Papajimboh

I believe we were mostly looking to get the discussion buzzing and find out which servers people would be interested in, or which already have an RP community presence. Any further action would be in futility until we know how they're going to flag servers. Even the smaller servers can't be certain as someone else mentioned due to the fact they may end up merging some. I think the best thing people can do now is continue giving information on their servers and continue constructive talks of who may be interested in moving where once it's announced. The unfortunate part is that there will no doubt be a number of people who don't want to move, but get left if a large portion of RPers from their server relocate. I think that's why it's important for anyone who is passionate about it to be vocal now before it's decided and too late to sway anyone.

I think it's a good idea for future use. I'd much rather finish my character normally to 60 and soon 70, but later on I'd definitely be interested in using one for either A) to level an alternate job on my main, or B) have a separate alt without needing to go through the MSQ and unlock everything all over again, which is currently what keep me from doing one now. I'm enjoying the story and would like to experience it through. Also, I don't like the idea of having a complete job thrown at me with all its abilities and then trying to sort it all out. I much prefer getting it a little at a time and leveling comfortably so I feel connected to the character and play it smoothly once I'm max.

Same. It's frustrating knowing there are a number of people like that on any server. I think every server needs a healthy percentage of all types of players. What percentage is "healthy" however, differs from one server to the next, usually dependent upon the goals of the community as a whole. Kicking the PVEers from a server like Balmung would have so much backlash. How many angry players would try to come back to Balmung as "RPers" simply to grief to no end out of spite? Enough to potentially ruin it for a lot of people.

Not just that, but in my many years of gaming I've talked with PVErs. There are a lot who just genuinely like RP servers because they perceive them to be nicer and kinder people, less toxic if you were. They say they would roll on RP because they like the community, they don't feel stressed. So even if there was an RP tag, non rpers would join regardless. This is exactly why I stayed on the server I played on for so long in WoW. I decided to try the opposite faction, and chose a new server to do so. I rolled on an RP server by accident, not even knowing what it was at the time, and thought "wow, everyone here seems so much friendlier than my old server," and then ended up moving 100% of my characters there. So in other games I've played that designate RP servers, I find myself gravitating toward them whether I RP in that particular game or not. But I don't think that's necessarily an issue. I believe that the people who share that mindset at generally more well mannered people themselves, even if they don't RP. They are people who want a strong community and general politeness to enjoy their game. Those types of players should be welcomed by RPers too because they are often times good people. They may not be RPers, but they may be that tank in the dungeon you've never run before who patiently takes the time to explain boss fights to you, and laughs when you wipe instead of blaming someone. Or the person who you ask to craft a chest piece, but you were mistaken on the materials needed and come up short, so they just use theirs instead at no extra charge. RP communities tend to bring out either the best or worst in people, (because trolls have to exist to balance the force, I suppose) but most often it seems like the former.

Answers to the best of my ability: 1: Ping may be an issue, but I have NA friends on Cerberus atm, N.Carolina was one of their locations and they said it was fine for them, ofc this won't always be the case. 2:Time zone will be an issue at first, there is no denying that but if more NA players came across, we could slowly build an international community, so it's always an option, and yes you do raise valid points, however on days people are off work and such there is always the possibility of making events friendly to both timezones perhaps. 3: No you don't need another account, it's just for item codes from promotions it effects such as the amazon maid costumes etc. You can move your main over and soon for free as well as far as I'm aware So it's a possibility. I hope I helped, sorry if any of my information is incorrect friends. More than helpful! I suppose none of the issues I'd have are game breaking in any way, but may eventually be deciding factors if we have a tough decision to make. I'd like to gather as much info as possible before we switch because I don't intend on bouncing around. For clarity, I have no issue remaining on Balmung outside the fact that my wife is unable to move here to play with me, and may not be for some time. I'd be content to stay if she were able to join me, but even if so, I wouldn't close the door entirely on the option to join a new community either given the recent discussions. There's something about being part of a good community, but there's something entirely differently being part of one you grew with and helped build.

