The state of the Gilgamesh server

[CrimsonMars]

A few days ago, me and my rp buddies briefly discuss the state of our main server, Gilgamesh and how it was (from our perspective at least) slowly deteriorating and how people are slowly losing interest in the community. For the past mouth or so now, people have either jump servers, got bored if the game, had real-life issues or ultimately become inactive. Whatever the case may be, while our beloved server may not exactly be dying, it is having a little bit of a depressing...

 

My free company, Driftwood Coast is one of the leading rp companies in Gilgamesh. Just recently, three of one of our most well known members of the coast has lost interest in the game and has sadly moved on, and will be missed dearly. We have lost a few other members before, but seem, if not most have made some sort of impact on some of our characters in some way, mine included. Some of with are the sole reason we still play today. 

 

When the game was coming out, I was debating on which server I would be focusing on. I choose Gilgamesh because I've never played 1.0 and building up a community from the ground up was an interesting idea. Starting out, everyone seemed more than willing to get involved, even if it was our first time rping in a game. As the months went by, we've lost some of our people, but still maintain a friendly and interactive environment, hosting almost as much event as Bulmung itself. But now, more and more people seemed to be losing interest, even if they haven't admitted it yet.

 

I may have came out as paranoid about this, but I wanted to know what everyone thinks on the matter...

[Lightningtear]

Personally, I made my current character on Gilgamesh along with my friend. This was about... 20 days ago. Almost immediately, when we open world RP'd she was whispered with surprise that she was in an open world RP. I got more OOC attention from people trying to give me stuff so I'd join their FC and while we did meet a few faces quickly, the lack of interest in Gilgamesh caused us to switch our characters to Balmung because it just seemed like the livelier community.

 

 While I wasn't in Gilgamesh long enough to give a real opinion, I will say it didn't take long for me to become disappointed and move on myself. It's probably reactions, or opinions like this that are causing the very issues your talking about. While it's unfortunate, I do still believe there is a good chance there is good RP there and that it can grow again. The issue that I noticed in any server is that few people are willing to just open world RP, and all of it takes place in the same taverns with the same dry conversations. 

 

I have seen a few forums up here for people still strong with RPing in Gilgamesh and believe that with more interest and a chance it could come back strong again. Or I could just be optimistic.

[Sateru]

I'm rather depressed to learn that Gilgamesh is waning in interest, especially since I jumped ship off of Leviathan in order to join a new community.  Even so, it's never too late to change the course, strong intent to maintain the focus of Gilgamesh and trying to get the interest peeked that Gilgamesh is a worthy non-Legacy alternative for an RP server might help.

[Jana]

Every MMO is going to experience player turnover as time goes on. The smaller communities are going to feel it the hardest.

[No Longer Exists]

Howdy, Folks! Black Hat here!

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Gilgamesh struggles for many reasons but RP is not dead, nor dying!

 

One of the biggest factors on Gilgamesh is that it's a shared server. Balmung is (almost) exclusively roleplaying. Gilgamesh is RP/PvE. Check out the FC registry on Lodestone, over 2/3s the FCs on Gilgamesh are not RP or are light RP. That makes Open World hard to work with. It's like being a stranger in a foreign land, people may be friendly but they're just not what you were expecting.

 

Still, there's a lot of RP going on and people like myself are trying very hard to bring it to you. We all have lives outside the game and sometimes getting the fire burning brightly enough to be noticed takes extra time. Don't be discouraged.

 

As to Driftwood Coast, I wish those who left the best. It's hard not to be saddened when people you know quit but it's what they want to do and I hope whatever they do next makes them happy. Cause playing a game is all about the enjoyment.

 

Hope that helps!

 

Cheers!

 

-Black Hat

[ArmachiA]

Correction: Balmung is not exclusively roleplaying, like at all. It's just as PvE oriented as any other server.

[No Longer Exists]

Correction: Balmung is not exclusively roleplaying, like at all. It's just as PvE oriented as any other server.

