Nostalgia

[Kazamoto]

How far back does something have to be for one to be nostalgic about it? I mean, there are some people who have active accounts in both ffxi and ffxiv right now.

How can they be 'looking back with rose tinted glasses' if they are still playing it?

-Note: I played FFXI from US launch on a PS2 until just before SoA. (I was playing EvE at the time with some real life friends and I only allow myself 1 MMO at a time).
I have also played:
DDO
WoW
EvE
City of Heros
Warhammer Online
Rift
Guild Wars





Did FFXI have flaws?
Sure early game pacing was dreadfully slow.
The learning curve early on was massively punishing, and it was possible to lose a whole day's worth of progress.
The UI wasn't very friendly, and a menu driven MMO may not have been the best choice, but it definitely seemed like a FF game.
No party? No progrees. Make one small mistake on the last floor in a Promy? Sucks to be you, there goes 3 hours of work.
Were you a Ranger early on? Here's a nerf to make you pointless except monster hunting.
Monk early on? Here's a nerf to make you just another average dd until Salvage comes out.
Dragoon? I hope you like to sit LFG.

As for the community? That all depends on when and who.
There was always a fair amount of JP-Onry out there.
The NA crowd? Mostly good, over 10 years and many many linkshells, I can still say that.

Were there bad ones? Sure, most HNM ls had strict requirements, but end game was hard then, and you had to work for it.
Exp party? I can think of maybe a handful of time it fell apart over someones gear, but that was usually caused by the under geared player saying "It's just a subjob"

But, shout in town and a dozen people would offer you help, or at least advice.

Never, in 10 years of FFXI did I ever see a recruiting shout for an event that demanded a certain level of gear.
Never, in 10 years of FFXI did I have someone leave a party in an assault or Promy or anything because player x's gear wasn't good enough.

As for the arguments about skillchains doing less, that was true for single element skillchains, or wrong element skillchains sure. But, if you matched your elements and had a mage to magic burst? easy peasy.
In the days of ToAU, I used to run 'old school' parties on Trolls where we would have a skill chain and a double magic burst and kill trolls faster than colibri. But, it required skill and timing.

FFXI is not the game it was, Seekers has basically destroyed all old content by totally ignoring power creep on items. Even in the days of Abyssea, at least things were still balanced outside of abyssea, you just didnt have to grind for exp anymore.
I wouldnt want to go back now, its not the same. And that is not a nostalgic looking back, that is a current summery after seeing the game as it is.

I think there are many features from FFXI that SE could rip off directly for 14, but the combat system is not one of them.

There is a level of skill and dedication that FFXI required that while I miss it, I don't have the time for it, as now I have to worry about my Career, wife, and mortgage. All things I did not have when FFXI first came out.

But, I think FF14 would benefit from (in no particular order):

FFXI AH System.
Puppermaster class
Pankration.
Nyzul Isle
BCNM/KSNM/ZNM
Puppetmaster class
Moblin Maze Mongers
Gambling tables
Eco-Warrior


-
We are already getting, at some point:
Choco breeding
Moghouses
Gardening
Choco racing

[Aegis]

But, I think FF14 would benefit from *snip*

Blue mage
Blue mage
Blue mage
Blue mage
Blue mage
Blue mage
Blue mage
Blue mage

...and Beastmaster.