Hydaelyn Role-Players

(06-05-2017, 04:15 AM)Eses Fafa Wrote: [ -> ]I suppose this is coming at a point already way too late and I'm sure I missed this somewhere but..why Mateus? The place is already an inhospitable den of toxicity that people usually want to leave. What made people want to try and make it a new RP server?

That's what most people on this site want. I havent heard anything bad about Mateus, to be honest, though I haven't seen anything bad in my (albeit limited) time there.

(06-05-2017, 04:31 AM)Tyndles Wrote: [ -> ]

(06-05-2017, 04:15 AM)Eses Fafa Wrote: [ -> ]I suppose this is coming at a point already way too late and I'm sure I missed this somewhere but..why Mateus? The place is already an inhospitable den of toxicity that people usually want to leave. What made people want to try and make it a new RP server?

That's what most people on this site want.  I havent heard anything bad about Mateus, to be honest, though I haven't seen anything bad in my (albeit limited) time there.

I probably should've said something a lot more verbal about this before but..I can name a lotta friends of mine who came from Mateus to get away from the inhabitants and saw Balmung as just a 'good option' when looking at the server transfer list at the time.

This sort of hostility towards people from Balmung isn't surprising to me at all, since if it happened literally any other server, there would be much better treatment. Well..except maybe Moogle or Zodiark..which is primarily French..or Exodus which is filled with e-peen-stroking PvE elitists who ragequit when getting hit by one AoE with a keyboard through the monitor.

Anyhow, I'm actually wondering what made Mateus even stand out or seem like a good idea as opposed to more willing servers like Siren, Goblin or Cactuar.

Mateus actually came to us and pitched to us as soon as Balmung was locked down, that spread around and people were comfortable using it as a viable option because it seemed like the server actually wanted Balmung players there. The other servers didn't pitch or say Balmung players were welcome, so they sort of went to the background. That's how these things work really, I remember the HEAVY PITCHING that went into people wanting Besaid (I wanted Rabanastre damnit!)

Also YMMV here, I have someone in my guild from Diablo who absolutely hated the community there. Same with Faerie. People have different experiences.

That's so weird...and very out of nowhere! If any were to take such a role, it'd be Siren, wouldn't it?

(06-05-2017, 05:00 AM)Eses Fafa Wrote: [ -> ]Anyhow, I'm actually wondering what made Mateus even stand out or seem like a good idea as opposed to more willing servers like Siren, Goblin or Cactuar.

I haven't been involved in any way, shape, or form so take this with a grain of salt, but from what I've heard it came down to a matter of "advertising in the right place at the right time". Which is not to say that other servers aren't advertising: I've seen ads from both Jenova and Faerie elsewhere (and I know they've threads here on RPC), and they seem to be doing well for themselves. That said, folks from Mateus were quick to take advantage (as they should!) of Balmung's closure.

Now, mind you, the RP communities of FFXIV are not the only ones grappling with server closure. Gilgamesh is shuttered as well, and they are more or less the PvE hotspot. The difference with them is that you won't find much success in the way of an organized effort from PvE fans to situate large clusters of themselves on the same server. Word of mouth is how they learn where to go and where NOT to go, and I suspect we'll be seeing the same thing happen with roleplayers. It's saddening to hear of toxicity and tension -- much of it very similar to the early growing pains of the RPC itself with the whole Balmung-Gilgamesh debacle -- but in the end it'll play out such that people will end up where they want to be, with the exception of the now-closed servers.

As for other servers... everyone I've ever met from Goblin or Sargatanas via Duty Finder has been a complete sweetheart. But yes, Jenova, Faerie, and Siren are other alternatives to Balmung.

It was really fast, so most of the RP Community had to make a decision where to tell people to go relatively quickly. I can see why most people went with the one that spoke out the loudest, even if Siren and/or Faerie were "better" alternatives.

THAT BEING SAID, I hear Mateus is getting a lot of people, and only having Mateus as a fall back will eventually land us with the same problem Balmung has, especially when Transfers and it's incentives will be available for us NA folk. I see no reason why other servers shouldn't gather their folk when transfers become available and come and pitch to the community either. We're going to need other alternatives besides "Mateus or Balmung" especially since it's going to be "Only Mateus" for awhile.

People want to feel comfortable and welcomed to go somewhere, it's those RP communities on those servers responsibility to do that. It sucks but it's true. Be loud.

(06-05-2017, 07:13 AM)Melkire Wrote: [ -> ]

(06-05-2017, 05:00 AM)Eses Fafa Wrote: [ -> ]Anyhow, I'm actually wondering what made Mateus even stand out or seem like a good idea as opposed to more willing servers like Siren, Goblin or Cactuar.

I haven't been involved in any way, shape, or form so take this with a grain of salt, but from what I've heard it came down to a matter of "advertising in the right place at the right time". Which is not to say that other servers aren't advertising: I've seen ads from both Jenova and Faerie elsewhere (and I know they've threads here on RPC), and they seem to be doing well for themselves. That said, folks from Mateus were quick to take advantage (as they should!) of Balmung's closure.

