I don't think it's so much about being negative toward the situation, but rather realistic on the consequences of adding an official RP server this late in the game's lifespan. I know I probably give out conflicting vibes here. Back in the day, I was one of the biggest advocates for an official RP server and keeping everyone on ONE central RP server. Nowadays, I'm seen advocating a division of the RP community between two larger servers and various smaller ones.
Not to sound like a Sophia thrall, but it's really about balance/equilibrium. Back in the day, we only had 1.0's numbers (and FFXI's RP numbers) to go off on. This is why I strongly advocated the 'One RP Server to Rule Them All' stance. We got big though. Really big. Bigger than anyone ever really anticipated. Spreading out to two servers and smaller pockets scattered on other servers is, in my opinion, the most healthy solution. Adding a THIRD option (fourth if you want to include the EU crowd's efforts as well) 4-5 years into the game's lifespan will dilute RPers a bit too much. It'll make RP linkshells/FCs that much more aggressive in getting new blood to them, increasing hostilities and making for a very difficult overall environment for RP to thrive in. Friends in the RP community may be even further divided than they already are.
There's going to be a large bulk of RPers who will not leave Balmung, regardless of the housing situation. There are already pockets of RPers who won't leave Siren/Mateus/Gilgamesh/etc. Mateus's crowd will grow even larger in the coming months most likely as well. When you take into account all these people who won't move and an official RP server is finally added in, it can prove to actually be detrimental to the overall health of the RP community.
If the RP community is still growing as it is now by the time they implement said server, than it may not prove to be an issue. Alternatively, if the Mateus efforts ultimately failed (which I hope they do not) and everyone somehow got sucked to Balmung again (assuming it unlocks), it probably wouldn't hurt either. But those are the only two circumstances I see where adding yet another server, officially this time, would actually be more beneficial than harmful. Given the game's age, I doubt we're going to keep seeing this level of growth in the RP community for much longer.
To be clear, I'd love to see an official RP server thriving with a strong united front. But 4+ years in? It's just a bit late at this stage of the game's lifespan and I fear the consequences of diluting the RP community a bit too much. If SE does indeed decide to do this, I assume it will be after they implement more cross-world features. Depending on the growth of the community (and the nature of cross-world content) at that time, my opinion may very well change. But as it sits now, I worry of the social consequences of adding in an official RP server this many years into the game.
So yeah...I feel adding an official Rp server at this stage would tip the scales of balance too much. All hail Sophia, the one true Goddess.
Not to sound like a Sophia thrall, but it's really about balance/equilibrium. Back in the day, we only had 1.0's numbers (and FFXI's RP numbers) to go off on. This is why I strongly advocated the 'One RP Server to Rule Them All' stance. We got big though. Really big. Bigger than anyone ever really anticipated. Spreading out to two servers and smaller pockets scattered on other servers is, in my opinion, the most healthy solution. Adding a THIRD option (fourth if you want to include the EU crowd's efforts as well) 4-5 years into the game's lifespan will dilute RPers a bit too much. It'll make RP linkshells/FCs that much more aggressive in getting new blood to them, increasing hostilities and making for a very difficult overall environment for RP to thrive in. Friends in the RP community may be even further divided than they already are.
There's going to be a large bulk of RPers who will not leave Balmung, regardless of the housing situation. There are already pockets of RPers who won't leave Siren/Mateus/Gilgamesh/etc. Mateus's crowd will grow even larger in the coming months most likely as well. When you take into account all these people who won't move and an official RP server is finally added in, it can prove to actually be detrimental to the overall health of the RP community.
If the RP community is still growing as it is now by the time they implement said server, than it may not prove to be an issue. Alternatively, if the Mateus efforts ultimately failed (which I hope they do not) and everyone somehow got sucked to Balmung again (assuming it unlocks), it probably wouldn't hurt either. But those are the only two circumstances I see where adding yet another server, officially this time, would actually be more beneficial than harmful. Given the game's age, I doubt we're going to keep seeing this level of growth in the RP community for much longer.
To be clear, I'd love to see an official RP server thriving with a strong united front. But 4+ years in? It's just a bit late at this stage of the game's lifespan and I fear the consequences of diluting the RP community a bit too much. If SE does indeed decide to do this, I assume it will be after they implement more cross-world features. Depending on the growth of the community (and the nature of cross-world content) at that time, my opinion may very well change. But as it sits now, I worry of the social consequences of adding in an official RP server this many years into the game.
So yeah...I feel adding an official Rp server at this stage would tip the scales of balance too much. All hail Sophia, the one true Goddess.
