Mercer

Please do not summarize the Tumblr vote. There is support for other servers as well and undermines the work and support they have. If you wish to see the full current results for the Tumblr poll, it is here. This thread and the previous I started and organized as a stage for the discussion, benefits and preferences for the secondary servers. I made sure that the original poll showed usernames to make sure that a sense of transparency was present. However, this poll and previous thread have never been about forcing an opinion or decision of the community but as an avenue to show the preferences of the community and the server they choose. It is about making an informed decision in a time that the original preference is no longer allowed. I am gathering data from the volunteers that post and vote to present to the public, not declaring anything under my name or anyone else.

Done, and added a link to the EU poll which I'll add here as well. EU Server Poll

I've had some questions that I haven't answered since the thread has been locked. I'll happily answer them now. To be completely blunt, there are RPers that want to RP. They can not RP. There has been little information on where they can go to find RP while Balmung is locked and what there has been was hard to find. Through the discussion in this thread and the thread I started, I have seen a large amount of people wanting to help. They want to put something into action right now, advertise that they are here, have always been here and want to give these lost RPers a home. To say that all RPers should stay on Balmung is a nice theory, but the reality is that is no longer an option. And that's the keyword here, options. There has always been other servers where RP has lived, but it's been drowned out by Balmung for a very long time. This is an incredible opportunity for these servers to stand up and get the attention they deserve. Will the new RP community survive after Balmung has reopened? I don't know. Will Balmung reopen? I don't know that either. What I do know that there are people right now that can't play the game how they like so I want to give them new avenues to continue to play. That is the purpose of the threads I've started, not for people to sit on their hands and wait for the opportunity to rejoin, but to find them the opportunity right now, right this minute to play the game how they want with an informed decision.

It in fact is!

And updated, thank you Haven's Fox!

I am not sure what you mean by second half of the restrictions. Do you mean the transfer off incentives that will be provided?

Ah, apologies. I plan to have it close in two days. I'll edit the post to clarify, but the idea is to narrow down the server list to the prefered few before a single server is selected.

The Poll should be closed now or should be closing very soon. As such, I'm renaming the thread so it can continue to be used to discuss alternate RP servers and a resource for players that continue to look to the RP-C for alternatives. Please by all means continue discussions, the previous threads will still be linked in this main post as well as the old post in a spoiler tag. Updated: 5/23 A new Alternate RP Directory thread has been created for a one stop resource for all active RP servers. If your information or server is not listed in the thread please PM me and I will add it ASAP. Alternate RP Server Directory

I have edited the main post to reflect the new recommendations. Please, do not bring discussions over the server lockdown to this thread. The general thread is for that. This is not the place to discuss if an alternate server should exist, but a place to discuss and promote alternate communities now that Balmung is closed for the foreseeable future.

The fact of the matter is that the population on Balmung is a problem, and it's a problem that isn't going to go away unless the players go away. That is unlikely to happen because people are comfortable where they are. SE has stated there are major population problems on the American realms. To be in line with the EU servers that are considered normal, Balmung needs to shed 6000 active players. An entire servers worth of people. That's not likely to happen and unless something happens to change it, then the server is going to stay locked. There are a lot of ideas being tossed around in the thread of what could have been done differently. I believe we're passed that point. The server merge was possibly the best time to put in new technology, it wasn't implemented. Stormblood is in a month, server changes aren't going to happen unless it's an emergency. Balmung is closed. It's very likely it's going to stay closed for a very long period of time. I wish there was more warning. I wish there were incentives right now to mitigate this. But there is not. Players are going to be returning and new players are signing up with Stormblood. The new trial is permanent and is going to further inflate numbers. If Square has botched this announcement and server population already, why should we have faith that they would fix it? Just like when the RP-C was first formed, we need to pick ourselves up and find a solution. I have put my thoughts out, I am organizing and helping players find a new home. What are YOU doing right now to help the community? That should be the first question we should be answering right now.

