Live letters have lost their magic - Zepla

What's with you people and calling everyone you don't agree with "white knights"? Can't you just talk like normal people without using these dismissive labels all the time?

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Originally Posted by Exmo

What's with you people and calling everyone you don't agree with "white knights"? Can't you just talk like normal people without using these dismissive labels all the time?

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How else do you want us to interact with you considering your (collective) point of view is inherently dismissive by the fact that there is no real way to respond to “everything’s fine” without discussing how dismissive it is

Like the last page was basically someone going “FC’s fall apart, content has always been bad for FC’s, it’s just how it is”. Like how do you respond to that? Whether you read that as resignation or spirited defence to someone who wants the game to be better that stance is just hilariously dismissive

We want to know what you get out of going “everything is fine” “it’s always been like this” and “I don’t see a problem” to every piece of feedback offered. Why do you so strongly defend what the company is doing. What’s the point of being dismissive on here when you COULD BE PLAYING

Let’s also ignore how labels towards us include but are not limited to
-elitist
-hater
-black knight (according to that one dumb thread)
-youtube opinion haver

And many others

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Originally Posted by Exmo

What's with you people and calling everyone you don't agree with "white knights"? Can't you just talk like normal people without using these dismissive labels all the time?

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What's with you people and calling everyone you don't agree with "black knights"? Can't you just talk like normal people without using these dismissive labels all the time?

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Originally Posted by Supersnow845

How else do you want us to interact with you considering your (collective) point of view is inherently dismissive by the fact that there is no real way to respond to “everything’s fine” without discussing how dismissive it is

Like the last page was basically someone going “FC’s fall apart, content has always been bad for FC’s, it’s just how it is”. Like how do you respond to that? Whether you read that as resignation or spirited defence to someone who wants the game to be better that stance is just hilariously dismissive

We want to know what you get out of going “everything is fine” “it’s always been like this” and “I don’t see a problem” to every piece of feedback offered. Why do you so strongly defend what the company is doing. What’s the point of being dismissive on here when you COULD BE PLAYING

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Ain't nobody said "everything's fine".

FC's falling apart is because of a flaw in the game design that has always existed. It's not because of an Endwalker change or Dawntrail's story. SE has never given FCs a reason to exist. It's just a linkshell that can own a house.

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Originally Posted by Fawkes

Nothing changed in Endwalker, the game has always been that way. There's never been FC content, you've always had to self-motivate. It sounds totally normal to me for a FC to fall apart after 1-2 expansions. People quit or take breaks during lulls, some of the people who still play leave to try and find more active FCs. It sucks but that's how it is.

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Nothing changed in Endwalker, what? There was a lot of content that encouraged players to play solo, from Island Sanctuary to Variant Dungeons to Duty Support reworks (if you even wanna call that content). That's 2,5 years people had to fill with the usual raiding content, Deep Dungeons (which can be completed SOLO) and maps.

And btw, this is something Yoshi-P has admitted to, improving the solo experience was apparently Endwalker's expansion-goal.

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Originally Posted by Fawkes

Ain't nobody said "everything's fine".

FC's falling apart is because of a flaw in the game design that has always existed. It's not because of an Endwalker change or Dawntrail's story. SE has never given FCs a reason to exist. It's just a linkshell that can own a house.

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In my mind this sort of resignation to a flawed system (which like I pointed out wasn’t always this flawed) is basically akin to saying “everything’s fine” (not that that quote was even directed at your point anyway)

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Originally Posted by Mondschnee

Nothing changed in Endwalker, what? There was a lot of content that encouraged players to play solo, from Island Sanctuary to Variant Dungeons to Duty Support reworks (if you even wanna call that content). That's 2,5 years people had to fill with the usual raiding content, Deep Dungeons (which can be completed SOLO) and maps.

And btw, this is something Yoshi-P has admitted to, improving the solo experience was apparently Endwalker's expansion-goal.

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I think it's disingenuous to say that Deep Dungeons can be soloed as if that isn't very challenging to do and that most players aren't going to do that. I also don't think Variant Dungeons encouraged people to play solo, it just gives you the option to do so if you want

unless you're saying the fact it's an option is bad?

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Originally Posted by Fawkes

Ain't nobody said "everything's fine".