I said Almost!  And I acknowledge you may not see it that way, but the population ratio is dramatically different. I played there and unless things changed drastically over there in the last couple months, Balmung's PvE to RP ratio is not 2/3s PvE.

[Mippa]

The RP community on Gilgamesh is not reliant on any one, three, or ten players to keep the community strong. I disagree with the assessment that the RP community is waning, and I've seen several events take place over the past month to really cement that feeling.

 

MMOs by nature are a revolving door, and especially with someone that requires a monthly subscription, I can see why people would be taking regular accounts of whether or not they want to budget the game into their daily lifestyle. 

 

The RP is there, for sure, in varying degrees...and it's not getting smaller, by any means. I think saying that the community is dwindling because three people left is 1) undue pressure on those three people and 2) a disservice to the people that continue to remain and 3) premature conclusion.

 

I'm the heir-apparent to Driftwood Coast, and I think I'm made myself pretty clear on how present I am here and how I plan to invest in the Gilgamesh community. Drift is a big company with a lot of different people. I don't think it's prudent to determine some sort of forecast of their future, as diversity has proven to be a very unpredictable force of nature.

[Evaleigh]

The idea that Gilgamesh is lacking in roleplay is silly.

 

I have not been playing FFXIV for very long so perhaps I don't see the reason to lose hope or have my morale crushed just yet.  I joined 3 months ago when a small group of my friends who have already left for greener pastures--no worries, my friends are fickle like that and they bounce from game to game swiftly but not me!  FFXIV's community has been what finally made me cancel for good my previous MMO.  I am happier here than I ever have been elsewhere.

 

 

My one complaint about Gilgamesh is that unlike Balmung, there is a lack of open world roleplay.  That said, there is an AMAZING rich and diverse amount of FC roleplay among the many RP FC's and more story-driven and "serious" roleplay.  I play on both. Balmung and Gilgamesh.  What I've come to experience is that Balmung is great for tavern rp, for open world rp, for small plots on the street corner that are mostly fluff with the occasional event.

 

What I've seen from Gilgamesh is amazing.  I've been roleplaying for a very long time and I remember the days of my college youth and high school years when roleplay could be compelling enough to keep me up all night.  I had not had that until recently.  The great care people take in their characters and the effort put forth to create events is amazing.

 

What is more amazing is some of the "big picture" ideas that are coming out of Gilgamesh.  So what if a few people are leaving?  I challenge that anyone who wants roleplay can find roleplay still.  I have never reached out searching for it and been left wanting (well except for maybe at 5am but... I should have been asleep).

 

This talk that Gilgamesh is in a sad state of affairs is stupid and saying these things only hurts morale.  Just the other day Berserk had their auction event and there was a HUGE turnout so much so that it took hours to auction everyone off and hours more of roleplay afterwards.  There are still plenty of people left on Gilgamesh that want to roleplay so...

 

If you're not happy with the state of things, help us to change it.

[Devereau]

I originally started on Goblin, and soon found myself yearning for change. After some lengthy research and asking friend on their opinion of the matter, I finally chose to move to Gilgamesh. I certainly didn't regret the choice. 

 

Upon arriving there, I met many people who ended up changing my life, both in game and out of game, in a very significant way. I found a great deal of RP there, as well, but most of it required a bit of looking. Regardless, I have many good memories and wonderful friends that I can, without a doubt, say I would be much different without. 

 

I have recently chosen to leave Gilgamesh for personal reasons, but I didn't leave empty handed. Even with the change of servers and people waning in interest, I have friends I talk to out of game, one I hang out with in person on a regular basis, and most hopefully the love of my life. I don't think you would get such things from a dead, baseless server. 

 

The reality is that things change, and even now, I find myself missing Gilgamesh at times. Though it may not be the optimal community for some, it still holds a close, intimate scene and many friendships and roleplay to be had for those who don't mind putting in a little work and sacrificing blatant open world RP at times. Jumping ship or not, each place is going to have some pros and cons. 

