Compromise: Just Charge $5 For Now. Once 2.0 is Out, Then Charge $12

You can't deny that FFXIV, or any MMO for that matter, offers more hours of entertainment than any standard console game, and most console games are merely repeats of earlier models with minor changes and slightly different maps.

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Originally Posted by nasomi

You can't deny that FFXIV, or any MMO for that matter, offers more hours of entertainment than any standard console game, and most console games are merely repeats of earlier models with minor changes and slightly different maps.

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But until those games come out and have discernible flaws, you shouldn't be making those assumptions. MMO's offer more hours of entertainment, sure.

But everyone can have just as much fun with some of those hours playing Star Wars, Battlefield 3 and a whole slew of other games.

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Originally Posted by Belial

@ Preypacer

No quoting of the wall-o-text for me, but I do have a different opinion as to why I feel we shouldn't be charged at this point.

My understanding is that charges will begin shortly after the implementation of 1.2.
Jobs are not to be introduced until 1.21.

I personally believe that billing should commence after implementation of the job system. My reasoning for this is that we will not be playing with a completed battle system, which I believe is one of the largest factors in determining if you want to play an MMO (at least for the reasons I play them).

I do believe this game is seriously on the cusp of being subscription worthy, and I don't believe they should delay billing until 2.0 like a lot do.

I do, however, feel I'm being cheated for several months prior to a completed system. Sure, one can argue that what we have will essentially be the groundwork, but I don't get to find a feel for the "jobs" coming into play, and this is my main complaint with billing starting.

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while i believe charging closer to the job system is better marketing, you still have the option to not renew, and renew only when the content you want to try is there. Though maybe they can offer like 3 free hours a month or 1 free day with each major patch.

In all honesty its a matter of marketing and economics at this point. They really should be coming up with some means for the game to make revenue, you can discuss the different ways, but an MMO is never free, the closest is guild wars, and that uses a slight shop market (extra charachters special clothes) and sells new content patches, and expansions periodically to make money. There is no free game, take it or leave it, or check it once in awhile, really its up to you, but dont expect any company to provide you a service which they cannot profit from forever, its just unrealistic.

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Originally Posted by Anapingofness

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I'd pay 5-7$ monthly, hands down. I can justify paying half price for a game that is half finished. I understand that they can't feasibly extend the free to play period so I think that this is a really nice middle ground. It also shows that while SE is moving forward they are also thinking of their customers who have stuck with them through the year.

Plus, it will also attract more players. I can go to my friend and say "Try this game, it's only 5$ a month" and my friend would be far more inclined to pay 5$ than 14$.

So yeah, I really wish that they they would charge discount.

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Then at what point in time does the game become worthy of full price? Your friend is gonna say WTF? i have to pay twice as much for a graphics overhaul, an updated UI and new maps?

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Originally Posted by Yoshi P. from Zam interview

"The one thing though is we don't want people to think that version 2.0 is going to be a completely new game. It's still going to be FFXIV, it's still going to be in the world of Eorzea, it's still going to have those features that players have come to get used to in FFXIV. That's through these updates that we'll be making up through Version 2.0, that the transition from the game we have now into the new Final Fantasy XIV will be very smooth, but it's not a totally different game.

"Yes, the graphics engine will be changing; yes, there will be overhauls in the UI; yes, we'll be redoing the server system; yes, we'll be changing the overall service; but even with all these changes, players will still be able to know this game is Final Fantasy XIV. Players won't have to worry about losing everything they liked about the game to begin with."

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http://ffxiv.zam.com/story.html?story=28045

patch 1.20 marks the start of old FFXIV to new FFXIV. It's a metarophosis, not a on/off switch.

Starting in patch 1.20 and following updates will feature content and system updates that result in the post apocalyptic world that is ver 2.0

So 2 dungeons, 1 boss fights and a faction = 50% of MMO at release ? Lmao!

