I've actually held on to my subscription to FFXI beyond my frustration point with the whole mess....taking so long to level solo (I like fighting solo and don't want to have to join a party to get a million experience points in one day in Abyssea) and I'm sick and tired of being punished for being a loner in the game compared to some other players. I'm okay with occasional duos or trios, but I don't want to have to depend on them for fast experience gains.
So I'm hoping for a time when FFXI is no longer a money-maker as an online game. Then I'm hoping SE will make one final revamp to the whole game, making it more like a real offline Final Fantasy game where you can level fast, get all crafts to Lv.100. The game options should include a solo option to make everything solo-able if you want. And there should also be an option to have a party of NPCs which you can program with gambits... have your tank provoke every 30 seconds, have him programmed to cure himself when he hits yellow HP. Have your NPC WHM programmed to cure the tank when his HP hits orange, have your RDM programmed to keep enfeebles up, etc...
I'll miss the living online community of gamers, but honestly I'm so tired of depending on the availability, whims and limitations of other players when trying to get things accomplished in this game. Having spent nearly $2,000 since 2005 on subscription fees, plus the cost of the games and expansions themselves, I'd like to think SE would do this one last thing so we can continue playing after the game is no longer online. I just imagine that there are lots of people who never played it BECAUSE it was an online game. I didn't play it at first because of that very reason, but I have never regretted joining the game.
I've told people in my linkshells that I think experience gains should be doubled yet again, and crafting skill ups should be more frequent. People have replied: "No, that would make it too easy!" Yet those people never complain when experience yields are raised. I just point out: "Okay, then suggest SE makes gear you can equip that cuts your experience gains in half and use that to make YOUR game more difficult. I'm tired of spending my life trying to get things done in FFXI, and I'm nowhere near being through all the quests and missions, even after 390 days of play time, not to mention leveling crafts.
So there we go... I'm ready to take my game offline, just as soon as SE offers the option, even if it means I can't play online anymore.