Letter is up, go read it boys and girls

lmao .

I hope its not no cheap ass shitty flashy text like light party.

I hope it is in-fact a popup box, similar to like ... every other popup box with a YES/NO reply.

Too many timed out invitations.

I hope this letter means that payment starts pretty close to the planned release of 1.21 since its schedule "is not affected by the delays from getting the server to work with market ward/player search".

I just really hope I don't have nothing fight but Moogles for 2 months. Ifrit and Darkhold were bad enough after that long. 1.21 is the patch I'm looking forward to, the sooner the better.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by grandm

the goobbue mount thing has to be yoshi having a laugh at our expense, hes a bigger troll than some of the trolls on here

---

Dont get jealous there now.

Ride-able Goobues.. Say what?

That's right its a Final Fantasy.. anything goes.. not just " Ride-able Chocobos" :P

While they waste their time balancing the MMO with bells & whistles( it does nothing to make the game more fun), they could've went back to what made FFxi so great and (again) fit that into FFxiv.

Give us quests and RPG-like adventure before I... (zzz).

(meh, fuccit...zzz, return to FFxi...zzz)

Quote:

---

by Yoshi P "To ensure that these changes come to you in a refined state, we will focus mainly on groundwork in 1.20.

And so the team will concentrate on balance tweaks in 1.20, with an eye for full implementation by 1.21. The last thing we want is to mess up balance, and we ask for your patience and understanding."

---

Inb4 all the rage threads over how broken and ruined everything is after 1.20. I expect lots of Hotfixes and mini-patches before we get to 1.21 and Jobs. In the meantime to all the people complaining about lack of Content in this update:

Expect to spend a lot of time relearning your Classes and making new strategies for the content that already exists as well as the new Moogle Battle.

Quote:

---

by Yoshi P "... the extended free trial period won’t end until 1.20 has been out for a while. We’ll have the details of billing, including the fee, ready to announce by early December..."

---

As for the billing issue, with regards to to the 2 previous quotes I believe that SE should start P2P only after 1.21 goes Live when Jobs are implemented. 1.20 is more of a "game mechanics" update whereas 1.21 feels more like a Content Update almost of the quality of an Expansion Pack which could be considered worth paying for.

An idea for implementation of Billing as of 1.21 is this: When our client updates to 1.21, we are presented with a "Sign-Up" Web Page/Pop-Up Window to enter our new payment method and once completed we are given a 1 Month Trial Period and Billing would automatically commence after 1 Month (at a discounted rate).

I feel that would be a fair compromise till 2.0 is ready.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Scherwiz

Dont get jealous there now.

---

always had a hard time hiding my true feeling :P (why i failed at poker )

The "pop up notifications" for party and ls invites is under the "Micro menu" section so guessing it's going to pop up there instead of being in the main menu like how it is currently. Maybe its own icon or a little window will show up in the Micro Menu area.

Not sure if this has been mentioned yet but in Final Fantasy I was able to ride airships, whales, hovercraft, magictek armor, trains, I think in one of them even a dragon..might be wrong though lol but what I am saying is...by no means is chocobo the only thing Final Fantasy games have let me use as transportation ^_^

Lol at the people complaining about the "lack of content".

You don't have to race through all the content as soon as it comes out. Oh and fyi, I'd LOVE for you to go re-do some of the passed content with the new class changes. I'd love to see Ifrit without sentinel type skill.

Stop complaining, kthanks :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Babydoll

Not sure if this has been mentioned yet but in Final Fantasy I was able to ride airships, whales, hovercraft, magictek armor, trains, I think in one of them even a dragon..might be wrong though lol but what I am saying is...by no means is chocobo the only thing Final Fantasy games have let me use as transportation ^_^

---

If they ever let us swim I say we petition to have whale mounts as our chocobos of the sea, they are the preferred mode of transportation for real adventurers.

I like the looks of this update, it seems to be addressing many of the complaints I have seen around the forums with a little addition to activities as well. For those who want more content first before core system fixes remember that it is best to fix cracks in the foundation before loading things on top of it. The PC search is my favourite part of the list; I can finally do other things while waiting for a party!

