Is FFXI getting a cash shop?

[Zephrose]

Still don't think you understand the concept of time is money here but that's OK. Jealousy can make you do strange things at times.

And I still stand by my statement to the monthly payment. Yes you gain access to the full game, of course you do. But so do F2P games... Yes you have to pay for some extra resources but so do you in ffxi, it's called a subscription which gives you more time to play. The terms are different but in core fundamentals they are the same. They both allow you to play the game for a longer period and at the height of its enjoyment. Again, delusional...

So what if it's something I am suggesting. Not like the Devs will ever have plans to make it happen.

[Stompa]

Still don't think you understand the concept of time is money here but that's OK. Jealousy can make you do strange things at times.

Time is time.

If you want to play FFXI with 119 gear you can do this without the ultra-exclusive gear. If you want to obtain this RME gear, you are accepting a Long Term Challenge. When you accept any challenge, you are accepting the rules of that challenge, as well as the known hardships involved in that challenge. Nobody is forcing you to do it. But if you choose to accept the challenge, you have to accept the rules of the challenge. In the case of RME that involves a large amount of time, if you are playing by the rules.

I've been on the HMP stage of my empy forever lol. But I keep chipping away at it. And one day when my empy is finished, I will rejoice and dance for joy. Because I accepted the challenge and I beat the challenge, I beat it on legit mode without cheating, even though it took me a LONG TIME lol. Playing by the rules and overcoming challenges is what being a gamer is all about.

[Stompa]

You said everything I was going to say and more, Stompa. To think that being charged a single monthly fee of a measly 13 dollars (which is two dollars less than just about any other subscription mmo, btw), for the hundreds or even thousands of hours worth of stuff to do in the game, somehow equates to "nickel and diming" is not only delusional (using your word here Zephrose) it's just plain silly, imo. Playing a subscription based mmorpg is one of the cheapest forms of entertainment and easily one of the best bangs for your buck that you can find -- and that's hardly arguable. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for online games that use micro-transaction systems that are designed to keep your wallet open at all times. Maybe that's what you want, but it sure as hell isn't what I -- nor I imagine what most other players of this game -- want.

I totally agree, and you really make great points. Especially the "bang for your buck" part. I keep meeting FFXI players who used to spend so much money on alcohol, rave parties, sports event tickets and offical merchandise (lol). They were paying a fortune to basically wreck their health, or sit in stadiums watching some dudes in the far distance getting paid $quadrillions to toss a ball around. Then they discovered Vanadiel, and found that for just small payment per month, they could be entertained and excited and meet new friends all the time. I know people who have said Vanadiel saved their lives, it made them stop drinking or living reckless real-world lifestyles. And it gave them a hobby which was constructive and fun, for the price of a few beers per month.

[Zephrose]

Time is time.

If you want to play FFXI with 119 gear you can do this without the ultra-exclusive gear. If you want to obtain this RME gear, you are accepting a Long Term Challenge. When you accept any challenge, you are accepting the rules of that challenge, as well as the known hardships involved in that challenge. Nobody is forcing you to do it. But if you choose to accept the challenge, you have to accept the rules of the challenge. In the case of RME that involves a large amount of time, if you are playing by the rules.

I've been on the HMP stage of my empy forever lol. But I keep chipping away at it. And one day when my empy is finished, I will rejoice and dance for joy. Because I accepted the challenge and I beat the challenge, I beat it on legit mode without cheating, even though it took me a LONG TIME lol. Playing by the rules and overcoming challenges is what being a gamer is all about.

Time is Time... you make me giggle... I can see why you're stuck on HMPs.

I mean, I'm not going to stop you from wasting your time.

[Seillan]

Still don't think you understand the concept of time is money here but that's OK. Jealousy can make you do strange things at times.

And I still stand by my statement to the monthly payment. Yes you gain access to the full game, of course you do. But so do F2P games... Yes you have to pay for some extra resources but so do you in ffxi, it's called a subscription which gives you more time to play. The terms are different but in core fundamentals they are the same. They both allow you to play the game for a longer period and at the height of its enjoyment. Again, delusional...

So what if it's something I am suggesting. Not like the Devs will ever have plans to make it happen.

Ha, jealousy. Yes, I'm jealous of people that need to throw money at any obstacle they face in life because they lack the fortitude to accomplish something the hard way like the rest of us -- or simply because they're effing lazy. Makes perfect sense.

