[Rykotheu]

I realize there's the sticky at the top, and someone else posted their own post asking similar, but I really need to get this out, because as someone who has ALWAYS loved and supported Roleplay on this game, it is important to get this message across. Hopefully FC, you will respond clearly, and take things under consideration, whether or not this thread is locked. It is not a flame, it is not meant to be a flame, this is a question and several helpful suggestions that can keep the Roleplay Community alive.

I used to play on another account on the US Side as "Rykoth," I was (I don't know if I still technically am, or will I ever be again, but it is not relevant necessarily to this plight) a Shaman Advocate, and on the US side I led an RP Guild on the Cimmeria Server. Now, I am aware that server will likely be merged over there, because many RPers on that side of the pond have scattered, I'm not going to go into the why and such, because this is about here, on the EU.

I returned from an 8 month absence, and am playing on Aquilonia RP-PVP. I see plenty of RP there, even if the bulk is from Clan Koragg. I've seen RPers from other guilds, and I know for a fact, that just from one event, there were more RPers there then at several events I ran just a year ago across the way.

Does the server need a merge? Maybe it does, AoC servers in general need some merging. But please, FC, I implore you, do not merge with Fury. Fury is a pure PVP server, Aquilonia is RP-PVP.

I suggest one of the following:
- Merge Aquilonia and Hyrkania. Yes, one side or another might have to give up something (Aquilonians giving up PVP or Hyrkanians accepting PVP), but at the very least, RP remains.

- Merge Aquilonia and the other RP Servers on the German and French ends, and tag it as "Roleplay-PVP Multilingual" so that RP can remain alive, even if there may be some language barriers for some.

- Keep Aquilonia, and the other RP servers as is, and allow us to have a smaller community possibly bolstered by F2P roleplayers. As LoTRO can prove, and even EQ2 to an extent, Roleplayers like F2P as well! LoTRO's RP community only grew bigger with the F2P introduction, and despite not having a server, EQ2's F2P servers have at least one designated roleplay place. With AoC, we have designated RP Servers.

Please FC, keep RP alive. You gave us social clothing, you gave us very Roleplay-esque options for guild cities. Please, do not remove our server, and instead, find a way to accomodate us while also fulfilling your needs to maintain healthy populations.

[abbalinos]

Funcom, Im not an RPer, but i think you should consider the pleas of the Rpers base.

I think they should have their own server tbh, and its not fair to subject them to such a merge. You should cater to all your customers

Good thing Funcom are in a listening mood nowadays... keep it up guys

[Pugio]

"- Keep Aquilonia, and the other RP servers as is, and allow us to have a smaller community possibly bolstered by F2P roleplayers. As LoTRO can prove, and even EQ2 to an extent, Roleplayers like F2P as well! LoTRO's RP community only grew bigger with the F2P introduction, and despite not having a server, EQ2's F2P servers have at least one designated roleplay place. With AoC, we have designated RP Servers."

Sounds good to me!

Please let us know whats going on with this Funcom, as I fear silence is a sign of an answer we may not like...

[Silirrion]

Ultimately we are moving towards the technology where the old concept of 'servers' will be redundant to some extent. The new 'cross server' or 'single server' tech that our Dreamworld folk are working on will allow us to have that defined in any way we like.

So in the short term you may be 'merged' in database terms, but the long term goal is that your 'community' play can be done within a certain pre-defined grouping (which we haven't fully decided upon, it could be 'role-playing' or 'normal' modes), but then play with everyone for certain group orientated content.

So this means you regular game-play could be within a certain community but you still benefited from the ability to play with everyone in the long term. For this technology to work we must first do merges to bring players together at a database level. That means that in the short term the existing physical servers will be merged to create a set of environments that we can manipulate and specialize in more interesting ways in the future.

[Civilix]

How is things over at aquilonia with regards to RP support. Ever since the merge with blackscar it seems like hyrkania was no longer considered a rp server from funcoms side, and with time players/guilds has also shifted focus because of it.

