Server Selection Part 2: "What if's?"
As a community we have discussed at length our official stance on selecting a server. It seems we are in agreement about starting on a Roleplay specific server over a Non-Roleplay server given the possibility. Just to make sure this is what the majority has agreed upon I will put up a poll in this post so we can get a show of hands on the subject once and for all. However, if you have any additional thoughts on the subject of server selection please post in the appropriate thread.
"What if's?"
Now that is well underway to being finished, we can focus on and plan for any eventualities that may occur. Several people have already posted "What if?" situations on the forums that need addressing and while they are excellent thoughts it seems we're barely scratching the surface of the issue.
Below is a list of "What if?" situations members have voiced that we as a community must address. Please feel free to add any other concerns you can think of for discussion.
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1. How do we select a server if the names have not been released yet?
2. What if the server selection is random?
3. What if Friend Passes for server selections are more expensive then a starting character can afford?
4. What if SE designates more than one RP server?
5. What if we end up with more RP'ers then the server can handle?
6. What if due to some conflict/misunderstanding/confusion/etc one more more guilds ends up on different servers?
7. What if our promotional efforts don't work and we fail to mobilize Roleplayers to our servers?
8. What if we end up on a server that has a bias against Roleplayers?
9. What if a significant amount of Roleplayers cannot convince their friends to join the same server we select as a group?
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(Apologies in advance if the formatting is at all off from your original post Crystal - I mis-clicked and accidentally edited your original post, but managed to salvage it! Anyway, on to my reply...)
I'm not going to lie - a lot of these 'what-ifs' sound like silly conjecture to me. While they are all valid concerns in their own right, they are mostly fed only by doubt and over-worrying. My answers are going to be blunt, and perhaps a bit harsh, but this is coming from seeing RP servers rise and fall across games both old and new, so bear with me and please, no one take anything too personally. :cat: (<-- see? The cat makes everything better.)
1. How do we select a server if the names have not been released yet?
The one concern that poses a definite problem - the best way to solve this, for me, would be to pick a letter and go from there. You can't really go wrong with random selection. Say something like "We'll all be rolling on the first server beginning with the letter 'L', and then heaven forbid there are no L servers, continue to M, then N, so on and so forth until something meets the first of a set criteria.
I'd also like to point out is that as a PvE-oriented game, we really don't have to concern ourselves with rolling on the same server as any sort of griefers or highly competitive players. As an international game, we don't have to worry about rolling on any "unofficial <insert region here>" server. We're pretty much the only special interest group out there that will still require a server of our own, so I hope we won't see much worrying about who we share our server with so much as getting our server selected in the first place.
2. What if the server selection is random?
This would be a real kick in the balls, but thankfully with the combined first+last names, the rush to 'snag a name' shouldn't be all that big of a deal that people couldn't just roll and re-roll until they've landed on the designated server. This would be a case of mind over matter - if we really want a cohesive roleplaying community on a single server, then people are going to have to be patient in getting the server they want and those who have already made it will need to work together to start grabbing world passes.
3. What if Friend Passes for server selections are more expensive then a starting character can afford?
See above - make a communal effort to the best of our ability, but expect people to keep rolling until they land on the server.
4. What if SE designates more than one RP server?
Lets use WoW as an example. There are many RP servers of varying types, but its important to note that while each may have some degree of roleplay, there are only one or two that have large, sprawling communities as a result of communal migration efforts. If we want the same thing, then we need to stick to our guns and just pick one. Hope that those who roll elsewhere can get wind of us early on through forums, etc.
5. What if we end up with more RP'ers then the server can handle?
Again, mind over matter. Server lockouts are never permanent. If we want to keep the community together, we make it happen, and we ask those people who weren't able to get in early to be patient. No matter what, I don't think that endorsing a split community is a good idea. Not when the issue will be resolved in a matter of hours or at worst, days.
6. What if due to some conflict/misunderstanding/confusion/etc one or more guilds ends up on different servers?
Again, stick to our guns. Unless the RPC completely fractures, we should be able to keep to a majority vote and go where the poll takes us. If there are one or two deviate groups for any reason by the time the game launches, its their problem. Don't mess with the community for their sake - they're making their own decision.
