Diablo 3 and Abyssea 2.0

[Oakrest]

With the Diablo 3 launch just around the corner, it's going to be interesting to see how many FFXI players hang up the gloves to switch over to it (if only for a little while).

Diablo 3 is a pretty huge title/franchise with a lot of market share, but I feel even new yet smaller games are becoming a big threat to FFXI. I personally don't think I'd ever "quit" ffxi indefinitely, but I'm likely going to go on a hiatus to play Diablo 3 for a little while, if for no other reason than the lack of meaningful content in FFXI right now. Most of us forum-goers have seen the thread titled, "The OFFICIAL 'I intend on Quitting, and here is why' Thread" - this is not one of those threads. This thread is more, "I love FFXI, I want to keep playing it, but I can only kill Qilin so many thousand times before it starts to get boring". For that reason, this thread is as much "Hey SE, remember boxed expansions? We love those and are willing to pay $ for them!".

I know FFXI's leadership has labeled Abyssea as a mistake (in that by the end of it, it allowed for such higher stats and game mechanic boosts that there wasn't any room left to grow), but it seems to me they should just look at making a second Abyssea, "Abyssea 2.0". All new items, new stuff to collect, etc - but include some meaningful story and cutscenes to keep it interesting. If they were creative, there could be a connection between the first Abyssea and the new, such that you would get certain benefits from having completed some of that content. I know there are a lot of people who are opposed to Abyssea, but I would estimate there are a majority more who did like it - and if there's any question, they should run an in-game poll like they did for the, "Do you play on a PS2" question that popped up a while back. Regardless of Abyssea 2.0, or some derivative, this game needs a major boxed expansion; including a new character or two, new zones, and a rich story line we can progress through and find some worthwhile loot - or else I feel people will really start to thin out like we've never seen before.


tldr; SE, we need a new boxed expansion!

[Chronofantasy]

Agreed! FFXI is dying, I doubt FFXIV is going to go anywhere. FFXI needs a complete revamp, new expansions, areas, epic storylines. I know grinding and repetition has always been FFXI's key elements but so has its story-telling compared to most of the other MMOs.

[Alhanelem]

Making a new expansion would do nothing. Expansions rarely add new players, mostly they only serve to retain current ones. That doesn't change much without the game actually being marketed and promoted- And it's really hard to promote something so old. A full refresh of everything- graphics, polish of old and new content, general improvements, and then re-promoting the game to appeal to the people that are who we were when the game started all those years ago- might do the trick. The thing is, you'd have to convince SE's top brass that it would be a worthy investment. And that's honestly a pretty hard sell even though it could work.

I'm really tired of 'ffxi is dying!" threads. God dang, it's lasted 10 years! They should be proud it has gone on this long. Nothing lasts forever. Be happy you've enjoyed it for so long, instead of sinking into gloom over its supposedly imminent doom (Which I honestly don't see being all that soon- FFXI still has more servers and more players than a lot of MMOs that have existed to date)

Sadly for the "FFXI is dying, and ffxiv will suck" crowd, it's FFXIV that's being revamped- and they're doing everything they can to make it enticing. Maybe some of you naysayers should actually try it so you can give a fair opinion.

On the whole, I don't even like one more than the other, personally- What keeps me on it are a few things- mainly the more modern look-and-feel, more traditional MMO UI, and the content, while lacking in quantity, feels fresh and engaging. Its main issue right now is key gameplay conveniences that are still missing, e.g. delivery system, too many junk drops cluttering inventory, and the search and grouping functionality is cumbersome.

what keeps me attached to XI, besides my character i've invested so much time into, is the sheer amount of stuff you can do, the existence of a fun pvp system, however unpopular it may be, Stronger storyline characters that are developed well (The core storyline in XIV has yet to be significantly added to due to the new team having to spend their time fixing all the stuff that was broke by the first team). Also the presence of certain jobs that i'm not seeing as likely to come to XIV.

Both games have their pros and cons, and I'm sick of the fanboyism. I honestly wish they'd balance the resources spent on each- But I'm not going to crap all over one game or say they should axe one of them or expect them to be doomed to faliure.

[Vold]

All of this can very much come true, but unfortunately SE has not been willing to do what it takes to make it happen. They are simply sticking with the safe bet at this point, which is milking the game for all it's worth.

