(11-30-2017, 03:47 PM)Unnamed Mercenary Wrote: If we look at Balmung's history too though, there was a LOT more open-world stuff happening in the 2014-2015 mark, it feels like. The server had just launched Summer 2013 and people were still feeling out the server and getting to know each other. Probably it felt like there was a lot more public stuff going on. FCs and Linkshells hadn't quite been made for everything and there was a lot of shuffling around. ...and at least personally for me, I had more time and the general peak hours of gameplay/RP.

But as people kinda found their usual spots and FCs/LSes/groups of people they liked to hang out with, I had noticed a shift where more plots went FC-driven than say, clustered events/plots on the RPC that were open to anyone. And I feel like that's pretty normal. If a FC has similar-minded people, it's much easier to DM an extended story than to try to get a bunch of people who may or may not know each other. But then it starts to crystallize and may not be as flexible as before, which then leads into difficulty in expanding perspectives or meshing with new people or new people getting involved.

It's possible that because Mateus is still actively growing, their server hasn't been affected by that type of RPer grouping trend yet. It took Balmung a few years, and the lock certainly isn't going to help in that regard. Perhaps it won't happen if the server continues to stay open. Or perhaps it will if Mateus grows to Balmung's size and becomes locked one day. ...at which another RP server will likely be designated as the go-to place and so on.

(11-29-2017, 12:20 PM)Zhavi Wrote:

(11-29-2017, 05:55 AM)Kylin Wrote: Mateus DOES rival Balmung in RP population. Also, a few people regretting their decision does not equate to "many."

Based on my own independent study between RP activity on both servers, Balmung as a whole still has a slightly larger active RP population than Mateus, but not by much. Based on daily glances at all players utilizing the RP tag, along with activity in hot spots like the Quicksand, RP on Mateus is almost equal (and some days greater than) Balmung. Their biggest problem in showcasing that is not utilizing the RPC to show the myriad of events (or really for anything else either if we're being honest) they constantly have on a weekly basis, opting to use solely their own community discord.

The passive-aggressive attitude of one server being "superior" to the other is the exact root cause to server conflict and partly to blame for why past attempts like Gilgamesh failed as a secondary main RP hub. It needs to stop. Now. Off-hand comments like the one quoted above literally equate to psychological warfare meant to stray people away from the 'competition' or make them regret being part of it. Such comments are partly the reason so few of them even come to the RPC, because seeing/battling that type of response (even if it is from a tiny vocal minority) gets exhausting after awhile.

This.  Even casually dipping into Mateus' community has convinced me that they're happy and proud of their community -- as they should be.  They have what they enjoy.  Is it exactly like Balmung?  No.  But then again, if it was, they'd just come right back when Balmung opens again.

The whole point of having sustainable server communities is to have those unique identities and rp styles so that people have options in finding what they want.  It's good if someone has a bad time on Balmung, or Gilgamesh, or Mateus, or Siren/Jenova, or whatever other small server, and can go 'this server isn't working for me, I'm going to try a new one.'  It allows people a chance to find their people, and sometimes a fresh start can help alleviate burnout.

(11-30-2017, 09:14 PM)Valde Wrote: Going to chime in, many of the people on Mateus are absolutely happy to be here. I was formerly on Balmung before I dived entirely onto Mateus due to the inability of friends to join me on Balmung, and the extreme housing issue on Balmung (Not that Mateus doesn't have its own issues).

I'm one of the Moderators of the Mateus RP Hub Discord, a 1200+ strong Discord for Mateus folks to advertise and connect, and we grow daily. Though I've encouraged many to utilize the RPC personally, it seems that the community and Hub has really focused on Discord and centralizes around that. It could help explain the very hard difference you see between RPC representation. Many have expressed they still feel like the RPC heavily caters to Balmung only (Though I've pointed out numerous things that prove that wrong). Can't really help perception at this point.

I will say, whatever Balmung/Mateus rivalry may have once existed is not tolerated within the Discord. We are all RPers. RP on Balmung, RP on Mateus, we're all weirdos writing pretendy words at keyboards.

(11-30-2017, 09:35 PM)Unnamed Mercenary Wrote: I remember bringing this up with the RPM heads too as a concern! The feeling that RPC caters to Balmung is one of those weird powered-by-confirmation-bias issues where by avoiding the thing, a person encourages the same. It's been awesome to see more Mateus activity and I hope more people consider cross-posting. RPC does have the nice added value of google searches coming up. And an arguably easier method to search for old posts/lore/past events/etc.