You keep missing the third long term solution though. Roleplayers designate a new RP server on their own, and consolidate there. I have to agree with Vexander, we have a golden opportunity here with the free transfers, and fresh servers, we could easily convince RPers to move to the new EU servers coming out in 4.X: http://eu.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/topics/detail/7031c8b817c28ac6903490d80964321690505ee8 with perks like keeping your FC, levelling bonuses and more, it's really a once in a while opportunity, and I'm quite certain like EU players have put up with an NA datacentre for a long time, there will be some NA players who wouldn't mind doing the same the other way around. Imagine, tons of free housing for RP, lots of empty canvas to paint our ideal Eorzea We can make this a large community! I strongly suggest if anyone is interested to vote on the poll here: http://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/showthread.php?tid=19399 to help our cause for a server on the EU data centre. Like on other games, RP can exist on multiple servers, it can also consolidate, both can be successful. I would love to see our new home open to an international community just like it is on Balmung currently, and to make new friends with all of you. <3 But just as I ask you to come join us, I perfectly understand those who love their home, and their more comfortabel ping measurements, just like we over in the EU are trying to achieve with this EU datacentre. here is looking forward to Jolly co-operation in the Roleplay community! ^^ This is an enticing idea as well. My wife and I have been talking about it as an option since the announcement. Our two big concerns, and potentially shared concerns with other players, are these: 1. Obviously, the ping. It may not be a big deal, but what kind of ping would be expected from the central US to EU data centers? As you mentioned, EU players have been playing here for some time, so I'm curious what it was like for those players so I'd know what to expect. 2. The time zone difference. We typically play most often within the 7pm-11pm timeline during the week, then just whenever on weekends. But that would put EU in the wee hours of the morning, meaning it would potentially split the community a bit due to time differences. That's something that may have been an issue already in reverse on NA servers, but something I'm curious about. Also as a side question, can you choose any server on any locations data center on any account? There's no need to create a new account in order to play on EU or JP like in some other games, is there?

I can't help but think the overall feel of this thread is a bit greedy. How ridiculous would this sound if you applied the same logic to a number of any other similar situations? A large city insisting on only keeping one high-school that way they have the best sports teams, and just ignoring all the other issues it causes along with that. Or a continent insisting on everyone forming one large country instead of splitting up. The bottom line is people absolutely will choose servers other than Balmung for their own reasons. Some people simply like the "small town" feel smaller pop servers offer. Or they may have another reason entirely for choosing their server. Across many MMOs, lots of people choose a server based on a specific FC/guild/group they find, prioritizing that over the server itself. You won't be able to corral everyone in spite of how badly you'd like to, so it seems much more prudent to help the smaller communities grow instead of trying to make them feel like they are killing the community by not assimilating into the Borg.

Ah, thank you. I guess that's what I suspected, but had my fingers crossed they would do it prior to launch so my wife and I could make a decision and get comfy somewhere first. It'y only a few weeks away at any rate, I suppose.

Sorry if this has been answered previously, but have they mentioned a potential date or date range they may announce the server list?

The reason they didn't is to avoid people flooding onto Balmung and Gilgamesh knowing they won't have an opportunity again for however long. They wanted this to blindside us hoping people like yourself would transfer off. I don't say that to be mean, but it's the unfortunate reality of how SE wants to handle Balmung's overpopulation. What I do take umbrage with is their decision to lock high pop servers now but wait until Stormblood's launch before implementing bonuses or free transfers. Right now, no one has any incentive to leave since it'll still cost $18. They should have rolled everything out together, thus encouraging people to transfer instead of having us stuck in limbo waiting for them to figure it all out. That's actually what I was referring to. I understand them blindsiding us with the lockout for that reason. What I meant was I wish they would let us know which servers are going to be designated as free transfers prior to Stormblood, or preferably just go ahead and open them up now. Doing it at the launch is going to make it sort of chaotic for the community as everyone will be wanting to enjoy the new content, but also scrambling to get this situation in order. Sorry if I was unclear.

Have they made mention, or even hinted at a potential date of announcement for when they may pull the trigger on designating servers? That would erase much of the guesswork and allow everyone to really start zeroing in on a target server, be it the higher vote getter or otherwise. I'd also like to make an observation. It seems at least a few newer players (I'm still rather new myself actually) are getting some good info from this thread and the previous, and we may well see at least a bit of growth across all the mentioned realms. Not everyone is simply going to dive into the most popular server, but instead may read something someone says during this discussion and decide another option suits them better. Regardless where everyone lands when the dust settles, do what makes you happy and what suits you best instead of simply swimming with the current. Finding a nice little spot to fit into will make you happy, and therefore the people you RP with happier by association.

In response to those saying it's mostly for new players, it does affect people connected to them too. I am currently on Balmung, and my wife is not. She created characters before the shut down, and then wasn't able to move play with me, and I don't want to move now either until we know which servers are going to be designated. So whether or not you're currently on Balmung doesn't affect whether you get to have an opinion or not. I voted, but as has been mentioned previously, we won't get a true bearing for the situation until we see how SE handles the server designation and if they end up combining servers. That could heavily swing the poll if we knew now what they'll do. As for my wife and myself, we're just keeping an eye on the situation before making any snap decisions, and hopefully it works out in favor of the community as a whole creating a secondary home for thriving RP while simultaneously maintaining the strong community on Balmung. There is enough of a presence to spread the love a bit without diluting it to the point of destroying it. I do wish they'd announce soon though since most people would no doubt prefer moving and getting settled prior to the launch of Stormblood.