It's possible to kill Ifrit without sentinel already. You just have to use a gladiator tank. The right combination of gladiator weaponskills and ifrit doesn't use hellfire.

Still tho the parts they are delaying it for show you how messed up the server system is if they can't add simple stuff like that.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kaizersan

Still tho the parts they are delaying it for show you how messed up the server system is if they can't add simple stuff like that.

---

They are basic features but that doesn't mean they are simple to implement. They can take months to develop and prepare for any MMO, which means they are subject to delays (although you never experience the delays since features like this are developed before the game is released most of the time).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kurokawa

Pretty underwhelmed.

Considering this is the patch that they release and ask for subscriptions, I'd expect something more than a Mog battle.

I think they should ask for payments when the job system goes live. I don't thinkI'll pay, not with Skyrim, SWTOR etc out over winter.

Adding PC Search and Auction should have been done a year ago and shoudln't really be a focus of a patch. We still need content.

Will hold a candle for 2.0 next I think. See you all in 2012

---

I have to agree here, after putting some good weekend time into Skyrim, I had severe difficulty coming to XIV just to hit 49 and put on all my new gear. And with TOR on the horizon, well.. I know nothing about that game yet, but I might be able to make a decision on whether or not it's for me in the next few days.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Zanfire

pretty much. we get some very needed stuff added, like search and whatnot (which why it took THIS longs is a mystery in itself) but content we get moogle fight and......well thats it. Then we get to pay to try out the other stuff in the new patch. Sorry but if thats what people will judge as a trial to paying, im sure the people who will pay will be a pretty dinky bunch.

Il come back at 2.0 when all of these stupid excuses cant be used anymore as to why we cant have things. Hopefully a year from now il still be intrested enough to care.

---

At this point, I can't see myself paying monthly. I've already spent just shy of $170 for two collectors editions, and I have yet to get a fraction of the enjoyment I have gotten from the free copy of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood; which I got for free with my video card purchase. And let's not even bring Skyrim into the mix here, it's not even fair. Yeah, I know, comparing single player to MMO, but still... after this many years, SE should be able to hook me.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DeadRiser

Lol at the people complaining about the "lack of content".

You don't have to race through all the content as soon as it comes out.

...

Stop complaining, kthanks :D

---

Yeah, cause when new content comes out, the few people in game who have already done everything else will be content just sitting there and waiting weeks on end to attempt the new content... "Hey, I know there's a new dungeon and all, but you know what, I really need to farm fleece for my crafting, how's about we wait on all that phat lewt??!"....

Seriously??

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DeadRiser

Lol at the people complaining about the "lack of content".

You don't have to race through all the content as soon as it comes out. Oh and fyi, I'd LOVE for you to go re-do some of the passed content with the new class changes. I'd love to see Ifrit without sentinel type skill.

Stop complaining, kthanks :D

---

You do realize A LOT of people have completed most of whats in the game...because there is so little to begin with. When your next patch is only giving ONE piece of new actual content, it would be crazy to say people wont tear it apart in a week...theres just nothing else left. I can garuntee that a week or 2 after then next patch you will see 2 posts, people upset about class changes and people bored because they beat the moogle fight in a weekend.

Same handful of players complaining, I see.

Which is sad, because with how adamant they are, they're actually hurting the more impressionable people's desire to genuinely play this game. Speaking as one of those impressionable people.

I feel dissuaded from being a part of the community, and by extension, the game, because I don't want to deal with the negativity within the community. And sadly, it's not unique to FFXIV.

The nay saying and overly critical approach is not because FFXIV has a lot to do to develop the game. SE's mistakes just gives these types better justification to complain incessantly. There are people on boards that complain ad infinitum about games like Skyrim, Dragon Age, Minecraft and other very highly received and acclaimed titles, and to no less degree.

This constant negativity is a constant drag on the tone of gaming communities. And it really puts a damper on those who are just trying to play to enjoy themselves.

If you want to critique, that's fine, but balance it with positive reinforcement.

Otherwise, if you're not satisfied with the course of the game, could you please just go? At this point, you're not some dark champion saying the hard things for the betterment of the game as a whole. You're the annoying individual in the movie theater complaining on how the (Insert Intellectual Property Adaptation) movies are too deviant from the books/games/comics, ruining the experience for the rest of us that just want to enjoy the movie!

