(08-05-2013, 09:01 PM)Annaveil Wrote: To me (someone coming in with zero experience in either server), it seems more like a competition between servers to win people over than anything else.
I think, in part, it has become more of a "competition" between the "underdogs"(Gilgamesh) and the "old nobility"(Balmung) (I'm being sarcastic as this is how I think both sides see each other). A lot of the replies I see from Gilgamesh supporters gives me the impression that they are fighting for a cause against some kind of regime. They like the idea of fighting against the odds. I see them as the rebels. I think many Gilgamesh players see themselves that way as well (though, I could be wrong) and I can see the appeal to that. The funny thing is, to me the "old guard", as some put it, on Balmung are already greatly outnumbered by the new players AS IS. They will likely be -drowned- out by the new players, and if the game does good this will only keep growing.
Let's face it, to be blunt, many role-players have a sense of stage and theatrics. Well, you can't really feel you have equal stage if you have to fight next to famous "stars"(established role-players on Balmung), right? So I think -one of- the ideas is that moving to a new server will allow some of the new blood to have a chance at establishing themselves as the new "stars" for their new server.
So, okay, that all makes sense, even if it is a little self-serving, but I get it. Problem is, in a couple months, this won't matter -one bit- because if the game does good (crosses fingers) then there will be more waves of new players. This happens in a lot of new MMOs. The early adapters try it out and if they say the water is warm, then a whole bunch of new people come in. And in the case of XIV, due to its past, I bet a lot of people are waiting on the fence.
But in past MMOs when those new players join I rarely have seen them come to an established RP community (and you know we always have one for nearly every MMO that's come out) and say, "Yo, I think we need another server since I'm new and I don't want to play with the established crew." It's almost always, "What's the RP server?" They get an answer and that's that. At the very least, that's how I've always approached it, but maybe I like playing in the same sandbox. XD
But when we get our new waves of players for XIV, what will we tell them? Right now there is an obvious division or flavor between the two servers, but that won't really be the case in a couple months. And what we will really end up with is a genuine split in the community and nothing more. Not two servers with two different flavors, but two unofficial RP servers. Just think about the confusion that will cause a new player.
I'm very much "live and let live." I think in a couple weeks we'll all be playing and this won't really even be a concern of ours. But when things settle, and the honeymoon is over, and we come back to these forums to talk about our adventures, I can only imagine that this will crop up again when a new player joins and we'll all look at each other and go, "Why did we split our community up again?"