 

For there to even be any worry and concern in the first place shows me that there is still many people there who do care. Seek them out and make a change.

[Solano Thorne]

Unfortunately, after playing on Gilgamesh for about a week, I have to agree that the volume of roleplay(dare I say even quality) leaves something to be desired.

 

My main was originally on Balmung, but I had an urge to play my first character who was on a non-RP server. Due to the current server restrictions, I was unable to transfer him there, so I opted for Gilgamesh to get established and start my FC.  I'll admit it has been extremely difficult to locate roleplayers, let alone those who haven't already been snatched up by the FCs that seem to aggressively recruit anyone and everyone they can.  It is somewhat frustrating as a leader, because I feel painted into a corner.

 

I have had some fun interaction with the last event Chiyo hosted.  But I would be lying if I said I didn't regret waiting for server capacities to increase, and I have to agree the RP population on our server seems rather spread thin.

 

On Balmung, every tavern would have someone roleplaying at all hours of the day.   People have lore-specific names for their tribes/clans and seem to have a stronger grasp of roleplay overall(Why am I talking to cat-girls and elezen with Japanophile names? Are they Domans who came over with Lady Yugiri?). Gilgamesh?  I'm lucky if I find even one person sitting at a bar.

 

 

You'll have to forgive my honesty, since Gilgamesh does have an active, friendly, and enthusiastic rp community -- but I'm left with the impression that it is much less visible to newcomers on our server. This is just a relative comparison to Balmung, and it is a valid comparison to make given that roleplayers are a minority. Curtailing the topic would be a form of avoidance or denial.

 

I believe it isn't too late to turn things around, if we all work together and find ways to invigorate the community.

[Saefinn]

Yes, I think open world doesn't really happen, but the server ain't lacking IMO. I would say there's the perception that Gilgamesh is the secondary server...which is true, but I don't think it's necessarily inferior. There have people who have left, people who have jumped ship, but I think that's just a case of "the grass is always greener", I've had people find they didn't like to Balmung and I'm sure there's Balmungians who didn't like moving to Gilgamesh.

 

But bear in mind too, server populations also naturally drop as people abandon ship, as is to be expected with any MMO, so we'll see numbers drop in the RP community.

 

I would say they are 2 different communities who approach things in a different light. I don't do Open World RP, I love story arcs, I love drama and I enjoy stories, so my FC's efforts have been mainly pointed in that direction and in the early days were quite private and now we have a house in an RP community I think it has only helped us diversify how our RP works. We get some people walking in to join in and our FC's OOC linkshell has grown, but we've also managed to keep our membership from when people have dropped and moved on.

 

Despite being a smaller FC (we prefer 'cosey') we've not struggled too badly to keep our RP alive, because we find it so fun. However, there's no real centralised 'world' RP and it has never once been an issue.

 

I think what people will need to do is shout for joining RP networks, make use of this site (with regards to events) and use the resources already out there to join in with people's RP.

 

 

I was almost tempted to restart the Gilgamesh Event Organisers and came very close, but I heard opinions from different people and I have found out that a number of people have made attempts to *revive* some RP relationships on the server, but I have actually found that actively the best way to get RP is funnily enough...by RPing. It's how we've kept our membership, it's how we've kept our relations with people in other RP groups and we find we have a lot of fun.

 

Hence, I'm not concerned, it's interesting how long the perception that Gilgamesh RP is somehow dead/nearly dead for. However, I am all up for promoting and getting involved with RP...speaking of which, I will end that here (because I am missing out on some juicy RP right now )

[Mippa]

You'll have to forgive my honesty, since Gilgamesh does have an active, friendly, and enthusiastic rp community -- but I'm left with the impression that it is much less visible to newcomers on our server.  This is just a relative comparison to Balmung, and it is a valid comparison to make given that roleplayers are a minority. Curtailing the topic would be a form of avoidance or denial.