I've already opted to not renew my subscription this month for the first time in 8 years. I probably won't be gone too long and will renew to take care of some odds and ends and to see if I care to play any longer into the future. But the fact that I of all people have managed to say goodbye is a very bad sign for the state of the game. I'm sure things are great for every one but us lifers, but as I am finding out now perhaps I am not as "lifer" as I thought I was. I'm angry with the crafting changes. I'm angry with the continuous focus on temp fix battle content that screams "we devs give up trying". I'm angry with several decisions regarding level 99 items. I'm angry with their ideals and dropping of the ball because of those ideals. I'm mostly angry that to be the absolute best at anything it now requires ten times the time sink as ever before simply because they lack the man power to create timely content so they compensate by making us work like slaves.

So, you know, best of luck to everyone who's happy to eat what SE is feeding them. It's just not my kind of food any longer. So when I come back, if for good or not, may be tomorrow or weeks from now, I will simply forget everything that displeases me and focus on the goals I was chasing before I left. It'll be no different from pretending Alien Resurrection never existed to spare my sanity. Easy peasy.

In before Alh.... ah shit.

[Alhanelem]

Just for you. <3

[wildsprite]

FFXI isn't dying, not yet anyway, with an MMO like it word of mouth is what gets fresh blood on it, so if you want to get new players convince your friends to join up.

the majority of you that keep saying that it's dying aren't willing to do that though are ya? hate to break it to you but if you want FFXI to stay around and get fresh new content(I mean the real stuff not the trickle as of late) then we need to get new players in the game ourselves. SE isn't going to invest in this game unless they see a surge of new blood.

they are giving us some nice new UI features on the windows version that kinda points to them wanting to get the players on the PC, perhaps they do, who knows, what I'm saying though is, if we want new blood, it is us the player base that will have to convince them to join at the moment, I for one would love to see SE invest in this game to give us a fresher look and feel and have the game last a lot longer, I put a lot of time and effort into this game and feel kinda sad that it might actually go to the way side. just my 2 cents, but hey I wanna see fresh blood.

you know I help new players because its kinda neat to see the same through their eyes, kinda like showing a kid something new

[Oakrest]

Expansions rarely add new players, mostly they only serve to retain current ones.

That's really all I'm asking for - thinking they have the marketing capacity to obtain new players is obviously beyond them. I'm clearly suggesting to try and at least keep those of us that are here.



FFXI isn't dying, not yet anyway,
That's exactly what I'm saying, 'not yet' (where I mention, "I feel people will really start to thin out like we've never seen before. " in the OP) - implying, they haven't yet, but I predict they will (and like never before).


what I'm saying though is, if we want new blood, it is us the player base that will have to convince them to join at the moment,

You couldn't be any more wrong. Most gamers are not marketers, they certainly can be indirectly (through word of mouth, social media, etc). However what most gamers are, are gamers - they login to whatever they want to play because they draw some amount of fun out of the content set by the creators, and don't get off on running a free awareness campaign for the company that created the game. Sure, many of us say to our RL buddy, "hey, you should come try out this game!" but the degree of effort in this context is an entirely different universe. Most of us do what Vold has posted, and look elsewhere for gaming kicks, it's much easier - we play games for fun, not work, right? It's like why planets and bubbles are round, they require the least amount of energy to exist.

[Vivivivi]

While there are things in this game I would like to see more than a new Abyssea add on (Orcish Empire, Mithra Homeland, Far East, Tavnazia in Crystal War era), I wouldn't mind seeing three more Abyssea zones, and a set of storyline missions to accompany them.

When I actually started doing the Abyssea quests and beat Shinryu I thought the storyline was actually extremely creative and enjoyable, it in fact reminded me of the end of FFVIII, IX, and V in different ways.

Zones that could be fun to roll into a new Abyssea add on (imo) could include:
ANY Aht Urhgan area
Yuhtunga Jungle (with confluxes it wouldn't be so bad!!)
Ro'Meave
Sea
Sky
Sarutabaruta
Ronfaure
Gustaberg
Beastmen Strongholds, speaking of, is there a storyline explanation as to why the only beastmen we see in Abyssea are goblins?

