Lightning Returns Again (Thank you Square)

[Adire]

This not only benefits us, but it also benefits Final Fantasy XIV, because devs use the mog station to develop content that they could not afford with the subscription alone.

Yet ever since the cash shop was introduced, we've gotten less content per patch than ever. Something smells fishy.

If believing they're reinvesting cash shop profit into the game's content helps you sleep at night though despite no evidence supporting that vs the alternative, by all means, believe it.

[DamianFatale]

Yet ever since the cash shop was introduced, we've gotten less content per patch than ever. Something smells fishy.

If believing they're reinvesting cash shop profit into the game's content helps you sleep at night though despite no evidence supporting that vs the alternative, by all means, believe it.

I believe Square has stated why the cash shop exists. xp

[Adire]

I believe Square has stated why the cash shop exists. xp

Just because they say something doesn't make it true. Can't believe I have to say that....but yeah....

[Tilgung]

Yet ever since the cash shop was introduced, we've gotten less content per patch than ever. Something smells fishy.

If believing they're reinvesting cash shop profit into the game's content helps you sleep at night though despite no evidence supporting that vs the alternative, by all means, believe it.

European Severs were paid for with cash shop money, as stated by the Dev team.

But please, go on, tell me how cash shop money isn't going towards improving the game.

[Adire]

European Severs were paid for with cash shop money, as stated by the Dev team.

But please, go on, tell me how cash shop money isn't going towards improving the game.

Oh, you mean those servers that were called European servers but were actually in Canada? And remained there for long after FFXIV had become one of the most successful subscription based MMOs?

I'll say it again for you. Less content per patch than ever since the cash shop went up, with announcements made for even less content to come after the EU servers were moved, while the cash shop itself is getting faster additions as time goes on.

I don't know why a history of MMOs with cash shops diverting funds away from non-cash shop related content creation, plus the knowledge of how businesses, particularly large ones generally work (profit is #1 priority, if customers will allow it and it profits, do it), plus the fact that Yoshi himself has said that his team is underfunded by SE, plus the knowledge that SE is using FFXIV as its cash cow still keeps it so hard to believe for so many people that maybe the cash shop isn't being used so innocently and may not have all of its profit reinvested back into the game.

Edit: And let's not forget everyone's beloved server limitations excuse for everything with no sign of that going away anytime soon!

But as I've said, believe what you like. Corporations are not entities that share an individual's morals. I have yet to see a game have a drastic increase in content quality/quantity alongside cash shop increases.

[Tilgung]

Oh, you mean those servers that were called European servers but were actually in Canada? And remained there for long after FFXIV had become one of the most successful subscription based MMOs?

Yes, I'm very much aware they were not originally in EU. Otherwise it wouldn't have been such a big deal that they were getting legit servers in europe that involved taking down all EU data centers for an extended period of time. Which they accomplished with cash shop money, because SE probably wouldn't have paid for it out of pocket.

I've very much aware of how big corporations work, I've spent more than my fair share of time being screwed over by them as an employee. Which seems to be what the Dev team is dealing with.

[Adire]

snip

The thing is, when combined with recent announcements about content and patches (such as fewer dungeons per patch), I find it hard to believe that SE is planning on using increased profit to benefit the game.

It's much more believable that the EU server thing was a PR stunt and a justification for the cash shop when combined with the knowledge of less content per patch. The cost of moving the servers is out of the way, the cash shop is becoming more profitable, yet the content per patch is decreasing and the same limitations excuses and such persist, and Yoshi is at odds with upper management more than he has been in a while which points to the FFXIV team not getting the funding and support they need/deserve.

Something doesn't add up. My personal guess is that now with the servers moved, which was the justification for the cash shop, its existence will now be to purely profit SE and fund their other endeavors. It's the only thing I can really conclude with how they're now making more cash shop content with less patch content. The money has to be going somewhere, and judging by recent happenings, it isn't going back into the game.

[Lyzern]

Yet ever since the cash shop was introduced, we've gotten less content per patch than ever. Something smells fishy.

If believing they're reinvesting cash shop profit into the game's content helps you sleep at night though despite no evidence supporting that vs the alternative, by all means, believe it.

Don't worry, you're entitled to be salty in the forums. Just try not to be too toxic.

(This is a joke, I fully agree with your comment.)

[Hyrist]

Yet ever since the cash shop was introduced, we've gotten less content per patch than ever. Something smells fishy.

If believing they're reinvesting cash shop profit into the game's content helps you sleep at night though despite no evidence supporting that vs the alternative, by all means, believe it.

I do dislike it when people perpetuate lies like this.

You've either a. Highly overestimated the amount of origonal content we received in 2.xx that wasn't simply a retool of pending or previously released 1.xx content

Or

You severely underestimate the workload involved in the current content that has been released.

I've stated this before but it bears continual relevance - content you have little to no interest in is still content developed and released. In which case Diadem and Lords of Verminion alone dwarf previous single content patch releases, due to the amount of system work required.

Were they done well? Well, in Diadem's case, no. That's evident. I've yet to really dig into Verminion to give it a go. But they contain more work each than several of the dungeons we've had in this game combined on the coding end.

But this falsehood that we got 'less' because of some arbitrary surface level quantification is, and will always remain silly, even if it does play into the hands of the cynical mass seeking self-validation.

I'm glad that they at least released these items for those who haven't done the events. It would not make sense to keep releasing the same events over and over again, and it gives hope for those seeking to get future rewards for cross-over promotions they've missed. Given the fact that my GF was up until six am this past morning trying to get her characters the event items for all of the characters --- it's nice to know the possibility of an alternative that does not physically impact her health may be available.

[Stormrider]

I do dislike it when people perpetuate lies like this.

Were they done well? Well, in Diadem's case, no. That's evident. I've yet to really dig into Verminion to give it a go. But they contain more work each than several of the dungeons we've had in this game combined on the coding end.

But this falsehood that we got 'less' because of some arbitrary surface level quantification is, and will always remain silly, even if it does play into the hands of the cynical mass seeking self-validation.

You could argue that the patches we have received equal more or the same as 2.X patches. You do not take into consideration some of this content should have been live with 3.0 and the time between patches. So while you could claim we have gotten more. Over the same span we got less.

Now did they have a whole stash they were sitting on to make 2.X look great. That is possible. That is something that needs to be said. We didn't really do as great a job between patches as you think. We need more reasonable expectations.