So, pretty dead lately....

[Blissa]

Its not even close to being dead, but yes the server population is down across all servers. But that's 100% normal, the population will spike back up once 3.1 gets here and then after awhile it will go down again until the next major patch.

[Taei]

Its not even close to being dead, but yes the server population is down across all servers. But that's 100% normal, the population will spike back up once 3.1 gets here and then after awhile it will go down again until the next major patch.

Not picking on you per say but I find it sad that we have accepted lack of content at the end of patches in MMOs to be a new normal. I mean, we just had a major expansion, and yet 2 months or so later, people are already getting bored again. The worst part is that I don't think there's much to look forward too going ahead.

[Assirra]

Not picking on you per say but I find it sad that we have accepted lack of content at the end of patches in MMOs to be a new normal. I mean, we just had a major expansion, and yet 2 months or so later, people are already getting bored again. The worst part is that I don't think there's much to look forward too going ahead.

To be fair, MMO devs will never win this fight.
They give content that takes a while? people complain it takes too long.
They give content that is easily done? people complain they are bored.

There is no golden standard where everyone agrees it fine.
Not to mention people like different.

[Kaurie]

The devs are doing a great job of pumping lots of varied content into the MMO at a good pace. However, because the content is so varied, no one enjoys all of it. It's because of this that people get bored before the next patch, and not because they have exhausted all of the content. They just exhaust the content that interests them.

For me, I am quite bored. I seem to spend more time reading about FFXIV than I do actually playing. I'm capping eso's and doing the raids. I have 0 interest in crafting in this game, 0 interest in leveling alts and so on.

EDIT: removed quote, i misread the post I quoted.

[Obysuca]

To be fair, this has been the case with patch cycles before, and I can't see any reason it would change. They've outright said that players and subscriptions drop off sharply about a month after the latest patch has been released (which is why their pace of content release has been so feverish before).

Which since SE knows it, you'd think they'd actually give us content that'd keep us busy until the next update, you know, the goal of a mmo, to keep people playing every single month. But nope, they just throw 2 dungeons and 4 bosses at us each update then people get bored of that in a few weeks/a month. It'd actually be more money for SE if the content kept us busy and entertained right up until the next update or even further.

Not picking on you per say but I find it sad that we have accepted lack of content at the end of patches in MMOs to be a new normal. I mean, we just had a major expansion, and yet 2 months or so later, people are already getting bored again. The worst part is that I don't think there's much to look forward too going ahead.

^ This. Why are people so perfectly fine with a big lack of content that only lasts most people a few days to a week maybe before they finish everything new and get bored of the same 2 dungeons for the next 4 months? Who else here remembers whenever an update came out, even if it was spread out longer than 3-4 months, that there'd never be a huge population drop after the first month its out, or even for an expansion? Even if those updates were just minor fixes or adjustments, the population would still be steady because the mmo actually had engaging/worthwhile content to do, rather than trashing what the company just spent resources and time on to make the update before. I sure do.

To be fair, MMO devs will never win this fight.
They give content that takes a while? people complain it takes too long.
They give content that is easily done? people complain they are bored.

There is no golden standard where everyone agrees it fine.
Not to mention people like different.

The problem is, they're trying to please everyone. If you try to please everyone, you're pleasing no one.
Which is why a lot of mmos since 2005 have died out in under a year. Pre-WoW mmos (even WoW since it catered to casuals) were about pleasing their loyal playerbase, rather than trying to please everyone or trying to appeal to the facebook/mobile generation of "gamers" who are 100% fine with a tiny amount of content, when they should be focusing on the people who actually want to play every day for every month. Why do you think a lot of those mmos from 1999-2003 have continued to last for 13-16 years? SE would actually get more money if they were going for the people who play every day/month, rather than the people who jump ship every other month.
Trying to appeal to everyone really isn't the best way to go about it, unless their plan is to ride the cash cow until it dies quicker (1-3 years) than trying to appeal to the loyal players and riding the cash cow for a much longer time(10-15 years).

The devs are doing a great job of pumping lots of varied content into the MMO at a good pace. However, because the content is so varied, no one enjoys all of it. It's because of this that people get bored before the next patch, and not because they have exhausted all of the content. They just exhaust the content that interests them.

Varied? >_> Riiiiight lol The reason people get bored is because there's no variety. We get 2 dungeons to get eso, because SE doesn't want us to have variety, there's no other viable way of gearing up besides those two dungeons.