[svengalis]

Blizzard still promotes wow and it only came out one year after ffxi.
All of this can very much come true, but unfortunately SE has not been willing to do what it takes to make it happen. They are simply sticking with the safe bet at this point, which is milking the game for all it's worth.

I've already opted to not renew my subscription this month for the first time in 8 years. I probably won't be gone too long and will renew to take care of some odds and ends and to see if I care to play any longer into the future. But the fact that I of all people have managed to say goodbye is a very bad sign for the state of the game. I'm sure things are great for every one but us lifers, but as I am finding out now perhaps I am not as "lifer" as I thought I was. I'm angry with the crafting changes. I'm angry with the continuous focus on temp fix battle content that screams "we devs give up trying". I'm angry with several decisions regarding level 99 items. I'm angry with their ideals and dropping of the ball because of those ideals. I'm mostly angry that to be the absolute best at anything it now requires ten times the time sink as ever before simply because they lack the man power to create timely content so they compensate by making us work like slaves.

So, you know, best of luck to everyone who's happy to eat what SE is feeding them. It's just not my kind of food any longer. So when I come back, if for good or not, may be tomorrow or weeks from now, I will simply forget everything that displeases me and focus on the goals I was chasing before I left. It'll be no different from pretending Alien Resurrection never existed to spare my sanity. Easy peasy.

In before Alh.... ah shit.

[KorPoni]

When I actually started doing the Abyssea quests and beat Shinryu I thought the storyline was actually extremely creative and enjoyable, it in fact reminded me of the end of FFVIII, IX, and V in different ways.


Oh you're right, well on FFVIII part. Didn't even think about that. Not so sure on IX, but I guess that's a matter of opinion too. Also, there's other beastmen besides goblins. There's also gigas. Though I completely agree with you. Abyssea was devoid of alot of beastmen tribes.

[Tsukino_Kaji]

11 days and counting.

[Elexia]

Agreed! FFXI is dying, I doubt (Insert new MMOs) is going to go anywhere.

Fixed that for you. Seriously, once the fresh car smell wears off of these new MMOs, it's going to go right back to "When will we see the light of day of (newly announced MMO a year from now) and how good will it be?"

Look at Rift and SWTOR, especially SWTOR.

D3 only has 1 thing and 1 thing only going for it: Die hard D1 & D2 fans, otherwise it really is nothing new or innovative or even that fun to be honest.

[Oakrest]

D3 only has 1 thing and 1 thing only going for it: Die hard D1 & D2 fans,

That one thing, is a really, really, big one thing.


otherwise it really is nothing new or innovative or even that fun to be honest.

It's the first game to feature a seamless realtime, realworld money auction house. That's pretty innovative.

[Ziyyigo-Tipyigo]

Diablo? Half my friends never came back after Skyrim!

[Nala]

bleh rather then a aby 2.0 i'd rather they add in the areas of vanadiel we haven't been to, like the mithra homeland or where the orcs/gigas come from, or how about a wotg tie back to altep type save the galka empire from antica.

this game has such a rich background mythos to expand upon rather then rehash old zones and overlay a CoP gone wrong world.

[Alhanelem]

It's the first game to feature a seamless realtime, realworld money auction house. That's pretty innovative. It's also the reason I won't touch the game. It's a horrible idea, I don't want sanctioned RMT in my game, much less illicit RMT. Who's going to sell for ingame money when they can make real money selling nonexistent virtual crap? It also practically makes blizzard a financial institution in the same kind of gray area as PayPal.

I was vaguely interested in the game til I heard about this "innovative" feature. Then I lost all interest.

[Tsukino_Kaji]

Diablo? Half my friends never came back after Skyrim!They must realy love doing chores then. >.>

[wildsprite]

You couldn't be any more wrong. Most gamers are not marketers, they certainly can be indirectly (through word of mouth, social media, etc). However what most gamers are, are gamers - they login to whatever they want to play because they draw some amount of fun out of the content set by the creators, and don't get off on running a free awareness campaign for the company that created the game. Sure, many of us say to our RL buddy, "hey, you should come try out this game!" but the degree of effort in this context is an entirely different universe. Most of us do what Vold has posted, and look elsewhere for gaming kicks, it's much easier - we play games for fun, not work, right? It's like why planets and bubbles are round, they require the least amount of energy to exist.

my statement is actually right on the mark, SE is not promoting FFXI, they barely promoted it when they did, if we the players want it to have new life then we the players will need to help make that happen, but hey, you are right about one thing, the majority of the players wouldn't, they would just move on to something else than try to get their friends on here

[Oakrest]

Who's going to sell for in-game money when they can make real money selling nonexistent virtual crap? That's a great question, but both actually happen all the time all around us (both in Diablo2, and a long list of other multiplayer games) so I see no reason that would suggest this would be any different. At least now, for the first time, there's someone to be held accountable if the transaction goes a-rye.