 

I believe it isn't too late to turn things around, if we all work together and find ways to invigorate the community.

 

I think I saw you at the Berserk thing, and I'm so sorry we didn't get a chance to interact! I personally was dealing with some unfortunate OOC business but I assure you, there are opportunities abound, even if we're a bit slower-moving, the payoff is grand!

 

I also want to thank you for giving honest feedback about what you've seen. It's really hard to convince people that change needs to happen when we're caught up in our own contentment. It's very 'let them have cake' IMO and we need more vocal input like this. (As long as it's not fatalistic.)

 

I was almost tempted to restart the Gilgamesh Event Organisers and came very close, but I heard opinions from different people and I have found out that a number of people have made attempts to *revive* some RP relationships on the server, but I have actually found that actively the best way to get RP is funnily enough...by RPing. It's how we've kept our membership, it's how we've kept our relations with people in other RP groups and we find we have a lot of fun.

 

 

Please please please if you do this, I want in!!

[Aysun]

Correction: Balmung is not exclusively roleplaying, like at all. It's just as PvE oriented as any other server.

I said Almost!  And I acknowledge you may not see it that way, but the population ratio is dramatically different. I played there and unless things changed drastically over there in the last couple months, Balmung's PvE to RP ratio is not 2/3s PvE.

 

OT: Being one that plays solely on Balmung, I have to disagree with you again here. Balmung is one of the most populated servers and RPers are, I'd estimate, easily out numbered by PvE 10 to 1, considering server population is around 25,000 characters (and that's only the ones in FCs). Granted Gilgamesh is not that far behind in numbers overall, but we there are no where near as many RPers as you think there are on Balmung.

 

I have actually spoken with a few Gilgamesh to Balmung transplants recently so I wasn't all that surprised to see this thread pop up. Wish those who remain the best of luck. Believe it or not everyone on Balmung/Besaid from 1.0 knows the feeling, because it was a constant struggle to keep our community strong back then as well!

[Desmond Aryll]

I haven't posted here in some time but I felt this warranted a comment.

 

Having never RP'd in an MMO, I wasn't sure what to expect. I was always aware that Gilgamesh had an uphill battle to make something happen as well as always being compared to Balmung (even subconsciously) by the RP population at large. Inevitably, the server would be perceived as lacking.

 

After having been around for some time, since early access last summer I have come to figure something out. Overall population of any server isn't as meaningful as the relationships you forge. Will there be more opportunity to find these people you click with in a more active or numerous server? Absolutely, without a doubt. But those connections happen with only a select few people/characters.

 

In short, it doesn't matter whether you live in a little town or a megacity. What matters are the deep, personal connections you make with others and its the same for your characters. Gilgamesh is what those of us who play there make it, separate from any comparisons to Balmung.

[Solano Thorne]

 

I think I saw you at the Berserk thing, and I'm so sorry we didn't get a chance to interact! I personally was dealing with some unfortunate OOC business but I assure you, there are opportunities abound, even if we're a bit slower-moving, the payoff is grand!

 

I also want to thank you for giving honest feedback about what you've seen. It's really hard to convince people that change needs to happen when we're caught up in our own contentment. It's very 'let them have cake' IMO and we need more vocal input like this. (As long as it's not fatalistic.)

 

 

That's alright, next time!  It was my first opportunity to interact with anyone, so I enjoyed observing as much as I did participating.  I hope my post didn't come off too 'canary in the coal mine', since I realize a lot of effort is put in by players such as yourself to make things happen, which is greatly appreciated! 

 

 

-----------

 

As for Gilgamesh being 'dead' as some posts may have insinuated, I think Chiyo actually meant to say(correct me if I'm wrong) that the RP community is becoming diffuse as more and more people lose interest.  I do not think Gilgamesh is dead or dying, but it needs some love.  Not everyone is going to stick around, and that's alright. With that being said, I think there are strategies we can employ to rectify the open world RP issue.