Please just take a step back and look at the trend of your posts. If the majority of them are a complaint or in defense of a complaint, perhaps it's time to step out. At this point your peace has been said and you are negatively effecting the community remaining here, complaining about every thing that does not fit into your ideals.

I usually don't like to be this extreme with my views, but this trend has gotten way, way too persistent in today's gaming culture. Please, lighten up! This is supposed to be entertainment, if you're not entertained, seek it elsewhere. Don't drag everyone else down into unfun with you.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Zanfire

You do realize A LOT of people have completed most of whats in the game...because there is so little to begin with. When your next patch is only giving ONE piece of new actual content, it would be crazy to say people wont tear it apart in a week...theres just nothing else left. I can garuntee that a week or 2 after then next patch you will see 2 posts, people upset about class changes and people bored because they beat the moogle fight in a weekend.

---

They said themselves that this is NOT a content patch, and it even shows from the timeline they produced. On top of that, let them complain, they aren't required to play this game the minute a patch comes out. You and me both know that there is limited amounts of things to do, but it takes the actual person to I GOTTTA DO IT NOW. In all honesty, I rather what they are giving us next patch than actual content. You can't complete content with broken classes that have no set roles. Think about it man.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DeadRiser

They said themselves that this is NOT a content patch, and it even shows from the timeline they produced. On top of that, let them complain, they aren't required to play this game the minute a patch comes out. You and me both know that there is limited amounts of things to do, but it takes the actual person to I GOTTTA DO IT NOW. In all honesty, I rather what they are giving us next patch than actual content. You can't complete content with broken classes that have no set roles. Think about it man.

---

but nor should we be getting ready to start paying for it either, yet we are. SE is basically making this the last free patch and the judging point on which we decide to pay or not....and its a HORRIBLE one to do it imo. Nothing much to do, people will tear the new fight apart, then be bored and realize they dont want to pay to sit around and be happy about fixes that either cant be done until 2.0 or should have been here from day 1. Thats just asking to have an absolutely tiny playerbase for a year, and its basically inviting people to go get sucked into other big MMOs while they wait, potentially loosing them as future customers because they could care less after they found something that hasnt said "please wait, we promis it will get better".

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Hyrist

Same handful of players complaining, I see.

Which is sad, because with how adamant they are, they're actually hurting the more impressionable people's desire to genuinely play this game. Speaking as one of those impressionable people.

I feel dissuaded from being a part of the community, and by extension, the game, because I don't want to deal with the negativity within the community. And sadly, it's not unique to FFXIV.

The nay saying and overly critical approach is not because FFXIV has a lot to do to develop the game. SE's mistakes just gives these types better justification to complain incessantly. There are people on boards that complain ad infinitum about games like Skyrim, Dragon Age, Minecraft and other very highly received and acclaimed titles, and to no less degree.

This constant negativity is a constant drag on the tone of gaming communities. And it really puts a damper on those who are just trying to play to enjoy themselves.

If you want to critique, that's fine, but balance it with positive reinforcement.

Otherwise, if you're not satisfied with the course of the game, could you please just go? At this point, you're not some dark champion saying the hard things for the betterment of the game as a whole. You're the annoying individual in the movie theater complaining on how the (Insert Intellectual Property Adaptation) movies are too deviant from the books/games/comics, ruining the experience for the rest of us that just want to enjoy the movie!

Please just take a step back and look at the trend of your posts. If the majority of them are a complaint or in defense of a complaint, perhaps it's time to step out. At this point your peace has been said and you are negatively effecting the community remaining here, complaining about every thing that does not fit into your ideals.

I usually don't like to be this extreme with my views, but this trend has gotten way, way too persistent in today's gaming culture. Please, lighten up! This is supposed to be entertainment, if you're not entertained, seek it elsewhere. Don't drag everyone else down into unfun with you.

