I picked back up ffxi for a few months and loved it.

But now everything either level syncs in qufim... or your do Abyssea.. people getting 30+ levels in a day... sorta pointless. Before i quit i had nearly all jobs to 75 and was proud of that fact. Now thats something that can be done in a few weeks. Maats cap isn't something special, relic weapons are just for show. Meh.. it was fun for a while and worth $10 to play again.

I don't play a MMO just to race to the end. I don't play a MMO so i can stand around and look pretty in exclusive hard to get gear. I play it for enjoyment and a feeling of accomplishment. Whats the point of playing minesweeper if you max the size and have 1 bomb?.. thats sort of what ffxi has become, and what ffxiv has always been.

If you want to be different and unique then make a game worth playing. Yeah, it will be hard. Yes it will be time consuming, but whats the point of having another mmo that you get bored with? Focus on making a world, not a game. You want to make a final fantasy MMO casual friendly then make a effective party system and balance jobs so you don't have to wait for hours to put a party together. You want longevity? Focus on the social aspect so people create bonds with other players and look forward to talking/interacting.

I don't care if it takes me 2 years to cap my job if i have fun doing it. I'd much rather spend forever playing a game with friends than run through and wait to do "end game" just for "look at me" gear. Who gives a damn? A MMO is like life, its about the journey not the end result.

FFXIV is a cookie cutter with a few mods. You can call it different, you can call it whatever you wait. It is nothing but a pile of fail. It came from the roots of a great game, and managed to go and suck more than the easy mode that ffxi is.