7. What if our promotional efforts don't work and we fail to mobilize Roleplayers to our servers?
Tough cookies. Roleplaying communities are small and getting the word out can be difficult, but as long as there are people willing to make it happen, it will happen. Keep the effort going and don't give up.
8. What if we end up on a server that has a bias against Roleplayers?
There may be anti-RPers out there, but there aren't entire communities with such a deep hatred towards roleplayers that they are all planning to roll on an "anti-RP" server. No matter where we go, unless its an officially sanctioned RP server (and even then, no guarantees), we're going to have a diverse playerbase to work with. Some, perhaps most of those people are going to be assholes. The important thing is for us to claim our territory and not be driven off by them.
9. What if a significant amount of Roleplayers cannot convince their friends to join the same server we select as a group?
Its their call if they want to stick with their friends or the larger community as a whole. With so many players, we can't afford to question our server declaration just because some people didn't work things out with their buddies.
Since I'm new, I'd like to give a bit of input.
1. How do we select a server if the names have not been released yet?
During beta testing there will indeed be server names but it isn't definite that they will carry these servers on to the actual release of the game. The reasoning behind this ? Well, during XI's beta they too had servers but none were carried into the actual game. We could try to choose a server from beta, but we will probably need a viable back up plan. I think the "rolling for letters" approach suggested by Soren Miren could be very effective.
. . . Unless they don't come in letters. But we all know that's unlikely.
2. What if the server selection is random?
I've heard of this from the beginning of XI but I'm sure our members will try until they get the server they desire. Not too much of a problem there unless you have to create your character over every time.
3. What if Friend Passes for server selections are more expensive then a starting character can afford?
Well, keep rolling I suppose.
4. What if SE designates more than one RP server?
I don't find this as much of a problem. We can vote on it or have an admin make the decision if people are willing to wait a day after launch.
5. What if we end up with more RP'ers then the server can handle?
I doubt this will happen because the roleplaying community on FFXIV will probably start rather small. And aside from this, it's doubted that every single person will be on at the same time. I don't think we'll need more than one server for this.
6. What if due to some conflict/misunderstanding/confusion/etc one more more guilds ends up on different servers?
I'm sure nobody would hate each other enough to just split up the roleplay community. But who knows ? Everything has it's ups and downs. It's not exactly something we can control.
7. What if our promotional efforts don't work and we fail to mobilize Roleplayers to our servers?
I'm willing to advertise as well as help promote the site. As far as I've observed, this roleplay community has many good supporters. I doubt it will be so much of a problem.
8. What if we end up on a server that has a bias against Roleplayers?
Everywhere there will be people who are opinionated and we are just going to have to stick to our guns whether or not people want us to roleplay. And I highly doubt people will take out torches and pitchforks and treat us like the "big bad roleplaying monsters" we are. Ha.
9. What if a significant amount of Roleplayers cannot convince their friends to join the same server we select as a group?
Well, it's a matter of their decision. We cannot change people's minds and it's completely up to them.
Since the thread has had 51 views, 17 votes, and only 2 responses I did a bit of digging to help shed some light on the subject.
I found two articles that related to server selection. The first was an old article posted on January 23, 2010 and pretty stated server selection at the start of the game wouldn't be possible. The text in red is the actual question and answer while the text in black below it is the authors musings.
http://www.eorzeapedia.com/2010/01/23/de...ommentary/
Ｑ：What can you tell us about the transition from the Beta to the final version or about world transfers in general?
Ａ：Once service starts, we want to make it so you can move along with the friends you make during the Beta to the same world. As for world transfers, that may be a possibility in the future, with some limitations probably.
Square Enix really messed up server selection the first time around with XI. You simply have to be able to play (from the very start) with existing friends. Frankly, this is even more critical this time around where players will almost certainly be moving en masse from XI. I expect this to be addressed from the very beginning, and not to limited to only those who beta test, as this suggests.
June 2, 2010 Nobuaki Komoto stated, however, that while you couldn't select servers for the Beta at the moment it was something they were working towards.
http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/finalfant...pid=960613
Unfortunately, a World selection feature will not yet be available. We understand the inconvenience this causes, as many of you no doubt wish to create characters on the least-populated Worlds or on the same Worlds as your friends. For now we apologize for not having this option ready, and ask for your understanding and patience for the time being.
