Where's OUR discount?

[Kaisha]

Thing is, in pretty much every MMO but a few new ones 1 character = 1 class, so they have to let you have free character slots and let you buy more slots if you need it
.

The jobs are just a series of bytes within your character profile, that excuse doesn't work with me.

It's just a money grab on their end to charge for additional characters that only take up one megabyte when other MMOs don't. It's further hampered by the never-ending inventory space issues because of said job system, and so most people end up paying the extra $1-2 just for inventory mules, which is a non-issue in other games since you can make plenty of storage characters for crafting and other goods.

[Luvbunny]

They have to give this so called discount for FF14. The game is a total crap fest even with some of the recent updates. It is still very unfriendly, way too confusing, takes too long to do almost anything, and just plain NOT fun at all to play - and yes even now. You basically paying upfront for them to develop and redo the whole thing. I really feel sorry for those people who waste their time and money beta testing for 2 years. But if you yearn for "the good old days" and want to try something "totally different" - go ahead and play it. It's way cheaper and a lot more shiny.

[Seiowan]

The funny thing is no one started pushing for a "discount" until they heard another MMO was getting one. If you really cared so much about paying less for the game, you would have pressed for a cost reduction ages ago. The fact you didn't shows you clearly feel the amount you're currently paying for the game is of adequate value.

[Ziyyigo-Tipyigo]

If you really cared so much about paying less for the game, you would have pressed for a cost reduction ages ago. The fact you didn't shows you clearly feel the amount you're currently paying for the game is of adequate value.

Value is relative. This permanent discount gives us something to relate it to.

[Krashport]

The funny thing is no one started pushing for a "discount" until they heard another MMO was getting one. If you really cared so much about paying less for the game, you would have pressed for a cost reduction ages ago. The fact you didn't shows you clearly feel the amount you're currently paying for the game is of adequate value.

Wrong see 10.) I posted this way back before there was talk about 14 getting a discount.

It's seems SQUARE ENIX, is losing the Fan based, Causal and Hardcore Members alike, They realized this so what they are doing is dummying down Final Fantasy XI to cope with the low numbers of players that still play, And focusing to the "New Player" Also Final Fantasy XIV is their baby now so it seems they really don't care if Final Fantasy XI stays online for 2-10 more years they just "Need" it to pay for Final Fantasy XIV until it starts to pay for itself.

Yeah SQUARE ENIX, Want to make everyone on Final Fantasy XI happy, Also seems why Final Fantasy XIV is free2play this long, Cause in that Time sink where their playing for free and getting where they are its going to be that much tougher to quit once they start charging. "So they keep hanging around $.$", But at the rate Final Fantasy XI going, They are still losing members.

Some members wonder why Final Fantasy XI are losing its Fans/Causal/Hardcore players, Here's a thought it's a very old outdated M.M.O., People have moved on to brighter pastures, It's going in the wrong direction, I don't know maybe I'm just and old Fan trying to make sense of the future of Final Fantasy XI.

Kinda feels like trying to fit two bowling balls into a marble bag! Game was capped @ lv75 and all that content for the most part obsolete, Maybe if they updated the old zoned before coming out with level raise/Abyssea, Things would have been different.

No, this is not a SQUARE ENIX Fail thread, I'm just very interested as to what SQUARE ENIX has planned for the future of Final Fantasy XI playing this game for 8+ years and seeing we have Forums now, Why not use them and maybe get some feed back from the Dev and the Game directors.

---------------------------------------------------------We got Questions!-----------------

1.)Most of us participated in the Platform survey can we get any feed back on this?
2.)Is there any new content schedule? "not remapping or updates to old stuff"
3.)Are the consoles PS2/Xbox, Really holding back Final Fantasy XI?
4.)How many Devs are working on Final Fantasy XI?
5.)Are the makers of Final Fantasy XI happy with the direction the game is going?

6.)Is it true that the workforce is working on Final Fantasy XIV and Final Fantasy XI is under staff, If so are there plans to fix this, If yes would you have a time frame?
7.)Is the Mog House going to get an update?
8.)Is Procing going to be added to every mob with in the game?
9.)Was Final Fantasy XIV ever going to be Final Fantasy XI remake?
10.)Seeing Final Fantasy XI is an outdated game and most new games out there are less in a monthly cost will Final Fantasy XI ever get a price cut?