I understand the community does a beter job at Aquilonia, but how do you feel funcom is treating your server?

When it comes to a theoretical merge between the rp servers, realise there are very few players left on hyrkania that really want a rp server. There are still people that want "their server" to remain intact, but not for RP reasons.

[Pugio]

Originally Posted by Silirrion Ultimately we are moving towards the technology where the old concept of 'servers' will be redundant to some extent. The new 'cross server' or 'single server' tech that our Dreamworld folk are working on will allow us to have that defined in any way we like. So in the short term you may be 'merged' in database terms, but the long term goal is that your 'community' play can be done within a certain pre-defined grouping (which we haven't fully decided upon, it could be 'role-playing' or 'normal' modes), but then play with everyone for certain group orientated content. So this means you regular game-play could be within a certain community but you still benefited from the ability to play with everyone in the long term. For this technology to work we must first do merges to bring players together at a database level. That means that in the short term the existing physical servers will be merged to create a set of environments that we can manipulate and specialize in more interesting ways in the future.

...err thanks Silirrion, I think thats good news...

In less cryptic terms, are you saying the servers will be merged, and an alternative way of identifying and maintaining a particular community (e.g RP) is to be introduced?

[Rykotheu]

Originally Posted by Silirrion Ultimately we are moving towards the technology where the old concept of 'servers' will be redundant to some extent. The new 'cross server' or 'single server' tech that our Dreamworld folk are working on will allow us to have that defined in any way we like. So in the short term you may be 'merged' in database terms, but the long term goal is that your 'community' play can be done within a certain pre-defined grouping (which we haven't fully decided upon, it could be 'role-playing' or 'normal' modes), but then play with everyone for certain group orientated content. So this means you regular game-play could be within a certain community but you still benefited from the ability to play with everyone in the long term. For this technology to work we must first do merges to bring players together at a database level. That means that in the short term the existing physical servers will be merged to create a set of environments that we can manipulate and specialize in more interesting ways in the future.

Would you say it's like a server within a server then if all goes well?

Like, those with an 'RP-PVP Tag' might be in their own "instance" of the game world, and those with a 'PVP Tag' might be in their own "instance?" But then BK zones and minigames would be the same?

[-Maeva-]

If all zones give the choice of pve - pvp - epic - rp, we could all have the gameplay we want, but I'm not sure if that's how it will work, with different "globals" for the different communities? I hope there will be a more extensive explanation about the plans, before we RPers start to panic. Please keep supporting RP!

[fitz1967]

Originally Posted by Silirrion Ultimately we are moving towards the technology where the old concept of 'servers' will be redundant to some extent. The new 'cross server' or 'single server' tech that our Dreamworld folk are working on will allow us to have that defined in any way we like. So in the short term you may be 'merged' in database terms, but the long term goal is that your 'community' play can be done within a certain pre-defined grouping (which we haven't fully decided upon, it could be 'role-playing' or 'normal' modes), but then play with everyone for certain group orientated content. So this means you regular game-play could be within a certain community but you still benefited from the ability to play with everyone in the long term. For this technology to work we must first do merges to bring players together at a database level. That means that in the short term the existing physical servers will be merged to create a set of environments that we can manipulate and specialize in more interesting ways in the future.

thx for the fast response

if a merge happens -again- what will happen with same names of chars on the servers merged?

(I think I am worried about the expected answer sigh)

[Yaminah]

While it's good news they are moving towards the 'choose your game type as you wish' model. My concern is, is that people will not have the patience to wait for it to happen.

I.e AQ will be Fury'd and people will leave so that when this new magical technology comes along it'll be pointless doing so.

Surely its better not to merge, test it out first then move us to Nirvana then.

If they want RP to flourish, remove the class restrictions and allow all classes that are already made to play. I know many, many RP'ers who would come back now that it'll be F2P but very few will sacrifice playing their existing characters to do so.