It also practically makes blizzard a financial institution in the same kind of gray area as PayPal.

Hah, this really did make me laugh. Why would you microscope that financial outlet? You don't think the federal reserve or the world banks are 'gray'? You don't think the economic crash brought about by international banks doing "loan-swaps" and "derivatives" isn't gray? Since when isn't any branch of the financial infrastructure not 'gray'? Their mechanics is pretty clearly defined in their terms, as any other financial gateway claims to.


I was vaguely interested in the game til I heard about this "innovative" feature. Then I lost all interest.
You are certainly the minority :)

[Karbuncle]

the RMT Auction house idea is basically a smart move on Blizzard. RMT Will happen rather its sanctioned by the game or not. Them making their own RMT Auction House basically cuts out the need for such a thing to come up "illegally".

I mean, It won't stop it completely, But they're doing it to get a cut of what will already be happening. From a business perspective, Its a smart move. The fact they're keeping a Normal AH and RMT AH is also a good idea.

Theres quite a few restrictions and crap on the RMT Auction House, and a lot of fee's or what have you that will (I believe it was brought up on the BG THread) benefit selling on IN-Game Currency Auction house, and in turn selling the IG Currency instead. So its designed to where both RMT and in-Game currency have their strong points for use.

Regardless of all of that... I hate to say FFXI is dying but in reality it began to die slowly the second its subscriptions starting steadily declining with no real new players coming it. Its not going anywhere for a good couple years still, But i don't see it lasting more than 3-4 Years, as a Pay-To-Play game anyway. I think a new expansion would be lovely, and maybe we might see something in that line, but it seems unlikely, But not impossible.

SE has surprised us before, But I don't think they'll be shipping anymore Boxed expansions... Might not be cost productive, They'd make more money not printing CD's and just selling us Mini-expansions... and these days, it feels like Mini-Expansions is all we can look forward too. Which aren't too bad if they handle it correctly. You know, I've tried a few MMO's during their Beta because my friends thought highly of it... But i gotta say, One big flaw i found in most of them are their storylines and missions are hideously dull and unimmersive.

I find myself looking back fondly on actually reading RoTZ, CoP, and ToAU Cutscenes, Being interested in what happened next. Then i remember my small time in TERA, and I can't remember anything except the color of the "Accept' button on the missions and quests. I can likely recite most of the Storyline of CoP, ToAU, and RoTZ From memory... Hell I play most Games/RPGs for the story, Its rare for me to play a game and not try to enjoy the story... I guess thats what brought me to FFXI, the story of it all... wanting to find out whats next.

I'm babbling here. I think I'll stop before i go into a rant about how new MMO's are nothing but money-pumping schemes releasing bare-minimum "standard' RPG-Story with no real interest.

[Oakrest]

the RMT Auction house idea is basically a smart move on Blizzard. RMT Will happen rather its sanctioned by the game or not. Them making their own RMT Auction House basically cuts out the need for such a thing to come up "illegally".
Well said.

[Alhanelem]

Well said.
It's a smart move for blizzard, but not for the players who don't want to pay real money for normal items.

Basically instead of wasting money trying to stop it, they're collecting money by allowing it. That doesn't make it any less of a POS.


Why would you microscope that financial outlet? You don't think the federal reserve or the world banks are 'gray'?i suppose your argument is "since when did regulations stop anybody?" but it sounds like you really don't know what companies like PayPal are able to do when they operate essentially like a bank but aren't subject to the same rules and laws as one. Watch Blizzard freeze your legitimately earned assets because they don't like how your favorite color is purple when you go to cash out your account.


You are certainly the minorityThat's because the majority either aren't even aware of the feature or don't understand the reprecussions of it or the precedent it sets.

