The Future of FFXI

[Vil]

I admit I've said some pretty bad things too about FFXI but seriously the majority of us do feel bitter right now because we are seeing so many negative things that are changing the way the game use to be. I'm all out for changes but now the game is out of control on balance. And SE has not been giving us the proper attention to us loyal fans who not only stuck with this game for over a decade, we've done our part every month filling up the Crysta, Swiping in our Debit/Credit each month to continue our subscription. Rushed to the nearest online store or SE site to pay for every single expansion yet lately the way things are going we all do feel it's unfair that many promises were broken, new expansion seems it wasn't well thought out but rather rushed to keep us interested than flock over and play the 14 beta.

Lots of us are feeling disappointed that 14 is getting so much attention while we are here left in the dark playing a broken Expansion. Sigh this is too depressing to even continue on writing more.

I just wanted to point out that nothing is ever "promised". Roadmaps, content plans, anything announced is ALWAYS subject to change. The recent post about not releasing more roadmaps is a clear indication of this. Releasing a tentative schedule that people adhere to as concrete and final is doing them more harm than good. Yet when these roadmaps aren't release, the community is screaming for some kind of info, some kind of update, and when they get a small piece of information, again, they adhere to it as concrete and final, even if its still in development. Devs are in a "damned if they do, damned if they don't" situation.

XIV is getting attention right now because it's new, and because this game will essentially make or break the company. The stakes are high. They can't afford to have a lackluster launch. Whereas most companies would just abandon a failed MMO, SE poured a lot of money and resources into restructuring and relaunching the game to reestablish the FF brand and their company reputation.

I'll say it once again, XI has been in decline even without the fiasco that was XIV 1.0. The company refuses to do away with PS2, making it harder to go back and revise years worth of content to give this game the update it desperately needs. Instead of fixing things at the foundational level (coding, UI, portability) they just keep slapping work-around bandaids (gobbie bags for inventory for ex) that keep piling on.

[Daemon]

I just wanted to point out that nothing is ever "promised". Roadmaps, content plans, anything announced is ALWAYS subject to change. The recent post about not releasing more roadmaps is a clear indication of this. Releasing a tentative schedule that people adhere to as concrete and final is doing them more harm than good. Yet when these roadmaps aren't release, the community is screaming for some kind of info, some kind of update, and when they get a small piece of information, again, they adhere to it as concrete and final, even if its still in development. Devs are in a "damned if they do, damned if they don't" situation.

XIV is getting attention right now because it's new, and because this game will essentially make or break the company. The stakes are high. They can't afford to have a lackluster launch. Whereas most companies would just abandon a failed MMO, SE poured a lot of money and resources into restructuring and relaunching the game to reestablish the FF brand and their company reputation.

I'll say it once again, XI has been in decline even without the fiasco that was XIV 1.0. The company refuses to do away with PS2, making it harder to go back and revise years worth of content to give this game the update it desperately needs. Instead of fixing things at the foundational level (coding, UI, portability) they just keep slapping work-around bandaids (gobbie bags for inventory for ex) that keep piling on.

Which is understood however we are still paying customers and a good loyal fanbase too, not new clients just entering the world of Final Fantasy. Slapping on band aids is one thing, rushing to release content and unbalancing the game carelessly is another. Had SoA been released with better thoughtout plan and care people who spent endless amounts of time on previous content would have nothing to gripe about and making a good portion of content put out of its place is also an issue.

I'm just generalizing the fact that a lot of us are disappointed. Work on FF14 because its the next big thing, sure but don't forget about us who has stayed supporting the company allowing to create 14 in the first place. To me money is the big thing in the world that companies today are more focused on how we can get a good chunk of it. But don't leave behind the crowd who has endured so much over the years especially us who are becoming heart broken over 11 in the direction it's going.

You can easily say "Get over it" if you want but I'm sure some people can agree the amount of time in this game we have invested, the amount of money we have used to support FFXI, If SE cannot handle both 11 and 14, then we should deserve more attention being that we are the backbone fanbase that SE has. Not new clients jumping on the game for the first time. Already a good portion has loss interest in 11 because of the direction is been going dating back a few years.

[Vil]

Which is understood however we are still paying customers and a good loyal fanbase too, not new clients just entering the world of Final Fantasy. Slapping on band aids is one thing, rushing to release content and unbalancing the game carelessly is another. Had SoA been released with better thoughtout plan and care people who spent endless amounts of time on previous content would have nothing to gripe about and making a good portion of content put out of its place is also an issue.

