How far we have come

Guys and Gals,

I cannot help but be extremely excited for how far we have come with this game. Even though we may be a few weeks to month(s) behind schedule of the original road to 2.0 we are still so close. In just a few short weeks we will reunite in an alpha or even a beta together. This time since the events of Bahamut this past weekend has got me missing the community that surrounds this game. I have spent a lot of time on the forums reading your opinions and trying to wrap my mind around all your insight and views. I hope all of you share the same excitement about paving the road for a game that will hold our attention for years to come where we can once again build a community that rivals other MMO communities not only where we stand behind our game but also that we truly helped it become what it is today and what it will become tomorrow.

I think we owe Square Enix and the development team a debt of gratitude for not giving up on its loyal fan base and putting every sleepless night into a game that will be cherished by their fans for a long time to come. They are the people who literally live on your satisfaction of their product and subscriptions. Although a lot of us can be judgmental of their efforts, views, and even thoughts on what this game should and will be but I think that will subside when we see their final product early next year. I am more than proud to stand behind a company that is willing to do this for their customers and not give up easily.

I hope you will join me in saying "Thank You" to this team and to your fellow community members for a job well done. So many of us will be friends for years to come and I look forward to every minute of it.

So, I will start,

Thank You Square Enix and loyal fans. You are a true testament to a community and I am happy that I can be a part of it. :-):cool:

Thank you for literally giving up and putting everything you had into what you where sure would be one last game.

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/hEHieRqfvnw/0.jpg
Thank you random Chinese hackers.

Thank you guys, you could have just given us all the finger like so many other game companies would do, but you showed us a huge amount of respect and have put everything into turning the game around. I am not a fan of any company, but I am a fan of you all individually. You can do it!

Yes. Yoshi and the whole team deserves a heartfelt congratulations and Thank you. The conclusion of FFXIV-1 was rocky but the trailer was beautiful. The final quests were engaging and entertaining. The way the community of the few of us who played right to the end got together at the end was surely what it was all about. Very nicely done. Thank You. :)

Agreed.

It's easy to lose sight of it when you're "living through it". But looking back to where this game was shortly after its release, to what it's gone through to get where it is now and, of course... the hope and excitement of where it's going.. We really have come a long, long way.

Thank you, Yoshi-P and all of the FFXIV team for the hard work and dedication you've put into turning this behemoth around. Inheriting FFXIV as it was after its launch could not have been an easy thing to do. But you accepted the challenge, threw yourself into it, and made it your own, so that a better experience could be shared with the fans.

What Yoshi-P and co accomplished with the 1.0 version of FFXIV up to the end is notable enough. What really gets me excited, though, is knowing that now, with 2.0, we will get to experience a FFXIV that is fully and truly the direct result of his and his team's effort. All those people doing their best to not only turn FFXIV into a better game than it was, but into a truly enjoyable and solid MMO experience in its own right, on its own grounds. "Tanaka's FFXIV" is gone forever. It's now "Yoshi-P's FFXIV".

Whatever happens, whether ARR succeeds beyond expectations, or crashes and burns, I have nothing but genuine and heart-felt appreciation and respect for Yoshi-P and what he and his team have done these past many months to make it the best FF experience they could. Win or lose, love it or hate it, nothing can take that away.

Thank you S-E. I came in a little late last November, but I enjoyed every minute of my time on the game. I'm hoping to make many more memories and friends in Reborn. It makes me feel special that I managed to be part of a time that some people didnt experience. That year I didnt feel like I was playing a beta of a game. I felt like I was playing a rapidly improving MMO. Looking back on it, I helped (if even a little) get the game where you want it to be. Whetherit was testing the new abilities, battle systems, jobs. To see the new players coming, and help them.

I cant wait until Reborn, but I can wait long enough to see it ready in your eyes. So Thank you Yoshi, Wada, and there rest of the developers for not giving up on this game. Thank you from All of us. You hooked with with XI in '04, Walking in to Eoreza last year was like, walking into Vana'diel 8 years ago. It's a special feeling, that only you can bring. :)

I never played when the game was considered "bad," but I'm truly happy that I had a chance to experience Eorzea 1.0ish at the very least. In all honesty, I had enough fun to consider that work to be enough, but now everyone's getting a big treat from 2.0. It's like getting a birthday cake, only to find out your parents bought you a car to go with it.

Thanks for everything!

Very happy to be this community as well. I agree with the OP and feel tremendous gratitude to the game. Being in alpha and beta of the original game, it really feel that it came a long way. Very proud of the fans and developers!

As for congratulating the dev team i agree, but to say that im proud to be apart of this community makes me ill. Theres "alot" of whiners here.

Was lovely to be part of and see how much has changed since i played the Alpha test....seems so long ago now! But all the work and effort and everyone sticking with it has helped it and i can't wait to play the new version ^O^