cheap fan service appeals to simple minds. For reference see all the gushing over EWs weak story.
Printable View
I care. My main's a Duskwight male and my alt's a Sea Wolf female and I love seeing others of "my kind" around. Given how uncommon we are, any time I see a few of us together in the same place and at the same time, it's cool to me.
My characters, and by extension me, aren't any better than others, but that rarity does tend to breed a tighter community feel than being One Among the Masses.
My hot takes-
I like the housing ward system. Instanced houses in the form of expanded apartment floor plans should be a thing, but I don't want them to stop making wards.
The 2.0 sub-class requirements for opening up jobs was better than the system we have now.
Over doing is subjective and in the eyes of the beholder. Most of HW's fan service was in name. Midgard, Knights of the Round, Alexander, Shinyru, Omega,The Warning Triad, Moggles, Calcabrina and her music and minions. The Collections edition with the Baron Helmet & Earrings, Kain Minion. The theme of Dragoon that expansion was an entire throwback reference to FF4 and so was Dark Knight.
I can name more. The references and fan services are there in every expansion. How much of it you pick up is entirely on how much of it you have personally picked up on. It's definitely there if you know what to look for. Always has been, always will be. Let's not pretend like certain expansions over do it more than others because that's just nit picking.
If you're talking about the recent growth, then no. Growth back in ARR and HW then yes. It's not an argument when it's straight facts. No matter how much you dislike it or dismiss it doesn't make it any less reality. The fan service isn't going away. FFXIV wouldn't be FFXIV without it.
Also, you took what I said out of context MASSIVELY. No where did I imply the recent growth was related to it. This game has been growing for 10 years long before what happened last year. So yes, the fan service has helped. It's what hooked the original wave of FFXIV players.
And if I'm the type you're talking about, then I'll wear that badge high and mighty with honor. I'm proud to be a simple minded type as you put it and there is no shame in it.
Yeah it's kinda had the opposite effect for me as someone who's never played another FF game and isn't likely to start, uh... ever, probably. I don't even know half the things that are references ARE references unless somebody points it out, and it's led to a few times where things felt a little out of place or where a friend got super excited about something for, to me, no comprehensible reason lmao
I think that there have been times where they could have done a bit of a better job about making lore from other games fit in a way that makes it feel like it actually does fit as part of this world, and not just homage to a different one.