Another "they quit" thread

[Jynx]

Pretty sure that keeping any player, retention wise, is better than keeping just old players.

It's a common misconception that if your product has a high buy in but low retention that everything is ok because people are still buying it. But what happens when you exhast your resource of new customers?

There are only so many people interested in MMO's in the first place (Don't quote wow numbers it's really an anomally statistically in the MMO genre, as much as developers all want to be it they never will, I doubt even Blizzard will be able to replicate WoW's numbers with Titan)

The "Casual" crowd while large doesn't really have a "Long term" buy in rate, they hit the game when it's new if they like it they play it until they get bored of it and leave. You don't see many casual players picking the game up years after release they are more often than not interested in newer products that have been advertising for their attention rather than a MMO that is a few years old and starting to show it's age.

The hardcore crowd while having a overall lower adoption rate, tend to stick with a game for a long period of time (Often the games entire lifespan) can generate more revenue for the company than 10x the same number of customers who all quit 3 months in.

Having both is the holy (WoW) Grail...but it's never been replicated in the MMO genre after WoW. Most games try to target the casual players, can't retain them and have to resort to alternative methods to bring in money to support the game, as the hardcore player base isn't there to keep them afloat during times of turmoil or during large exoduses of casual gamers.

Hardcore MMO's generally don't see the same numbers but remain profitable over time, hell FFXI was (And still is) Square Enix's most profitable venture in the gaming market. Cry about it's mechanics all you want and paltry subscription numbers, it's heralded as being one of the biggest money makers for Square Enix to this date. FFXIV has alot of time to try and catch up to that number and only time will tell if they happen to make it there, while they try and focus on hardcore and casual players I don't think they will.

[Varithus]

I'm sorry, I haven't read all 15 pages. Only around 4-5. Here are my 5 cents:
* Why after saving cities, nations or doing some epic stuff I have to fill buckets of water in main quest? I just killed a dragon-ish thing and now I have to participate in a festival which is not even presented as a festival.
* Same dungeons/fates/levewhateverquests over and over again.
* Apparently there are some locks in end-game => I beat same dungeon 2-3 times and... what? Wait for a week to do the same thing again?
* Silent opening mouths are funny at first, but annoying soon after.
* As DPS I have to wait for maybe an hour to join a party for dungeon which doesn't garantee it'll be victorious => waiting yet another hour.

If developers read this - they better listen. So far I'm not planning on continuing my subscription even though after that initial "wow" moment I stupidly bought 2 months of it and now regret it.

[Varithus]

Oh right. Almost forgot
* Collecting resources from mining and botanist is veeeeeeeeery slow
* Auction house is pretty much meh
* Side quests are kinda all identical.
* Combat is very repeatetive. It's pretty much same combination over and over. Barely any surprises.

[Synthesis]

We don't have further motivation. Add something with non 100% drop late, even low drop chance to some content.

Also why not improve leves ? they re pointless now. Add something that if u clear few u ll get some citizen recommendation or something else, which u can spend to buy boss leve (4-8 group) with decent drop (dont have to be 100%).

Old dungeons 50+ could drop craft parts (no 100% rate from some chests) and if u collect parts from various dungeons u might be able to craft high lvl body part.

Oh just foolish ideas. Besides everything else.

[XiaoliVorgan]

It's a common misconception that if your product has a high buy in but low retention that everything is ok because people are still buying it. But what happens when you exhast your resource of new customers?

I understand your point, however I think I keep getting misunderstood here. I'm not talking about the purchase of the game here. I'm not talking about the purchase of the game and a couple months of sub. I'm talking about new players who get hooked and remain. How did you get started on this series? As a vetern? The veterns who remained in 1.0 still didn't keep the game from dying out. The game was put out in a bad state. This version imo may be better (I can't speak on the differences, since I didn't play 1.0) but I'm willing to bet if the same group of 1.0 players stuck with this game, and no new potential veterns (new players) come in, it'd be in a plot buried next to 1.0.

I don't really see a point in a casual vs hardcore in this conversation because both groups have many different meanings, especially since if we were to consider veterns the hardcore, maybe 1.0 wouldnt have fizzled out and their payments could have funded better development but that didn't happen.

Also, as many games as there are out there, it's hard for any game to not lose people. If this were the only game out then it would be different but there will always be another game, the next hot entertainment.

I'm having a hard time understanding how people forget that they were new at some point.. you aren't born a vetern on any game. (unless of course you're 1.0 coming to 2.0 but thats neither here nor there, since this is supposedly "a new game")

I get the feeling you've played this game or some version of it for awhile. I could be wrong, anyway if I am, lets pretend. You started off as a new player when Final Fantasy came out, here you are now.


I think the stigma on new players is because new players come in all shapes and sizes for all different reasons. Some come to check it out, some come because they were gifted the game, some actually buy the game and play it for years and years, turning into a vetern. I'm actually talking about those people, I'm talking about you too, if you're a vetern because no matter how you try to dress it up, at some point you too were NEW.

Reponses to my posts sound like people have the idea that all new players are here to just tinker and move on. If thats the case then the game is already screwed and we need to start making funeral arrangements if we're to survive by just the veterns.

People are going to leave, veterns are going to leave, new players are going to leave. It just happens. Life happens, new games come out, subscriptions get turned off, people quit games all together, people make families and can't spend as much time in game anymore, content runs out,. it just happens.

Many people have said it, I'll also say it, there will NEVER be enough content in a game to keep EVERYONE happy and prevent people from unsubbing. Hell, even the producer hasn't finished all there is in the game yet and I'm sure he's got the power to god mode it. It's sad that people are leaving but thats the way the cookie crumbles. Happens in all games.

At any rate, we will get to see how things unfold as they are, with March 27th around the corner. Thanks for responses.

[Ramzal]

-snip-

People quit MMO's all the time. I'm not sure exactly what you'd hope to accomplish with this post outside of venting because odds are things won't be any different down the line as they are now.

[Doo]

People are going to leave, veterns are going to leave, new players are going to leave. It just happens. Life happens, new games come out, subscriptions get turned off, people quit games all together, people make families and can't spend as much time in game anymore, content runs out,. it just happens.

Happens in all games.

It's the circleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee of lifeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Yes it happens in all games but some a lot sooner than others. If your old players are leaving at an alarming rate, then most likely new players aren't going to get hook for long. I.E FFXI vs some random F2P mmo.

[Bizniztyme]

It's the circleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee of lifeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Yes it happens in all games but some a lot sooner than others. If your old players are leaving at an alarming rate, then most likely new players aren't going to get hook for long. I.E FFXI vs some random F2P mmo.

With the amount of games out these days and new ones coming out all the time, there is no way any game will keep alot of people long time, those days are over.

[XiaoliVorgan]

It's the circleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee of lifeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Yes it happens in all games but some a lot sooner than others. If your old players are leaving at an alarming rate, then most likely new players aren't going to get hook for long. I.E FFXI vs some random F2P mmo.

I think the issue with that is, this game is unlike the others due to it being re-released and then getting to transfer basically completed characters over. That was a nice ode to the veterns, and it might have seemed like a good idea but it probably killed it for them at the same time due to the issue of not having enough content for those who have already had a 50 at launch. It's why alot of people made new characters despite having a character brought over. I wonder if it would have been different if they hadn't brought finished characters over. Probably not, cause there will always be people who zip to the end asap.

[Doo]

Probably not, cause there will always be people who zip to the end asap.

No need to zip to the end because 1-50 are tutorials.