11.)Most consoles members are experience freezing/lockup could it because their consoles is outdated and most members really just need to move to the PC?
12.)How does SQUARE ENIX feel about some in game job classes overpowering others and does it really matter? "After all if all jobs were so balance so "equal" You would just be playing the job with a different name"
13.)Are there plans to revisit the level cap quests if so in what way?
14.)What makes another thread more important then another on these forums?
15.)This one is for the Final Fantasy XI Community, Do you have any questions for SQUARE ENIX and the Devs?, If so please list them. I'm sure I missed quite a few questions!

[Yinnyth]

I can respect being frugal. It's a form of efficiency, after all. I am, however, a little bit concerned about what would happen to FFXI if we all did get discounts. Imagine if the FFXI team suddenly got 33% less revenue. What would happen to the quality of our customer service, connectivity to the servers, and the updates? You can joke around and say things like "well it can't possibly get any worse than it already is", but then you're a short-sighted fool who refuses to face reality. Things can always get worse. And if we invest even less in FFXI, things will get worse.

[Ziyyigo-Tipyigo]

Imagine if the FFXI team suddenly got 33% less revenue.

If the subscription rate were dropped to where it is for XIV, they'd still have more revenue than XIV because of the size of the subscription base.

And if we invest even less in FFXI, things will get worse.

That can only be true if S-E has silently hung XI out to dry without having the decency to tell us, meaning a lack of commitment, which gets to my entire point.

I can grudgingly understand having a discount on XIV "until it's fixed." Such a discount represents S-E subsidizing the subscriptions for those players while the game is "fixed." But making those very same discounts permanent means that the subsidies become permanent, and XIV players have something on paper that indicate S-E is putting its full weight behind making XIV as good as it can be (until they make a new MMO and the abuse cycle begins anew).

XI, not so much.

[RAIST]

Also need to consider they've drastically cut the expenses to maintain XI, without reducing the costs to the consumer. Multiple server mergers, and they gutted the dev and support teams a while back, and have been reaping the increased profit from the XI sector since (hence the speculations that XI has been funding XIV development, as that is where most the personnel likely went).

[Setsuai]

I've read a good chunk of this and I have to be honest. I agree but also disagree with this whole concept. I mean, I do believe that XIV players should get something since they stuck around and beta tested it when it bombed, but I don't think a discount is a good way to go. I mean I can't help but look at other, similar situations. I can't help but think of Heavy Rain. Me and my fiance went out and bought it because it was like Indigo Prophecy but with better graphics and a cool story line. We stuck it in, and it had so many glitches that it crashed our PS3 on a regular basis. We kept this game for a while, thinking that they would update it and it would get better. After a while of waiting, I got the urge to play it about a week ago. I barely got out of the bedroom, after reloading it a few times, then I just gave up. What did we get out of it? $6 store credit from game exchange. No 'sorry the game sucks,' no refund from the company, nothing. Just a major head ache. I know this is a different company, as well as the fact that its not an MMO, but I kinda think it works the same way. I would believe that I am entitled to something since the game bombed, but I didn't get anything back. Since this is an MMO, as well as a company that has as many followers as it does, I do think that the players deserve something, but I don't agree with a discount.

I personally don't think FFXI should get a discount either. I do think, however, that we need more to the game now, but I don't expect it. Since XIV is about to hit its 're-release,' a good chunk of the player base will be moving games since XIV is shiny, new, and now, improved. Pretty soon, though not too soon, it will be the FXIV player base paying for OUR services. It may not be next week, month or year, but it will happen eventually, and I expect it to. They won't update the graphics (too much) or offer new large expansions, because they want us to move to FFXIV. I believe they expect it to be the better version of XI. They had a rough start, but they've fixed a good chunk of it (this is just what I speculate from reading the earlier posts). I expect most of our player base with jump on the band wagon and follow the trail.

I'm not trying to be a pessimist, nor am I trying to say that FFXI is doomed to server collapse, but I do know that this game is aging. There isn't much more they can do to it, and since XIV is about to hit the shelves a second time, I don't think they'll do much more other than minor stuff here and there. And while I do hope for them to add more to XI, I don't expect it.

[Ziyyigo-Tipyigo]

they want us to move to FFXIV.

Most likely, but can they at least be honest about it?

From http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/story.html?story=18309 (emphasis mine)

One concern certainly being voiced across many forums is the fate of Final Fantasy XI in the face of this new release. Well, rest assured that Vana'diel will persist well after the release of Final Fantasy XIV. Tanaka admits that while players can play both games simultaneously, it could be quite taxing on one's free time. However, he reiterates that the focus for XIV is having a variety of content that allows you to spend your time how you want and still progress. In the end, it is up to the player if they want to remain in XI, try out XIV, or maintain a presence in both games. Users are encouraged to explore the full freedom both games offer.

If this policy has been changed, we deserve to be told.