theres only one real reason to not want caps on missions, it's straight up lazyness. second reason that you added is that you have people you love and want to just do them with her or rather when you forced to do it again you rather it be on easy mode. these dont seem fitting for a good reason not to want to have caps, saying we can't force players to have to play the game the way it is intented? that is bs i'm sorry it is how the game was intented and now they slowly remove the way it was and should be so people can steam roll from the get go.
taking out caps near the end of a games life is one thing, it can be hard to get players if you waited years to do it instead of doing them with everyone in the server was doing them, when every expansion is out it takes almost no time to put a full group together even without a static. i did do cop with static, that was an amazing and badass story line, no caps takes that away, with caps you can turn everything in the game that memorable.
like perrin said, no, you don't deserver the end reward for facerolling anything in this game. that is just a joke, ask se to open a gil shop with same items but have them a different color so it reads i didn't do shit for it instead and it will be the same thing. having caps for rewards and progression is fair, and having maybe a way to steam roll it for fun and friends and storyline should be separate. running around sea for first time after completing those missions was a joyouse occasion that comes from a well deserved long run to get there.
personally i think lot of players dont' want anything to do with ffxi style game play, they want to steam roll to max, then all they got to do is log in 2times a week for 3-4hours for someone to tell them what to do for endgame then log out feeling accomplished as a gamer. do the gaming world a favor and buy a already done account then and keep real gaming in our mmo's. cause right now ffxiv is a joke for content, but worse off the little we have is a clue to how bad and easy it is gonna be cause for some reason theres way too many of you that like this game style of paying to pretend to be gaming.
time trials are not a good replacement for challenging content, in ffxi even though they reset after maintence so they totally removed meaning from it, the winners are just some group of blm's or something. if you'r complaining about people for groups then u'd agree time trials where u just need 5 of the best class is just even worse of an idea. plus most people don't like repeating things unless theres a great reward for it, the mini expansions in ffxi started something nice, they gave more reason to repeat them for more reward, that would make people who done them do them more, thus caps with multiple rewards = always having people that are willing to come join in on them. they can set up layers of missions first 2or 3 then next 2 or 3, all giving something usable and not fixable for ffxiv that everyone wants and they will have just fixed any issues with new players not having people to do them with.
also i'd like to add that i'm surprised this thread isn't packed with players and there opinions, this has got to be one of the most important parts of the game next to the battle system. more people need to give there opinions on it and if they are for or nay for caps, b4 it is too late and instead you'll be running to a diff game to play.