---

very good read!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Zanfire

but nor should we be getting ready to start paying for it either, yet we are. SE is basically making this the last free patch and the judging point on which we decide to pay or not....and its a HORRIBLE one to do it imo. Nothing much to do, people will tear the new fight apart, then be bored and realize they dont want to pay to sit around and be happy about fixes that either cant be done until 2.0 or should have been here from day 1. Thats just asking to have an absolutely tiny playerbase for a year, and its basically inviting people to go get sucked into other big MMOs while they wait, potentially loosing them as future customers because they could care less after they found something that hasnt said "please wait, we promis it will get better".

---

Really? You know how many people were playing before patch 1.18? You know how many came back? You are entitled to your opinions but DON'T make assumptions on how many people will "leave" when they start billing. They are giving you probably 3 weeks before they start charging, and soon after that is two more instances, jobs, and more content.

And anyways, they need the money. If you don't want to support XIV, then don't and just leave. Simple as that. I'm tired of people thinking they are entitled to call a team out that is taking an extreme amount of time, effort, and money to fundamentaly change a game and people like you keep badgering them because they won't release the content they didn't promise.

I can't wait for new Recipes for Goldsmith and Food effects yay!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Synfrag

I can't wait for new Recipes for Goldsmith and Food effects yay!

---

Yea, that's something I'm looking forward to in this next patch. That and the achievement system.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DeadRiser

Really? You know how many people were playing before patch 1.18? You know how many came back? You are entitled to your opinions but DON'T make assumptions on how many people will "leave" when they start billing. They are giving you probably 3 weeks before they start charging, and soon after that is two more instances, jobs, and more content.

And anyways, they need the money. If you don't want to support XIV, then don't and just leave. Simple as that. I'm tired of people thinking they are entitled to call a team out that is taking an extreme amount of time, effort, and money to fundamentaly change a game and people like you keep badgering them because they won't release the content they didn't promise.

---

When you can go play a beta of another MMO coming out around the same time as they start charging, that is much cleaner and has far more content on day 1...its hard to try and convince anyone who is not a dedicated fan to pay for this game for another year, especially knowing there is a lot they CAN NOT do because of their garbage servers (which is the constant excuse for why we cant get simple things or have to wait over a year to get some basic features).

I never said how many people where there, or how many will leave, im just guessing it will be a good chunk of an already small playerbase (if you think its big, then your in flat out denial) The next year we will see a few big name MMOs drop, while FFXIV still struggles to keep people paying for a game still needing to be fixed, telling us all to be patient as it gets better. This is SE, they aren't desperate for money, im almost certain some higher up was just bitching the game is being a drain so they had to start charging. If Yoshi had it his way im pretty sure it would be free until 2.0.

again, this is a service and a product, which is part of a bussiness, not a damn pitty party. Some people act like we should be donating to some cause, which i find sad.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Zanfire

but nor should we be getting ready to start paying for it either, yet we are. SE is basically making this the last free patch and the judging point on which we decide to pay or not....and its a HORRIBLE one to do it imo. Nothing much to do, people will tear the new fight apart, then be bored and realize they dont want to pay to sit around and be happy about fixes that either cant be done until 2.0 or should have been here from day 1. Thats just asking to have an absolutely tiny playerbase for a year, and its basically inviting people to go get sucked into other big MMOs while they wait, potentially loosing them as future customers because they could care less after they found something that hasnt said "please wait, we promis it will get better".

---

I would argue that it's the best time to do it. If people want to check out jobs or the new dungeons, they will have to pay. If they started charging at 1.20 (after releasing 1.19), people would look at what's coming and most likely decide it's not worth it. If they started charging after 1.21, then everybody would have done the dungeons and played around with the jobs and then complain about the lack of content in 1.22 that they would be expected to start paying for. This is S-E actually dangling the carrot at the right distance.

Hey so they adding new storyline quests. Do u think they erase the old ones? I havent done them yet, wanted to leave them as a dessert, a cherry on the top of a cake~
But in that case, should I hurry with doing them? Little Pancakes is so confused, so confused...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pancakes

Hey so they adding new storyline quests. Do u think they erase the old ones? I havent done them yet, wanted to leave them as a dessert, a cherry on the top of a cake~
But in that case, should I hurry with doing them? Little Pancakes is so confused, so confused...

