
Originally Posted by
Vil
You're right, poeple will continue to play this game as long as there is continual updated content. The problem with XI, unlike your examples of Ultima and EQ, is that XI is tied down by the PS2, the console it was originally coded for. Had it been only for the PC, I'm sure we would have seen some significant improvements in the structure of the game, including UI interface and inventory. Instead, the game is limited in number of inventory slots, spell slots, auto translate, you name it. It is unable to expand beyond the limitations of the PS2. Ultima and EQ are able to expand and keep up with current technology because it can continually expand as computer hardware becomes bigger and better and. PS2? The console is all but dead. And you can't upgrade its hardware to meet today's technology.
This is really the issue that SE won't let go of. Yeah, I know they still have a Japanese playerbase on PS2. But they've already alienated the North American PS2 players by not releasing Adoulin. It stings, but yeah, if they can pull this on the US market, why can they not do the same for the JPs? Drop the PS2 support, and give this game the freedom it needs to expand and evolve to today. THAT is the issue plaguing XI, and why there are so many "doomsdayers". While I don't believe this game will completely shut down anytime soon, I do believe there will be a large drop in subs.
Our "precious" XIV is doing exactly what I outlined above. It's coded in such a way that can be continually updated onto nex-gen consoles. I mean, it's not even released on ps3 yet, and we've already gotten confirmation that it will be out on ps4 sometime next year.
Also, who is this "us" that you speak on behalf of? the bitter part of the community that wants to see XIV die in the vain hope that its death will fix XI's problems? Newsflash: SE is one company, yes, but the development teams are different. XI has its own team, XIV has its own team, which both differ from the devs that develop the console games. XIV's death won't suddenly bring players flocking back to XI, nor will it say "hey, XIV failed, I'm a new gamer, I should check out XI!"
tl;dr, don't scapegoat XIV for XI's problems.