PLEASE Learn from your mistakes......

[Armozel]

I agree with the OP that they need to spell out some of the aspects of the features they wish to implement. For example, the Jobs system speculation has varied from them being subclasses (which seems to fit the facts SE wishes to release so far) to the entire armoury system being defunct (based on the statement that P. Levels will be removed). I think it would be better if SE would come and post a detailed FAQ about the changes which outlines what is to be removed and what is to remain and how it will impact existing characters. That sort of communication would be beneficial to SE (less need to explain it every other time for some reporter in an interview regarding the game) and to players (less speculation and forum drama).

[weeble]

i'm 50 50 on them needing to communicate even though they are, 1. i think they need to straight up draw a 100% write up on what the game will be like in like a year when the game finally goes pay to play. but 2. i don't think they need to be doing this bs they doing now where it stirs up people thinking there really is huge choices and decisions being made from being on forums asking for things cause in long run i don't think it will matter that much, but bigger thing i don't think it should matter. the louder or majority player shouldn't get his bottle, the ideal game that the devs had or have set should of been what was created and that is that. people like the game and they stay, people don't they leave. i think the communication is far worse the way it is now. i pretty much want to know what the game will be like in 1year, if yoshi and the devs say this that and the other, and no to this that and the other, then i can finally move on or look forward to playing and not feel like i may or may not be wasting my time.

also se, straight up needs to stop with the write ups, it's 2011 if u can't make a video for the info's then u just fail, and translation issues are something i'm not willing to listen to anymore as excuses. i been asking in a few threads for a straight out full game line of what is to come, it's not much to ask for, every mmo by the time it launches and asks for your money u know pretty much everything there is about what it will have and what will be implemented, and there mistakes in launching early don't change the fact that we should know, and we should know now cause this time right now is gonna be a waist of time for some. and reason why so many are probably not even logging in anymore. ty.

[Sonic_the_Hedgehog]

SE communicates like this:
"We decided to implement this in 1.19.. here are some vague details."
and 10min later on the forums
SPECULATE SPECULATE RAGE RAGE RAGE SPECULATE RAGE END OF THE WORLD

It doesn't matter if SE releases very specific details, people are going to rage anyway. Instead of raging and speculating, they'll raging about how much they hate changes and so forth. So there's no way around it, also as much as I hate people complaining about stuff before the full picture comes into view, the speculation keeps these boards alive.

[Kailea_Nagisa]

SE communicates like this:
"We decided to implement this in 1.19.. here are some vague details."
and 10min later on the forums
SPECULATE SPECULATE RAGE RAGE RAGE SPECULATE RAGE END OF THE WORLD

whereas SE should be communicating like this:
"We have decided to implement x. Here are some key details. We know you may have concerns about x, y, z. This is how we will address them. We apologize to anyone who is being negatively effected by this.. Heres a list of reasons why we have decided to go this route. We have a team focusing on this aspect. Please post any concerns you have in this thread and like any concerns you agree with and we will take them into consideration, thank you"
edit: this would create one topic that focuses on the debate, remove speculation, and take a lot of the negativity and drama off the general board making the game look less like a failure.

or put another way. the difference is between having game devs just post updates, and having professional public relations managers, marketers, and social anthropologists post updates that suit the culture they are being communicated too and promote a positive community as opposed to the heavily negative community we currently have.

or put another way, its the difference between companies that succeed and companies that fail. There is a reason that companies spend millions on marketing and public relations. And I'm not sure if part of the problem is japanese culture because I know a number of other Japanese companies have had public relations disaster (ex. toyota) and the japanese government has had massive public relations problems over the quake and nuclear crisis.

people are going to rage and complain no matter what, and how can they give specific details on things, that they honestly don't even have finished when they announces them ahead of time.

I would rather be giving a vague description or even none at all, then a fully detailed explanation, then have it change at last min before release.

