RPC has moved! These pages have been kept for historical purposes

Fox · **05-18-2017, 06:13 PM**

(05-18-2017, 05:36 PM)Nero Wrote: I understand the idea behind those concerns, but I also feel that that's sort of a separate issue entirely and therefore not terribly relevant; I'm a bit confused as to why it keeps being brought up. New people being unable to make new contacts at huge RP events doesn't mean huge RP events--and by extension, large RP populations--are inherently stifling, it's just that the difficulty of making yourself known is inversely proportional to the amount of people. If a person is seeking smaller-group and more intimately involved roleplay, then I don't particularly have any idea as to why they're seeking such a thing at huge RP events anyway as opposed to making OOC connections first or initiating connections on a smaller scale.

Again, the goal of a centralised RP hub is choice: if people want to immerse themselves in the largest RP community for whatever reason, then I believe they should have that choice. I personally want to be in the largest RP community because I enjoy being around large populations and there being a lot of people to meet. Even if I never interact with anyone new for years, I would still prefer to be around a larger community of relatively like-minded people than a smaller one.

I wouldn't call you a twat by any means Nero. And I understand it's really complicated and no one is really happy with the situation. No one should be. But I think the reason why people did bring it up because it does come off as a side-effect of having a very large server in the first place. While yes it is up to people to seek out RP; the same time I think casting all of it on the player individually is a bit awkward too. We have a huge server people are going to feel left out; but it's like throwing more onto what's already going on. So I see your point just as I see Kylin's; just as I can see the plight of the RPer (and PVErs who are stuck in stuff like Chocobo) and the situation SE is in. It's just all sorts of frustration.

Zhavi · **05-18-2017, 06:20 PM**

(05-18-2017, 06:13 PM)Foxberry Wrote: I wouldn't call you a twat by any means Nero. And I understand it's really complicated and no one is really happy with the situation. No one should be. But I think the reason why people did bring it up because it does come off as a side-effect of having a very large server in the first place. While yes it is up to people to seek out RP; the same time I think casting all of it on the player individually is a bit awkward too. We have a huge server people are going to feel left out; but it's like throwing more onto what's already going on. So I see your point just as I see Kylin's; just as I can see the plight of the RPer (and PVErs who are stuck in stuff like Chocobo) and the situation SE is in. It's just all sorts of frustration.

Really, it comes down to one thing: having options is good.

A lot of people like the biggest baddest community on offer.

Some people like smaller and tight knit.

The benefit is that both groups seek out the option on hand, and those options should stay relatively the same (bigger server being bigger, smaller server being smaller).

The biggest problem has always been getting a stable rp population on a second server, because wanting a smaller and tight knit community is not the same thing as being willing to start out on an untested community that hasn't weathered years and continues to thrive. Getting there without giving up is hard, particularly because people see how rough it is when they get there and go right back to the easier option.

So hey, if we're gonna have a lockout, let some new folks (edit - and those who like the idea of moving/having alts) be forced onto another server and set down roots.

Val · **05-18-2017, 06:22 PM**

(05-18-2017, 06:12 PM)Nero Wrote: Ugh, unfortunately I acknowledge that the biggest flaw with my ideal solution is Square Enix. I mean really, what can you expect out of a company that made three Final Fantasy XIII games? Christ.

EXACTLY

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I can understand a first. Or maybe a shot at making a better second.

But a third?Â Cactuar

Kylin · **05-18-2017, 06:24 PM**

I would love nothing more than to see an official RP server announcement. Truly. And I admire your effort to make it happen, Nero. I just honestly don't see it happening. We've been trying since 2010 to get that to happen. I recall even having Zam and GamerEscape at one point blatantly asking SE about the topic. I recall their response was something along the lines of that they'd consider it but preferred the community work it out themselves. Granted, this was a long time ago. Things change. And I'd love to be proven wrong on this particular subject. I'd be among the first to throw confetti all over the place for UnnamedMerc to clean up. I just don't have any substantial hope it'll happen, especially this late in the game's lifespan.

