I'll echo some of the others - there's a big enough pool of roleplayers that there's literally never been a day where if I went to one of the major cities and ran through I didn't pass by total strangers who were RP tagged or in a <##-RP> FC.Â
I think the problem isn't a lack of newcomers, the problems are instead:
1. Lack of support for content providers by non-providers. What Maril said is true - the players who are content providers will feel discouraged and lose enthusiasm if they begin to feel as if their effort to host activities for others isn't appreciated. That doesn't mean they want a bunch of praise and ass-kissing, it just means that it becomes the responsibility of the non-providers to either find the time - make the time - to show up at some of those activities, or, provide feedback to the content provider as to why their activity isn't drawing their interest. Else, the inevitable outcome would be that the content provider may feel as if they're wasting their time putting effort into things people don't seem to care about, and then... maybe they stop.
2. Loss-paranoia among FC leaders. Every FC leader out there is going to be concerned about other FCs trying to recruit from them, since the existing players are our pool of players. I run an RP activity group which is open to anybody from any FC (or no FC), and while we have an FC structurally at our core, I make a point never to solicit anybody to join said FC (and participation is open to anyone, so there's no "incentive", either). However, nearly every effort I've made to try and coax interest in getting involved with the group, out of leaders of FCs, has been met with this... fear I guess is the best way to describe it, and at worst they've outright declined to become involved, and in the best case I get indifference. Guys, you're going to have to not be insular if you want your FC to thrive in the current conditions.Â
3. Sentimental attachment: I've seen this one kill more players than anything else. This is where an FC is clearly dying or dead, but the individuals in said FC cling tenaciously to their continued existence in said FC. They even acknowledge that it's going nowhere. Its time has passed, the leaders aren't around, there's no activities going on, etc. Arguably, from an exterior point of view, they're getting literally nothing out of continuing to be a part of it, and they certainly seem unhappy. Their own enthusiasm for the game and RP in the game is waning because their friends in the current group have been dropping off... and yet they won't branch out. They won't consider that there's dozens of other FCs that are active that they could join. The current one might become active again, they'll say. The leader claims they're going to be coming back soon, they'll say. So-and-so and this-other-person are just a little busy with RL and they'll be active again in a few weeks, they'll say. Yet time and again, I've witnessed this to turn out that the ones who are gone don't come back, and the ones clutching to that hope end up just eventually fading away themselves. Players, do yourselves a favor - cut the sentimentality, for your own good. If your FC isn't making you happy, find a different one. Remember! Being in a different FC from your old friends doesn't mean you can't still also RP with those old friends too. I roleplay regularly with people from a dozen FCs. You can too.
4. People transferring off of Balmung even today: Stop it. Stop it right now. By all appearances, that's a one-way trip forever and there are players out there who would love to be able to play on Balmung and literally can't (and likely won't ever). If you really want to quit the server, that's okay, but please, please, please consider the option of not transferring, and instead consider the option of trying to reach out to the community to find out if there's somebody who has a friend who wants to play on Balmung who can't, who might be interested in trading accounts with you. We have the means now, for cashbux, to bypass most leveling and most of the story. There might be a player out there who's interested enough in Balmung that they'd be willing to get you a brand new account with a character who has an MSQ pass and several level 60 jobs. They might be willing to buy said character Mog Station outfits and emotes and so forth. Yep, it'd cost them quite a chunk of money to do that, but for some players who just want to be able to play with their friends, that might be worth it.Â
All of that said, I will point out:
We are almost certainly heading for a server split. They did it in FF11, so they have precedent. Stats on Balmung have shown that although the active population has lowered, we're still nearly double their volume for an unlocked server - and the majority of those who transferred off did so during the queue and 90k woes immediately following the launch of Stormblood, and they had incentives for transfer. Transfers off are basically a trickle now. There's no logical outcome for us at this point but a split. Do yourselves a favor and don't pretend that it's not going to happen. Avoid being surprised by it. Expect it. Plan for it. Stay tuned to the community so you can be aware of the general consensus as to which server the other roleplayers are going to once the split comes.