I'm just generalizing the fact that a lot of us are disappointed. Work on FF14 because its the next big thing, sure but don't forget about us who has stayed supporting the company allowing to create 14 in the first place. To me money is the big thing in the world that companies today are more focused on how we can get a good chunk of it. But don't leave behind the crowd who has endured so much over the years especially us who are becoming heart broken over 11 in the direction it's going.

You can easily say "Get over it" if you want but I'm sure some people can agree the amount of time in this game we have invested, the amount of money we have used to support FFXI, If SE cannot handle both 11 and 14, then we should deserve more attention being that we are the backbone fanbase that SE has. Not new clients jumping on the game for the first time.

Okay...

You say "us" as if I do not belong to this community or something lol. I played XI for 9 years, and on and off for the past two yrs. I think I am just as much a loyal customer as you are.

I am disappointed at the game direction as well, don't get me wrong. A lot of these new announcements about content just leave me scratching my head or completely lost.

As far as "leaving people behind", I think, if that was really their intention, they would have shut this game down. They keep it going for us, the community, even though we don't care for the content that's been released lately. This isn't XIV's fault though, which several people tend to blame for XI's descent.

I never said "get over it" either. I've invested time on this game, just like you have. I've supported it outside of just the game, by buying their soundtracks and their artbooks and all that. I'm not going to use this as some kind of qualification card though, because regardless of playtime, I think everyone here deserves to have their opinions heard, even if we don't always agree.

That said, if it takes a massive drop in subs to get SE's attention to this pile of crock they're doing to XI, then maybe that's what needs to happen. I don't really see them budging until something drastic like that happens. :/

[Daemon]

Okay...

You say "us" as if I do not belong to this community or something lol. I played XI for 9 years, and on and off for the past two yrs. I think I am just as much a loyal customer as you are.

I am disappointed at the game direction as well, don't get me wrong. A lot of these new announcements about content just leave me scratching my head or completely lost.

As far as "leaving people behind", I think, if that was really their intention, they would have shut this game down. They keep it going for us, the community, even though we don't care for the content that's been released lately. This isn't XIV's fault though, which several people tend to blame for XI's descent.

I never said "get over it" either. I've invested time on this game, just like you have. I've supported it outside of just the game, by buying their soundtracks and their artbooks and all that. I'm not going to use this as some kind of qualification card though, because regardless of playtime, I think everyone here deserves to have their opinions heard, even if we don't always agree.

That said, if it takes a massive drop in subs to get SE's attention to this pile of crock they're doing to XI, then maybe that's what needs to happen. I don't really see them budging until something drastic like that happens. :/

I totally agree with you 110%, never saying I didn't though. Just as you said the Devs need to do something drastic. But observing a lot of the things we asked for. Bare with me here. Higher HP/MP? Refreshing at a few seconds standing still rather than sitting? Or what about Spells that can debuff, give you a buff? I don't see how these cannot be implemented into 11. I just think these ideas we gave SE were taken and put on to 14 to bring it out of failure. I'm sure there are many more ideas we wanted in 11 that got passed over to 14 as well.

Oh and yeah refresh at several ticks without endlessly depending on multiple jobs just to enjoy casting more than 5 spells?

Did you see the new elemental adjustments we are getting? Sure some spells will have reduction on mp cost and spells will be stronger but T4 and 5 Ice / thunder is getting a raise in mp cost so people will not be able to enjoy those spells much anymore. Unless you decide you want to carry a bard, RDM and Cor with you at all times to be your refresh slave >.>

[Vil]

I totally agree with you 110%, never saying I didn't though. Just as you said the Devs need to do something drastic. But observing a lot of the things we asked for. Bare with me here. Higher HP/MP? Refreshing at a few seconds standing still rather than sitting? Or what about Spells that can debuff, give you a buff? I don't see how these cannot be implemented into 11. I just think these ideas we gave SE were taken and put on to 14 to bring it out of failure. I'm sure there are many more ideas we wanted in 11 that got passed over to 14 as well.

Oh and yeah refresh at several ticks without endlessly depending on multiple jobs just to enjoy casting more than 5 spells?