I really just don't want anyone hoping for that solution to get overly disappointed when prolonged silence is the only answer. It's like chasing a golden goose. But as far as I'm aware, there is no golden goose. So the best we can do is grab a chicken and paint it gold ourselves.

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Fox · **05-18-2017, 06:24 PM**

(05-18-2017, 06:20 PM)Zhavi Wrote: <snip>

I agree entirely. Other games have multiple RP communities. And while there are frictions sometimes I still see a lot of people here being very willing to help and try to get things underway. For the majority I'm very happy how people are rallying to try to do something for others.

Edit: Something to keep in mind; I think some might be forgetting is that like 7 other servers got put on lockdown as well? How are they reacting to this; I'm just curious- any word on that? Are people just shifting to other servers for PVE? If so what about their friends or people who they want to play with?

Mercer · **05-18-2017, 06:29 PM**

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 6000Â 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 YOUÂ doing right now to help the community? That should be the first question we should be answering right now.

Edda · **05-18-2017, 06:30 PM**

(05-18-2017, 05:23 PM)Kylin Wrote: This attitude is getting glaringly annoying. Why do people insist of demonizing people just for being realistic and trying to focus on solutions? Nobody who agrees with the lockout is saying "screw you" to newbies. Nobody. If anything, I'd argue the opposite. The people wanting more people in Balmung are the ones saying "eff you" to the newbies. What do you think happens to all those new people who immigrate in day after day? Are you there on the server to greet them personally and give them a tour when they become completely overwhelmed? No? Most of them are struggling. Not all, but most. How many big events do you go to and actually observe what happens? Did you go to the last Grindstone? Did you by chance pay attention to some of the people sitting on the sidelines trying to figure out who to contact to get involved or how to approach someone? Did you see as these individuals quietly got up and left without a word, their very existence not once acknowledged? This happens daily at every single large event. There are too many people and it's impossible for people to pay attention to them all and get them the attention they rightfully deserve. For all the love people claim to have for new RPers, they sure don't focus on retention strategies. It's all about "new blood, new blood, new blood!" And then nobody knows what to even do with the new blood.

So you can demonize us all you want and say we're being 'selfish.' But I'd argue the exact opposite. It goes right back to the whole buffet thing. People want all this food, but won't eat it. And guess what? That food can't wait around 4-6 months for someone to suddenly get a craving for it. It needs attention NOW or it spoils. That was the whole point of my analogy. The gluttony is just astounding.

FFXI had several tiny RP communities scattered across different servers and they mostly survived for over a decade. A freaking decade. And guess what? They weren't focused on 'new blood onry' strategies. They survived because they knew how to retain what they already had. New blood was scarce for them. So this whole mentality that the RP community MUST HAVE NEW BLOOD is a farce. I like new blood. Everyone likes new blood. But Balmung does not need it in its current condition! Out of 50 new blood people, we're lucky if even 10 of them are actually retained. Nobody notices it though because the immigration is so high that the next wave of immigrants quickly drowns out those who couldn't find a niche and vanished into the lifestream or wherever they went.

There are RPers out there who NEED attention. They need their existence acknowledged. Bringing in more people does not help with that. Gilgamesh was the one and only fully organized attempt to give another big alternative. It initially succeeded in spades. It failed later on for a variety of different reasons, and many of these reasons are no longer an issue with this new attempt.

For the record: I have 8 characters on Balmung. I'm giving serious consideration to giving Mateus a second chance and going back full time if the community is capable or rallying behind it. So I don't want to hear the accusation of me having mine on Balmung and not caring about those trying to get on.

First off, no one is arguing that Balmung needs 'new blood' so the RP community can just have more people and then... ignore them, or whatever it is you think is going on. The main concern is people having no warning being suddenly cut off from the main RP hub, people who might have had friends ready and waiting to transfer, and can do so no longer. And yes, after a time, new blood is necessary because people take breaks, they quit, they transfer - all manner of things. Having people come in to replace them is necessary for every community in every MMO. Yes, it is good to have an alternate option so Balmung is not inundated with massive amounts of people, but it is not healthy to sever the flow completely for a prolonged amount of time.