That's the problem though right? I remember Yoshi-P talked about the 3 pillars that make a solid MMO. One of them was the community/social structure. The game doesn't really want people to have to organize groups to do content other than Savage Alex. It wants the normal average person to come back from work do their daily and go to sleep without having to deal with any social aspects of an MMO. 1.0 still had social structure, 2.0/3.0 does not. Free companies are glorified chat channels.

XIV actually encourages people to be solo too :/ It feels more like a single player game that happens to have other people in it. I remember reading a thing not too long ago about them saying we should act like other players are just npcs. That defeats the purpose of a mmo.

[Velisra]

...
SE would actually get more money if they were going for the people who play every day/month, rather than the people who jump ship every other month.
Trying to appeal to everyone really isn't the best way to go about it, unless their plan is to ride the cash cow until it dies quicker (1-3 years) than trying to appeal to the loyal players and riding the cash cow for a much longer time(10-15 years).

...

XIV actually encourages people to be solo too :/ It feels more like a single player game that happens to have other people in it. I remember reading a thing not too long ago about them saying we should act like other players are just npcs. That defeats the purpose of a mmo.

Well, just to throw this out there...

Then there are people like me.

I'm perfectly happy to play this game solo, and do except when forced to group up for MSQ progression, yet I also play every day, for many hours each day. I did the same thing in WoW (and would still be doing that if I hadn't completely lost faith and trust in Blizzard as a company), and managed to keep myself busy with endless things to do for five plus years in that game without a break in my sub. I fully expect FF to keep me similarly occupied.*

*Though I will note here that if SE doesn't somehow fix the housing issues before too much longer, they may lose my custom as well. If I can't have a house and play the whole game while paying the same rate for a sub as someone who does have access to housing and the content gated behind it, I guess SE doesn't need my money.


So, there are people who don't quite fit the "mold" of the typical MMO player out there. /shrug

[Roth_Trailfinder]

Varied? >_> Riiiiight lol The reason people get bored is because there's no variety. We get 2 dungeons to get eso, because SE doesn't want us to have variety, there's no other viable way of gearing up besides those two dungeons.

That particular statement only demonstrates the point being made.

There is "content" for gatherers. There is "content" for crafters. There is content for "grouping," and there is content for "raiding".

By focusing exclusively on the two group dungeons, you are completely ignoring the rest of the content : that for the gatherers, that for the crafters, and that for the raiders.

Granted, each section has a rather irritating lack of content, but taken as a whole, there is a fair amount of content that many people are choosing to be bored rather than to do. Two dungeons? Yup. Two dungeons, a normal and hard mode of the one "raid", as well as stuff to gather and stuff to craft. Not to mention ways to work at gearing up the combat classes either by "raiding" or doing those two group dungeons; or working on gearing your crafting and gathering classes.

That's a four entrée buffet table right there. Quit focusing on just one dish.

[Obysuca]

That's a four entrée buffet table right there. Quit focusing on just one dish.

You completely missed what I said >_> I said two dungeons for eso. No one in their right mind is going to grind alex for eso

So what's there left to do for progression after Tuesday when you have more than half an hour a day to play?

Absolutely jack shit.

^ All of this. See, this person gets it.

I feel the people who say that there's "so much content to do" and that they "haven't run out of content yet" only play for 30 mins to maybe an hour ish a day, when some of us, even with work and school, can still play for a good 4-5 hours a day

[Iromi]

Varied? >_> Riiiiight lol The reason people get bored is because there's no variety. We get 2 dungeons to get eso, because SE doesn't want us to have variety, there's no other viable way of gearing up besides those two dungeons.

I agree with you, so many people I know unsubbed and such due to this. This game direly needs more variety. It is so strange to see the open world have so little PvE, and the game general. It seems like Yoshida realizes this though at least (I think?) and said they gonna cut down on the dungeons to add new variety each patch.

[Kaurie]

Varied? >_> Riiiiight lol The reason people get bored is because there's no variety. We get 2 dungeons to get eso, because SE doesn't want us to have variety, there's no other viable way of gearing up besides those two dungeons.

I feel that you're either unaware of what varied means, or you misunderstood me (or both).

Varied content does not mean a lot of any single type of content. It means that there is a diversity of content. 5 Expert dungeons is not more varied than 2 expert dungeons. What I am saying is they added a little amount of a bunch of different types of content. I personally find most of the non-dungeon/raid content to be very boring.

I am leaning towards unsubbing and moving to F2P Wildstar. We'll see how 3.1 goes I guess.

On another note, you can get esoterics through PvP, Alex and extreme primals.