FC's falling apart is because of a flaw in the game design that has always existed. It's not because of an Endwalker change or Dawntrail's story. SE has never given FCs a reason to exist. It's just a linkshell that can own a house.

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"Never" is not true. It's not enough, but there are still FC buffs and the company workshop to take into account. Also the private chambers that tie you a bit to your FC which are also a little less expensive than apartments. I agree though that there could be more benefits like XP bonus or title achievements for doing content in a party with your FC mates.

However, none of it matters when people don't want to play the game anymore.

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Originally Posted by Mondschnee

Nothing changed in Endwalker, what? There was a lot of content that encouraged players to play solo, from Island Sanctuary to Variant Dungeons to Duty Support reworks (if you even wanna call that content). That's 2,5 years people had to fill with the usual raiding content, Deep Dungeons (which can be completed SOLO) and maps.

And btw, this is something Yoshi-P has admitted to, improving the solo experience was apparently Endwalker's expansion-goal.

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Deep Dungeons weren't an Endwalker addition. Variant dungeons aren't solo content. And making the game more solo friendly is a symptom not a disease.

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Originally Posted by Supersnow845

which like I pointed out wasn’t always this flawed

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No you didn't, you had your own use for your FC that you made up. It had nothing to do with SE's design.

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Originally Posted by Fawkes

Ain't nobody said "everything's fine".

FC's falling apart is because of a flaw in the game design that has always existed. It's not because of an Endwalker change or Dawntrail's story. SE has never given FCs a reason to exist. It's just a linkshell that can own a house.

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I mean, you're not incorrect about that. It's definitely a problem that FCs are little more than social groups who occasionally do maps or whatnot together. SE is the one who won't make the FC system more meaningful. For example... What about that "FC vs FC" content they mentioned offhandedly a few times, but never followed through on in any way?

I swear, Yoshida is like Quentin Tarantino... Tarantino always offhandedly spouts off about all these movie ideas (the Vega Brothers movie, a rated-R Star Trek movie written and directed by him, etc.), gets people hyped up for the possibilites, then never does them.

What we're complaining about is that SE should be doing more about it, but either can't, or won't.

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Originally Posted by Supersnow845

Like the last page was basically someone going “FC’s fall apart, content has always been bad for FC’s, it’s just how it is”. Like how do you respond to that? Whether you read that as resignation or spirited defence to someone who wants the game to be better that stance is just hilariously dismissive

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They were saying FCs being inactive and players getting lethargic is normal. If you must respond, respond by asking for evidence or providing counter-evidence. Keep it a conversation instead of turning it into a fight. So many people here (not you specifically) are so quick to insults, it creates a real bad atmosphere.

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Originally Posted by Auro_Seldaris

What's with you people and calling everyone you don't agree with "black knights"? Can't you just talk like normal people without using these dismissive labels all the time?

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Have you found any examples of "laser-focused, good-faith critique" of Dawntrail getting buried in an avalanche of simplistic "I LIKED IT!" or "YOU'RE JUST A HATER, A DOOMPOSTER, A TROLL." You said there were loads in the forums and you just needed time to find one. No luck?

Remember not to respond to ragebaiting trolls

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Originally Posted by CVXIV

I think it's disingenuous to say that Deep Dungeons can be soloed as if that isn't very challenging to do and that most players aren't going to do that. I also don't think Variant Dungeons encouraged people to play solo, it just gives you the option to do so if you want

unless you're saying the fact it's an option is bad?

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Uhm... it CAN be soloed, I know people who did it, so what do you want me to correct here? I never said it's mandatory, but you sure as heck do not need 4 people to complete it. It's also not content that thrives from doing it with others like an exploration zone does. That's the point of my response.

And I did Variant Dungeons completely solo, all of them, because I could.

I don't really know what the purpose of your response is supposed to be.

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Originally Posted by Fawkes

Deep Dungeons weren't an Endwalker addition. Variant dungeons aren't solo content. And making the game more solo friendly is a symptom not a disease.

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There was a new Deep Dungeon added in Endwalker: Eureka Orthos.
Variant dungeons can be soloed, there is no incentive to do it with others, I personally completed them solo.
Hope that helps.

