Development Team Downsizing and Justification Makes no Sense

[Pixela]

Making the PS2 dev environment run on a PC doesn't address the issues of continuing to devleop a game in 2023 using tools designed in 2003 or earlier.

It's nowhere near as complicated to make new dev tools as you think it is, your viewpoint is skewed by Unreal Engine 3 and this is nothing like that.

They just need to make standalone programs on the PC (players have been doing this since 2004 on a smaller scale) that have a user interface to allow devs to make content and spit out files XI understands, it's really not anywhere near as hard as you think it is.

They don't need to replicate ps2 devkits.

[Tarmarkvar]

I'm lost. Didn't they completely stop using the PS2 dev kits in 2016 when they stopped supporting console versions of this game?

[Alhanelem]

It's nowhere near as complicated to make new dev tools as you think it is, your viewpoint is skewed by Unreal Engine 3 and this is nothing like that.

It is absolutely a lot like that. Tools are tools. UE3 is an engine with tools. The devs built their own game engine and used tools designed to build PS2 era games. It's exactly the same thing. The fact that the community has made various tools is irrelevant. Those tools weren't used to develop the game, they were used to develop things that can interact with it. They were also made by people in their spare time, not as a career, so while many of the people involved in various community tools and such probably are professional developers, they developed these tools you refer to with far less time and resources, and the standards of professional development demand more than that.

And the other issue is one that the devs explained- By keeping their developers on the project full time, they are limiting their growth as developers by forcing them to keep working with old technology. Now, this isn't always bad, if you know how to program in FORTRAN you're probably making a lot of money working on antiquated computer equipment still being used by the federal government. But game development tends to stay on the bleeding edge of technology, so it generally isn't great for career prospects to be a master at working with a 20 year old game engine.

I'm lost. Didn't they completely stop using the PS2 dev kits in 2016 when they stopped supporting console versions of this game?

No. The game was originally developed on and for the PS2. To make the game work on PC they basically used a wrapper to translate PS2 stuff to PC. They still need tools designed for the original game unless they rebuild the entire thing essentially from the ground up. So while not being on console means they can exceed certain limitations (especially memory and disk space), it does not mean they aren't still bound by antiquated development systems, tools and processes.

[DoctooOkay]

They just need to make standalone programs on the PC (players have been doing this since 2004 on a smaller scale) that have a user interface to allow devs to make content and spit out files XI understands, it's really not anywhere near as hard as you think it is.

I've worked in software long enough to know that the gap between what needs to be done and actually having the team, tools, and budget in place to execute is large. I expect that Fujito is making decisions based on the budget he's been given and what he feels are the best steps to ensure FFXI stays online. Whether or not you or I agree with that is a different matter all together (and frankly is kind of moot)

[Pixela]

Which is why they don't state they are doing it even if they are.

[Alhanelem]

But you can't simply assume they are doing this or that without them saying so, and why you really need to stop just assuming the worst every time some sort of development related news breaks.

[Sp1cyryan]

But you can't simply assume they are doing this or that without them saying so, and why you really need to stop just assuming the worst every time some sort of development related news breaks.

Most of what they do is assume.

[Pixela]

A lot of what Fujito is saying is so outrageous if I were to accept it at face value I would finally unsub and go install Lost Ark.

So yes I'm making some assumptions they are not being as anti customer as they are appearing to be.

I don't like to throw money away, I like to think I'm paying for something. When I pay money I'm paying towards the salary of the developers who are working on the game, if they are all being moved to something else what am I paying for now then?

Am I paying purely to access the game now? ok then why does that justify full price sub since costs have drastically reduced?

I refuse to believe Fujito is being that cavalier with people that have supported the game this long, to just pile our money up in the corner and use none of it on the game from here on out. They have to be doing something with it.

[Tarmarkvar]

Given that the price of the subscription has remained unchanged since 2002, while inflation has made everything else more expensive, I'd say they ARE reducing the cost of the subscription. By all rights, if it had kept up with inflation, a subscription with 1 character should cost $20 a month now.

[Alhanelem]

So yes I'm making some assumptions they are not being as anti customer as they are appearing to be.

Except they aren't being anti customer at all, you're just letting your imagination run wild.