And the same goes for every other server with RPers too. We want to know what you're all up to! If it's in a discord that requires an invite link, a shared google doc, or tumblr, my first question's always gonna be "so how does a new person find out when/where/how RP happens on that server?" In my experience, that usually means checking the official forums, or searching, which usually brings up RPC on the top.

(12-01-2017, 02:50 AM)AkhutaiAngura Wrote: Take from that what you will.

(12-01-2017, 11:37 AM)Zhavi Wrote: Hm, maybe the issue is more that established players know how to find new/returning/unable to find niche players in order to start new storylines, whereas those new/returning/unable players go for groups and feel stuck when they can't find their people, because they can't make those connections fast enough.

Because while I met new people since the lock, and engaged in new stuff with them, I can also say that most of them were kinda on their last legs, so to speak, in feeling like they might need to move elsewhere for lack of being able to find others to mesh with.


Maybe my bias in being able to hunt people down for rp is really coloring my server experience beyond the norm for other people not as familiar with where and how to look, Iunno.

(12-01-2017, 12:10 PM)Skae Wrote: I think it is, at least in part, a case of long-established groups not really looking for more people to add to their group. It is not that they are opposed to adding new people as such, but more that they are not actively trying to find new people and are a bit wary of adding the "wrong" persons.

This means that the new people will have to work much harder to join an established group since they will have to be the sole driving force behind the recruitement process.


Newer groups however will often be much more open to add new people to their group. The relationships within the group will be less entrenched and thus new people will cause less disruption.
They will often actively try to recruit people who might be a good fit - making it much easier for new people to join.

(12-01-2017, 12:24 PM)Zhavi Wrote: Why don't more people who aren't already entrenched in a group start stuff together?  Lack of desire to spearhead something?  Or more a desire to become part of building something that's already started?  Less risk?

(12-01-2017, 12:24 PM)Zhavi Wrote: Why don't more people who aren't already entrenched in a group start stuff together? Lack of desire to spearhead something? Or more a desire to become part of building something that's already started? Less risk?

(12-01-2017, 12:31 PM)Skae Wrote: Partly because they don't know each other, but mostly because most of them won't be the type of people who start groups and organize events and generally makes things happen. It is well known that it is a fairly small minority who actually does those things, and most of them will already be busy with one thing or another.

Starting a group is easy. Making it grow and become established requires a lot of work, and without someone doing that work, groups will generally fall apart fairly quickly.

(12-01-2017, 02:50 AM)AkhutaiAngura Wrote: Now, this is mostly due to me of course - I'm pretty reclusive, quiet, I like to watch and I don't come out of my shell very often. My problems, not the servers problems. 

I quit FFXIV for several months, twice. I dropped prior to HW, came back and played through 3.0, then left again due to no social ties keeping me here. Again, I'd failed to come out of my shell and make friends, which is what really will keep me coming back to a game like this.

Now, I'm back again - And at this point, after having been gone so long, I would almost consider myself 'new blood' to the server. I'm definitely not new to RPing, but I don't know who /anyone/ is, and am effectively new to literally every RP clique/group/whatever here... And honestly? It's overwhelming. It's scary. I know just about every RPer and every FC and every LS and every everything in the history of things says that they're open and inclusive and stuff.. But from the outside looking in, its very cliqueish. Everything thats here already is.. Here. IT's established. Storylines have been playing out for months, for years, and it's incredibly overwhelming trying to find something that you can just jump into the middle of and not be washed away in the flood of things.. And this fear, this overwhelming quality, might push a lot of returning players off of Balmung to MAteus or somesuch where the RP is more fresh, where storylines might seem 'new' and less.. Aged? 

What I'm saying, I guess, is that I think there is a definite need for new blood, if only because of other new blood. I think it would be easier for me, if I could meet someone else in a similar situation.. Someone else who was 'new' to the server, whether due to returning to the game after a long hiatus or being actually new to the server.. Then that person and I would be in the same boat, and we'd be able to find that 'new' RP in each other. Begin to establish our own stories, that we could then begin to work our way into something else. 

Take from that what you will.