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Originally Posted by Exmo

They were saying FCs being inactive and players getting lethargic is normal. If you must respond, respond by asking for evidence or providing counter-evidence. Keep it a conversation instead of turning it into a fight. So many people here (not you specifically) are so quick to insults, it creates a real bad atmosphere.

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So I provided counter evidence that PVM focused FC’s were suffering under EW content design which they replied with “that’s a lot of baloney” and somehow I’m the problem

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Originally Posted by Fawkes

No you didn't, you had your own use for your FC that you made up. It had nothing to do with SE's design.

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So a PVM focused FC is not part of Square’s design. That’s literally what they are sold as. Anything that focused on PVM suffered in EW compared to the older expansions, that’s straight up due to their change in content direction

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Originally Posted by Supersnow845

So a PVM focused FC is not part of Square’s design. That’s literally what they are sold as. Anything that focused on PVM suffered in EW compared to the older expansions, that’s straight up due to their change in content direction

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There is no benefit or incentive to doing anything with an FC over a linkshell or a PF. Your FC that "runs content blind and then builds optimization strategies" isn't part of SE's design, that's you making up a reason to have a FC.

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Originally Posted by Fawkes

Deep Dungeons weren't an Endwalker addition. Variant dungeons aren't solo content. And making the game more solo friendly is a symptom not a disease.
No you didn't, you had your own use for your FC that you made up. It had nothing to do with SE's design.

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imo if SE going to make content can not be solo, then there have to be a incentive for players to return to those content like roulette.

Many of those content become dead content, like Eureka and those 24 Bozja. Even Eureka Orthos taking sometime to fill up in PF

Duty support is actually a good system, people could still queue like normal or as a party, players with limited time could just use duty support to help with queue time

I agree it is up to thr FC to find content to do and I admit issue is lack of content in general, reduce soloable content will not solve the problem.

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Originally Posted by Fawkes

There is no benefit or incentive to doing anything with an FC over a linkshell or a PF. Your FC that "runs content blind and then builds optimization strategies" isn't part of SE's design, that's you making up a reason to have a FC.

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Are you really arguing the point that if there isn’t in game incentives to run content specifically with the FC then by design the FC is inherently pointless

Genuinely what MMO that has guilds or clans or whatever provides large scale tangible benefits (ie beyond things like FC buffs and extra storage space) to running content that is specifically within your own clan because this seems like arguing a pointless point. All MMO’s use clans as a gathering of like minded people to achieve some form of collective goal or just to have a sense of community. When you edit content design that a very large proportion of clans are built around then it changes the dynamic

EW’s content design hurt all avenues of PVM whether they be FC’s linkshells or PF. I don’t really see how FC’s not having a single defined purpose as laid out by square disproves this in any way because by that logic everything is inherently useless

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Originally Posted by Supersnow845

So I provided counter evidence that PVM focused FC’s were suffering under EW content design which they replied with “that’s a lot of baloney” and somehow I’m the problem

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I'm obviously not taking about you with my general statement "you people etc etc". I realize my post was immediately after yours but yours didn't mention white knights and I didn't quote you.

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Originally Posted by Supersnow845

Are you really arguing the point that if there isn’t in game incentives to run content specifically with the FC then by design the FC is inherently pointless

Genuinely what MMO that has guilds or clans or whatever provides large scale tangible benefits (ie beyond things like FC buffs and extra storage space) to running content that is specifically within your own clan because this seems like arguing a pointless point. All MMO’s use clans as a gathering of like minded people to achieve some form of collective goal or just to have a sense of community. When you edit content design that a very large proportion of clans are built around then it changes the dynamic

EW’s content design hurt all avenues of PVM whether they be FC’s linkshells or PF. I don’t really see how FC’s not having a single defined purpose as laid out by square disproves this in any way because by that logic everything is inherently useless

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Still waiting for the promise of free company primal summons :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by Mondschnee

Uhm... it CAN be soloed, I know people who did it, so what do you want me to correct here? I never said it's mandatory, but you sure as heck do not need 4 people to complete it. It's also not content that thrives from doing it with others like an exploration zone does. That's the point of my response.

And I did Variant Dungeons completely solo, all of them, because I could.

I don't really know what the purpose of your response is supposed to be.