 

 

Something that may help is communicating some commonly-known, easily accessible hubs on the forum so that players are aware of them(The Quicksands is generally regarded as a hub on Balmung).  That means areas in the open world, not just a linkshell.  While it is neat and fun to hang out in our FC housing all the time, this doesn't lend to our visibility.  Roleplayers are a keen group, they will do research and create a character specifically for their experience.  Giving them some knowledge and useful tips will help new people stick around. 

 

I would also refute the notion that people leave the game because they are bored of playing.  Not everyone is bored with ARR, plenty of FCs on other servers have players with full AF2, taking on endgame content like Binding Coil every week and waiting for the next Live Letter to come out.  So sorry, blaming the game itself is not going to change the state of roleplay!

 

 

Sure, less open world roleplay is a #FirstWorldProblem.  But it is our problem. If we want to see it change, it's our responsibility to find proactive solutions.

[Jana]

After reading a few of the other posts in here, I think the problem is less that Gilgamesh's RP scene is dying so much as it's becoming clique-y and hidden away from anyone searching the open world for RP. In my mind, this is an even worse situation!

[CrimsonMars]

 

I think I saw you at the Berserk thing, and I'm so sorry we didn't get a chance to interact! I personally was dealing with some unfortunate OOC business but I assure you, there are opportunities abound, even if we're a bit slower-moving, the payoff is grand!

 

I also want to thank you for giving honest feedback about what you've seen. It's really hard to convince people that change needs to happen when we're caught up in our own contentment. It's very 'let them have cake' IMO and we need more vocal input like this. (As long as it's not fatalistic.)

 

 

That's alright, next time!  It was my first opportunity to interact with anyone, so I enjoyed observing as much as I did participating.  I hope my post didn't come off too 'canary in the coal mine', since I realize a lot of effort is put in by players such as yourself to make things happen, which is greatly appreciated! 

 

 

-----------

 

As for Gilgamesh being 'dead' as some posts may have insinuated, I think Chiyo actually meant to say(correct me if I'm wrong) that the RP community is becoming diffuse as more and more people lose interest.  I do not think Gilgamesh is dead or dying, but it needs some love.  Not everyone is going to stick around, and that's alright. With that being said, I think there are strategies we can employ to rectify the open world RP issue.

 

 

Something that may help is communicating some commonly-known, easily accessible hubs on the forum so that players are aware of them(The Quicksands is generally regarded as a hub on Balmung).  That means areas in the open world, not just a linkshell.  While it is neat and fun to hang out in our FC housing all the time, this doesn't lend to our visibility.  Roleplayers are a keen group, they will do research and create a character specifically for their experience.  Giving them some knowledge and useful tips will help new people stick around. 

 

I would also refute the notion that people leave the game because they are bored of playing.  Not everyone is bored with ARR, plenty of FCs on other servers have players with full AF2, taking on endgame content like Binding Coil every week and waiting for the next Live Letter to come out.  So sorry, blaming the game itself is not going to change the state of roleplay!

 

 

Sure, less open world roleplay is a #FirstWorldProblem.  But it is our problem.  If we want to see it change, it's our responsibility to find proactive solutions.

 

You would be right on that aspect. The event wasn't just for my zerkers, but for the community as well. That's why I didn't even require real gil transactions. Granted, the event may seem all over the place for some (then again, Chiyo isn't always professional, lol) but the whole point was to invite some rp opportunities. Which I felt some people here needed, as well as make new friends. I didn't really mean to sound pessimistic, but I feel as though I should spread awareness for my fellow Gilgas out there.