---

The main storyline quests, the ones that were in the game at the very beginning, are not getting erased. But anything to do with the coming of the Seventh Umbral Era IS getting erased once the world changes in 2.0

That means Grand Company quests, applicable sidequests, Primal battles, the Garlean raids that pop up, and any seasonal events of course. This is for obvious reasons, how can you have a quest talking about the coming apocalypse when it's already happened?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rizon

Sorry, must have missed that in the posted recaps of the live session.

---

You had to watch the subtitled video. It was addressed at the end, when Wada was invited in. It wasn't mentioned in the Q&A's and posted text translations, unfortunately.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Seif

At this point I think we have enough trash-quests and NMs. I see no reason why we have to wait until 2.0 until they start doing more fleshed out quest-lines(with proper story)? I understand that they'd have to be pretty town based because the map will have more variety in the future but still.

---

I agree. The game is really starting to feel empty at this point.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Firon

Yup lets have them work hard on quest that few will do so they can toss them out the window, bad enough they are already working on stuff they have to throw away when 2.0 hits.

---

True, but if they weren't committed to supporting 1.0, then honestly the game should have been taken down until 2.0.

When anyone questions why billing is going to commence before 2.0, because it sounds like we're doing nothing but funding the development of something we can't enjoy until a year from now, people jump in and say, "No, it's so you can enjoy the exclusive 7th Umbral Era content and the world events leading up to 2.0".

Can't have it both ways. If we're paying now for current content, then it's only right that we expect quality content. If they can't deliver that, then we shouldn't be expected to pay for it.

Besides, there's nothing that says the content has to be thrown out and can't carry over. They've already stated that the main storyline (involving the echo) will remain in 2.0.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by PSxpert2011

Give us quests and RPG-like adventure before I... (zzz).

---

^ This this, a thousand times this!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rowyne

I agree. The game is really starting to feel empty at this point.



True, but if they weren't committed to supporting 1.0, then honestly the game should have been taken down until 2.0.

When anyone questions why billing is going to commence before 2.0, because it sounds like we're doing nothing but funding the development of something we can't enjoy until a year from now, people jump in and say, "No, it's so you can enjoy the exclusive 7th Umbral Era content and the world events leading up to 2.0".

Can't have it both ways. If we're paying now for current content, then it's only right that we expect quality content. If they can't deliver that, then we shouldn't be expected to pay for it.

Besides, there's nothing that says the content has to be thrown out and can't carry over. They've already stated that the main storyline (involving the echo) will remain in 2.0.

---

We're not "expected" to pay for it. They have already apologized (many many times) for the state of FF14 & the start of billing.
Yoshi even stated that we will have the chance to experience 1.20 for awhile before billing starts.

He also said that if it's not up to our individual standards then don't pay for it. Instead check back next patch & the patch after that, and so on.

In a perfect world getting quality out of anything we pay for is surely ideal. It seems we are getting the the most quality they can produce out of the limited engine/system & resources at hand.

Nothing else anyone can really do about the limitations at this point. We'll get the best out of what they have to work with, if not then just don't pay for it since it's not up to your standards.

It's still just a waiting game, but with more promise than before.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Meow_Zedong

The main storyline quests, the ones that were in the game at the very beginning, are not getting erased.

---

U made me happy.
U deserve a happy cookie

http://i39.tinypic.com/20rs852.jpg

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Meow_Zedong

The main storyline quests, the ones that were in the game at the very beginning, are not getting erased. But anything to do with the coming of the Seventh Umbral Era IS getting erased once the world changes in 2.0

That means Grand Company quests, applicable sidequests, Primal battles, the Garlean raids that pop up, and any seasonal events of course. This is for obvious reasons, how can you have a quest talking about the coming apocalypse when it's already happened?

---

Where did you read that the main scenario won't get wiped?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sephrick

Where did you read that the main scenario won't get wiped?

---

It was in one of the bajillion interviews, I'm sorry I have no idea how to find it. (Maybe someone else will be so kind?)

But what reason do they have for erasing the main storyline? They've confirmed that after 2.0 they will be CONTINUING that storyline so why erase it? If people start playing the game at PS3 release and the original storyline is unavailable they would be really confused.

Spoilers ahead:

They'd be like: "Who is this Van Baelsar guy and why does he want to kill me? Who are these four dudes (and dudettes) with the tattoos on their neck? And what the heck is an Ascian?" lol.