[Oakrest]

It's a smart move for blizzard, but not for the players who don't want to pay real money for normal items.
Purchasing items for real money is not a requirement, it's an option.



i suppose your argument is "since when did regulations stop anybody?" but it sounds like you really don't know what companies like PayPal are able to do when they operate essentially like a bank but aren't subject to the same rules and laws as one.
Re-read what I wrote previously. The point is, no bank operates like a bank by your definition - the entire international framework is sketchy as &*^%. When the 2007-20012 financial collapse occurred, it wasn't from gateways like Paypal and other commercial factions like Blizzard, it was from the very people who set international bank standards, and then broke them (remember sub primes, "loan-swaps", and other absolutely foolish ways to take advantage of the few (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swap_(finance))?). There's no point in singling them out as if the flaws were not inherent - what you're suggesting is out of context.

[Alhanelem]

Purchasing items for real money is not a requirement, it's an option.It's not an option when everyone starts using the real money AH because who doesn't want to make real money from their loot? *browses AH* Ooh, look at that awesome swo- oh nevermind, that guy wants $100 for it.


Re-read what I wrote previously. The point is, no bank operates like a bank by your definition - the entire international framework is sketchy as &*^%. When the 2007-20012 financial collapse occurred, it wasn't from gateways like Paypal and other commercial factions like Blizzard, it was from the very people who set international bank standards, and then broke them (remember sub primes, "loan-swaps", and other absolutely foolish ways to take advantage of the few (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swap_%28finance%29)?). There's no point in singling them out as if the flaws were not inherent - what you're suggesting is out of context. umm, yeah, I'm just ignoring you right now. I don't need you to tell me that many of our nation's (and the world's) banks are farked up. That doesn't change the fact that paypal (and now blizzard) get to hold and handle your money like a bank without even having to think about much less obey banking laws. Yes, those regulations are flawed and allowed financial institutions to do stupid things that farked up the world's economy- but those regulations don't even CONSIDER companies like PayPal, who might freeze your account if they don't like the color of the shirt your best friend was wearing last night. That's a lot different from offering a bad loan.

I don't know where you got this idea that I'm blaming the financial collapse on these companies. They don't have to cause a collapse to be just as crappy and bad as any bank.

[Karbuncle]

It's not an option when everyone starts using the real money AH because who doesn't want to make real money from their loot? *browses AH* Ooh, look at that awesome swo- oh nevermind, that guy wants $100 for it.

Sounds like an assumption to me, Is that the only argument you have? Its not a very good one. You should reconsider. Considering the game isn't even out, You're faulting a system that doesn't exist yet and we have no idea how it will pan out. Blizzard has taken measure to ensure both Auction Houses should be used roughly the same.

RMT exists in every game, and still the Auction Houses in those games run just fine. RMT Being sanctioned or not won't stop players from using the in-game Auction House. The Super-Rare items will probably hit the RMT AH before the real AH, But thats "Inferno" Mode level stuff, Which you should really just play Inferno mode to get anyway instead of buying it ya lazy bumb.

[Oakrest]

It's not an option when everyone starts using the real money AH because who doesn't want to make real money from their loot? *browses AH* Ooh, look at that awesome swo- oh nevermind, that guy wants $100 for it.

umm, yeah, I'm just ignoring you right now. I don't need you to tell me that many of our nation's (and the world's) banks are farked up. That doesn't change the fact that paypal (and now blizzard) get to hold and handle your money like a bank without even having to think about much less obey banking laws. Yes, those regulations are flawed and allowed financial institutions to do stupid things that farked up the world's economy- but those regulations don't even CONSIDER companies like PayPal, who might freeze your account if they don't like the color of the shirt your best friend was wearing last night. That's a lot different from offering a bad loan.

I don't know where you got this idea that I'm blaming the financial collapse on these companies. They don't have to cause a collapse to be just as crappy and bad as any bank.

Your just rambling here, you're all over the place.

[Tsukino_Kaji]

9 more days.

[Alhanelem]

Sounds like an assumption to me, Is that the only argument you have? Its not a very good one. Yes, it's an assumption, but i see it as highly probable. Blizzard is making it look easy to earn money while playing. Who's not going to try that?