 

I will admit though, I haven't been faithful to some of the lore as of late (nevermind my character's name), but some of the stuff it kinda hard to follow as it isn't terribly well written at times... >.>

[Solano Thorne]

You would be right on that aspect. The event wasn't just for my zerkers, but for the community as well. That's why I didn't even require real gil transactions. Granted, the event may seem all over the place for some (then again, Chiyo isn't always professional, lol) but the whole point was to invite some rp opportunities. Which I felt some people here needed, as well as make new friends. I didn't really mean to sound pessimistic, but I feel as though I should spread awareness for my fellow Gilgas out there.

 

I will admit though, I haven't been faithful to some of the lore as of late (nevermind my character's name), but some of the stuff it kinda hard to follow as it isn't terribly well written at times... >.>

 

I think the event was a success!  The important thing is that players connect and that was definitely achieved.  I agree with your sentiments about Gilgamesh, but it's clear there is a willing crowd of people who want to get involved.

 

You're right about the lore, there is minimal explanation of culture and customs for Eorzea in the game itself.  Most of it has to be hunted down in the wiki or online, but it's there!  

 

Whenever I come across unusual named characters, I'm more compelled to find out their story.  For example, Framboise.  Was she adopted by wildwood elezen and raised in Gridania?  Who knows? That's part of the fun of roleplaying, other people add to your experience and help shape your stories.  It's always possible to evolve or adapt character concept and flesh them out as you go.

[Shizuka]

I don't have a ton to really throw into this thread right now because I'm falling asleep at my keyboard, but I just wanted to say that I don't actually feel like I have a ton of trouble finding open world RP. While we DO RP a lot in the Goblet lately, near/in our (new!) FC house, our group has always done a good bit of open world, out of tavern RP. Most of our recruitment has been done this way, from people just walking up on our RP and joining in. While we did notice some of the largest RP FCs definitely recruit...ah....aggressively, once we agreed that -numbers- weren't really important in the long run, we didn't feel so bad about just picking people up as we RP'd with them as compared to actively seeking people out and recruiting them in.

 

I've heard a lot of both good and bad about both servers. Personally, I really like Gilgamesh. While some of the larger groups could maybe be more open about their RP, I feel like many people have gone to great lengths to draw in some of the smaller FCs for plotlines. Almost everyone I've met on this server (including the non-RPers) have been really nice and respectful. I absolutely don't regret rolling here, and I don't feel like the RP community here is "dying". I try to keep in mind that there's always an ebb and flow when it comes to activity. We might just be in an ebb stage as the summer starts to come in and people adjust from college to working, or going home, or whatever thing is changing for them.

[Devereau]

 

 

In short, it doesn't matter whether you live in a little town or a megacity. What matters are the deep, personal connections you make with others and its the same for your characters. Gilgamesh is what those of us who play there make it, separate from any comparisons to Balmung.

I agree muchly. Also, I miss you, hngh.

[No Longer Exists]

Hey Guys!

 

I want you all to know that I'm loving the feedback here. Thank you for sounding off and giving some good insight, as well as perspective. It's important that we do that from time to time, it keeps the lines of communication open. There's been some talk around the proverbial water cooler of a second (and less odd) Free Company Congregation. Now, nothing is set in stone yet but the idea WAS brought up and bandied about. If you're interested in that sort of thing, having the RP FCs meet up IC and get together for awhile casually then have a little OOC meeting to exchange ideas, hopes, and aspirations, please say so! 

 

Also, there are a LOT of fresh concepts for roleplaying in the works for Gilgamesh server. I, myself, have my hands full with preparations of myriad projects (like the real gil adventurer jobs) and as soon as they're ready (and I'm prepared to pay  ), these shall launch. With life though, comes distractions and some are unavoidable, not to mention our real lives, so please bear with all of us who either individually or as a group are working hard in our off time to bring some really fun activities to the RP table. 

 

Cheers!

 

-Black Hat

[Kyrrae L'minia]

After reading a few of the other posts in here, I think the problem is less that Gilgamesh's RP scene is dying so much as it's becoming clique-y and hidden away from anyone searching the open world for RP.

