Square Enix, it's time to come clean about your plans for the future

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Originally Posted by dspguy

How long do you think this game will go on? If anything 7.0 is a borderline surprise.

While there aren't many fair comparisons that can be made between FFXI and FFXIV, there are a few important ones: both are subscription-based and avenues to make money for the company. Eventually, the graphics get worn out, the developers run of new concepts to add to the game, and they will have a hard time competing with eye-candy that uses a new game engine.

With that said, FFXI's last real expansion was 2013... essentially 11 years after the servers went live. We are approaching the 10 year mark (let's not count 1.0). By the time the expansion is released, we are at the 11 year mark. FFXIV devs have followed a pretty specific formula since HW. It is pretty easy to know the nature of new content (comes out like clockwork). The graphics are getting worn out (I'm personally fine with them - I'm old school and still play 8/16-bit games). The formula is getting tired.

EW sort of wrapped up one "era" of the game - the one that started back in 2.0. The next expansion might not tie in much with that, but it doesn't mean it will begin the next 10 year story arc. In my opinion, they'll like have this next expansion and possibly one more after that. Followed by "mini-expansion" - sort of a content dump to keep subs up a little longer. Then it will just go into maintenance mode.

We are closer to the end of the line than the beginning. It just isn't clear when that will happen. For myself, I'm enjoying the ride and would rather see the game sunset when it makes sense to do it instead of making a story that doesn't "fit" with the Eorzea we know. I'll cross my fingers that Dawntrail is not that expansion.

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I don't think 7.0 existing is a surprise at all. If it's still profitable why stop? The main problems with XIV is they don't innovate but rather throw systems under the bus and what they bring out is painfully generic in terms of game systems. It baffles me to this day that they think FATEs are still acceptable for overworld content. But then again they made a game out of the most boring aspects of XIV with XVI. Walk to a too easy fight and watch a cutscene kinda deal.

If they could they'd probably delete healers and tanks and give you an NPC companion so you can deeps. lol

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Originally Posted by Payadopa

I don't think 7.0 existing is a surprise at all. If it's still profitable why stop? The main problems with XIV is they don't innovate but rather throw systems under the bus and what they bring out is painfully generic in terms of game systems. It baffles me to this day that they think FATEs are still acceptable for overworld content. But then again they made a game out of the most boring aspects of XIV with XVI. Walk to a too easy fight and watch a cutscene kinda deal.

If they could they'd probably delete healers and tanks and give you an NPC companion so you can deeps. lol

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I think a lot of things they implemented and tried out had a good base and with improvements they could have been good additions to the game. But instead of improving on things that could turn out good they seem to throw the idea out the next expansion when all it needs is improvements from feedback provided from the community.

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Originally Posted by Nebelheim

I think a lot of things they implemented and tried out had a good base and with improvements they could have been good additions to the game. But instead of improving on things that could turn out good they seem to throw the idea out the next expansion when all it needs is improvements from feedback provided from the community.

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Exactly. Look at GCs and the NPCs. But yay, we got yet another Deep Dungeon and 6 lifeless overworld zones with lobotomised FATEs. It's crazy how accepting the average MMO player is of mediocrity in this genre. Like when people say it's impossible to have good storytelling in MMOs.

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Originally Posted by Payadopa

Exactly. Look at GCs and the NPCs. But yay, we got yet another Deep Dungeon and 6 lifeless overworld zones with lobotomised FATEs. It's crazy how accepting the average MMO player is of mediocrity in this genre. Like when people say it's impossible to have good storytelling in MMOs.

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I just wish they go back to being more experimental with there content and if something happens to have some success or positive feedback then further improve on it.

If you ask me the developer’s compulsion to make new content, ignore feedback on it, then refuse to ever update or continue the content is one of the game’s biggest problems right now lol.

Like I would bet Gil (I don’t have irl money) that come 7.0 we will never hear about criterion dungeons ever again lol. Island Sanctuary? Pssshhh, what’s that?
Look at this brand new content we’re doing that’s poorly implemented, has no/lacklustre rewards, and has no bearing on anything besides being another random, self-contained dungeon with mechanics that already appeared before and some unnecessary glamour rewards for the exclusive currency it gives.
Addendum: it could be argued this describes almost all content in ffxiv lol

Honestly I’ll admit it’s very ‘tinfoil hat’ but a part of me believes ffxiv exists as a platform for funding future SE games, and not as a video game in its own right. It’s basically just a crowdsourcing tool that uses sexy big boob bunnies and naked modded cat-girls to draw subs that never get put back into the game itself

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Originally Posted by Connor

If you ask me the developer’s compulsion to make new content, ignore feedback on it, then refuse to ever update or continue the content is one of the game’s biggest problems right now lol.

