Dear SE, Some things to Consider

[Sesh]

FFXI is a great game, it is by far more fun than most other MMO's on the market, and has unlimited potential for growth. I think where a lot of the problems come in for XI is most like a combo of laziness(on the SE's part), lack of communication (as in not listening/ignoring to the 1000's of great idea's that players post across forums daily), and maybe this isn't true, but there seems to be a general disconnect from the player to the programmer. As in it feels like y'all don't play this game at all because if you did some of the things that you (SE) has implemented are seriously far off from what any true player actually wants.

Firstly lets talk about dead systems in place in the game

Pankration, Ballista, Chocobo Racing, Besieged, Campaign

There is a simple rule that needs consideration in all things in any MMO, and FFXI is not excluded from this. Time Spent should be less than or equal to rewards earned. Maybe some people think it should be opposite, but really when it comes down to it that rule if followed would make this game quite different.

Pankration - Seriously enjoyed Pank. for a lil while, even though you had to wait 48 minute's to actually get a match for your moster to fight in the beginning, it was fun. The appeal soon wore off though. Why? Because players had XP to gain, items to obtain, quests to achieve, and linkshell events to join. There was/is NO INCENTIVE for a player to pankration other than "fun". Players need one of the following to keep an interest in anything really, XP/Worthwhile items/Gil. You may only need 1 of those, but certainly 1 is required.

So lets take that into consideration for the moment, and ask ourselves "How would we make Pankration a worthwhile event again?" In Pankration's case, XP is the answer. It would be wonderful to be rewarded with 500xp a fight no matter the lvl of the player. Sometimes at level 20 you don't want to solo or sometimes you would like exp while you seek. What a great way to let low lvls or all lvls pass the time when they don't feel like grinding on xp mobs. If you don't like the idea of 500xp monster win, how about a set number of Pankration points to get Miratete's Memoirs. As long as the time spent is worth it to the players then the players will enjoy the event.

Chocobo Racing - I admittedly never raced chocobo's because it did not appeal to me, but the formula stands to be the same as Pankration. Give players rewards of XP/Gil/Worthwhile Items, and you will see more people enjoying it.

Ballista - Same rule ONCE AGAIN. Ballista was GREAT I loved it many years ago, you could have 40 people pvping, with infuriating kraken club rngs, and Aga's that wouldn't take away shadows. It was FUN, but sadly as the demands for more XP and more gear upon players grew it died and was forgotten. Players do not want to spend 45 minutes waiting for registration and then 45 minutes PvPing to have the victorious side be rewarded with 500xp and (3k?) gil? It's not worth 90 minutes of your time it just isn't, to some ppl who love ballista like I do, would still go even for the crap rewards, but that would make me 1/100 players. Now seeing as you can make 10k or more in a 10 minute or less bastion, why would it be so hard to give the victorious team 15k(for 90 cap, lower for lower caps of course) or so for 45 minutes worth of brawling? I think you would see some revived interest in ballista at that point because the players who enjoy it are not only having fun they don't feel like they're losing out on that time, at least not to the extent they do presently. Oh and just an afterthought a fun lil tweak along with the XP would be to make skillups available from hitting your fellow players in ballista:P.

Campaign - I know it's been mentioned about adjusting campaign here soon, but hopefully take this into consideration. Unless you make the XP on the same level of bastion players will continue to not go. Let me say it again Unless you make the XP on the same level of bastion players will continue to not go. Why fight for 20 minutes for 4k when you can kill 2 mobs in bastion for 4k and then continue to rake in more XP?

Besieged - Pretty much the same exact statement as campaign, at the present moment it's not worth it in 98.9% of the players eyes.

Bastion - This is not dead by any means, but I just want to note one thing. SE please fix the AI of the NPC, maybe it was intentional, but hopefully not.... As soon as any mobs come into range of the NPC BOOM Aga's from the blm NPCs that stand right next to the Martello...................... One WS later from a chariot and the battle is over. Aga's = No thanks, or at least move the blms up to where the melee stand instead of 1 yalm from the friggen pulse martello.

Secondly - Abyssea is great but please don't abandon the other 7 years worth of content.

Now this is a generalization these things are not completely obsolete as there is some gear from each event that has it's uses, but when WG has 10- people in it and everyone in port stands around horst waiting for what to do next in abyssea I think it's pretty safe to say.

ZNMs - Obsolete
Salvage - Obsolete
Einherjar - Obsolete
Limbus - Obsolete
Sky - Obsolete
HNM Kings - Obsolete
Relic/Mythic upgrading - From what I read at least for the most part emp weapons pretty much own the old ones? Correct me if I'm completely off base, but... Obsolete (in a sense)
Pretty much anything outside of aby that took an end game LS to complete before aby...
O B S O L E T E

Once again there is always specific gear of course, but even with that gear ide wager 90% of the players would still prefer at this point in the game to go after AF+2 than spend time in limbus/salvage/ein/sky/etc.