And you'd have a point if both models were actually equal, which is rarely, if ever, the case. If you think that a "piece meal" RMT model is going to give you a better deal -- or hell, even an equal one -- compared to a flat rate subscription of 13 dollars a month, I have various bridges to sell you. There may be exceptions to that rule, but in my experience, they are few and far between.

[Stompa]

Time is Time... you make me giggle... I can see why you're stuck on HMPs.

I mean, I'm not going to stop you from wasting your time.

Well yes time is time lol. You can choose to spend your *time* playing a roleplaying game, set in an atmospheric virtual world online, and playing your RPG character. You can choose to spend your time just messing around in that world, having fun and using the normal 119 weapons that are readily available for fairly low effort and gil. Or you can choose to spend your time working on long term goals like RME.

Money is money, and you can choose to play Failga IV games that allow the purchasing of progress. You can savour that empty hollow feeling as you buy another Hero item, that you didn't battle any monsters to get, or have fun memories of farming with your ingame friends.

In the meantime I will look forward to completing my empy, battling monsters, going on adventures with friends while trying to finish my weapon.

And by the way, your slur missed the mark. The reason I haven't finished empy is because I spend my gil on other things too, like crafting and upgrading armor sets. And I help on the LS, do a lot of stuff that isn't going to get me either gil or empy upgrade items. I'm sure if I went /fanaticmode and just put all my time and gil into my empy, it would have been finished a while ago. But I want to play many aspects of the game, such as helping other players and perfecting my crafting skills.

I'm not playing FFXI just to finish a weapon, but it is a long term goal of mine, and I really will get a physical adrenaline hit when that finished weapon is in my hand. And I will feel excited to obtain it, not *despite* it took so long and so much effort - *because* it took so long and so much effort.

[Seillan]

Time is Time... you make me giggle... I can see why you're stuck on HMPs.

I mean, I'm not going to stop you from wasting your time.

Honestly, with your philosophy, I seriously question why you would ever even humor the idea of playing in a genre like this. What are these games exactly, if not fun, wastes of time? They have always been just that, and they will always -- at least to a point -- be just that. They are designed to take time and to reward people that work for things. If you want every, single thing handed to you up front, there are plenty of genres out there that pander to your tastes. Or, like I mentioned earlier, plenty of F2P grinders and the like that would love you and your loose wallet.

[Dale]

Yeah, I understand there are plenty of pay-to-win games out there. But I disagree on "There is no good reason to bring it here also". I would think quite the opposite to this in fact. I'm sure players would love it more than you'd think. Just because there are a handful of you here saying "No, please no..." doesn't mean others are not silently cheering on SE to implement it. Like Abyssea, I believe the shop would add another good facet to this game that players can leverage.

Diversity is good in the market place yes, but why not apply within something that already exists? Just a little effort is needed to get it off the ground.

Because if they were to make all games pay-to-win then players who wanted to avoid those types of games would have no where to go. That's why it's not good to make all products the same. It has the opposite effect of adding diversity to the market.

And I suspect if they added Pay-to-Win to this game you would see what population they have left almost completely disappear. Because I think Final Fantasy XI survives largely because of old-school players who appreciate the more traditional aspects of MMORPG. And pay-to-win isn't going to appeal to them at all.

[Zephrose]

Never have I said a Pay-to-Win game was the right thing to do and is what SE needs to add to FFxi. I was merely throwing the idea around here to see what you guys thought of it. Obviously you three really don't like the idea, so I'll try to shift this back to the original question. What are you're thoughts on a Cash Shop with just Vanity/Novel items being sold?

[Dale]

Never have I said a Pay-to-Win game was the right thing to do and is what SE needs to add to FFxi. I was merely throwing the idea around here to see what you guys thought of it. Obviously you three really don't like the idea, so I'll try to shift this back to the original question. What are you're thoughts on a Cash Shop with just Vanity/Novel items being sold?

Fair enough. I'll refer to my earlier post to answer your question:

The only way I could ever support something like that is if the items were purely cosmetic in nature and the developers swore an oath that all proceeds from it would go directly into development and not extra drinks in the bar after work. I would also need to see immediate results as well to confirm they were telling the truth. Then I might could hold my nose and support it.

That's how I feel about the vanity/novel shop.