Wy XIV is failing as it's improved...

[Cyruance]

So the question I have for the community is: is the current team's solution to FFXIV just modeling it after MMO systems that have already proved successful in other MMO's, making it yet another copycat MMO? I know they're going by the feedback they received but is this really the solution? Will this really make it successful? And to the current development team: If you are just revamping things based on other MMO's systems (like the auto attack) what will make FFXIV unique? What will make me want to play FFXIV's auto attack instead of another MMOs auto attack system? Many believe that FFXIV isn't failing but ALREADY failed. Is making FFXIV resemble other MMO's really what's going to put this game on the map and revolutionize it?

I believe at its heart, Final Fantasy XIV has the chance to be something different, unique, fun and classic Final Fantasy. I'm not saying everything in the game could be amazing. (like the market wards. That really needs to just be dumped. It's just a longer, more tedious auction house) But I just don't want to see it's potential be traded in for WOW mechanics and just become another MMO clone. I hope it one day reaches its full potential. Thanks to Yoshi-P and the entire FFXIV team. i know you're working hard and I hope for the best.

I can't say I agree that throwing out the old combat system should lead to this whole line of copy-cat thinking(FFXI had auto attack after all)... but, I think you're right all the same.

SE builds its games around its own specific, often arrogant, visions - and for the most part they turn out very nice. (I say as a FF fan, which I assume most here are) Recently they've faltered though, perhaps realized they've taken their vision to too much of a niche audience<FFXIII>, and when combined with FFXIV's horrible failure... they probably just said screw it: give people whatever they clamor for, it works for WoW! This is even the case with how FFXI has evolved over the past few years and need I mention FFXIII-2, pretty much a direct, knee-jerk response to FFXIII's criticisms.

SE seems to be changing its design philosophy, moving away from pushing its own vision to attempting to embrace player demands - and its not necessarily a good thing, especially in the MMO context. I would make the statement that they just don't know how to properly combine player desires with their own FF vision so what we're left with is FFXIV as it is now: A Final Fantasy in name only thats trying to emulate what Blizzard does, and doing it poorly. (Don't mean to put a WoW vs FF bend on it, but you can't ignore the influence that overwhelmingly popular game has had on the entire MMORPG industry)

Now this last part is just my personal opinion, consider it dumb/fanboyish if you will, but I'd say Final Fantasy, in all its specific charm, can not exist as some sort of hybrid between FF elements and player demand. Final Fantasy, JRPGs in general even, are all about telling a story, about immersing the player in a dramatic world enriched with lore, music, and meaning. You simply can not create that same feel, that same uniqueness, if you're trying to listen to player demands - which to be frank, basically means appealing to casual gamers in the traditional MMO terminology. IMO FFXIV is doomed to fail as it will neither succeed as a Final Fantasy or as a standard appeal-to-all game trying to follow in WoW's footsteps.

But hey I might just be pessimistic, they might find their groove and manage to create that Final Fantasy magic along with keeping up with player expectations...they're failing hard at the moment, but at least they seem to be trying.