...
There was a new Deep Dungeon added in Endwalker: Eureka Orthos.
Variant dungeons can be soloed, there is no incentive to do it with others, I personally completed them solo.
Hope that helps.

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Just because you can do it solo, why would you then assume most players would?
I know you can solo deep dungeons, I even said so in my post because I found it very dismissive as if it's an easy thing to do and that your average player would just happen to do it
It's something I'm personally working toward because I find the prospect of the challenge fun

I know Variants can also be done solo, as I did them that way myself
Again, it's likely not the standard way players are going to approach it

that's why I then asked if the fact the option is there is the problem and how the game encourages people to play solo

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Originally Posted by Kazuke_Miso

Still waiting for the promise of free company primal summons :rolleyes:

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Oh wow, THAT'S a flashback.

They quasi-delivered with this in Heaven-on-High, but I think back then there was a totally different direction for how the game would go. I don't think Yoshi P really thought this one all the way through, or at least didn't consult his lore people to understand how this would even work.

I'm glad they didn't institute it, though. Can you imagine Ultimate parties fighting each other in Free Companies for the summon? The original plan was to allow the summon to only be used once a week. Imagine a newbie in your FC firing it off in a 4-player dungeon and everyone getting infuriated at them.

I WOULD like to see this idea sharing the same bar as the Limit Break bar, though. We don't use enough thought on elemental-based strategies and they're almost non-existent in this game if you exclude Eureka.

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Originally Posted by CVXIV

Just because you can do it solo, why would you then assume most players would?
I know you can solo deep dungeons, I even said so in my post because I found it very dismissive as if it's an easy thing to do and that your average player would just happen to do it
It's something I'm personally working toward because I find the prospect of the challenge fun

I know Variants can also be done solo, as I did them that way myself
Again, it's likely not the standard way players are going to approach it

that's why I then asked if the fact the option is there is the problem and how the game encourages people to play solo

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Me saying that Deep Dungeon can be soloed wasn't even a big part of my argument, but the fact that it can be soloed is simply true so I mentioned it. Not at one point did I claim that most players would do that, I even put that in brackets because I considered it a minor addition. I'm confused why you would focus on this one comment so much when I've mentioned other, stronger examples.

Fact aside that it's merely speculation on your part how other people would approach Variant Dungeon, the point still stands. Endwalker did encourage solo play, and that was part of the confirmed strategy. Yoshi-P himself said that they wanted to lure people in who didn't want to do group content.

Which is fine, I get it, they want the game to grow and attract a wide variety of players, but you can't tell me that this helped FCs stay active, in fact quite a few FC leaders told me the opposite as I've mentioned before.

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Originally Posted by Veritas-Ancora

Oh wow, THAT'S a flashback.

They quasi-delivered with this in Heaven-on-High, but I think back then there was a totally different direction for how the game would go. I don't think Yoshi P really thought this one all the way through, or at least didn't consult his lore people to understand how this would even work.

I'm glad they didn't institute it, though. Can you imagine Ultimate parties fighting each other in Free Companies for the summon? The original plan was to allow the summon to only be used once a week. Imagine a newbie in your FC firing it off in a 4-player dungeon and everyone getting infuriated at them.

I WOULD like to see this idea sharing the same bar as the Limit Break bar, though. We don't use enough thought on elemental-based strategies and they're almost non-existent in this game if you exclude Eureka.

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They probably could've restricted it to the open world and made it as a cool Odin-like FATE, or maybe just something like an SSS rank. Make it a huge pinata in the form of a primal, where people fight some SSS rank boss and just get tons of tomestones, 500k gil, some hard to get glamour, something like that. Then a random FC fighting it gets to summon it next week, anywhere on the open world. I feel like this would really make it fun for the community. Yes, there will be drama (gonna summon it on top of a newbie LOL), but that's part of the charm of MMOs.

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Originally Posted by Auro_Seldaris

Brother, when people call them the Cult of Yoshida, they mean it. They absolutely engage in cult-like behavior. I actually used to think it was hyperbole, but after some of the behavior I have seen on the forums since I actually started posting here, I now fully believe it.

They act like a cult.

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It’s a crisis of confidence.

