Quote Originally Posted by sirDarts View Post
1) Those are not CASUAL players you so want to protect.
2) Those people need a Sandbox MMO, not a Themepark MMO, FFXIV is a story-focused themepark MMO.
I hate these labels because there's no actual definition.

A Sandbox MMO, no such animal exists. The definition most people are using for sandbox MMO's are just open-ended games with little to no storyline. A true sandbox game would literately allow you to stomp over everything and everyone if that is what the player wants. As it is, it's mostly a marketing buzzword for "you can put your house anywhere" and "lots of stuff to craft." It would be more fair to call these "crafting-oriented RPG" rather than a sandbox.

A themepark MMO, is what most MMORPG's are when there is a storyline involved. You can "hop off" the storyline ride and do other stuff, and pick up where you left off. There is no inherent risk in delaying storyline completion. That princess that was abducted 3 months ago? It will be like it was no less than 5 minutes ago. These are better defined as "story-driven RPG"

Story-driven games crafting elements are often a waste of time and completely optional because equivalent gear is obtainable from just playing the combat content. Meanwhile crafting-oriented games only you to progress by crafting certain things yourself, and the RPG elements of these games are often limited by resource scarcity.

If there was nothing but a story, then as soon as the player completes the story, they unsubscribe and go play something else. What keeps people playing is the quest to be prepared for the next content patch.