BYE TANAKA!

[Camiie]

Yes, people quit for problems over the previous 8 years just after Abyssea was released. Giving a massive slump in players over a 12 month period. That makes perfect sense. Or could it be that not everyone thinks Abyssea was the game-saver that you think it was?

I believe Subscriber numbers are even lower now than during Abyssea, so if your own argument is anything to go by - that doesn't look good for team-Abyssea.

I didn't say it was a game saver, and I said look at the numbers because I wanted you to look at the numbers. Maybe a lot of people did drop because of Abyssea. If it's true it's true. I'd like to see the truth.

Agreed to an extent, but I don't think he's arrogant enough to scream "BARANCE" at his team during every meeting about game development. He's been doing this long enough to know how it works.

I doubt he screamed at all. I'm sure he was very polite in telling them how things were going to be done in his house.

The joys of opinion. Abyssea seems to have very split opinion. I thought it was great, but in small doses. I wouldn't want any more of it though. Fortunately, the few details they did announce of SoA sounded good, specially the new battle/progress/zone systems.

The best case would be if they had something like Abyssea along side stuff like VW or Legion or whatever it is hardcore people want. I'd be fine with that as long as I felt as though I had a comfortable path of progression.

[sc4500]

I see you didn't do your research properly. Tanaka was in charge of FFXI while it was at its peak, and had its biggest number of subscribers. Incidentally, when he was moved off FFXI, player numbers slumped (and this started with Abyssea).

Thinking he makes every decision on 'balance' without hundreds of team meetings lots of testing / number crunching shows that you know nothing about the development cycle or large organizations. While the 'blame' will fall on his shoulders (as it publicly has) - he's certainly not solely responsible and to think he is.... well, it's just irrational.

The game went downhill because of 'Abyssea' and SE as much stated it when they told us "Abyssea was probably a mistake" in a public interview - still visible on Zam's website.

I was on this game when he failed on COP and at the time on bismark server had only 234 low point amount people on the game and japanese time was 900 people peak this was avg, then when aht urhgan came out jump up to around 1100-2200 daily. then when xbox live version came on line went back to 3800avg since the ps2 people and pc got there friends come back to game and then the gil selling sites went through the roof inflated the populations , this all just from what i seen over the yrs, At his peak square was counting mules and all the websites that were out at the time creating accounts to sell gill to people then square started the banned hammers do legal reasons and tanka moved to ff14 at this time and when square had banned people it drop down to 1k to 200 avg on servers . then when abyssea was out it went back to pre COP 4000-5500 people mostly normal people. yea server were merged at this time abyssea.

square mistake was getting tanaka back he didn't see the future instead got stuck in his old ways and people below him listen and the people above him gave him to much respect that he did earn over the years.
Just look at void watch its a mess no new play can ever play it way it design now it take 2 yrs or some good friends hook them up to get access to the end and neo nyzul isle that a mess to. When he should have directed and made square more money and created a advance abyssea to sell us for 10$ so people didnt leave. alot people hate last 2 yrs content. It would kept more people still playing on there drop in and out play times. and then at same time work on the new add on disk.

As much as most people hate this casual people are ones that makes a mmos there money , hardcore are the only ones on the game forums. and casual and midcore players are the one that quit, and thats why a free to play mmo that done right can make more money in one year then a subscription base model in 10 years.

[Dazusu]

As much as most people hate this casual people are ones that makes a mmos there money, and thats why a free to play mmo that done right can make more money in one year then a subscription base model in 10 years.

Yes, most MMOs - but this MMO? No. Because this MMO was never designed as 'casual' from the start. So the majority of players (up until Abyssea) were not casual. Abyssea hits - the `hardcore` quit, and what's left is a dwindled population. Your theory might apply to new games, but this one that's 10 years old? Not so much.

Free to play making more than subscription in a decade? I'd have to see numbers to even contemplate believing that.

[Neisan_Quetz]

Yes, I consider most of the people playing this game as casual

That or a lot of people play the game and do nothing for extended periods of time

[Dazusu]

Read the posts properly. Now they are casual. Before Abyssea, No. Sorry, was I not clear enough the first time?

[Neisan_Quetz]

Read the posts properly. Now they are casual. Before Abyssea, No. Sorry, was I not clear enough the first time?

Even pre abyssea I would call a large amount of the playerbase fairly casual. That or you have a really broad definition of hardcore.

I mean, I thought it was fairly obvious when you consider the disproportionate amount of people back in the day that had say completed CoP versus number of subscrisers, for instance. Or you had to look no further than Kings/Groundspawns.

[Behemothx]

Anyone who had anything to do with Xenogears rocks in my book!

[Insaniac]

Agreed. Most people never even touched a king camp back in the mid-2000s. The "hardcore" players that did things like Tiamat and Kings made up maybe 2% of the population.

[Shotaro1]

inb4 a new abyssea zone in that large chunk of land in the SoA map they showed.

[Camate]

After receiving over 150 heart-felt posts thanking him for his hard work on FINAL FANTASY XI, Producer Hiromichi Tanaka took some time to write his thank you to all of the adventurers of Vana’diel.

Thank you all so much for the warm words. It was due to all of you that we were able to successfully put on VanaFest 2012 and I deeply appreciate all of you adventurers who have been supportive.

Despite my resignation announcement, the following day was the regular run of the mill busy day filled with preparations for the next version update and organizing data for succession and it all hasn’t really sunk in yet. I am sure that up until the last day of next month I will be working just as usual.

As for my illness which everyone has been so kindly concerned about, it is not something that is curable with modern medicine, but neither is it something that will worsen, so it’s an illness that I will have no choice but to deal with.

Finally, I would like to once again introduce my successor Akihiko Matsui and the rest of the development and operations staff who will be working hard together to develop the new expansion as well as the next version update.

Thank you all very much!