New expansion?!?

[Dazusu]

the way i see it, they just had a very small update this month. if we see another small update next month then that puts the probability that they are working on another expansion pretty high.

Wishful thinking. More like they're winding down development and preparing for a semi auto-pilot mode of operation. Never know, if you're lucky, you might get another Crystalline Prophecy. (Though truth be told, I would love to see another expansion)

On the whole "FFXI is dead / Aby killed it / Adoulin killed it" etc. stuff which is always good for a laugh, I would relate some quotes;

Qufim Island 2005; Party member; "This game is dead. It was fun a year ago, but it sucks now. This game won't be around in a year, you mark my words."

Grauberg(S) 2009; Another party member ; "This game is dead. It used to be fun but it sucks now. Everyone knows this game will be shut down soon."

Yes, because in 2005 and 2009 - people saying those things were directly reflected by concurrent populations of 500-600 for most of the day. Oh wait. No they weren't. Back then those were the opinions of a few individuals. However, in 2014 - it appears the masses have spoken, and they did so with their wallet. All we have left are the vocal minority that continue to post about how the game is awesome, and so much more fun than it ever has been.

Sure. You keep taking that medicine.

[Stompa]

Yes, because in 2005 and 2009 - people saying those things were directly reflected by concurrent populations of 500-600 for most of the day. Oh wait. No they weren't. Back then those were the opinions of a few individuals. However, in 2014 - it appears the masses have spoken, and they did so with their wallet. All we have left are the vocal minority that continue to post about how the game is awesome, and so much more fun than it ever has been.

Sure. You keep taking that medicine.

In my post that you snipped that paragraph out of, I also said that the game is now old, and old games lose the transitory mass of mainstream players who will typically buy games when they are new and shiny, play them until they are old, and then move on to newer shinier games. And today FFXI is old, and has lost that transitory mainstream player group, who moved on to other newer games with eyecandy graphics etc.

So yes I already said that the population is lower now. My point was that even in its prime days, FFXI had people saying the game is dead, ten years ago people were making predictions about FFXI having less than a year of life left in it. My point was that it is dangerous to make predictions in the marketplace, there are too many variables to consider, and we don't know how long a classic videogame will last.

I do keep taking my medicine, it is for severe Cerebral Palsy. Thankyou for your concern.

[Zarchery]

But the server populations have been low for years now.... that doesn't mean that the game's impending death is nigh. What were the populations in 2009?

[Dazusu]

I never implied the game was going to die with my post; just that the current direction the game is (and has been taking since the latter half of Adoulin) is not the one the vast majority of players wanted to see. I feel this is reflected by the drastic population decline since Adoulin. What else could be considered the causation? I know from first hand experience, my own Linkshell stopped playing almost entirely because of the epic gap in group content between Delve I and Delve II. Most other Linkshells (people who enjoyed playing together in groups of 12+) also stopped playing around this time.

Before anyone goes on a "solo/3man/6man is better / linkshells are for assholes / I never liked end-game" crusade, I'm not saying large group play is for everyone - I'm saying it wasn't catered for; and those that enjoyed it stopped playing in considerable numbers. Around 16~20 people quit from my own group.

It was getting incredibly boring arranging events for 18 people when the options were "Do we kill Tojil, Bee or the Shark?"; whereas at level 75 end-game, you had options such as Sky, Sea, HNM camps periodically, fights like Alastor Antlion (and other poppable NMs), Limbus, Einherjar.

The problem now that content is deprecated within a couple of months of being released. Or it's designed for small groups. There's no variety or real options for large groups. (Again, I think low man play should be catered, as well as larger groups.)

The low man experience in FFXI right now is consistent. If that's not your style; you find yourself bored; really quickly.

This is probably why it feels like an anti-community ghost town when I login and see not a single person moving or shouting/yelling for pretty much an entire day.

Anyway, I digress. A new expansion would be great... it might cause people to return. I'm not holding my breath though.

[Meyi]

If we get a new expansion, can we venture in the past of Kuluu and Zilart days? Rise of the Zilart and Chains of Promathia were my favorite expansions, and all the other expansions since them have been nice, but haven't really touched what I felt to be the heart of Vana'diel.

[Finuve]

The gear treadmill design of modern MMOs is absolutely the worst thing to ever infest the genre. I just hope that if FFXI gets another expansion it doesn't continue that trend. Gear is incredibly diverse in this game and collecting all of it far more interesting than tossing it out when the developers decide to up the item level number.

[Rainehx]

If people want any chance at a new expansion the threads that pop up weekly from people who cannot see the bigger picture
demanding server merges need to be renounced and stopped.

We all know SE will eventually pander to them, after all the people are more than willing to post complaints than support.

Once the servers merge and there is no chance (room) of recruiting new players or bringing back older players, there is
no financial reason to expand anything if you've just retracted, it will offer them very little new revenue aside from the upfront fee compared to the work
involved in developing and continued development of such an amount of content.
Its about subs, and reducing the amount of subs they can earn while expecting them to invest is rather stupid.

Some people in their bubbles think SE owes them and don't understand its a company to make money, careful what you demand and wish for.

[Dazusu]

I don't see a reason to merge servers, purely because all current relevant content can be taken on with 6 or less people; it's not like you need to gather alliances or more anymore.

[Rainehx]

I don't see a reason to merge servers, purely because all current relevant content can be taken on with 6 or less people; it's not like you need to gather alliances or more anymore.

Exactly! Trust, scaleable content 6 person bcnm rather than 18.

Had SE not introduced such things id understand yet not agree with people wanting merges.

Yet despite these things people still don't get it, why exactly would SE go to the effort of developing such content
if it was easier and made more financial sense to merge?

I didn't mean to high-jack or go off topic but it does go hand in hand.

[Protey]

I never implied the game was going to die with my post; just that the current direction the game is (and has been taking since the latter half of Adoulin) is not the one the vast majority of players wanted to see. I feel this is reflected by the drastic population decline since Adoulin. What else could be considered the causation? I know from first hand experience, my own Linkshell stopped playing almost entirely because of the epic gap in group content between Delve I and Delve II. Most other Linkshells (people who enjoyed playing together in groups of 12+) also stopped playing around this time.

Before anyone goes on a "solo/3man/6man is better / linkshells are for assholes / I never liked end-game" crusade, I'm not saying large group play is for everyone - I'm saying it wasn't catered for; and those that enjoyed it stopped playing in considerable numbers. Around 16~20 people quit from my own group.

It was getting incredibly boring arranging events for 18 people when the options were "Do we kill Tojil, Bee or the Shark?"; whereas at level 75 end-game, you had options such as Sky, Sea, HNM camps periodically, fights like Alastor Antlion (and other poppable NMs), Limbus, Einherjar.

The problem now that content is deprecated within a couple of months of being released. Or it's designed for small groups. There's no variety or real options for large groups. (Again, I think low man play should be catered, as well as larger groups.)

The low man experience in FFXI right now is consistent. If that's not your style; you find yourself bored; really quickly.

This is probably why it feels like an anti-community ghost town when I login and see not a single person moving or shouting/yelling for pretty much an entire day.

Anyway, I digress. A new expansion would be great... it might cause people to return. I'm not holding my breath though.

What do you expect, there are people on these forums that beg and plead for SE to make getting everything easier. And unfortunately SE has been pandering to them. They can't see beyond their own instant gratification to see that they are ruining the game.