Vanilla wow launched with 29 Dungeons! 2 Raids! 5-16 Bosses in Each!(The equivalent of your ifrit fight)

Now lets be Fair! You cant compare a game 10yrs old to one 10yrs older, so FFXIV launched a few months before cataclysm lets see how it compares to the content in that, since who cares about vanilla wow anyways.

FFXIV- 0 dungeons, 0 bosses, 0 end game content.
Cataclysm - 18 Dungoens, 50+ Bosses, 5 Raids, 5-6 Factions! Lots of end game content.

But sure ok, FFXIV had a rough time, we gave it a year, i bet you right now, it has closed that gap between the two games in content. lets see

FFXIV 1yr later - 2 Dungeons, less than 10 boss fights, 1 end game encounter, 1 faction.
Cataclysm 1yr later - 21 dungeons, 80-100 Boss fights, 4 Raids.

That is not counting quest's, wich in my opinion, FFXIV does look cute and all, but their quest's are same as wow's, tho wow has a vast variety, i can go burn a forest, use a mount to eat other dragons, blow stuff up etc etc, so to me some of those quests are more fun than walking 30 mins in town, watching cutscenes, then walking some more, go back another cutscene, etc etc.

Now i'm not hating on FFXIV, i play the game, i think is going in the right direction overall, but is it in the same league as current MMO in the market ? Not even Close! Now i understand SE needs money, if they say "Hey we need money, bail us out, atleast they are being honest, but to say that the game is nearing 100% to compete with other MMO's ? thats just dilusional.

Half-subscription for a half-finished game...

I was going to sit out on the full price, but for half I would stay. It seems equitable.

Then again, I might have come back after a few months to pay the full price once 2.0 drew near. Either way, it would probably work out to the same amount of money :p

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Originally Posted by XxOstiaxX

So 2 dungeons, 1 boss fights and a faction = 50% of MMO at release ? Lmao!

Vanilla wow launched with 29 Dungeons! 2 Raids! 5-16 Bosses in Each!(The equivalent of your ifrit fight)

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Haha, and vanilla wow sucks. So does current wow vs current ffxiv. HOwever I'm not trolling wow's forums telling them how terrible it is and that i'm not gonna pay. I'm just not there. See how easy that was? You can also not be here, and how wonderful your life would be?

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Originally Posted by XxOstiaxX

So 2 dungeons, 1 boss fights and a faction = 50% of MMO at release ? Lmao!

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each of the strongholds are practicaly the equivilent of an endgame raid also if your doing more then sitting at the entrance for exp

so we are now up to 5 endgame raids/fights

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Originally Posted by TheVedis

each of the strongholds are practicaly the equivilent of an endgame raid also if your doing more then sitting at the entrance for exp

so we are now up to 5 endgame raids/fights

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1.20 before subs we get another Primal Fight that's 6 and Febuary not to far off.. is Hamlet Defense ( That's 7)

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Originally Posted by XxOstiaxX

Now i'm not hating on FFXIV, i play the game, i think is going in the right direction overall, but is it in the same league as current MMO in the market ? Not even Close! Now i understand SE needs money, if they say "Hey we need money, bail us out, atleast they are being honest, but to say that the game is nearing 100% to compete with other MMO's ? thats just dilusional.

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I think the comparison isn't fair.

Blizzard doesn't have to redevelop two versions of WoW from scratch (one for the failed version which is still kept running, one for the new version) at the same time during that year. WoW had a huge lead out of the gate from day one, and that mountain of subscriber money which comes out to roughly 24X whatever FFXI made makes it real easy to pump out content.

What you get with your half-finished FFXIV subscription is a chance to see the world end, and gather a few (perhaps handy) souvenirs of the experience. If you don't care about that, then you don't have to stick around to pay to watch it. But I'm sure there are people who are just dying to see what will happen and experience it just to say they were there, and we'll all meet up again for 2.0 when it's all over.