[Azurymber]

It doesn't matter if SE releases very specific details, people are going to rage anyway. Instead of raging and speculating, they'll raging about how much they hate changes and so forth. So there's no way around it, also as much as I hate people complaining about stuff before the full picture comes into view, the speculation keeps these boards alive.

as much as you might believe that you're wrong. Again, there is a good reason why successful corporations (ex. apple) spend millions on public relations and marketing. There is a proper way to present information to consumers in order to minimize rage, and there is a proper way to manage media relations. And there is a good reason why some companies have departments -devoted- to it. I'm pretty sure SE does too, but they seem to only work on publicizing the game when they want to sell it (you can't deny the game -looked- epic). And then letting developers, who are unskilled in the field of public relations for the most part, take care of things. This results in massive disasters like the surplus-fiasco which can seriously damage the games reputation (as it did). Its been proven consumers are easily effected by "crises." Or in other words, many people who experienced the surplus problem at launch and read about will view the game in a negative light for years and spread their viewpoint to others.

[BadJoeRed]

10,000 threads like this have been written since the game's launch across multiple forums.
TLDR for the 10,000th time.

[Cid]

I agree, they should just give us the patch notes for 1.19 right now so people can stop speculating about stuff that still at least a month away, we should know about everything in patch 1.19 right now. Who cares if everything they posted thus far is still in development, and therefore subject to change. What are they trying to do really, to get us to discuss about what we likes or dislikes about all the proposed changes which they still haven't finalized yet? Nah that can't be it.

They really should just stop posting these titbits of info every few days (sometime consecutively) if the patch is sOo0o far away, we need to know exactly how the materia system works with every possible questions that anyone can possibly have answered right now, not two days from now, not on patch day - but now, at this moment, in the next half-second! We aren't raging/'speculating,(`same-thing) 'cause we have questions,worries,fears, O.o nope we rage cause we don't have adequate CoMUnICAtOn. Did I spell that right, azury?

The forums is in rage-mode because we still have no clue as to how exactly the crafting changes will look like, or what does Coeurl Step do, can my Conjurer use it? I need to know these thing. And where is all the complete and comprehensive information on the materia system that we barely know anything about asides from that- that really nicely illustrated and interesting lore that was posted, but that was from how long ago? lolSE! Get wit It!?! you posted all that stuff -when, yesterday? (08/26) and we still haven't had a dozen devs responses back to us with all of our questions... . . ..fail SE -.- TOTAL fail, unacceptable unbelievable.

When will you guys learn, what the point of this forum if you dont Comunictate, huh?.

/dissapointed

[Holyomen]

In a way I agree, but not really.

More info is always a plus. If you can watch a movie trailer 6+ months before the movie is even out, why can't SE say what they plan to do next month?

But at the same time I think the biggest challenge to MMOs is..............player's patience
Because the players have none, they make everything more difficult than it has to be.


My first MMO was EQ and I never expected anything from the game but what they gave us, and I loved every minute of it. I ran around the newbie areas for weeks with no gear and a rusty sword thinking this is the greatest game ever made.

Now, however, expectations are extremely high, and whatever you do a group will complain till no end.

[Brannigan]

Other games do -not- experience this anywhere near the amount that FFXIV does. It results in a forum with almost no positive threads.

Haha are you serious? Take a gander at WoW's official forums some time. They had to shut down the EQ official forums way back when because of how crappy they were. Official forums are almost always full of trash.

[Xmbei]

On top of all the other responses on this forum. Hey Azur if you think you can do so much better. Let us put you in charge of a worldwide multi-language MMO and see how long it will take for you to collapse under the pressure of the people and the corporation. I bet you wouldn't last a week before you start making posts about "I am sorry I can't give you the info you demand, because we are still in the development stages of said product." or you would just have a nervous breakdown and disappear. Don't bash something if you don't understand what is going on behind the scenes, and when you honestly can't do better. Now maybe you can do better... but seriously until you can prove otherwise you have no room to "toot your horn".

Edit: On top of all that the "lack of communication"?!?!?! Are you kidding me?!?!?!? We have 200% if not more communication then we ever did under Tanaka's reign on FFXI and FFXIV. It was until people raged so hard on here for a forum, and he was removed from his pet project 2.0, FFXIV, that he went... "oh... damn... I really should listen to the people.... here you go FFXI you have your own forum's now"