I think the problem isn't a lack of newcomers, the problems are instead:
1. Lack of support for content providers by non-providers. What Maril said is true - the players who are content providers will feel discouraged and lose enthusiasm if they begin to feel as if their effort to host activities for others isn't appreciated. That doesn't mean they want a bunch of praise and ass-kissing, it just means that it becomes the responsibility of the non-providers to either find the time - make the time - to show up at some of those activities, or, provide feedback to the content provider as to why their activity isn't drawing their interest. Else, the inevitable outcome would be that the content provider may feel as if they're wasting their time putting effort into things people don't seem to care about, and then... maybe they stop.
2. Loss-paranoia among FC leaders. Every FC leader out there is going to be concerned about other FCs trying to recruit from them, since the existing players are our pool of players. I run an RP activity group which is open to anybody from any FC (or no FC), and while we have an FC structurally at our core, I make a point never to solicit anybody to join said FC (and participation is open to anyone, so there's no "incentive", either). However, nearly every effort I've made to try and coax interest in getting involved with the group, out of leaders of FCs, has been met with this... fear I guess is the best way to describe it, and at worst they've outright declined to become involved, and in the best case I get indifference. Guys, you're going to have to not be insular if you want your FC to thrive in the current conditions.Â
3. Sentimental attachment: I've seen this one kill more players than anything else. This is where an FC is clearly dying or dead, but the individuals in said FC cling tenaciously to their continued existence in said FC. They even acknowledge that it's going nowhere. Its time has passed, the leaders aren't around, there's no activities going on, etc. Arguably, from an exterior point of view, they're getting literally nothing out of continuing to be a part of it, and they certainly seem unhappy. Their own enthusiasm for the game and RP in the game is waning because their friends in the current group have been dropping off... and yet they won't branch out. They won't consider that there's dozens of other FCs that are active that they could join. The current one might become active again, they'll say. The leader claims they're going to be coming back soon, they'll say. So-and-so and this-other-person are just a little busy with RL and they'll be active again in a few weeks, they'll say. Yet time and again, I've witnessed this to turn out that the ones who are gone don't come back, and the ones clutching to that hope end up just eventually fading away themselves. Players, do yourselves a favor - cut the sentimentality, for your own good. If your FC isn't making you happy, find a different one. Remember! Being in a different FC from your old friends doesn't mean you can't still also RP with those old friends too. I roleplay regularly with people from a dozen FCs. You can too.
4. People transferring off of Balmung even today: Stop it. Stop it right now. By all appearances, that's a one-way trip forever and there are players out there who would love to be able to play on Balmung and literally can't (and likely won't ever). If you really want to quit the server, that's okay, but please, please, please consider the option of not transferring, and instead consider the option of trying to reach out to the community to find out if there's somebody who has a friend who wants to play on Balmung who can't, who might be interested in trading accounts with you. We have the means now, for cashbux, to bypass most leveling and most of the story. There might be a player out there who's interested enough in Balmung that they'd be willing to get you a brand new account with a character who has an MSQ pass and several level 60 jobs. They might be willing to buy said character Mog Station outfits and emotes and so forth. Yep, it'd cost them quite a chunk of money to do that, but for some players who just want to be able to play with their friends, that might be worth it.Â
All of that said, I will point out:
We are almost certainly heading for a server split. They did it in FF11, so they have precedent. Stats on Balmung have shown that although the active population has lowered, we're still nearly double their volume for an unlocked server - and the majority of those who transferred off did so during the queue and 90k woes immediately following the launch of Stormblood, and they had incentives for transfer. Transfers off are basically a trickle now. There's no logical outcome for us at this point but a split. Do yourselves a favor and don't pretend that it's not going to happen. Avoid being surprised by it. Expect it. Plan for it. Stay tuned to the community so you can be aware of the general consensus as to which server the other roleplayers are going to once the split comes.
Lydia Lightfoot ~ The Reliquarian's Guild «Relic» ~ Lavender Beds, Ward 12, #41
This player has a sense of humor. If the content of the post suggests otherwise, please err on the side of amusement and friendship, because that's almost certainly the intent. We're all on the same team: Team Roleplayer! Have a smile, have a chuckle, and have a slice of pie. Isn't pie great?
This player has a sense of humor. If the content of the post suggests otherwise, please err on the side of amusement and friendship, because that's almost certainly the intent. We're all on the same team: Team Roleplayer! Have a smile, have a chuckle, and have a slice of pie. Isn't pie great?