I'm not completely sure what SE's fix to this is, but I think the first thing would be is to listen to player instead of seemingly ignoring their ideas. Some suck but some have great implementations that can really work. My personal favorite LS event was ZNMs, it was a very smart and fun system that allowed you to reap great rewards. If anything I would like to see a new ZNM type system in place for 99's.

Lastly - Take great ideas and keep implementing them / and lose the stupid ideas for good.

Atmas < GREAT IDEA - They really turn you into the player that you have been wanting to be for years, but just couldn't reach because of "job balance's" etc. Why not take the wonderful idea of atma and extend them to the rest of the world. They don't have to be "Atma" but something of similar nature that you can have put on you in Port Jueno or Whitegate would be exciting indeed. I'm not saying break the game, I'm just saying you can make it work and make it work well if done correctly.

Pop NMs < GREAT IDEA - Why not extend the system of using pop items to pop NMs (and sure make em hard) to areas outside of aby? A lil diversity from Abyssea never hurt anyone it also might give event linkshells something new and exciting to tackle providing there is a range of moderate to very hard NMs made available to pop.

While we're on the subject of great idea's... a great idea would be to add a warp option from the cruor prospector in aby. I don't think anyone would complain about that.

Still supporting PS2 when it's 2011 and everyone, their 90 year old grandpa's and their dogs own a computer or something upgraded from a ps2 = BAD IDEA. I know there are many arguments for and against PS2 support, but in general I think no one can disagree that PS2 hold the potential of FFXI back by 50% or more. It just seems a bit silly to me, to limit yourself and your product that much.

Finally I know I rambled on forever, but I would like to give SE one last word of advice.

ADVERTISING It truly is a wonderful thing, when FFXI came out I saw the commercial for it maybe 2-3 times total here (in the US), but that commercial is what made me buy XI. There was a poll on Attack of the show the other day (if any of you watch that) talking about how unique DC universe to be a cross platform MMO, and the poll asked would you play a MMO if it was cross platform. So few people even know about FFXI when they're surrounded by so many other MMO's that even a nerd network and show doesn't even know that XI has been out for so many years cross platform. There should have been nonstop advertising in America, Europe, Canada, (japan gets plenty I believe) for all the major expansions as well as abyssea. Relying on word of mouth doesn't get you 9 million players like WoW has flooding the internetz, tv, magazines etc will though as proven by how blizzard pulled it off. In the end maybe its laziness, or maybe SE really never much cared about FFXI because they had so many other products they were creating, but the players who love this game just want a lil love back, and they want their voice's to be heard not ignored.

[Legomike]

the only advertising i got to buy this game was a tiny pic in a game magazine possibly of a goobue but cant be sure

[Tenshibaby]

I just get the impression sometimes that SE only remembers that non-Japanese people play FFXI on the first of the month.

[Trangnai]

to OP, I must say this. its not that G4 doesn't know of this game, its honestly because there bias ageist SE and pro Blizzard for everything.

[Ilax]

Just wow.... I agree @ 99% on this post to not add up, can SE take Sesh as new director? WoW would look lame after all these change done in FFXI.

[Sureal]

i still remember XPlays review of ToAU, they were complaining that the new areas didnt have anyone in them (i mean they were only in the new areas weeks before the general public was allowed in) and were saying how the game was basically dead because of this (and they were serious)

its not like the day of release and the next 2-3 weeks we had messages telling us to leave whitegate cause there were too many people in the zone lol

g4 hates black people....

wait, i think i have that wrong, meh, im sticking with it

[hadeed]

Advertising = win for everyone , I agree totally with Sesh
I am a fan of FF series that is why i know the game is there but if you want to make it popular then invest more into advertising.

also the ideas most mentioned are true especially the PS2 limitation, now PC market growing and you now that so why afraid of change ? while putting a lot of money into new game like Final Fantasy 14 , with too much advanced graphic still lacks a lot of things , just hand into Final Fantasy 11 and make it better .

cheers~

[Sesh]

to OP, I must say this. its not that G4 doesn't know of this game, its honestly because there bias ageist SE and pro Blizzard for everything.

This is true for sure it's very easy to see sadly.

i still remember XPlays review of ToAU, they were complaining that the new areas didnt have anyone in them (i mean they were only in the new areas weeks before the general public was allowed in) and were saying how the game was basically dead because of this (and they were serious)

its not like the day of release and the next 2-3 weeks we had messages telling us to leave whitegate cause there were too many people in the zone lol

I remember specifically the WoTG review and how they only played it for about 9 hours or so on a SMN in AF1 running around and reviewed it.... they gave it a 2/5 I think? So dumb, I think that's one reason I kinda stopped watching Xplay, oh and I really just don't like Morgan....

[Sureal]

morgan with perfectly straight hair was scary

morgan with curly hair was hot as hell

but either way, as soon as she opened her mouth i wanted to punch her

[Sesh]

lol agreed