I think a lot of these points are predicated on the idea that Balmung is a great place to be for a new player, but I don't believe this is an easy argument to make.
For one, as far as I can tell, those who are most vociferously against the community fracturing away from a Balmung consolidation are people who already have made connections, friends, and own houses there. As such, I don't think they're qualified to judge how good Balmung is for new players.
Secondly, the $18 transfer fee is essentially an additional cost imposed beyond the basic buy in on those new players. That is quite clearly not in their favor, nor is it a one-time fee if a person wishes to play multiple characters.
Third, there are ways in which Balmung's size is actually bad for new players. Many established, quality FCs are closed to new recruits or require references from existing members. The Bystander Effect (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bystander_effect) combined with chatspam from overcrowding often leads to people being ignored during events.
Finally, I simply disagree that somehow Balmung is less cliquish than other servers. The claim itself is unverified and evidenceless, and it's been my experience generally after playing MMORPGs for nearly 20 years now that smaller communities appreciate each individual player more and are more inviting as a result.
Example: I rolled an alt on Mateus yesterday and have already been personally greeted by their roleplaying ambassador, but I've been on Balmung now for 2-3 years and no one welcomed me.
EDIT: One big point I forgot to mention: housing. You can't even get an Apartment on Balmung as a new player. That's a big problem.
For one, as far as I can tell, those who are most vociferously against the community fracturing away from a Balmung consolidation are people who already have made connections, friends, and own houses there. As such, I don't think they're qualified to judge how good Balmung is for new players.
Secondly, the $18 transfer fee is essentially an additional cost imposed beyond the basic buy in on those new players. That is quite clearly not in their favor, nor is it a one-time fee if a person wishes to play multiple characters.
Third, there are ways in which Balmung's size is actually bad for new players. Many established, quality FCs are closed to new recruits or require references from existing members. The Bystander Effect (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bystander_effect) combined with chatspam from overcrowding often leads to people being ignored during events.
Finally, I simply disagree that somehow Balmung is less cliquish than other servers. The claim itself is unverified and evidenceless, and it's been my experience generally after playing MMORPGs for nearly 20 years now that smaller communities appreciate each individual player more and are more inviting as a result.
Example: I rolled an alt on Mateus yesterday and have already been personally greeted by their roleplaying ambassador, but I've been on Balmung now for 2-3 years and no one welcomed me.
EDIT: One big point I forgot to mention: housing. You can't even get an Apartment on Balmung as a new player. That's a big problem.
