(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.
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.
