In your opinion, should the game be free? Or cost less per month?

[Jetstream_Fox]

Snip

You're right I did ask whether or not the game should cost less or go free, that has been given a response each post with each person saying yes and no. And it was pretty obvious I was comparing the content released between the expansion and 2.0 as I never stated anything about any other game. As for claiming I haven't paid any attention to the story, then following up saying moving to Toll wasn't not interesting is almost questionable in its own right. 2.0 actually showed the world changing and people coming into power and the rise of the warrior of light, not to mention many other questions that 3.0 hasn't even touched 7 months into the life of its existence. In 3.0 we had a primal pop up out of a lake but that didn't concern anyone, yet a dragon landing in Ishgard causes panic, the death of a minor character they tried to turn into a major role and the warriors of darkness.

[Belhi]

2.1 had three story beats.

- F'lhaminn returning to the story and her connection to Minfilia/Ascilia which was sadly only very shallowly explored as was the fact that Minfilia is using a false name.

- Moving to Revenant's Toll which was mainly running errands.

- King Moggle Mog.

Now don't get me wrong but there wasn't a lot of plot development going on. In 3.1 we See the introduction of the Warriors of Darkness, the introduction of a character first referenced in 2.x who has a long standing friendship with Minfilia, the return of an old friend, new information on the echo and the crystals of light, a look into the political struggles with Ishgard as it tackles a major upheaval to its cultural dogma, glimpses of the fates of missing friends, and glimpses into the activities of Elidibus and Urianger.

3.0 ended with a huge number of developing and crucial plot threads, from the prospects of a major Garlean invasion, the prospects of three Eikons on the level of Bahamut breaking free from their prisons, the introduction of the Warrior of Light, the complete overturning of the traditions Ishgard has lived by for a thousand years, and of course a fully restored Nidhogg. I said you didn't pay attention cause you said 3.x has basically just been the Warrior of Darkness, who has so far been a minor plot point.

As for the Primals, why would Ishgard, a known insular culture, be worked up over a primal that has turned up far outside their borders, when Ishgard really has never dealt with the impact a primal. Unlike the other city states, the beast tribes and the primals have had very little impact on Ishgard's lands. Dragons however have been trying to kill them on sight for 1000 years. Of course a dragon turning up in Ishgard is going to freak everyone out. Ishgardians are terrified of dragons and with good reason. To many Ishgardians in the past they have been seen as the embodiment of evil.

Now I did say that currently I found the 3.1 story too short though for me the Scholisticate quests made up for that a bit. I also said that the 5 month break between 3.0 and 3.1 was a problem both gameplay and story wise. However they have said that the patches would go back to 3 month cycles again so we should see that speed readjust to what it was in 2.x. One can also claim issues with amount and type of content released which is quite fair. I personally think a couple of extra trials would have helped and Alex has been a major disappointment for many. I also don't thing Diadem hit the mark but I do think its worth them trying to do new things which by the nature of trying new things means occasionally things will fall flat.

The story however has hit the mark brilliantly. It might not be a story that appeals to you but its depth and quality show that Yoshi P's team is really hitting their stride on that front.

Finally, when I ask about what you compare FF14 to, its because if you want to ask a question of value for money, it's best to compare to similar products, or for that matter sources of entertainment, on the market. In this regard FF14 is very strong. I ask this cause its very relevant to your original question. While you might not feel personally that the money is getting you the entertainment you want, believing that your not getting content worth what you are paying is subjective to exactly how much the content costs and the only way to ascertain that is to get a feel for how much the MMO content is generally worth on the market or to know in detail the actually level of time and complexity the process of developing content actually takes. Otherwise you run the risk of setting unrealistic expectations on the quantity of content your money is worth.

[Jon_00]

The sub fee is pretty cheap.

But there's so little content currently it's hard to justify paying the fee.
For raids, Alexander Savage is monotonous, boring and difficult. Difficulty =/= fun.
The dungeons are pitiful, 6 months of Nevercast and Fractal have been followed with another probable 6 months of the two new dungeons (I don't even know what they're called, I haven't done expert roulette in months).
PvP isn't too bad, but there needs to be more maps other than Seal Rock at 60.

The relic grind I was very interested in doing in 3.1 as I skipped the first relic due to having no interest in grinding for atma. Guess what, I'm now skipping the second relic whilst wondering what YoshiP and the devs are smoking - did they even listen to the feedback from the first atma grind?

[Belhi]

The dungeons are pitiful, 6 months of Nevercast and Fractal have been followed with another probable 6 months of the two new dungeons (I don't even know what they're called, I haven't done expert roulette in months).

I just want to point out that they have stated that they will be going back to the 3 month cadence and that the gap between 3.0 and 3.1 isn't going to be the norm. However I agree that grinding the same two dungeons for months on end can be extremely dull.

That said, I personally really liked the 3.1 dungeons.

I do agree though that Alex as a major let down and honestly I think has contributed a lot to the dissatisfaction a lot of players have. Also considering that if we had been on a 3 month cadence from the start we would be getting the 3.2 around now and a second wing of Alex.

The relic grind I was very interested in doing in 3.1 as I skipped the first relic due to having no interest in grinding for atma. Guess what, I'm now skipping the second relic whilst wondering what YoshiP and the devs are smoking - did they even listen to the feedback from the first atma grind?

Its not exactly the same since at least in the new relic quest you don't have to do the FATEs in the same class so you can use it to level alt Jobs and such. However I'm not a huge fan of the RNG element. It was bound to be a grind because that's what they always said it would be but it would be better if FATEs gave guaranteed progress with the RNG part being a potential bonus reward. Kind of like FATE lights.