I would like to post an update over here on the state of alternative servers. There's been a lot of talk of what should have been done, but at the moment I think it's best we move forward. We've had the pleasure of several players stepping up and speaking for their communities over on the discussion thread, with many resources in one spot for people looking for a new server. I have also been seeing individual threads being posted announcing where people are going and what communities they are joining. Tomorrow I plan to open up a poll to start whittling down the list of servers. As it stands right now nearly all servers have some kind of small or growing RP community. It's a rather overwhelming choice. Even if no definitive server is chosen, having one or two preferred secondary servers will greatly help the community begin to grow in new ways. I ask you all to please be kind to one another during this poll. There is a lot of effort that companies and communities have put into their servers. It is in no way invalidating the work that has been done growing these servers but rather what the community in general feels will be the safe and secure growth into the future.

From the feedback I've seen here and around the forums people are starting to get a good idea of what alternative server they would like. Please continue giving feedback because it greatly helps the new players that are coming in find a home! Tomorrow I will be starting a new thread with a poll so we can start making some decisions as a community. I please ask the community of servers to not be bitter or angry at any results that come out of the poll. This is a chaotic time and throwing shade will not help the situation. If and when a server is chosen it is not invalidating your choice and effort but rather what players feel like is the most secure and safe avenue for the future.

I would like to give the thread another day or two to develop. Yes, there has been a good amount of feedback, but as it has been show there are many RP communities out there. I would like to give those other small communities some time before I put a poll out there.

Thanks for the feedback, Skae. There is already a growing discussion on an EU specific RP server going on just a few threads down! On the subject of Gilgamesh, it is no longer a viable alternative since it is under the same character creation and transfer restrictions that Balmung is. It has also dwindled down slowly as Balmung lured it's players away with promises of a community that didn't actively grief them. The smaller servers seem to not have the same issues given... that they are really small and any population boost would be a boon. The EU Server discussion! http://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/showthread.php?tid=19399

There are going to be a selection of servers that will have free transfers. Those servers are going to have a XP bonus and a gil reward for leveling. You will also be reimbursed for leaving your home behind as well. Which is all well and good, but there are alternatives already established.

That's your choice, but I don't know if it's a helpful contribution to this particular thread. It's important to remember that it was never intended by Square Enix as a "ban for roleplayers" - in fact, the restrictions apply to 5 other servers, as well. It is - as far as I can discern - an emergency measure designed to ease the login queues and server stability problems that tend to surround a new expansion release, such as the upcoming Stormblood release. Balmung's predicament is, essentially, a problem at least partially of the RP community's own making. And I think it's one we should - and can - work together to equally partially solve, by creating and/or encouraging the creation of a viable alternative for people who aren't on Balmung already. Going forward, if this alternative attains the value I think we should be hoping for from it, it will remain a valid option for new roleplayers, and a valid alternative for existing roleplayers - whatever their reasons for desiring one. I understood discussing the nature of that alternative as the point of this thread. I personally think that voting with my wallet is another good way to tackle the problem. If square doesn't wants my money from monthly subscription and server transfer, I simply give it to more RP friendly companies. If square has any grasp on the RP Community, they knew what they were doing and I think the best way to answer this would be to buy other protects or try out some MMOs we left behind before. I think the best roleplayers could do to support newer roleplayers is to not support squares product anymore and recommed other, RP friendly MMOs to them. This is a valid opinion, but this is NOT the thread for such discussion. Please go to the server megathread to discuss the issue. This thread is for the merits and opinions on the alternative server communities only, not for debating the repercussions of the server lockdown.

Sig, I am not sure if you are aware but currently new players are unable to join Balmung. New character creation and server transfers are completely disabled for the foreseeable future. There is a need right now for an alternative and this thread is to help people make an educated decision on which server would fit them best. If you would like to discuss the current situation with the server lock down, please go here: http://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/showthread.php?tid=19397 . In the mean time, I would like to please keep this thread clear from such discussions so that clear information can be given to players seeking a new refuge.