Like I would bet Gil (I don’t have irl money) that come 7.0 we will never hear about criterion dungeons ever again lol. Island Sanctuary? Pssshhh, what’s that?
Look at this brand new content we’re doing that’s poorly implemented, has no/lacklustre rewards, and has no bearing on anything besides being another random, self-contained dungeon with mechanics that already appeared before and some unnecessary glamour rewards for the exclusive currency it gives.
Addendum: it could be argued this describes almost all content in ffxiv lol

Honestly I’ll admit it’s very ‘tinfoil hat’ but a part of me believes ffxiv exists as a platform for finding future SE games, and not as a video game in its own right. It’s basically just a crowdsourcing tool that uses sexy big boob bunnies and naked modded cat-girls to draw subs that never get put back into the game itself

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Have to admit, I hope they don't abandon Island Sanctuary - I really enjoy it!

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Originally Posted by Carin-Eri

Have to admit, I hope they don't abandon Island Sanctuary - I really enjoy it!

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I agree, I really enjoy Island Sanctuary too. But given their track record, I won’t be holding my breath to see it continued in 7.0. Then again, maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised

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Originally Posted by Connor

If you ask me the developer’s compulsion to make new content, ignore feedback on it, then refuse to ever update or continue the content is one of the game’s biggest problems right now lol.

Like I would bet Gil (I don’t have irl money) that come 7.0 we will never hear about criterion dungeons ever again lol. Island Sanctuary? Pssshhh, what’s that?
Look at this brand new content we’re doing that’s poorly implemented, has no/lacklustre rewards, and has no bearing on anything besides being another random, self-contained dungeon with mechanics that already appeared before and some unnecessary glamour rewards for the exclusive currency it gives.
Addendum: it could be argued this describes almost all content in ffxiv lol

Honestly I’ll admit it’s very ‘tinfoil hat’ but a part of me believes ffxiv exists as a platform for funding future SE games, and not as a video game in its own right. It’s basically just a crowdsourcing tool that uses sexy big boob bunnies and naked modded cat-girls to draw subs that never get put back into the game itself

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Be prepared to hand over that gil now. They already stated at the Fanfest that they will continue doing Variant and Criterion dungeons in 7.0 and that they have other content that is classified the same as the Island Sanctuary planned as well. Whether that is an expansion of the current island or another piece of content using the same systems we don't know. But we know it is coming.

That all said, as others have stated CBUIII is more than a single dev team. It is an entire dev division that is obviously going to work on multiple projects. This is the norm for gaming companies.

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Originally Posted by Payadopa

So is every word. People give it meaning. Otherwise we'd still talk in grunts.

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I spent 16 years working retail, believe me, some people still haven't gotten far past that point.

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Originally Posted by Payadopa

I don't think 7.0 existing is a surprise at all. If it's still profitable why stop? The main problems with XIV is they don't innovate but rather throw systems under the bus and what they bring out is painfully generic in terms of game systems. It baffles me to this day that they think FATEs are still acceptable for overworld content. But then again they made a game out of the most boring aspects of XIV with XVI. Walk to a too easy fight and watch a cutscene kinda deal.

If they could they'd probably delete healers and tanks and give you an NPC companion so you can deeps. lol

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I don't think there is anything wrong with FATEs or how they work, the problem is they don't give anything we need. Even the bicolor gemstones are only useful to a point, once you have bought everything you want with them there is no reason to go back for anything. Honestly I don't know what they could give out from FATEs that would make them useful in perpetuity. I think one of the problems we are running into with XIV is too many currencies, nearly every piece of content gives it's own kind of currency and that currency is then used to buy a very limited selection of items. Variants are a great example of this, the rewards you can buy are very few and the currency you get from it can only be used to buy these items. Honestly they could have made relic materials come from Variant dungeons, I feel like that is a missed opportunity.