My main concern with your argument is that somehow more people = less opportunity for RP? Or something??? Like, I may not have any prior MMO RP experience to back my stance, but I really do not see how this could ever possibly be conceived as a bad thing. Shy, introverted RPers are going to exist on every server, regardless of size. Servers with a smaller RP community may still have large RP events, that will inevitably have some people stewing on the sidelines... just like a real high school dance.

So, what's your solution to this? You want Balmung to stay closed indefinitely, so what, shy people can get more RP, somehow? Because if no new people are coming in, long-time people will now be forced to pay attention to them and RP with them? I can't see how this is logically sound in any capacity, so much so I don't even see how the points you made pertain at ALL to Balmung being locked. Established RPers aren't going anywhere (unless SE does something drastic (doubtful)). Many of these sidelined RPers you keep talking about will stay because they know Balmung will remain the largest RP hub in the game for quite some time, even with an indefinite lockdown, and will thus continue to have a large and active community to try and integrate with.

Anyway I could go on and on about this but I feel it has very little to do with the topic at hand... your post included. The problems you pointed out have been going on before Balmung was locked, and will continue to exist unless SE just nukes the server entirely. But I'll stop before I give YoshiP any ideas.

Kylin · **05-18-2017, 06:37 PM**

I already made my point succinctly clear and won't repeat it. I stand by it 100% based on my own experience in XIV and even before then.

People are arguing just to argue right now to be honest (commonplace for RP server discussion though I suppose). Everyone agrees that something needs done. Whether we agree that the lockdown is good or bad is completely and utterly irrelevant. It's done. It's happening. SE isn't going to just up and say "oh noes! They're mad, let's reverse our decision and open the floodgates again!" The point of my post was to point out the hypocrisy and gluttony, and probably just contributed to an unnecessary argument. But it needed said, and it looks like quite a few people agreed that it needed said.

***Nero*** · **05-18-2017, 06:41 PM**

Alright, everyone, time to take a break.

This thread will be locked for 24 hours to give everyone a chance to cool off. If you have more relevant discussion to add, please wait for the lock to be lifted tomorrow instead of creating a new thread.

Virella · **05-18-2017, 07:06 PM**

The thing is though, I see people screaming "YOU need to invest in this." That is absurd. Yes, people are willingly to help, but let's be very realistic here. We like Balmung for what it is. Lots of people struggle to roleplay alts. Have no interests in creating alts.

Instead of sitting on some high horse going "YOU NEED TO BECOME A PART OF THAT COMMUNITY. YOU BUNCH OF PRICKS REEEE." you could also go: "Hey this sucks, but if you are capable? Please make an alt to join in RP on the other server! If not? At least please tell people about Mateus (for example) as an alternative?"

I honestly have no desire to make another alt at this point, invest into it and all that. I like where I am (fuck me right for admitting that). But I want others, new players, and old alike interested in roleplay, to have a chance at that same comfort Balmung provides.

Yes there are people who enjoy smaller roleplay communities. But this is a choice they've made in the past. New people? They don't have that choice. That is what gets me.

But I will point new roleplayers towards other servers, and continue to try to make SE aware that us roleplayers do want Balmung reopened for various reasons, provided their temporary lock isn't so temporary.

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But I'm totally going to redirect people to Mateus (as that seems to be the one with a small community compared to the rest) for the time being while continuing to stress that fact we can't have Balmung locked for months and months on end.

Sig · **05-19-2017, 01:30 PM**

Unfortunately, we are unable to openly discuss and and critique the concept of designating another "unofficial" RP server.Â The thread on this forum does not contain an option for users to select that no alternative unofficial should be designated.Â The member who posted the thread has refused via PM request to supplement the poll to include that option, and the moderation staff has closed all threads and prohibited the discussion of opposing another "unofficial" server designation.Â Opening a new thread is the only remaining way to address a critical issue relevant to a poll that has been opened for a two-day period only.