I don’t believe there’s a Yoshida Cult. What I do see are a lot of folks who are tired and worn down. But what I won’t tolerate is the dragging down of people who still believe things can get better.

That’s never going to be healthy—for FFXIV or for life in general.

And it’s not something the devs can fix with the flick of a switch. Disillusionment, pessimism, and apathy are coercive. They’re demoralizing, not just for yourself, but for the entire community. It’s self-harming.

The public lynching of positive thinking—bringing others down for showing optimism, as if misery is the only appropriate response to critique that isn’t productive. It never will be.

It’s NOT gaslighting to offer encouragement when there’s reason for it. Gaslighting is manipulation that distorts someone’s perception of reality, often to their harm. That’s not what’s happening here.

In Search and Rescue, when someone’s drowning, they may panic. They’ll thrash violently, even hurt the person trying to save them. In those moments, you’re taught to leave them. You can’t let yourself be pulled under, because then nobody gets saved.

From my perspective, I’m not telling anyone things are sunshine and roses. I’m not asking anyone to accept slop. But you want to call me a cultist for trying to keep your heads above water? Where exactly am I harming you by encouraging hope?

We’re customers, sure. But we’re also investors in this game. Blind overconfidence isn’t helpful—you’ll miss red flags that way. But fear and uncertainty? That can make even the most rational investor pull out prematurely.

Confidence and clear thinking are what make a successful investor.

If you want to pull out, do it. If you want to drown, drown. But you can’t drag others down with you.
You're not going to convince me this is the rational appropriate response for fixing the state of the game.

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Originally Posted by Nadda

But what I won’t tolerate is the dragging down of people who still believe things can get better.

That’s never going to be healthy—for FFXIV or for life in general.

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You know what's also not healthy? Chiming into threads that are clearly addressed at the company with valid complaints about the game and then dismissing other player's issues. Look, you can be happy and healthy--but do it in other threads. Go to the housing forum and share the cool apartment you built or talk about your favorite mechanics in dungeon forum. But don't go to a complain thread and then pikachu-face when people complain.

I've completely fallen out of love with the story, but I still love the actual game. I think it's wild that the only thing keeping people playing was their investment in the story. Did they even like the actual game to begin with?

The baits used to be more subtle that's for sure. This one is just low effort. The girl is disconnected from the game anyway, and I wouldn't be surprised and if she tried to bait too. This live letter is the same as any other before, the literal same...

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Originally Posted by Wilford111

I've completely fallen out of love with the story, but I still love the actual game. I think it's wild that the only thing keeping people playing was their investment in the story. Did they even like the actual game to begin with?

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I find it funny that you don't include the MSQ in the 'the actual game'. I don't think that most people quit because of DT story. They quit because of the bad DT story and the lack of 'the actual game'.

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Originally Posted by Nadda

We’re customers, sure. But we’re also investors in this game. Blind overconfidence isn’t helpful—you’ll miss red flags that way. But fear and uncertainty? That can make even the most rational investor pull out prematurely.

Confidence and clear thinking are what make a successful investor.

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Again, you're using language that you do not seem to understand.

An investor makes money off of a game. We are not investors. We are customers. Investors have a monetary return on investment (ROI). If you own stock in Square-Enix, you are an investor.

Consumers benefit by exchanging money for service (again, not an investor). We pay for service, we are unhappy with the current service, we use capitalism to participate in the service, or end the service.

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Originally Posted by Exmo

They were saying FCs being inactive and players getting lethargic is normal. If you must respond, respond by asking for evidence or providing counter-evidence. Keep it a conversation instead of turning it into a fight. So many people here (not you specifically) are so quick to insults, it creates a real bad atmosphere.



Have you found any examples of "laser-focused, good-faith critique" of Dawntrail getting buried in an avalanche of simplistic "I LIKED IT!" or "YOU'RE JUST A HATER, A DOOMPOSTER, A TROLL." You said there were loads in the forums and you just needed time to find one. No luck?

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You could search this forum yourself. There's a feature for that. You could search Reddit yourself. You know it exists, you're just being pedantic with your "Citation Needed."

