Alliance based content

[saevel]

Yes and no. Getting to the point of "some people can't do" is a bit too much for these days, but there has to be a difference somewhere.
What I find to be the best compromise is for "tiers".
As the level cap/ilevel raise, new content tiers are released. Once the new one is out (efficiently doable only by organized groups and people with some dedication to the game, not necessarily only freaks who play 24/7 of course) the old one becomes easier thanks to: 1) temporary zone buffs, 2) new gear
That way everybody gets to try content, but casual player will complete it later.
This is how it works in most other MMOs, FFXIV included. It would need to be adapted in several ways to work in FFXI, but it's something they could and should definitely do.

It sounds "elitist", but there has to be a difference somewhere, for the sake of EVERYBODY, not just the elitist.
It gives hardcore player something to work for to sedate their thirst for glory and power.
It gives other players something to look forward to, as far as it may seems, a far goal that will give them a sense of progression.
If everybody looks the same, plays the same, does the same... it all becomes boring and you slowly stop being interested in the game in a small time, eventually dropping it.

It's perfectly fine to design content to eventually be available to lesser skilled / resourced players. The major difference between highly skilled / resourced players and lessor skilled / resources players shouldn't be rewards but the time it takes to get them. By the time the lesser skilled players start completing the content new content should be available for the hard core guys to chase after. FFXI's problem is that the developers rarely go back and edit old content until long after it's no longer relevant while releasing content in large bursts. The iLevel system is a perfect example, they should of never started off with iLevel119 delve, but instead 106, then 109, then 113, then 115, then 117/119. Space each out a few months apart. Now if something isn't 119 it's pretty much irrelevant which forces SE to create nothing but 119 content that itself requires already having 119 level gear and thus we have our catch-22. This is no different then the days of 75 cap, or 99 cap, where everything was side grades upon side grades.

[Olor]

In my opinion a MMO is a "success" if you could imagine being able to convince even one of your friends to play it for any amount of time.

I have tried. Even former players who have thick nostalgia goggles are fed up with it. Those are folks that have already cleared a lot of the roadblocks (some of which still cockblock me after years of casual play). Those are returning players. People who wouldn't have to scale the cliff this game has instead of a learning curve.

Crevox did a great job outlining the huge barriers for a brand new player. No one wants to subscribe to an MMO to play by themselves for months. The only really party based content is at endgame. Therefore, in order to get people into playing, endgame needs to be accessible. It isn't. I am starting to wonder if it can be fixed. They boxed themselves in with ilevel - as the playerbase gets higher and higher ilevel - they will abandon lower ilevel content (look at WKR - already people hardly do it) - making it hard/impossible for newer or more casual players to catch up. It feels like if you aren't doing content in the first two weeks it comes out, you are pretty much boned, and if you hadn't already been doing the newest content prior to it, you won't be invited to the new stuff.

I feel like difficulty currently swings between extremely difficult (shutting people out completely) or so easy it is eye bleedingly boring (hallo rala/cirdas/yorcia skirmish). I can't believe it but I am missing voidwatch because it felt a heck of a lot more tactical and there were roles less perfectly geared players could play.

I'd like more things like that, where you could win some, and lose some. Yes, as time went on (and weakening items were added) it got easier - but people all had a role to play in hitting procs and making the run a success... now it is either SUPER STRESSFUL AND YOU WILL PROBABLY FAIL, NOOB or it is OMG I AM SO BORED WANDERING AROUND HALLWAYS LOOKING FOR AN EXTREMELY BORING NM

[Afania]

In my opinion a MMO is a "success" if you could imagine being able to convince even one of your friends to play it for any amount of time.

Nope. I think Planescape Torment, Baldur's Gate, and Everquest are some of the greatest game ever made, but I can't convince my friends to play it. They're mostly playing more "mainstream" game such as Call of Duty, Starcraft, mobile games and so on.

Just because your friends don't share same taste as you, it doesn't mean games for minority is not a success.

Variety is spice of life, there are always "mainstream" titles, there are titles that only appeal to minority, that doesn't mean games for minority is bad. They're just different.

I'd gone crazy if every game on the market are mainsteam titles, what a boring life.

[Olor]

Nope. I think Planescape Torment, Baldur's Gate, and Everquest are some of the greatest game ever made, but I can't convince my friends to play it. They're mostly playing more "mainstream" game such as Call of Duty, Starcraft, mobile games and so on.

Just because your friends don't share same taste as you, it doesn't mean games for minority is not a success.

I am talking about people who share my tastes. Sorry lady, but you don't get to assume I mean something I don't mean. My friends, who love final fantasy and love RPGs and love MMOs will not touch this game with a ten foot pole, because they can just look at it and see, they would have to invest months of being bored into it before they could do content with other people (other than perhaps, having me power them through missions/battle content)

My other friends, who have played this game, quit when ilevel came out, because XIV looked like greener pastures. If SE at least added a combo deal for the two games one or two of them might play a bit, but probably not, since the critical mass of players/our friend group - is now gone.

[Mirage]

Sorry Demonjustin but Afaina is just correct in this case. It'd be easier to just admit to it and let this thread move back to its actual topic.

[Lithera]

If the game came out know with how it is now along with the direction they are taking it the game might not be successful. Then if it did come out right now I would strongly hope they were not going to go with the same thought process as they are now. Also can't be judging if the game is a success with how it is right now and ignore it's past. Yes there were not many adds done for it outside of japan for any of it's life and might have gotten bad reviews. Along with at least two bad pr segments in gaming news. Then look at ESO most of the current things many people are hearing is bad and that sure it feels like an ES game but has just enough stuff that even people who love the series won't be playing it at launch. Then there are those who will play it because of name alone.

Anyways it kind of feels at least to me we are experiencing something similar to what happened when WoTG came out where they kind of got tunnel vision and only gave other sections of the game a bone if enough rabble was roused about non WoTG stuff. Like many have said before there probably is more casual players than non and so yes they are trying to cater to smaller groups. I do agree that the rewards should probably scale with the difficulty in getting one or more items than what an easier setting should. I still find it funny that after many years of people complaining about how you couldn't do most things without a group we now have it and now that we have it people are upset over it. One or the other people. We can't have the happy medium because even if SE did try and give that to us there would still be people complaining about that.

[Draylo]

So back to the topic? Are alliance events dead or will there be more planned in the future? I hate not knowing and being tossed a curve ball.

[Mirage]

I'm relatively casual and i've been subscribed for probably a total of 7 years by now, if i exclude the months where I didn't have an active subscription.

[zataz]

too much hate <,< i say we all quit ff11 and play pixal piracy!

[Draylo]

Large groups are penalized with this new delve. It's much much easier to 6 man than 18 man. There is 0 incentive for big groups now, I just wanted to know if they are going to throw us a curve ball is all. If future content is all 6 man, I would just like to know.