I hate comparing this game to FF XI because it isn't trying to be FF XI but -

[Odd]

This game as it stands is a baby and its growing we get to be on the ground floor which is kinda awesome tbh. . . .

I agree 100% with this! This is the first time I've ever played an MMO from launch and I think it's so cool! Five years from now we'll be telling newbies horror stories of the past, walking up hill with no shoes on in the snow, etc. I look forward to that day!

[ApolloGenX]

I was in XI at launch... played EQ and many other games.

This is a new game and is not expected to have the same volume of content as an older game. My only issue is that, while I absolutely loved the story (and I wouldn't change it- it IS fantastic)... the game is really linear. I mean really. It feels like you are on rails right up through 50 and coil.

I know that it might be because there just isn't enough content that was developed and ready for a new release. I get that... but part of the issue is that with all group content being instanced (or fate "instanced").. there's just not really any sandbox content to explore with friends and enjoy.

I love the game, but the current design just worries me, because it is what I disliked about later WoW development and really demystifies the world in general and is not conducive to those "Hey lets go explore <blank> today" that I used to have with friends. The overworld is solo content and there aren't any expansive and open dungeons to crawl through... everything, and I mean EVERYTHING is micro encapsulated with a beginning and an end. There's not really any open ended play content.

I used to enjoy going to obscure zones and farming tradeskill materials, exploring, hunting down small named bosses that might have popped, or farming AAs. There's just none of that here.

That's not to say there never will be... I mean you can have the leveling component being a bit quick, but still content that caters to different styles of play at max level.

That is what I am hoping to see as the game moves forward.

[cotti]

And again, I sincerely apologize because I'm sure this topic has been done to death.

You are lying, OP. You don't feel like apologizing at all and it clearly shows.

I just feel the need to say it.

Yeah, you are such a special snowflake in need of your own thread about the same... non-intelligent thing.

[Orophin]

Even when content was relevant in FFXI, it took god awful amounts of time to get anything done early on in the game.

- Dynamis locked for 72 hours at a time and you had to roll against several other of the same jobs, so it could take months to get a single drop.
- Sky NMs on crazy timers and aggressively camped. Once you actually get pop items you pray an item you need drops from the Sky Gods.
- Getting 5k xp per hour when you need 40k+ for each level 70-75.
- Camping Ground Kings against bots.

FFXI was designed around spending copious amounts of time in the game to actually accomplish something. I'm pretty sure most people do not want that to be the alternative to extending content in this game.

[cearka]

first update after only 4 months is what...new housing system, aesthetician, new raid, new dungeon, 2 new fights, 3 ex fights, pvp, 2 hm dungeons, new story content...that's not a small update. I don't remember FFXI having updates that big, only when expansions came out.
if FFXIV keeps up this momentum there will be plenty to do in due time, especially if they start releasing expansions on top of these updates.

[MageBlack]

Heres a question to the OP. Why would SE want to make this game so similar to FFXI? Why would they want to compete with themselves for subs? It makes more sense to appeal to audiences they do/did not already appeal to.

[Pyretta_Blaze]

I'm pretty sure most people do not want that to be the alternative to extending content in this game.

While I wouldn't want everything to be so time consuming I wouldn't mind 1 or 2 things that were time consuming.

[Themis]

A 3 1/2 month old game =/= 11 year old game.

Remember what it's like now, so that in 5 years time, you can look back and think "Wow, this game has brought in a lot of content since I first started playing". This is probably what everyone who played XI since the US launch also thought after a few years. I started XI in 2007 (making it 5 years old, thus the chosen time above), and for me there was a lot of things to do. Even after the 6 years I've played it, I still haven't done everything. In the same way, people will be saying/complaining, about XIV, that they can't possibly catch up because there is too much to do.

If it's such an issue to wait for the content, which you would have to do for any MMO that isn't far from its launch, then come back in a year or two and then you'll have things to do. Even patch 2.1 is offering a lot of content. But if you don't want to take what is being offered, that's your fault only.

[ApolloGenX]

While I wouldn't want everything to be so time consuming I wouldn't mind 1 or 2 things that were time consuming.

Some types of time consuming activities are more tolerable than others.

For example... I don't want to spend 3 years getting to max level. Core character development being a time sink is boring.

Creating very long, sophisticated, and lore filled quests that take long periods of time are fun. They are optional content that can get you a unique and pretty reward, so players seem to be more understanding and appreciative of that kind of content.

Casual players that might not want to spend the next couple of months raiding the same content over and over might be welcoming of an incredibly long quest line that lasts just as long (takes a couple of months to complete- due to rich content- not arbitrary lock out times and tome farming).

For example- One expansion of EQ 2 had an enormous quest (The shield of Qeynos one) that took an entire expansion to do- I cared more about getting that one single item than I did about an entire set of raid dropped other gear. It was a really pretty and unique shield.

I thought the relic weapons were going to be like that... but instead they turned out to be one-dimensional boring kill X and spend X amounts of money on melds to get your weapon. It was a huge disappointment.

[Pyretta_Blaze]

Some types of time consuming activities are more tolerable than others.

For example... I don't want to spend 3 years getting to max level. Core character development being a time sync is boring.

Creating very long, sophisticated, and lore filled quests that take long periods of time are fun. They are optional content that can get you a unique and pretty reward, so players seem to be more understanding and appreciative of that kind of content.
<snip>

Very much agreed. I want a long term goal and currently I don't have anything.