I agree that making a decision right now is not the best, but there is a lot of activity going on that isn't widely known on the RP-C. I'd like to change that so that there is a better informed decision when a poll is put into place.

Since the conversation has taken a turn to what servers would be a good RP alternative and curiosity to the health of those servers I've made a new thread for a clear discussion. http://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/showthread.php?tid=19405 Please speak up on your servers and your opinions on which would be a good alternative for the new players that will continue to join the community!

Updated: 5/18/17 This thread is being made for the discussion of an alternative RP server now that Balmung is under indefinite lock down. This is a thread for deciding on which server should be deemed the RP server. If you wish to discuss the Balmung server lock down and it's repercussions go to the megathread: http://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/showthread.php?tid=19397 We are here specifically to spread awareness of the RP communities in our smaller servers and the health of said servers. Please do not bring in server vs server drama. I would like us to speak on the merits of what the communities have to offer as I will plainly admit I am ignorant to the going ons of our smaller RP groups. The RP-C has been focused specifically on Balmung for a long time and the spotlight should be shown to the smaller servers. So! Community leaders! Free Company Leaders! Let's hear what your server is doing and how it's doing! This post will be updated as more feedback is provided to create an easy index for players. EDIT: Please, the topic of what should have been done and debating the closure of Balmung should be taken to that thread. I do not want that conversation spilling over here. We are here to specifically discuss and promote the various alternate server communities, not debate over if such servers should exist. Maril has given us a quick post of the scope of the many servers and companies on the smaller servers! MATEUS Foxfirestorm's Mateus Rundown Kylin's Mateus Feedback Sable's Mateus Endorsement Vexander's Mateus Endorsement Rosekitten's Mateus Endorsement TK Hikaru's Mateus Endorsement Jeanne IX's Mateus Endorsement FallenFedora's Mateus Endorsement Seraphine Felstar's Rundown SIREN Kylin's Siren Feedback FAERIE Lynae Flores' Faerie Rundown Ink's Faerie Rundown Widow1987's Faerie Rundown JENOVA Redariesye's Jenova Endorsement

I agree Kage, which is why I mentioned that it would be something leading up to Xpac release, not in the heat of the moment. This is something that is going to need a good hard look and frank discussion. I would love to see some kind of temporary forum open up so we can better discuss these needs. I understand that a forum upgrade is planned in the next several months, but the issue is pressing and needs to be addressed sooner rather than later. Edit to address Kiliet: I think one things to be aware of is that Gilgamesh is also going to have the opportunity to transfer with those benefits and new servers will see just as big of influx as Balmung refuges as Gilgamesh refuges, and we have already seen the outcome of those two populations meeting is.

I would say that we should be looking to the RP communities that already exist and their strengths instead of basing on what servers will be free. There has already been a lot of work in the smaller servers and their RP communities. They haven't really gotten the spotlight or attention they deserve due to the RPC's affinity to Balmung. Now that the lock down is in place, we really should give attention to the communities already in place and help people find alternatives to the Balmung behemoth.

There was something like this during ARR launching, a public poll was run on the RPC to decide the secondary server which became Gilgamesh. Unfortunately, it has grown to such a state that it's locked as well. If there is going to be any kind of consensus to create an alternative RP realm, it's going to require people from the communities coming together. There needs to be a thread where alternative communities can discuss their merits that is not restricted to the linkshell hall. And leading up to SB... well there's going to need to be some kind of vote of where new players are going to be funneled. Like it or not, there is going to need to be a clear indication of where new RPers and alts should go. Keeping it spread out as it is will not create a strong community.

Benchmark is up folks http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/benchmark/

Again, I can confirm that you can preorder without paying anything and get the code. Amazon does not charge until an order ships.