Look, I'm going to be real with you, Exmo.... I really don't have time for this. I have a job, and a family (including aging, ailing parents), and other hobbies than arguing with people on the internet all day and night about a video game. I spent most of my evening last night painting Warhammer models and ignoring that FF, and by extension this forum, even exists. I'm starting to realize that arguing with people on the forums is nothing but a huge waste of my valuable time, and I regret I even started doing it. So look, I'm not going to bend over backwards to go find that shit, but you and I both know that criticism gets handwaved away with boring simple platitudes or dismissive namecalling.

Go find any thread that is a lengthy, reasonable critique/discussion of Dawntrail, and you'll find the attitude in question.

I'm not even sure what exactly is so wrong with expecting more from the devs who have already proven to us they CAN do better and give us more, but here we are.

As for me, I think I'm basically done here. I have better things to do with my life than talk about a game sinking into mediocrity, arguing with players who don't WANT it to be anything but dumbed-down mediocrity.

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Originally Posted by Nadda

But you want to call me a cultist for trying to keep your heads above water? Where exactly am I harming you by encouraging hope?

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Do you have a saviour complex? I genuinely hope you jest.

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Originally Posted by Mondschnee

Me saying that Deep Dungeon can be soloed wasn't even a big part of my argument, but the fact that it can be soloed is simply true so I mentioned it. Not at one point did I claim that most players would do that, I even put that in brackets because I considered it a minor addition. I'm confused why you would focus on this one comment so much when I've mentioned other, stronger examples.

Fact aside that it's merely speculation on your part how other people would approach Variant Dungeon, the point still stands. Endwalker did encourage solo play, and that was part of the confirmed strategy. Yoshi-P himself said that they wanted to lure people in who didn't want to do group content.

Which is fine, I get it, they want the game to grow and attract a wide variety of players, but you can't tell me that this helped FCs stay active, in fact quite a few FC leaders told me the opposite as I've mentioned before.

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No you're right, I think you have stronger examples with Variants and with duty support / trusts
Variants are very easy to solo, and dying has no consequence because unlike the deep dungeons you can get back up and keep throwing yourself at the boss you died at rather than having to scale several floors

I do think that the benefit of running it with a group is the convenience and community aspect, but speaking strictly in terms of rewards I don't think you get any benefit. It'd be nice if they implemented the feature they added in chaotic cloud of darkness where if someone is new then you get a bonus, and having random bonuses throughout the day - which they could make it only obtainable in a party

but that's disregarding the issue Variants already face like lack of rewards which seems to be the biggest contention for most people

Trusts are a bit trickier because while I think it's nice to have a way for players to queue into old dungeons that are harder to pop, especially as a DPS, but designing the dungeons around a trust means we're unlikely to get some of the cool, more complex features we had in some older ARR dungeons

I apologize if I came across as antagonistic in any way in my initial post, it wasn't my intention

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Originally Posted by Auro_Seldaris

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This is all just a big excuse. You made a claim, I asked politely for an example of it, after dancing around a bunch you can't provide one. You should have just said that. Ok, moving on.

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Originally Posted by SongOfTheWind

Do you have a saviour complex? I genuinely hope you jest.

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Yes, they literally have Main Character Syndrome. They think Yoshida is going to give them a Gold Star for defending CSIII's honor on the internet. They also are trying to continually derail this thread and make it all about them. How egotistical can you get?

I don't think there's a cult...

But I do think some people are overly sensitive about criticism of the game, and seem more concerned with the fact that people are criticizing it in general, and not necessarily concerned with what the criticism is and whether it is or isn't valid, and in many cases they don't really have valid counter-points beyond "U just hate the game".

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Originally Posted by Exmo

This is all just a big excuse. You made a claim, I asked politely for an example of it, after dancing around a bunch you can't provide one. You should have just said that. Ok, moving on.

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https://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/comme...ike_dawntrail/

"I liked it!", with no explanation of why. Meanwhile those that don't spend literally paragraphs explaining why, in detail, it's a bad story and bad expansion.

There are even literally two "I loved it!" directly in a row with basically no elaboration. And I found that in like, 2 minutes of searching on Reddit for "Dawntrail I liked it"

I'm literally not going to engage with you any further on this.