All the seventh umbral era quests will be gone though because they all have to do with Dalamud/the meteor and the meteor will have already hit. (I'm of course assuming that the world change at 2.0 is because of meteor falling, that's what everything points to anyway.)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Zanfire

When you can go play a beta of another MMO coming out around the same time as they start charging, that is much cleaner and has far more content on day 1...its hard to try and convince anyone who is not a dedicated fan to pay for this game for another year, especially knowing there is a lot they CAN NOT do because of their garbage servers (which is the constant excuse for why we cant get simple things or have to wait over a year to get some basic features).

I never said how many people where there, or how many will leave, im just guessing it will be a good chunk of an already small playerbase (if you think its big, then your in flat out denial) The next year we will see a few big name MMOs drop, while FFXIV still struggles to keep people paying for a game still needing to be fixed, telling us all to be patient as it gets better. This is SE, they aren't desperate for money, im almost certain some higher up was just bitching the game is being a drain so they had to start charging. If Yoshi had it his way im pretty sure it would be free until 2.0.

again, this is a service and a product, which is part of a bussiness, not a damn pitty party. Some people act like we should be donating to some cause, which i find sad.

---

Who says I am pittying them? I've seen the stuff they want in 2.0, and I'm willing to pay for all the work they've put into this so far.

If you don't want to pay, that's fine. Get off the forums and off XIV. I'm tired of hearing all your negative crap :)

This isn't the sign of an "elitist" or a "typical fanboy"... I'm just tired of all the negativity floating around the forums.

I think 1.20 won't be much of an important patch, but 1.21 will be the one. (since all 1.20 do is just half done job for both DoW and DoH)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sephrick

Where did you read that the main scenario won't get wiped?

---

Quote:

---

Gamer Escape: Will the echo still be around with 2.0?

Yoshida: Yes that will still be in.

---

Source: http://ffxiv.gamerescape.com/2011/10...-is-out-there/

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DeadRiser

Who says I am pittying them? I've seen the stuff they want in 2.0, and I'm willing to pay for all the work they've put into this so far.

If you don't want to pay, that's fine. Get off the forums and off XIV. I'm tired of hearing all your negative crap :)

This isn't the sign of an "elitist" or a "typical fanboy"... I'm just tired of all the negativity floating around the forums.

---

When the game gets better, it will go away, so jut sit there, and wait a few years XD!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rowyne

Source: http://ffxiv.gamerescape.com/2011/10...-is-out-there/

---

I guess I just don't see how the main scenario could exist post cataclysm. It sort of builds up to this whole seventh Umbral business.

I'd hope the Echo still would be around as it's a talent of our character, but there's things that would need to be explained. Why Amalj'aa still can summon Ifrit. Why the Garleans still are encroaching on Eorzea. I think it's make more sense for the current main scenario to be wrapped up with the seventh Umbral era stuff as a prequel to a new main scenario focused on battle classes from the start.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sephrick

I guess I just don't see how the main scenario could exist post cataclysm. It sort of builds up to this whole seventh Umbral business.

I'd hope the Echo still would be around as it's a talent of our character, but there's things that would need to be explained. Why Amalj'aa still can summon Ifrit. Why the Garleans still are encroaching on Eorzea. I think it's make more sense for the current main scenario to be wrapped up with the seventh Umbral era stuff as a prequel to a new main scenario focused on battle classes from the start.

---

Well technically it doesn't build to the Seventh Umbral storyline at all, seeing as the two stories were developed independently of each other at different times by two different teams.

The primals will still exist and be summonable after the apocalypse, this we know. We even have confirmation that we as players (as a team) can summon them. So you can infer that the meteor fall didn't do it's job of killing the summons, it just messes up the landscape. So you can also infer that the Garlean Empire hasn't won the war and will just go on to Plan B.


So yeah, the Seventh Umbral Era is really just one battle, where the main scenario focuses on setting up the entire war, so it's still valid. I don't think they would so easily eliminate the Garlean Empire as such a legitimate antagonist in the first 2 years of a games cycle. That's like killing Sephiroth at the end of Disc 1.