I think some people don't understand that FFXIV is not a cookie-cutter mmo. It is a different kind of game, plain and simple. Many of us like that it is different from the norm. If they completely change the game to the run-of-the-mill mmo, I don't think it can compete nearly as well as it can if advertised for what it is.
It can't compete now. Mere mention of the game outside of the fansites and these forums generally generates mocking laughter because, for most, the game really is that horrible, even to the people who came from FFXI to play it.

I've also read replies with people coming to the defense of FFXIV, and I like to see that. And of course constructive suggestions on improvements and innovations to the current system are welcome. I'm just talking about people who log on expecting to play a LoTRO, WOW, AoC, etc, not realizing what they are playing, and then logging onto the forums and making random assertions based on the fact that they are unaware of exactly the type of game FFXIV is.
And what type of game is FFXIV? Do you know? I doubt it. I doubt even SE knows what type of game FFXIV is, and they're the ones who made the damned thing. I'd absolutely love to see a FFXIII-style post-mortem of the game's original development; I imagine that there'd be several parallels.

I'm sure I just pissed off a lot of people, but FFXIV has a lot of charm, and although I am completely anticipating subsequent patches, I also don't want them to change what makes the game unique. FFXIV has a lot of growing to do, but I'd like to see it evolve and grow while retaining it's uniqueness: the things that make it's current fanbase loyal.
I'll admit that there are certain aspects of the game that I like--just crafting and fishing, really, and the Armory is kinda neat. That doesn't mean that the rest of the game doesn't make me want to choke a bitch. The zones were seemingly built at a 1:1 scale, which would explain the copy-pasta terrain, but also kills any chance for the kind of visual variance that other games possess. The entire world seems to have a chronic marmot infestation. Leves are boring as shit. The Black Shroud. The only means of reasonably speedy travel is tied to a limited resource. No fucking horsebirds in this gigantic world. The Black Shroud. Trying to make a sword basically requires you to level every profession just to stand a chance at success. 2 of the 3 synthesis commands you start with are completely useless. The Black Shroud. Random aggressive mobs that are 20 levels higher than the players killing shit in that area. No LFG system. Story missions that look awesome and action-packed in the cutscene, but turn into absolute shit once you have a chance to actively participate (seriously, the game plays a cutscene where coblyns swarm everyone and everyone's trying to fight them off, then it goes back to player control and the coblyns stream in one at a time. <plinkett>What the FUCK?!</plinkett>). The combat system keeps track of every button press, so if you misclick and hit the wrong button, you'll have to wait for that action to execute. There's a delay on every button press, unless you queue several actions at once, in which case they all execute at pretty much the exact same time. Oh, and the Black Shroud.

BUT OTHER THAN ALL THAT, I REALLY LIKE THIS GAME AND HOPE IT STAYS THIS WAY FOREVERTY EVER. *derp*