Before I begin, I’d like to state that I think I’m going back to the “newer items on top” method of posting. More people like it this way than the other way, so.
A lot of people have had a lot of questions about FFXI, so I thought i’d take a moment to address these. First off, I’ve learned that, at this point in time, Square-Enix does not plan to add any more servers beyond what already exists. That’s right… the same Japanese servers we’ve been playing on are going to wind up being the only servers. I have mixed feelings on this, but I don’t really mind, as the connection speed to these servers has always been excellent for me, even on the overcrowded Ragnarok server.
Speaking of servers, I should mention that there is no real “Server Selection”. When you create a character, you are randomly assigned to a server based on population. Servers that become overpopulated are removed from this random assignment. While this ensures an even distribution of players, and highly reduced lag, it also causes a bit of a problem for those of us who all want to start on the same server. One way to get around this is to create, and then delete, and then recreate until you get the server you want. This can be time consuming, however, as there are nearly 30 servers. So, Square’s answer to this is the Worldpass. If friends REALLY want to play on the same server, someone already on that server can purchase, for a nominal fee, a worldpass. This is a code used by someone creating a new character that will start them off on the server the worldpass was purchased on. This will NOT “transfer” your character, this only allows you to create a new one on that server. The good news is, with the U.S. release, a worldpass is good for up to five people, and remains useful for a week. Later on, after the linkshell is purchased on whatever server we choose (as I said, I’m giving cliff the task of trying to get onto Phoenix, but if that proves to be a pain, any server will do), we’ll probably pool some money to purchase worldpasses for those of you interested in joining the LinkShell.
You probably noticed on the linkshell page the rank of “Bag Holder”. These are people designated by the leader to have the ability to give out linkpearls to players, thereby allowing them into the linkshell. Keep in mind that you can be a member of many linkshells, but you can only have one equipped at a time. You’ll get the hang of it. I think that covers the majority of the questions I’ve recieved thus far. I’m going to be busting my ass to get together that 8000 gil, but I will make sure to post the server as SOON as we decide on one, so that people will have a chance to start there if possible. I’ll keep you updated.