Yeah, I get what you're saying. What works for one game, doesn't necessarily work out in another game though. XIV is able to add a lot of innovative and new things because it is a new game, so they don't have to worry about pissing off the fanbase or changing the game's dynamic so drastically it ripples throughout the community (well there was 1.0 but yeah, I don't think anybody can realistically say that one was better in terms of playability lol)

XI has a 11 year game history to contend with. Simply adding things like refresh while standing, debuff spells etc, isn't something they can just throw in there and say "here, have at it". There's a lot of checks and balances to go over, and thus, it falls into the same category as overhauling/updating this game: it's a massive undertaking they'd have to dedicate time and resources to, and given their current state of content release all that, I don't know if they're necessarily willing to go back and undo a lot of the "band-aid" fixes they've been throwing in for the past several years.

Basically, to add a lot of the options XIV is releasing with, they'd have to go back and fix XI at the foundational level, balance things, etc. Wishful thinking at best. Perhaps when XIV launches and has a stable income, they'll come back and do a major overhaul of XI. I mean, who knows really.

I'm always optimistic that they'll do something about it, since this is their first MMO, their baby. It may not come as fast as people want it to, but I do believe we'll see some sort of thing happen. I just hope it's not too late tho!

And speaking of change, I used to be in the camp that said "ABYSSEA DESTROYED EVERYTHING ABOUT XI", but after spending time in XIV (1.0 and ARR), I realized that change wasn't necessarily a bad thing, especially in 1.0, where things like crafting recipes were changed, battle contents were changed/removed etc.

I think what's jarring for people in XI when it comes to change is the fact that it lasted for SO LONG doing the same thing (level 75, camping NMs, exp parties with 6 people etc), that when the devs tried to initiate change, it was naturally met with criticism (HOW DARE U TAKE AWAY MY CRABS/COLIBRIS).

Looking back now, Abyssea was actually a refreshing change of pace for XI, one that I'd hoped the devs would stick with. Even though you were in "god mode", Abyssea content DID last for a good long time. What brought on the negativity was the fact that there was nothing BUT Abyssea to do, as the devs were really really slow at updating all the other content (Salvage, Nyzul, Limbus, endgame scene).

This Delve stuff honestly sounds like another Abyssea scenario in a way, except Delve is nowhere as easy to jump into as Abyssea was. Delve is unforgiving and exclusive ><

I need to sleep lol.

[Daemon]

Yeah, I get what you're saying. What works for one game, doesn't necessarily work out in another game though. XIV is able to add a lot of innovative and new things because it is a new game, so they don't have to worry about pissing off the fanbase or changing the game's dynamic so drastically it ripples throughout the community (well there was 1.0 but yeah, I don't think anybody can realistically say that one was better in terms of playability lol)

XI has a 11 year game history to contend with. Simply adding things like refresh while standing, debuff spells etc, isn't something they can just throw in there and say "here, have at it". There's a lot of checks and balances to go over, and thus, it falls into the same category as overhauling/updating this game: it's a massive undertaking they'd have to dedicate time and resources to, and given their current state of content release all that, I don't know if they're necessarily willing to go back and undo a lot of the "band-aid" fixes they've been throwing in for the past several years.

Basically, to add a lot of the options XIV is releasing with, they'd have to go back and fix XI at the foundational level, balance things, etc. Wishful thinking at best. Perhaps when XIV launches and has a stable income, they'll come back and do a major overhaul of XI. I mean, who knows really.

I'm always optimistic that they'll do something about it, since this is their first MMO, their baby. It may not come as fast as people want it to, but I do believe we'll see some sort of thing happen. I just hope it's not too late tho!

If FFXI is their baby they need to give us better hope because after reading several comments from others, it sounds like a good portion of players are raving over 14. I'm just worried how much of the server is going to be left after launch.

If they spent all that time from 1.0 to 2.0 adding in all those features to 14. I don't see it as impossible for FFXI also. I did play 14 when it first came out and they barely had that many jobs and the massive amounts of features as they do now.

[Daemon]

3 days now trying to get refresh subligar... Seriously? And it only takes a few hours to earn enough plasm to earn 1 delve weapon >.>

This is what I mean by the game is unbalanced.

[Vil]

If FFXI is their baby they need to give us better hope because after reading several comments from others, it sounds like a good portion of players are raving over 14. I'm just worried how much of the server is going to be left after launch.

It's to be expected. They are seeing a new perspective now, just as I did with 1.0 (even though the game sucked lol). It's not to say they're following some kind of flock, but rather they are opening their eyes and seeing the world outside of XI for the first time in years. Many of XI's playerbase have not dabbled in other MMO's, so they are pretty behind in terms of today's MMO standards.

Seeing what XIV has, that we've been asking for for years, is pretty much what did it for me. I said this in another post, but after playing even 1.0, it was hard for me to go back to XI and justify dropping long hours of farm/exp in the hopes that the system would reward me with a lucky drop or something. This is what a lot of people are seeing now.

