Some of you current players wonder why FFXI is in such a state, with the few newer players the game does get are leaving. Let me enlighten you as to why it's as it is and the community is so bad these days:
Players like many of the ones listed above that want to make the game horrible for new players and returnees because it suits them, just to be obnoxious. They don't want new players to get atmas or be able to actually get clears or do content in Abyssea or Dynamis simply because they are obnoxious and toxic players, there is really no good reason not to allow this but fight against it anyway, just because. They are basically the old jaded cancer that is killing any possibility to actually bring players back to this game.
There is no valid reason to not allow players without the benefits many of you enjoy (atmas obtained when groups were formed for this content, when the community was more active) to be able to do this old content anymore outside of selfishness, block them for...some reason? Just to stop them playing? Is it actually selfishness or is there some unknown reason you want people to not be able to make progress in this new deserted FFXI?
Newer players or returnees ask to be able to use the trust system (a system added due to nobody at all to level with) in a zone that virtually nobody goes to and that it's impossible to make progress in these days and they say no because....no valid reason, just to be obnoxious and selfish I presume.
Because every zone is dead, you are extremely lucky to see 1-2 people in even 1/3 of the zones you frequent during leveling.Man this game is going more and more into a solo MMO, why do people want that?
Same applies to any content that is not current (the content most newer players can't do)
Most people that come to try FFXI or return leave pretty quick because every zone is a solo playing experience, the game is literally dead outside of the current content.
A dead mmo is a solo mmo, you might not like that because you don't see it from the new player experience but this game is barren. They didn't add the trust system for fun, it was added out of necessity. Many of the things people are asking for are again, out of necessity.