If any member of the moderator staff believes this thread should be closed, I respectfully request that Nero and several other moderators make that decision as a collective, and with the understanding that you are censoring a valid viewpoint and demonstrating clear bias.Â

Fragmenting the Balmung RP community across servers could be detrimental to the long-term health of FFXIVâ€™s roleplay community, and all RP should be consolidated on Balmung.

Roleplayers depend on large, vibrant, and centralized hubs to provide the great number of RP opportunities, contacts, and types of roleplay.Â Server selection should not be an artificial barrier that limits RP.Â

Without a centralized hub, RPers struggle to find roleplay that suits their unique tastes and preferences, and the amount of roleplay in general drastically declines.Â All prior attempts to establish an alternative RP server have resulted in little more than homogeneous 20-50 person RP communities that offer little in terms of public RP, open world RP, and diverse types of RP.Â Please understand that those types of communities are severely limited in scope of RP, content, frequency of RP, and generally taper off after a few months, rendering everyoneâ€™s efforts wasted.Â

RPers need /one/ large, diverse, and central RP hub (Balmung), or RP ends up more about scrounging up participants than the actual content.Â Stagnation is the bane of roleplay communities.

It would be unfortunate to see great RP'ers expend tremendous time and effort trying to form yet another tiny enclave in the middle of nowhere, and watch that community remain small, homogenous, and eventually decline. RP'ers need to stick together for the sake of quality RP, man. Â

We need to bring it in for a giant Balmung group hug.Â No alternative unofficial RP should be designated, and RPers should take action to consolidate RP on Balmung while pressuring SE to lift the transfer restrictions.

Kylin · **05-19-2017, 01:35 PM**

Most of your points have already been addressed ad nauseum...

We get it. People want everyone to stick together on Balmung and sing kumbaya. Great. Only one problem. Balmung is closed. Nobody gets in. No new characters, no transfers, no nothing. It will remain closed for a period anywhere between 2 months to several years. We have no idea. In the meantime, there are RPers who have nowhere to go.

What is your solution? Keep pressuring SE like we've been doing since 2010 with no results? Is that it???

Sig · **05-19-2017, 01:37 PM**

(05-19-2017, 01:35 PM)Kylin Wrote: Most of your points have already been addressed ad nauseum...

We get it. People want everyone to stick together on Balmung and sing kumbaya. Great. Only one problem. Balmung is closed. Nobody gets in. No new characters, no transfers, no nothing. It will remain closed for a period anywhere between 2 months to several years. We have no idea. In the meantime, there are RPers who have nowhere to go.

What is your solution? Keep pressuring SE like we've been doing since 2010 with no results? Is that it???

The solution is to put as much pressure on SE as possible to lift the server restriction or finally give us a official designated RP server.Â Fragmenting our community is /not/ the solution to this problem.

***Nero*** · **05-19-2017, 01:38 PM**

Okay, everyone, play nice this time.

Rule violations in this thread from this point forward will earn you a warning. Anything further may include temporary suspension of posting rights and up to a temporary ban if the violation is egregious enough.

FYI: No post or thread has been removed because of the nature of the opinion (unless it's clearly something remove-worthy like...racism or something. Which hasn't happened yet). Posts or threads are removed for rule violations or for being off-topic in relation to the thread.

Sig · **05-19-2017, 01:44 PM**

The voting poll should be supplemented (like the one on Tumblr) to include an option to not designate another unofficial RP server.Â The OP of the poll (who apparently now holds the power to determine what procedures will be used to designate a new RP server [where was that vote?]) has refused a request to supplement the poll.Â Members of the RPC community should have the right to select that option.

This should be a sign that the poll itself should not be viewed as a decision of the RPC community and is procedurally defective.Â

Nero, if it is appropriate - please move this post to the voting poll thread.

Mod edit: No posting PMs without the express consent of both users.

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Balmung Transfer Restriction Megathread

RPC has moved! These pages have been kept for historical purposes