The new era of communication with the playerbase.

[Runespider]

The producer doesnt even really direct the game (that is what the director does after all) so perhaps the "blame" should be more to the director of the game?

Titles don't really mean much, FFXI is Tanakas baby. If you think his influence would be ignored at the meetings then you're crazy, he gets his way or the director would be steamrolled. The way I see things, it's more that the director and team is making decent content (under a very VERY low budget) and Tanaka is ruining it by crappy drop systems and low drop rates (in an attempt to make up for the serious lack of content due to that low budget).

They removed him from FFXIV due to incompetence (a game with almost nobody playing it) and leave him on XI which is vastly more important to the company. Makes a lot of sense.

A lot of people returned to FFXI because it got better in almost every way, now it's going back to old ways that made these people quit in the first place. I'd rather not see this game die any time soon, especially not due to crappy budgets when the game makes enough to warrant more and ruining the content they do add with useless stupid overdone time sinks.

[Kimble]

Honestly, it has less to do with Tanaka (who never left, no one can prove one way or another how much involvement he had in abyssea but facts are facts, he was still producer) and more to do with ALL the whining and crying people did during abyssea. Just look at all the threads here. "drops are too easy to get and mean nothing" "empy weapons are to easy to get" "I miss old FFXI, we need to bring it back!"

People cried and now they got what they wanted but now its "nooo this isnt what I wanted!"

Really, people need to stop blaming Tanaka and look to themselves to blame.

[noodles355]

The producer doesnt even really direct the game (that is what the director does after all) so perhaps the "blame" should be more to the director of the game?

Hello Kimble, you appear to be a (wo)man of common sense, I don't think you will fit in well here... although I wish you did.

[xbobx]

wow, you have some anger issues.

[Boofaceing]

Titles don't really mean much, FFXI is Tanakas baby. If you think his influence would be ignored at the meetings then you're crazy, he gets his way or the director would be steamrolled. The way I see things, it's more that the director and team is making decent content (under a very VERY low budget) and Tanaka is ruining it by crappy drop systems and low drop rates (in an attempt to make up for the serious lack of content due to that low budget).

They removed him from FFXIV due to incompetence (a game with almost nobody playing it) and leave him on XI which is vastly more important to the company. Makes a lot of sense.

A lot of people returned to FFXI because it got better in almost every way, now it's going back to old ways that made these people quit in the first place. I'd rather not see this game die any time soon, especially not due to crappy budgets when the game makes enough to warrant more and ruining the content they do add with useless stupid overdone time sinks.

Apart from the Tanaka part because its a company effort and the North American part of any JRPG never has a say in anything, I agree with you 100%. You hit it right on. Drop rates, gil farming, all to makeup for the copy pasted landscapes and monsters and lack of real content or challenge. Just suffering through running halfway around in the world in 12 hours.