Some questions about server system

[Meatex]

Heya;
Im from australia and have been thinking of getting into ffx1 for some time. It looks interesting but i have a few questions before i go out and buy it.
Firstly, how do the servers work? I know that without a world pass you have to do a random roll for your server and im guessing that characters are restricted to that server. Are the servers determined at all by location? So seeing as i have to buy the Eu copy does that mean i will be playing with only guys who bought the Eu copy? Oh I am talking about PC version if there is any difference. I think (but don't actually know- hence the question) that it isn't the case.
Now i have heard lots of Japanese people play this game~ do you meet them often in all the various servers or do all japanese players stick to specific servers? I would actually like to find a server with a decent amount of japanese (i study the language and if i practice it in game then at least its not a total waste of time ).
So would i have to get a world pass for a specific server or is it likely that i will meet many of Japanese regardless of server?
Also, maybe more importantly, i have heard that ffxi has a good community~ is that true? Is it dependant on the server you play on?
Well thanks for your help guys

[Ellipses]

The servers are in no way region- or platform-specific. Every region, every language, every platform, on every server.

The differences in distribution among them all are so slight that you probably wouldn't even notice. And yes, you'll run into Japanese players all the time. Especially if you play closer to their prime time, which, being in Australia, you probably will.

The community is awesome compared to other MMOs. We have a higher average age, and the game takes more dedication, so you get people who are more serious about it, and thus less prone to the sort of tomfoolery you find elsewhere. Reputation is a huge, huge factor in FFXI's endgame, so being an asshat is bad for you. Of course, there are complete tools, but they're not as prevalent. And that's another area where the servers are all pretty much the same.

If you don't have specific people you want to hang out with, you're just as well off randomly dropping somewhere as you are getting a world pass.

[Meatex]

Awsome- thanks muchly.
Will probably buy it soon then, and now its time to sift through all the n00b faqs

[avhmia]

When you create your first character, the system will place you in a server. You don't have a choice of which, unless an existing player arranges a world pass for you.

All the servers are global, and support all three platforms (PS2, PC, Xbox360), so you will be playing with Japanese, Americans, Canadians, Spaniards, French, Aussies, Romulans, Russians, Chinese, etc.

[Murphie]

If you don't know anyone on any particular server you're better off (as Ellipses said) just letting the system place you randomly. However, feel free to poke around the server forums here, and if you see one that catches your fancy, you can always make a request in that server's WP request thread. Most requests are filled pretty fast, circumstances depending.

Good luck though, and welcome to the game.