It was also stated in several articles I read that people you start the Beta with are people you will definitely be able to start the game with. After all, how can you reserve a name during Beta if they're going to mix up the servers again? - It's logical to assume all the server names will stay the same OR the characters on a Beta Server will be transferred to a server with a new name.
Since I have no doubt a majority of us will want to play in the Beta, this is the time when we need to select a server. If there is no server selection available at that time (which I doubt considering Nobuaki Komoto's statement) then the server which the most roleplayers end up on will no doubt become the server everyone will start on. A natural monopoly?
At least during Beta no one is going out of their way to pre-order the game, going all the way out to get it (I have no doubt I will be up early and ready to get my copy that day), paying money... and then twiddling their thumbs while the server selection is debated. People can wait a day during Beta for the selection :p
* Sorry if this post seems curt but my daughter is sick so I ended up getting rushed a bit ^^;;
Well, I think as far as Beta names go, it is just the name that is transferring over and NOT the character. They have said in a few places that Beta testers do not get to transfer characters over to full version, just their names.
But that being said, it does sound like people who participate in the Beta will get at least some way to transfer their name to a server of their choosing. So really what it sounds like is, if we want the best shot at "claiming" a server for the RPC, we need people who end up in the final stages of the Beta to be the ones to first seed that world by requesting the chosen world as their destination for their character name.
This way we for sure have some people gathering on the server from the start, and then hopefully we can get everyone over there as the game goes live.
Also it is crucial to understand that when Nobuaki says:
Quote:Unfortunately, a World selection feature will not yet be available. We understand the inconvenience this causes, as many of you no doubt wish to create characters on the least-populated Worlds or on the same Worlds as your friends. For now we apologize for not having this option ready, and ask for your understanding and patience for the time being.
Like Crystal says, he is talking about
Beta worlds, not final release. They introduced multiple worlds into Alpha/Beta and he is saying that there's no way for testers to select what world they want to start on during testing, they will just be put onto whichever one has the lowest population. Just want to make sure everyone is clear about that. :3
I am guessing that like I said in the other thread about this, there will be a World Pass option that players can purchase, but we will probably not be able to freely select servers at launch during character creation without a pass, since they will want to evenly distribute players across worlds.
Now, there is a 2nd option that I know another (non-RP) group is doing to insure all their members end up on the same server: They created a linkshell on an existing FFXI server, and are asking anyone that wants to move with them to the same server in FFXIV join up in their existing FFXI placeholder linkshell. Square-Enix has said they want to allow linkshells from FFXI to move over together to the same server, so this is an option. If anyone is still playing FFXI, you could make a new shell called RPC Migration or whatever and people could make a toon on whatever server just for the sake of getting a pearl and guarantying a spot on the new FFXIV server.
How S-E plans to pull this off, I don't know. I'm honestly suspicious that they will even be able to do so, but that is what they have said, so I guess that is what we have to go on.
For the beta I can't remember, was it announced that towards the end SE would be moving at like a week-long open-beta? As for the what-ifs, I like Soren Miren's answers. Way to go for answers over just more conjectures.
Quote:Like Crystal says, he is talking about Beta worlds, not final release. They introduced multiple worlds into Alpha/Beta and he is saying that there's no way for testers to select what world they want to start on during testing, they will just be put onto whichever one has the lowest population. Just want to make sure everyone is clear about that. :3
One thing that may be unclear in this statement is the term "worlds". One reason why is because I'm wondering if by this you mean servers or the city-states that reside in the continent of Eorzea. If we were unable to pick what city-state we live in, well, that'd be an issue for us roleplayers considering the fact that we base our characters off of where they live and their environments. Can someone shed some light on this ?
Worlds is simply the FInal Fantasy term for servers. At least thats the assumption, as servers in FFXI were referred to as "worlds".
I'm sure they mean servers. They called the servers on XI worlds and everything I've heard hasn't contradicted it.
Yes I am using S-E's terminology: they call each server a "world."