Now, mind you, the RP communities of FFXIV are not the only ones grappling with server closure. Gilgamesh is shuttered as well, and they are more or less the PvE hotspot. The difference with them is that you won't find much success in the way of an organized effort from PvE fans to situate large clusters of themselves on the same server. Word of mouth is how they learn where to go and where NOT to go, and I suspect we'll be seeing the same thing happen with roleplayers. It's saddening to hear of toxicity and tension -- much of it very similar to the early growing pains of the RPC itself with the whole Balmung-Gilgamesh debacle -- but in the end it'll play out such that people will end up where they want to be, with the exception of the now-closed servers.

As for other servers... everyone I've ever met from Goblin or Sargantas via Duty Finder has been a complete sweetheart. But yes, Jenova, Faerie, and Siren are other alternatives to Balmung.

Nah, it's fine. I don't have anything against folks who want to do something for those who prefer not to deal with Balmung. I just find it quite unfortunate that this exact situation occurred. Not just the fact of all this splintering, but that it has to be Mateus of all places.

Though your friends have bad experiences, a lot more people are moving to that server and therefore will change the culture completely. It won't even be recognizable to the Mateus they knew (Which is why some people don't like people the fact people are moving there btw). Give it a chance to find it's identity.

(06-05-2017, 05:00 AM)Eses Fafa Wrote: [ -> ]

(06-05-2017, 04:31 AM)Tyndles Wrote: [ -> ]

(06-05-2017, 04:15 AM)Eses Fafa Wrote: [ -> ]I suppose this is coming at a point already way too late and I'm sure I missed this somewhere but..why Mateus? The place is already an inhospitable den of toxicity that people usually want to leave. What made people want to try and make it a new RP server?

That's what most people on this site want.  I havent heard anything bad about Mateus, to be honest, though I haven't seen anything bad in my (albeit limited) time there.

I probably should've said something a lot more verbal about this before but..I can name a lotta friends of mine who came from Mateus to get away from the inhabitants and saw Balmung as just a 'good option' when looking at the server transfer list at the time.

This sort of hostility towards people from Balmung isn't surprising to me at all, since if it happened literally any other server, there would be much better treatment. Well..except maybe Moogle or Zodiark..which is primarily French..or Exodus which is filled with e-peen-stroking PvE elitists who ragequit when getting hit by one AoE with a keyboard through the monitor.

Anyhow, I'm actually wondering what made Mateus even stand out or seem like a good idea as opposed to more willing servers like Siren, Goblin or Cactuar.

So, from what I've seen in the few threads I've run on the issue, Mateus gained a strong following for 3 reasons:

1) It's very small. The current issue facing Balmung/Gilgamesh is wholly a problem of size. I won't go into the full math here, as I've done another post detailing it. In short, Balmung has three times the desired server population that SE wants. Of the servers mentioned here, Sargantanas, Jenova and Cactuar are close to the same population limits (Around 7,500 active player) so if a sizable number of RPers transfered to them, it would put them in the same situation that Balmung/Gilgamesh are in now.

Given Mateus is the smallest populated server in the game, it's also nearly gauranteed to be on the free transfer list off of Balmung. There are a lot of incentives for this transfer (Free Gil and a XP bonus that we know of, likely more.)

2) Active RP community. When Balmung first closed, Mateus and foxfirestorm specifically really helped advertise Mateus as a viable alternative. That there was already an active and healthy RP population despite it's small server population. This information spread on Reddit and Tumblr as well. Over the first week or two of the closure, other linkshells and free companies on Mateus made their pressence known. 

This has lead to the RPM to swell with population over the last three weeks, gaining about 150-200 members with more that are unaware of the linkshell/discord combo. It'll likely continue to grow.

3) Housing. Until recently Mateus still had even a large house or two available. Now, there are still Mediums available in Goblet and small housing available in all the wards. Apartments are wildly available. The constant demand for more housing on Balmung makes Mateus look particularly attractive given their very low cost housing and availability.


When these points came to light last month, that had a great effect on the RP community. Many made alts or transferred over to Mateus to check it out, and that got reflected back on the polls that Leggerless and I ran between Tumblr and the RPC respectivelly. It ended up in a landslide both time toward Mateus.

I've since checked it out myself, and I've enjoyed it. Yes there are a few bad eggs specifically, I won't name names because that's just bad form. I have a feeling that we're sharing the same handful of people being outright pricks. Feel free to DM me if this is something you want to talk about in private.

Anyhow, that's how Mateus got so much attention. Is it deserved? I think it is for a variety of reasons. I think the biggest hook is that there is a growing community of Balmung and new players, creating a much more diverse population than earlier with plenty of room to grow. It's not something Balmung has enjoyed... really ever.

(06-05-2017, 06:44 AM)Eses Fafa Wrote: [ -> ]That's so weird...and very out of nowhere! If any were to take such a role, it'd be Siren, wouldn't it?

There was a big push by a few people early based on polls that existed for less then 48 hours after the lock down announcement.  And a lot of shouting at other opinions that amounted to "if you're not with us, you shouldn't say anything."  

