The Decline of FFXI: Forums, Gameplay and Nostalgia

[Arlan]

I really wish that they would bring back a salvage type event. That took some planning/people knowing what the hell to do. and it was challanging/fun. Well to me it was.

Yes, I enjoyed Salvage type events.
However, the only thing that killed it for me and majority of players was the drop rates, which was not realistic and the time sink elements which was just a waste of time. But worst of all, You had to have a lot of gils in order to even afford to upgrade your gear...

In my opinion, good gear should be earned by good players,

Not Bought by players with the MOST gilz, Or players who have no lives and can afford the HUGE Time Sink elements that are completely unnecessary and unmotivated by players who want real challenge and adventure who just want to Game with their friends.

Salvage + Assault Rank Missions + Nyzule Isle where the BEST challenging type events I have experience, in my opinion, other than "Story Missions" back in 2006 when i started. I done Sky and sea and other stuff too but, in the end,
SE makes the fun, and challenging events, the most Time Sink, that just kills most of the fun for players who just wish to progress and take on tough things durring their adventures.

Back in the old days, So many flaws!
Today, A lot more has improved, but ultimately, brand New flaws has occurred.

I enjoy the new FFXI a lot more than I did with the Old FFXI,
But still a lot needs to be changed and fixed around.

Wether you agree or disagree with today's ffxi, the fact is, it is an MMORPG game and all MMORPG games are considered "Incomplete" because it constantly changes. And not everyone well agree or have the same views on what they think the game should be.

I welcome Challenging events, But just as long as all players have access to the content and can enjoy it on their own pace without being limited.

This game was made for all, After all...
Not for One. =)

[Chronofantasy]

I definitely know for sure SE is taking our ideas as most has mentioned. Myself along with many others have posted topics and replies on here to increase the lvl cap and give more content for our fellowship NPCs, and in this version update, SE is giving us just that. There's over 100 different ideas players give out on these forums. Only so much can be done.

[Karbuncle]

I was overlooking this thread, and I had to comment on this particular quote. Recently in other threads, I've been discussing balance when it comes to jobs. So in one aspect, this quote makes sense. But in another, this quote is completely biased.

Jobs becoming "bandwagon" doesn't affect that particular job. It affects other jobs.

It brings imbalance to the game. This imbalance causes favoritism amongst the player base, and this favoritism towards jobs, causes them to exclude other people from events/battles/quests, etc, simply because they do not have the "required job".

I know the cliche thing to say is... "Well then go level a useful job". But this not the answer, and this is where FFXI fails, where MMO's like WoW succeed.

At the risk of being flamed for bringing World of Warcraft to the discussion, Blizzard did not consider that people would play more than 1 character/class/job when the game was developed. They created each Class with the understanding that everyone should be included, regardless of whatever race/class/role they play.

FFXI's past and current trends of "bandwagon jobs/subjobs" seek to create so much imbalance, that any further development without the consideration of "all things being equal", will upset a mass majority of the player base that are either new/returning or simply like the job they play because of nostalgia/role-play reasons.

People didn't level the job they like, only to have everyone around them say "Oh... Didn't you know? That job sucks".

While your point is correct in some ways, Bandwagon jobs will always Exist. it was RNG, then BLM, then SMN, then SAM, then MNK/WAR, etc etc. Very few will change this, unfortunately. "Miracle Cure" arm-chair thoughts rarely get implemented.


However, that's not at all what the guy i quoted was talking about :|. The way i read it (been like a week now though) he was sad his job had become the "next bandwagon". I.E He's sad his job is useful enough people are leveling it. I.E he apparently wants his job nerfed again.

[Panthera]

The forums give us a direct means to communicate with SE collectively. I think that over the years, SE listens to concerns and changes the game over time. Sometimes changes are made when they are no longer relevant. The much delayed Moogles in Selbina being a prime example, and the changes to ROTZ Kings being another. However, putting Abyssea NPCs in Port Windurst as opposed to Heaven's Tower is a counter example, as are other changes to the recent update. There are quite a few examples in this forum of where SE provides us with feedback, at least letting us know what can and cannot be done, in-house mog house save point as an example. And although changing Wyvern's color might be pretty, FFXI is a business as well as a game, and they do have to think in terms of development costs vs payoffs, or in other words, prioritize. Balancing out Relic and Mythic weapons vs. Emperean weapons is just more important than the color of wyvern skin.

As for the decline of FFXI, I think this is a separate thread for a separate issue. I don't think there's really a strong case here for that (and i'm not saying there isn't one to be made), and furthermore, I don't see a clear connection made between forums as a supposed distraction and deteriorating game design. One must be careful about new threads and replies. They have to be as good essays; with a clear focus supported by relevant examples which prove the point.

[Miiyo]

The example I will use is in the JOBS section: DRAGOON: "Change your wyvern color!"
The most stupid example to open up with after you said "good ideas." If that's your example of the "good ideas" that have been posted, SE wasted their time thinking the forum would produce any good ideas that would HELP the game. Who is going to play longer because they can change the color of their damn wyvern?

Good ideas are based on opinion. So far you're not proving your's are worth listening to. I'll take "something to do" over a really small cosmetic change that doesn't affect everyone. Well it doesn't affect the majority. Dragoon is not a prominent job. Not close.

Also part of the... "example" you showed was this: "...a VAST and complex story, lots of areas to explore and quests to do, tons of jobs to play, etc."
Even pre-Abyssea alot of zones were not being used. It was basically a waste of memory and space. Space they're trying to recycle. Yes the world is vast. What does that matter if 60%+ of it isn't being used. What does it matter that it has a ton of quests to do if people have already done them and don't care to do them again? Did I mention your really did not pick a good example?

Then there was this part "I know you have lot of work to do and I am not against it, but..."
The "but" was not needed. It should've stopped there. They have a ton of work to do to keep people playing. You're complaining but you're still playing. Evidentally what they are trying to do and accomplish is enough to have you pay them money. You don't know what they have to do! You don't know how much work it takes to try to please hundreds of thousands of people with a small team. You know nothing of their workload. Be respectful and not even assume you have a clue unless you have a background in the field... ...or if you're sleeping with someone on the Dev. team. I may listen to what you supposedly "know" if that was the case

On Forums
I can count the amount of original good ideas I've seen on the forum, on one hand. The whining and bitching extends forever with very few suggestions of substance. Every other thing that is worth reading, has been merely a "you need to add this to what you've already done" comment. So there hasn't been much the majority hasn't liked. They just want tweaking to it.

On Gameplay and Nostalgia
Everything will lose it's sense of newness eventually. To stay in business, things have to evolve. The biggest drop in the population probably happened post WOTG. When the same activities (dyna, sky, sea, etc) were milked, and milked, and milked for years. You try to run a game off of nostalgia and you lose people. It's as simple as that.

"The video is a bit silly, but it presents a great synopsis of how developers extend the game time, in order for people to feel like they "got more out of the game"
Funny you should say that when they are currently trying to utilize every bit of the game now, instead of expanding and adding stuff, while killing more older areas.

Lastly, this is a business for SE. They want to make money. This is done by pleasing the majority. If you think an upgrade to a system that kept people hooked for years, comes second to the color of a damn wyvern being changed, then you prove my belief that you are an idiot.

(I really can't believe this guy said changing the color of a DAMN wyvern is a good idea. He compared it to Dynamis. An entire battle zone, compared to a cosmetic change to a DAMN WYVERN!!!)