Quote:Well, I think as far as Beta names go, it is just the name that is transferring over and NOT the character. They have said in a few places that Beta testers do not get to transfer characters over to full version, just their names.
But that being said, it does sound like people who participate in the Beta will get at least some way to transfer their name to a server of their choosing. So really what it sounds like is, if we want the best shot at "claiming" a server for the RPC, we need people who end up in the final stages of the Beta to be the ones to first seed that world by requesting the chosen world as their destination for their character name.
This is exactly what I was trying to get across until my daughter got sick. Thank you so much for clarifying that for everyone because I had a hunch I didn't do such a great job of it
My main point with the Nobuaki statement is that he says world selection is not ready "yet" and that it was just "for the time being". This suggests to me that they have some sort of world selection in the making and that it's just not finished yet. Yeah, he is talking about the Beta but why would they have a feature in the Beta such as that and take it out in the final release? - Maybe I'm totally wrong about that but it's just a thought.
Quote:Now, there is a 2nd option that I know another (non-RP) group is doing to insure all their members end up on the same server: They created a linkshell on an existing FFXI server, and are asking anyone that wants to move with them to the same server in FFXIV join up in their existing FFXI placeholder linkshell. Square-Enix has said they want to allow linkshells from FFXI to move over together to the same server, so this is an option. If anyone is still playing FFXI, you could make a new shell called RPC Migration or whatever and people could make a toon on whatever server just for the sake of getting a pearl and guarantying a spot on the new FFXIV server.
I really like this idea and I think it's worth giving some thought to. I think this is something we could discuss at length a bit later.
World passes might be an option for us but again my concern is the cost. From what my significant other remembers at the start of FFXI it was 500 gil for a world pass and went up as the server increased in size. Sure, it doesn't sound like a lot but for a starting character it kinda is ^^;; We could farm this up as a community and ask everyone who gets a pass to pay the group back when they earn that amount. However, there are pros and cons to that situation we would have to weigh as a group.
Quote:My main point with the Nobuaki statement is that he says world selection is not ready "yet" and that it was just "for the time being". This suggests to me that they have some sort of world selection in the making and that it's just not finished yet. Yeah, he is talking about the Beta but why would they have a feature in the Beta such as that and take it out in the final release? - Maybe I'm totally wrong about that but it's just a thought.
Yeah I agree with you 100%, his word choice makes it seem like there will be something set up in the future. Well I guess we will see soon!
A lot of things are still being discussed, but just to get an overview of what we have so far I made a short list. Please let me know if anything is missing or needs to be amended.
Server Selection:
Server selection will take place either Open Beta or when the server lists are announced. Possible methods of selecting the server include, but is not limited to:
1. Creating a migration linkshell within Final Fantasy XI.
2. Popular vote if servers are able to be selected during Open Beta by forums, ventrillo, or instant message.
3. Monopoly if more roleplayers end up on a particular server then any other during Open Beta.
4. Popular vote if servers are able to be selected at the Time of the Game's Release by forums, ventrillo, or instant message.
5. Chronologically or alphabetically during either Open Beta or the Time of the Game's Release (server population pending).
Back Up Plans:
In the event that the server selection is at random these methods of joining the group may be enacted:
1. Everyone must keep re-rolling their character until they land on the correct server. Please observe this only worked in FFXI for the first character and once a second character was created the server selection could not be changed.
2. World Passes will be distributed to those who cannot join the Roleplaying server. A community effort will be made to ensure all those who want a World Pass receive one. However, a certain amount of patience is required for those who have to wait for a World Pass and it is to be understood the full amount of the World Pass must be paid back to the community.
Thoughts/comments/questions/concerns?
I don't know if this should go here or not, but will we be using Vent or a similar program in XIV?
Hmm good question... up until this point I think Vent or similar programs was left up to individual groups... though I guess it is up to Cas if he wants to try for an RPC voice chat. T.A.L.E. just set one up last week and it is prohibitively expensive the more people you want to be allowed in to the room. Our group is probably going to rent a 25-slot channel for ourselves and we're looking at $120 up front for 24 months. Not bad if you consider the month to month, but when it is all up front in one chunk you need to do some fund-raising.
That said, if the RPC does go with making a Vent I will be happy to pitch in a couple bucks.