Your just rambling here, you're all over the place. That's what happens when you're talking to someone spouting irrelevant nonsense. I bring up how blizzard is basically turning into a shady financial institution and you want to talk about the world economic collapse. We're not even in the same ball park.

[Tsukino_Kaji]

Except thet Blizzard has stated that they have so much money that they can just not release D3 if they wanted. an you blame them for wanting a slice of teh RMT market? Every other online gaming company is waiting white knucked right now to see how this AH will play out. It can end up being a huge thing to the market.

[Rohelius]

I was interested in Diablo 3 too. then i got done with guild wars 2 beta and i dont care for diablo OR ffxi anymore ^^ cant wait til launch

[Quetzacoatl]

Square-Enix should have made FFXIV into an offline console RPG with an Online Co-Op mode, and instead make a sequel to FFXI, as Final Fantasy XI-2. It could have done better with the FFXI audience this way and avoided a lot of issues.

[Prothscar]

Best thing that XI can really do in the current market is go free to play with some kind of cash shop set up. It'd likely turn out more profitable for them and we won't have to pay monthly for the crappy service we've been getting; the content that we've been getting lately, and what's been outlined in the next 6-month timeline, isn't worth $12.95/mo. Quite evident that we're being milked at this point.

[Karbuncle]

Yes, it's an assumption, but i see it as highly probable. Blizzard is making it look easy to earn money while playing. Who's not going to try that?

The same hundreds of thousands of people who don't RMT in current MMO's where RMT is in. I.E All of them. Sanctioning RMT isn't going to get everyone to RMT.

Firstly, Some items won't even be worth putting on the RM AH, as no ones going to pay a 2$ Fee to put up an item worth 1$. Second, If you put it on the RM AH, and it doesn't sell, You've wasted money. the RM AH Is going to be a lot about testing the water until a suitable price appears for an item. the In-Game AH Will still likely be stocked with most items. Again, the only things the RMT AH Will likely ever see are Hell/Inferno Mode drops, the other stuff, the stuff 75% Of the Player Base will settle for, Will likely hit the in-game AH.

At the end of the day, You're still basing it off an assumption. To be truthful, when i first heard about the RMT Auction house. I just sat there and laughed at how far blizzard would go to pump more money out of its fanbase. The i realized regardless of how we may feel, they're a company, and them sanctioning RMT actually help prevents "illegal" RMT, Won't stop it completely, but it reduces it, Which I enjoyed the idea of.

Since you know, I don't enjoy when in Diablo II i get dozens of Whispers telling me to go buy their sh*t, Or in FFXI where i get Cheljsduakujhfchangpowohq telling me to visit GirForyou to un-nood myself.

[Tsukino_Kaji]

The big money will actualy be in leveling hardcore characters to 60 and selling them.
Since you know, I don't enjoy when in Diablo II i get dozens of Whispers telling me to go buy their sh*t, Or in FFXI where i get Cheljsduakujhfchangpowohq telling me to visit GirForyou to un-nood myself.D2 has filters to stop that.

[Karbuncle]

The big money will actually be in leveling hardcore characters to 60 and selling them.D2 has filters to stop that.

In my defense, i was like, 13? So ... 9 Years ago... Did they have filters on it way back then? If so, I didn't know about them XD. I thought it was new.

[Tsukino_Kaji]

In my defense, i was like, 13? So ... 9 Years ago... Did they have filters on it way back then? If so, I didn't know about them XD. I thought it was new.It wasn't until after that second mass deletion.

[Alhanelem]

Except thet Blizzard has stated that they have so much money that they can just not release D3 if they wanted. an you blame them for wanting a slice of teh RMT market? Every other online gaming company is waiting white knucked right now to see how this AH will play out. It can end up being a huge thing to the market.
No, I don't blame them. That doesn't mean it doesn't suck. And I'm waiting white knuckled too, because I don't want to see this in any other game. It will set an awful precedent.

Does anyone remember when games were actually about substance? Remember when developers threw out extra content in free patches? remember when if you actually paid for extra content, that it was actually substantial? Remember when you could play a game without feeling compelled to fork over a dollar here, 50 cents there after already paying $50 for a game?

You certainly don't seem to be dissapointed about this- Looks like you, like too many people, have been fully conditioned to accept real money transactions in any game.


