAL servers. By definition there is greater population density across all timezones represented and therefore more opportunity for a higher average population at any given time of the day. While regional servers foster "primetimes" where the population will swell and die at particular times of the day. Ideally, as long as your life schedule falls somewhat akin to the typical NA timezones represented, you should generally find a high healthy pop, however for those people with 'wierd' schedules.. you'll have to choose between playing on what feels like a dead server, or choosing another region that fits your schedule but may provide a language barrier due to the fact that 90%+ of the people don't speak your language (as opposed to global servers which would ideally have a more equal ratio of popular languages represented). And the third, easier to find groups yeah, most likely. If you play during primetime. Global servers do at times create more reasons to exclude others from grouping, simply because it's a more diverse server, but that shouldn't be used as the excuse... for I'd hope obvious reasons..

[Alhanelem]

The minimal lag I've experienced has hardly prevented me

The current lag in the game isnt caused by latency and effects everyone. If you don't have it, you have some kind of magical power.

The three points you made. Well the first one is a personal preference of yours.

It's not a personal preference. It's a benefit. I don't know anyone that would consider ease of communication, by itself, a detriment.

I've already said I personally prefer to see and talk with people from different cultures in different languages.

You are not prevented from doing this. You can:

-stay on your current server, which will largely contain the same mix people as it did when the 1.0 servers shut down
-Move to a server that's not in your region and be immersed in other cultures (though in my not-so-humble opinion, there are lots of better ways of doing this, like visiting that country or using any means other than a video game where you don't ever see the people's faces, the arts/sights/sounds of the country, or most other parts of what I would call culture)
-create characters on the other servers.

All three of these things will result in you having all kinds of people not of your own culture to interact with.

you'll have to choose between playing on what feels like a dead server,

Unless this re-launch fails miserably, the server you play on isn't going to be "dead" on off peak hours. There's a difference between "less busy" and "dead."

And the third, easier to find groups yeah, most likely. If you play during primetime.

Even if you don't play during primetime. Currently, I can't find groups outside of my primetime anyway, unless I happen upon a lucky english shout or am really lucky and find a JP that uses the auto translate and allows NA to play with them. When all of the players are from the same region, your odds are still better of finding a group than they are now on the current servers. I won't say all the time, because sometimes it does work, but all too often I want to join the JP/german/french party but they won't take me. It's actually not as bad as it was in FFXI, but it's still a problem.

[Exn]

The current lag in the game isnt caused by latency and effects everyone. If you don't have it, you have some kind of magical power.

It's not a personal preference. It's a benefit. I don't know anyone that would consider ease of communication, by itself, a detriment.

It is a personal preference.. I don't (and YOU don't believe it or not) need the entire population to speak the same language to progress effectively and enjoyably.. (see XI.. hell see RL..see obvious fact?)

Again, I never said I didn't have lag.. But I appreciate you demonstrating that you clearly aren't reading.. so whatever..