 

Hey guys! I would say that I would have to contest the above observation. I wouldn't say that RP on Gilgamesh is clique=y and hidden, it's just disconnected and not broadcast IC'ly, as well as OOC to a point. I myself have known about open rp going on over at the Goblet, but haven't had a RP reason to go check it out as I've only heard OOC. And trust me, I'm dying to. A friend is going to give me a RP reason to know about it and then I'll join in. But it doesn't seem too much different than what I've heard about breaking into RP in Balmung, in that you need to have a RP reason to be involved in quite a few RP storylines. The main difference being that we don't have as much open Tavern RP, so it's harder to get IC knowledge of them.

 

All in all, it seems to me like RP isn't dead on Gilgamesh by any means, just disjointed, and fractured in some ways. I say, let us try to get involved in each other's events as much as in IC'ly sensible, and create a more complete atmosphere. And that includes more open world RP for those that enjoy it. Personally, I always RP in the open world. I almost never RP in a linkshell outside of when I am listening and responding to a LS IC anyway. That's just me, it breaks the immersion for me to RP in a LS any other way.

 

So in short, in my little opinion, to the people who come to Gilgamesh looking for Roleplay, it's here! Just give us a heads-up in the Gilgamesh section, and check out the Linkshell Hall for FC's to talk with, not even necessarily join. A lot of us have websites, and you can always ask questions there, or here on RPC on where/how to get involved with RP on the Wild Wide World of Gilgamesh.

[Shizuka]

 

 

Hey guys! I would say that I would have to contest the above observation. I wouldn't say that RP on Gilgamesh is clique=y and hidden, it's just disconnected and not broadcast IC'ly, as well as OOC to a point. I myself have known about open rp going on over at the Goblet, but haven't had a RP reason to go check it out as I've only heard OOC. And trust me, I'm dying to. A friend is going to give me a RP reason to know about it and then I'll join in. But it doesn't seem too much different than what I've heard about breaking into RP in Balmung, in that you need to have a RP reason to be involved in quite a few RP storylines. The main difference being that we don't have as much open Tavern RP, so it's harder to get IC knowledge of them.

 

I'd agree with this. We've run into a few events we'd LIKE to join in with but couldn't figure out how we'd know about ICly. It's one thing when it's posted up on a calendar. Clearly we can see that because it's probably posted on some sort of announcement board in cities or neighborhoods or something. But impromptu events announced in an OOC linkshell are harder for me. I know some of my FCmates feel the same way.

[Saefinn]

To add on some previous points, I think the housing has kind of benefited RP a bit on the server, Wayward Star from the beginning was very internally focused because we got so caught up in our own arcs and it took more effort to get involved with other groups. We did encounter RP in places like Limsa, but never fully embraced it (I'm not much of a tavern person).

 

But since we've got our housing (heck, even before we got it) we found having an RP dedicated location just opened up more inter-FC opportunities. I have been stopped by fellow RPers - even strangers and taken up RP. I think this is the kind of thing people are perhaps perceiving Gilgamesh not having enough of. Ward 3 of The Goblet seems to be growing more and more with RPers and activity. It would be nice to see it in more wards.

 

I do think one of the things puts people off with RP is dealing with non-RPers, especially trolls. It has been something I've had go in my head, but I remember that I am shameless and don't care what people think, hence I enjoy being such a weirdo IRL, so why should the internet be any different? I am well equipped when it comes to trolls, most of the time I know how to frustrate them and one of the funniest things in the world is watching a troll try too hard. That said, the Gilgamesh community has been pretty tolerant of RP - it doesn't get in their way and they don't get in ours, except may be a select minority, but that was more prevalent in the early days.

 

But I think it can potentially discourage more open world stuff, except when there's an event and we're in bulk. But now, we have an RP neighbourhood, I remember people thinking housing would make groups more exclusive and RP to their own domains, but it's nice to see that it encourages interaction.