Why can't we have jobs with this level of depth and customization in FFXIV?

[Magis]

You know what's also terrible? Comparing a system with jobs with abilities up to level 99 that has had like a decade to be polished (and still balance is nowhere near as it is in XIV) to a much newer system that is capped at 50 currently.

When someone comes and references Final Fantasy XI's accomplishments IN THE SAME TIME FRAME that XIV has had to develop then I'll take any of these posts seriously.

Wasn't PUP (the job being compared to) released in Treasures of Aht Urhgan Expansion which was still lvl 75? It was released in 2006 btw, way before even FFXIV 1.0 was created so what are you talking about? Also... a game MADE BY SE, had a decade to be polished and seen what works and doesn't... and then most of the experience gathered from creating it is ignored when ARR was being made. It's not like XIV 1.0 and ARR was their first MMO.

[Felis]

Wasn't PUP (the job being compared to) released in Treasures of Aht Urhgan Expansion which was still lvl 75? It was released in 2006 btw, way before even FFXIV 1.0 was created so what are you talking about? Also... a game MADE BY SE, had a decade to be polished and seen what works and doesn't... and then most of the experience gathered from creating it is ignored when ARR was being made. It's not like XIV 1.0 and ARR was their first MMO.

Your argument would be ok if SE just copied XI instead to program another FF MMO with another mechanics and battle system. In a new MMO simple classes/jobs come first as a basic of the game. Complex classes/jobs come later. Like a strawberry cake. You bake thirst the bottom before you add the strawberries. Then the icing and the cream at least. You don't bake the bottom with the strawberries just because you did another strawberry cake before it already.

[Themis]

Wasn't PUP (the job being compared to) released in Treasures of Aht Urhgan Expansion which was still lvl 75? It was released in 2006 btw, way before even FFXIV 1.0 was created so what are you talking about? Also... a game MADE BY SE, had a decade to be polished and seen what works and doesn't... and then most of the experience gathered from creating it is ignored when ARR was being made. It's not like XIV 1.0 and ARR was their first MMO.

The simple truth is that XIV is designed for new players and new MMO players more than it is experienced XI veterans.

Target audience is very much applicable here. Back when XI was released, and during it's development, it was played by a lot of experienced MMO players (especially from EQ which was a primary reason why Square made XI). That's what is being ignored by the player base who have to compare XI to XIV all the time. Different games, different target audiences. There's this strange notion that a new MMO must have everything that every other MMO has had since the first ones came out. I mean, why not... it's not like this is the first MMO to ever be made, either.

On the topic of the level of design into classes, look at how they designed Arcanist for this game. Enough to provide some basic pet interaction, but nothing highly advanced or tactical about their control or AI. This is because it allows the player to focus less on their pet management and more on their own gameplay. Having to focus on just 1 thing can be a lot for a new player (even for some long term players). Having them focus on multiple would be going against the whole "we made this game for new players to start to get into an MMO" ideal.

3.0 is also being designed with this "new player" philosophy in mind, and that's a wise decision. SE know, I'm sure, that the 1st expansion is one of the biggest milestones that ARR will ever meet. Most players will decide at this point whether they want to keep going, and players who have had their eye on the game will decide whether they really want to give it a try. The main audience being targeted are these players who may not have played an MMO before, or even a game (beyond the mobile cash generators they'll most likely have played).

What we need to hope for, though, is that after this big marker we can start to see a general shift in the game direction towards something much more suited to those who have been playing for a while. This I see happening. Basically, the game will grow with it's player base, and the "age" of that player base (by that, I mean how long the average player has been playing for). That age, though, is tied to how long XIV has existed since 2.0, not from when some players first started playing MMOs. Thus, XIV's current design should reflect that of an MMO that is 1 year old. Not compared to an MMO that is now over 12 years old. What worked for XI doesn't have to be carried over into XIV. Neither do the lessons taught and learned in XI have to be carried over to XIV. They are different games, and the design direction for XIV is not the same as XIs in any way or shape at all.

[BloodPact]

Wasn't PUP (the job being compared to) released in Treasures of Aht Urhgan Expansion which was still lvl 75? It was released in 2006 btw, way before even FFXIV 1.0 was created so what are you talking about?.

That's still 25 levels above the current cap in this game. And it's 7 more years of development and planning compared to this game as well. My point still stands.
Furthermore, I'll tell you what; I have no idea what's being pointed at in XI when the OP means "level of depth" because, yes, there were many options to choose from in terms of abilities and spells but at 75 cap (which is when I left) you barely used half of those abilities, if anything, as a magic user. If melee it was even worse. Not to mention that you could watch two episodes of a series in Netflix before having to use your next weaponskill or while resting for MP.
Combos in this game give a flow to the abilites as you get them and it is a good way to make you use your whole arsenal instead of just spamming the most powerful skill, which is what usually ended up happening in XI's endgame.