It's also very easy to get into, which I can't say is the same for XI, beginning player or returning player. Beginning players have no idea what to do, no direction, other than going outside and whacking a few worms or rabbits. Sure there's FoV books and all that, but there is nothing to lead the new player to knowing those books even exist. Heck, I didn't even know of them until someone told me about them.

As a returning player, more than once, I felt so overwhelmed at the idea of trying to catch up that I just didn't bother. Trying to learn what I missed, what was worth farming, what was not, what's Voidwatch, what's a rubicund cell etc lol. What seems like common knowledge to some people, is a massive amount of information to try to take in while trying to transition back in the game. And then the grindfest starts once again. Will I be lucky to get the drop I need to better my gear to get to the next farm area so I can get even better gear?

As a casual gamer now (I'm 32 yrs old now, with considerably less time to play than when I was in my 20s), I'm still trying to catch up on gear and experience to even be able to do the Adoulin content. Plasm farm pt? forget it, I'd get laughed at for even trying. Reives? Yeah, unforgiving to low-man farm, and that's if people are even farming those. (yeah I know its getting an update, but it should have been in there from the start).

[Daemon]

It's to be expected. They are seeing a new perspective now, just as I did with 1.0 (even though the game sucked lol). It's not to say they're following some kind of flock, but rather they are opening their eyes and seeing the world outside of XI for the first time in years. Many of XI's playerbase have not dabbled in other MMO's, so they are pretty behind in terms of today's MMO standards.

Seeing what XIV has, that we've been asking for for years, is pretty much what did it for me. I said this in another post, but after playing even 1.0, it was hard for me to go back to XI and justify dropping long hours of farm/exp in the hopes that the system would reward me with a lucky drop or something. This is what a lot of people are seeing now.

It's also very easy to get into, which I can't say is the same for XI, beginning player or returning player. Beginning players have no idea what to do, no direction, other than going outside and whacking a few worms or rabbits. Sure there's FoV books and all that, but there is nothing to lead the new player to knowing those books even exist. Heck, I didn't even know of them until someone told me about them.

As a returning player, more than once, I felt so overwhelmed at the idea of trying to catch up that I just didn't bother. Trying to learn what I missed, what was worth farming, what was not, what's Voidwatch, what's a rubicund cell etc lol. What seems like common knowledge to some people, is a massive amount of information to try to take in while trying to transition back in the game. And then the grindfest starts once again. Will I be lucky to get the drop I need to better my gear to get to the next farm area so I can get even better gear?

As a casual gamer now (I'm 32 yrs old now, with considerably less time to play than when I was in my 20s), I'm still trying to catch up on gear and experience to even be able to do the Adoulin content. Plasm farm pt? forget it, I'd get laughed at for even trying. Reives? Yeah, unforgiving to low-man farm, and that's if people are even farming those. (yeah I know its getting an update, but it should have been in there from the start).

You should read my Post "Invitation to to Plasm Farming"

[Vizzer]

The reason they were able make so many changes in XIV from the original, is because it's not the same game. After the new dev team took over, they tried implementing things as simple as a mail system, but the coding of the original game was so screwed up, it just wasn't possible, so they set forth with a plan to do what they could with the game, while they started to remake the entire game from the ground up. By the end of 1.23 the game was really good, but still they had to destroy it because they knew that they would always be tied to the original flawed programming. The community of XIV kept it alive, they kept playing watching it get better, when they decided to reinstate subscriptions for the game, people paid it, when new players started, so many people there were excited to show people what all had changed, welcoming them knowing the more player the game had, the better it would ultimately be,and when they shut the game down the players waited signing up for alpha tests, and beta tests. The community in XI is not welcoming to new and returning players though, they have the mindset that they spent upwards of 11 years getting to where they are, so why shouldn't you. I agree you shouldn't get to end game content overnight, but it shouldn't take months once you are 99, to be able to do level 99 content, if everything at 99 is end game, maybe the devs did something wrong. Before SoA from what I have been told Legion was pretty much the most difficult thing in the game, groups only took the people with the best gear, but there was also meebles, NNI, Voidwatch that people were actively doing and shouting for, and you didn't have to be the best geared on the block to get in. I know there is more than delve, but that is all people do, you can't solo skirmish, the group content right now is delve and that is it. The community needs to realize the more players the game has, the better it can be, and right now the way the overall attitude of the community is, the numbers will just keep dropping.