There are a lot of other communities that exist out there on somewhat more populated servers where an influx won't cause near as much disruption as it would on Mataes.

(06-05-2017, 08:11 AM)Erah Wrote: [ -> ]

(06-05-2017, 06:44 AM)Eses Fafa Wrote: [ -> ]That's so weird...and very out of nowhere! If any were to take such a role, it'd be Siren, wouldn't it?

There was a big push by a few people early based on polls that existed for less then 48 hours after the lock down announcement.  And a lot of shouting at other opinions that amounted to "if you're not with us, you shouldn't say anything."  

There are a lot of other communities that exist out there on somewhat more populated servers where an influx won't cause near as much disruption as it would on Mataes.

Indeed, there was a lot of drama that first week. It was... a lot of late nights arguing that having alternative RP servers is good instead of waiting around on if Balmung should even unlock.

Anyhow, yes there are other communities out there and they should get as much attention as possible. It's always been my goal to try and get as much information as possible for people to make an educated decision on their server of choice. 

One of the things that makes Mateus appealing is also why the move is so disruptive, server size. Before the lockdown Mateus had a small but passionate RP community. The size of it has tripled, by my estimates. The RPM discord/Linkshell is getting ready to go into it's third linkshell to handle the amount of people willing to join. And... it's made things disruptive to the older community. 

Mateus as it was is unlikely to return at this point. It's gotten so much attention and so many new players. Even if half of them would leave, that still leaves a sizable population that have acclimated. And once free transfers/incentives open up? Well Mateus is guaranteed to see a whiplash of population one way or another.

I think the disruption is a good thing though. The reason why smaller rp servers have such a bad rap is because if there's even a little drama it spreads through the community like wild fire and... there's really no where else to turn. The community is small, you either rp with those people you dislike or get off the server. Ain't like that on Balmung.

When 2.0 hit, all the "old guard" on Balmung were basically swallowed up by the new people who stampeded into the server. There were WAY more of them then there were of us and within MONTHS the entire server's culture changed. There were no such thing as smaller server wide events anymore. I remember the first official RP event (Which I think Kylin ran?) had at least a hundred people who showed up. The line that was formed will be forever ingrained in my memory. RP was no longer quiet, it was everywhere and it was loud and proud. No one could control that many people who people basically shifted into their own pockets of community. The growing pains weren't so bad though, the old guard kept doing what they did and the new players either joined or formed their own bubble. It sounds scary, but it really isn't. You'll have people who want to be part of the "RPM" and you'll have people who want to go their own way, just like on Balmung.

(06-05-2017, 04:10 AM)foxfirestorm Wrote: [ -> ]If you can track down where this is coming from or PM me instructions on how to check, I can look into it myself. I have also further thoughts on this, but I'll keep those to private, but please, PM instructions and I'll look into it if I can.

That said, I have 0 control or lead on the HUB, I only have control of the RPM and even then... I am probably going to be stepping down sometime in July. Been at this for nearly a year... Kinda tired. XD

I'll let you know if it happens again.  To check the logs on who does what (inviting things, changing others names, etc) you can go to Server Settings -> Audit Log.  There'd be something like "such an such invited Balmung RP Event Bot".  It's also got a list of when people forced nickname changes, mess with channel names, and the like.  Discords come a long way on the auditing side, it's kinda awesome.

Really for now the bot has no place on non-Balmung discords until it has multi-server support added, so if it's there, feel free to kick it.  If I get multi server support in, there'll probably be a variation of the bot with a different less-server centric name.  (Or I might spawn more server specific bots just to be able to better allocate bandwith / processing time)

I feel you for the exhaustion of managing a community.  I did that for -far- too long in too many other places.  It's a thankless job and a royal pain in the backside, but it's a necessary evil.  Someone has to do it for a community to thrive.

(06-05-2017, 08:49 AM)ArmachiA Wrote: [ -> ]I think the disruption is a good thing though. The reason why smaller rp servers have such a bad rap is because if there's even a little drama it spreads through the community like wild fire and... there's really no where else to turn. The community is small, you either rp with those people you dislike or get off the server. Ain't like that on Balmung.

You're not wrong.   

Beyond the drama there are some benefits to the small town style RP community.  It's easier to become a more significant part of said community.  You can really get a 'Cheers' esque feel to it where 'everyone knows your name'.  I think some of the conflict might be that people fear, losing that?  Also there is probably some fear that the current 'movers and shakers' are just going to get swallowed up by an external influx that already has some ties to each other?  I don't know.

There's a lot to be said in both directions for both the Balmung and the Mateus community styles.  It'll be interesting to watch how things shake out in either case.

I really hope it does change for the better. I hope people find what they're looking for and that there won't be a negative backlash to either communities. I certainly hope the voices of the hateful within Mateus are drowned out by the progressive and something good comes of this. I just won't be surprised if it comes tumbling down. I'll make myself an alt on there and bear and grin through the leveling process so I can see what's what myself.