Any Plans For A Server Merge?

If FFXI wasn't over a decade old and built on architecture that barely supports it as is, sure, do all the merges you want. But congestion and lack of instances is already a very real problem even on the low population servers. Last week I needed to wait 45 minutes to do an Omega fight: not because of lack of people, or waiting on others to gather together, but because the battlefield only has two instances available (if that, it might just be one) and there was a long line.

SE will never do anything to alleviate congestion issues. They will never add more instances for BCNMs. They will never remove the once-per-JPM restriction on AR2. They'll never make Limbus instanced (I was waiting on people even before the timegate reduction). The Sinister Reign conveyor will always sputter when you're trying to take your party inside when it's anywhere close to JP prime-time.

So if merges would make those already apparent problems even worse, to hell with them. And if there's anyone that cries over not being able to join a shout, so they insist on server merges when that person is perfectly capable of moving to more populated server on their own? Honestly, to hell with them too.

FFXI isn't hard. Bring the right jobs, know how to play, don't be gimp, and you can beat just about anything without breaking a sweat. This isn't about "epic low maners" being able to do stuff other people can't. It's about not bringing that sparks-geared THF, the WHM without a Cursna set, the COR who gets confused when asked to skillchain (because they might have to actually shoot), or that idiot GEO who runs Acumen/Malaise when they're the only mage in the party. You don't need mythics, or 5/5 HQ abjuration gear. You simply need competent people who give a damn about the job they're on.

The sort of players who are having difficulty clearing content would continue to have difficulty clearing content even after a server merge. It's not a lack of personal uberness or server population that's currently holding them back. It's lack of knowledge of how to play the game, lack of drive to adequately gear multiple jobs, lack of courage to put themselves out there, or lack of social skills to make friends.

I have zero interest in waiting twice as long to actually play the game (due to added congestion) simply so that even more gimp scrubs can sit around in town waiting for something to happen rather than making it happen themselves. Those who do want to be on a more populated server are more than free to move themselves. But they shouldn't try to force that decision on everyone else.

Thats why you disconnect xbox and ps2?

Something to keep in mind is the same interview where Matsui stated that he wasn't going to look into merges until after they see the fallout of the final content patch in November, he also stated they might look into giving players a choice of what server they want to move to.

Could go the way XIV did with the Legacy servers, where they announced mergers and such in advance, and gave us an option to move to another of our choice for free. Given how much Matsui's XI team has taken from their mandated ARR tenure, that seems pretty likely on the option list. Also covers SE on the business side where people that aren't subbed during that time would still have to shell out for mergers if they got placed into a JP or EU server, but they were in the US, as an example.

An AH merge of all servers would be nice so things would sell better, but I suppose that will never happen and might actually turn into a price nightmare :D
But I have mixed feelings about a merge. when I want to do something I can usually get it done, but I kind of miss the social aspect of easily meeting new people.