Again, the only things the RMT AH Will likely ever see are Hell/Inferno Mode drops, the other stuff, the stuff 75% Of the Player Base will settle for, Will likely hit the in-game AH.In short, pay-to-win.

[Prothscar]

Which is absolutely no different from any other online that has RMT activity. What's your point?

[Karinya_of_Carbuncle]

Remember when developers threw out extra content in free patches?

Why, how much did you pay for Legion and half a dozen new tiers of Voidwatch?

It doesn't take much memory to remember things that are still going on...

[Oakrest]

I'm not sure if your specifically talking about the D3 RM AH but...


Firstly, Some items won't even be worth putting on the RM AH, as no ones going to pay a 2$ Fee to put up an item worth 1$.
There is a flat $1.00 fee + 15% of the listed items cost.


Second, If you put it on the RM AH, and it doesn't sell, You've wasted money.
"These fees will only be charged if your auction successfully sells, and will automatically be deducted from the item’s final selling price."
See: http://us.battle.net/d3/en/services/auction-house/how-to


Since you know, I don't enjoy when in Diablo II i get dozens of Whispers telling me to go buy their sh*t, Or in FFXI where i get Cheljsduakujhfchangpowohq telling me to visit GirForyou to un-nood myself.

I completely agree!

[Dazusu]

but it seems to me they should just look at making a second Abyssea, "Abyssea 2.0". All new items, new stuff to collect

Maybe I'm alone in thinking this, but a new round of Abyssea zones will kill this game much quicker than its current content development cycle.

There was a lot of people who liked it - and I did upon its release for a while. The ultimate problem is that Abyssea was a mediocre attempt at revitalizing the game. Square Enix can do much better, and if you're happy to settle for another 3 zones full of boring mobs all of which can be brewed ergo no real challenge - then good for you, but I'll be spending my money elsewhere if it comes to that... again.

[Trisscar]

Also, there's other beastmen besides goblins. There's also gigas.

And Tonberries.


Though I completely agree with you. Abyssea was devoid of alot of beastmen tribes.
Agreed.

[Alhanelem]

There was a lot of people who liked it - and I did upon its release for a while.The problem with abyssea is not abyssea itself- It was very successful content. The problem is, abyssea is a power playground. While you're there, you have enormous power that you dont have outside of it. No new content has been able to compare, largely because you feel weaker when you're doing it, taking the buzz away. Thus, on a technical level, the only way to surpass abyssea is to make more content that's similar (or at least uses the things you've gained form it already)

That's what was 'failiure" about it- the fact that they can't really top it.

[scaevola]

Ok, so this is going to BLOW YOUR MIND, but other video games have actually been released in the past ten years, FFXI players have happily played those games and kept coming back to this one, and Diablo 3 is most likely not going to be some sort of life-changing experience that will make you swear off FFXI, alcohol, and milk chocolate.

[Ziyyigo-Tipyigo]

in the past ten years, FFXI players have happily played those games and kept coming back to this one

Most came back, and any shortfall was offset by new players.

Now, less come back with every new game, and even the number of new players is dwindling. Compelling new games serve as a "detox" period for FFXI players, and there's just not as much reason to fall off the wagon again afterward.

Think of every new major RPG-ish release as a spin at Russian Roulette...

[Tsukino_Kaji]

No, I don't blame them. That doesn't mean it doesn't suck. And I'm waiting white knuckled too, because I don't want to see this in any other game. It will set an awful precedent.

Does anyone remember when games were actually about substance? Remember when developers threw out extra content in free patches? remember when if you actually paid for extra content, that it was actually substantial? Remember when you could play a game without feeling compelled to fork over a dollar here, 50 cents there after already paying $50 for a game?

You certainly don't seem to be dissapointed about this- Looks like you, like too many people, have been fully conditioned to accept real money transactions in any game.

In short, pay-to-win.You are arguing the wrong point entirely. I'm not buying extra content off of some guy. Blizzard is not sell you extra content. This is not an expansion. This dose not inhibit the companies willingness to add content. This game is not pay to win. Nor have I been conditioned in any form. Your ranting about something that doesnt' exist here. Is what this is, is a venue in which you can freely sell digital items to other players, not from the company.