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Originally Posted by CVXIV

No you're right, I think you have stronger examples with Variants and with duty support / trusts
Variants are very easy to solo, and dying has no consequence because unlike the deep dungeons you can get back up and keep throwing yourself at the boss you died at rather than having to scale several floors

I do think that the benefit of running it with a group is the convenience and community aspect, but speaking strictly in terms of rewards I don't think you get any benefit. It'd be nice if they implemented the feature they added in chaotic cloud of darkness where if someone is new then you get a bonus, and having random bonuses throughout the day - which they could make it only obtainable in a party

but that's disregarding the issue Variants already face like lack of rewards which seems to be the biggest contention for most people

Trusts are a bit trickier because while I think it's nice to have a way for players to queue into old dungeons that are harder to pop, especially as a DPS, but designing the dungeons around a trust means we're unlikely to get some of the cool, more complex features we had in some older ARR dungeons

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Yeah, see I completely agree with basically all you said above.
And a small addition, for me personally, I also found Variant Dungeons easier to do solo because you didn't have to rely on others wanting to do the route you needed, and that way you didn't have to waste anybody elses time if you wanted to take your time looking at the environments and all.
These days, it's also quite hard to get a queue to pop, unfortunately.

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Originally Posted by CVXIV

I apologize if I came across as antagonistic in any way in my initial post, it wasn't my intention

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It's all good! I do think we did reach an understanding after all which is honestly a nice experience, so thanks for that!

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Originally Posted by Kaurhz

I don't think there's a cult...

But I do think some people are overly sensitive about criticism of the game, and seem more concerned with the fact that people are criticizing it in general, and not necessarily concerned with what the criticism is and whether it is or isn't valid, and in many cases they don't really have valid counter-points beyond "U just hate the game".

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To be fair, a LOT of the criticism is blatant grifting, doom-mongering, outrage farming from so-called 'content creators', and outright hyperbole.

These people exist in gacha spaces too, you learn to spot them pretty quickly ^^

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Originally Posted by ElysiumDragon

To be fair, a LOT of the criticism is blatant grifting, doom-mongering, outrage farming from so-called 'content creators', and outright hyperbole.

These people exist in gacha spaces too, you learn to spot them pretty quickly ^^

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Which content creator are you referring to?

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Originally Posted by ElysiumDragon

To be fair, a LOT of the criticism is blatant grifting, doom-mongering, outrage farming from so-called 'content creators', and outright hyperbole.

These people exist in gacha spaces too, you learn to spot them pretty quickly ^^

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These aren't exactly baseless concerns though, really.. If the general population is dropping and if the number of overall returner players is lowering, then yeah, there's a concern. Sure, we can dance around the "ThE NuMbErS ArEnT ThAt BaD" all day long, but the general decline in population is nothing to scoff at, especially when the reason for it you can pretty easily ascribe to their current formulas.

A lot of players have had their wishes, and content type ignored for well over 4 years, and they should very little enthusiasm in actually curbing this issue, or putting the necessary investment or changes to the core content pipeline to mitigate that issue.

Based on their current trajectory, we will get the final iteration of Occult Crescent in, what? 7.55 with a new area and new Phantom Jobs, then in 8.25, we will get whatever content type or new iteration of Exploratory. This will still be an 18 month gap between the major content types for the general player base.

If you don't think these issues are tied pretty exclusively to the steadily declining player base, or if you don't think it will continue to decline expansion-by-expansion, then I really don't know what to tell you. The numbers are OK, but the trajectory of where it is heading is not good. If the content pipeline trajectory continues on the path, then so will the dwindling population as a result.

Again, these aren't really baseless concerns.. Obviously they are not as extensive as some believe, but the trend is heading that way. Sure we'll see a small population explosion when the expansion launches, but it will also go right down again, and then it's a question of how low if we're already heading to Stormblood numbers. Then you also need to consider this is probably the first expansion in a very long time where they've visibly annoyed casual folk and story-enjoyers.

As for the PLL, the content and structure is exactly the same, but the passion isn't there.... The way I would consider it, is that it's like taking certain courses on LinkedIn, or general corporate training materials (e.g., manual training) where the overall tone is so monotonal that it's so hard to actually watch with passion to learn.. Then when you compare it to some on-demand optional instructional training resources where the passion is very visible.

It's very easy to spot passion, even in text form.. and much easier in video, and this just ain't it tbh.