Okay we're a year into HW, where's storage diversity?

[CyrilLucifer]

Many ways for SE to fix the inventory system have been proposed in this thread and many others in the past. Are you ignoring them on purpose for the sake of argument?

They could start by adding a currency tab instead of giving us new primal tokens - or Beast tokens - every patch. FFXI has been using one for years.

A glamour book would free up space for materials.

Getting rid of some the Grade X prisms that are basically just clutter would help too.

[MomomiMomi]

Many ways for SE to fix the inventory system have been proposed in this thread and many others in the past. Are you ignoring them on purpose for the sake of argument?

You talking about me?

Yeah, I agree. It could definitely use some improvement.

I'm not saying that inventory couldn't be better. I'm talking about playing within the existing constraints.

Because I never said the inventory system wasn't bad in this thread. I'm merely saying it's entirely possible to live with it by changing how you manage your inventory. Items = gil. Gil = items. Turn your inventory into gil and you won't have to struggle with inventory.

[Nalien]

You still haven't explained how. You either spent time or gil getting your stock.

I spend my time/Gil when I have time/Gil. Again, the markets are fairly volatile in this game, while I could by X for 1,000G one day, the next it might inflate to 2,000G. Buying when it's 1,000G is obviously a better deal than when it's 2,000G. Buying when something is low and using that stock when it's high is obviously efficient. Farming stuff myself, as well, actually saves time. Were I to go out and farm items as I need them, that is very inefficient (travel costs/etc.). Meanwhile farming a bulk amount and just working down that supply is much more efficient. Picking up a new stack of Aurum Regis Nuggets while doing dailies to use later is much more efficient than running off there to buy the exact amount I need when I need them.

Am I really having to explain what efficiency is? Do you go out each morning and buy a single slice of bread, rather than buying an entire loaf for several days worth of toast? Same concept, except here I'm throwing a monthly fee at SE to seemingly inconvenience me at every turn...

I'm merely saying it's entirely possible to live with it by changing how you manage your inventory. Items = gil. Gil = items. Turn your inventory into gil and you won't have to struggle with inventory.

Which is an incredible simplification of how this games market works and completely disregards the efficiency of "hoarding".

Are people actually saying it isn't possible to manage with the current inventory? I'm certainly not. I'm saying we shouldn't have to "make do and mend" for what is a pay to play game by a fairly successful developer. They out right should have the ability to sort this crap out, it is entirely within the scope of SEs ability and this games profits to do so. Instead they constantly compound the issue with dozens of new items (beast tribe currency could be like tomestones because?) and it is becoming increasingly hard to view this as anything short of corporate greed; Why fix the problem when the retainer service nets them plenty of extra cash off the problem?

[MomomiMomi]

I spend my time/Gil when I have time/Gil. Again, the markets are fairly volatile in this game, while I could by X for 1,000G one day, the next it might inflate to 2,000G. Buying when it's 1,000G is obviously a better deal than when it's 2,000G. Buying when something is low and using that stock when it's high is obviously efficient. Farming stuff myself, as well, actually saves time. Were I to go out and farm items as I need them, that is very inefficient (travel costs/etc.). Meanwhile farming a bulk amount and just working down that supply is much more efficient. Picking up a new stack of Aurum Regis Nuggets while doing dailies to use later is much more efficient than running off there to buy the exact amount I need when I need them.

I've never found them to be so volatile as to matter. Gather them when you have time or when the price is high. Sell them. Buy them when you need them. Same result, except you aren't storing things in your inventory.

[alimdia]

Turning your mats into gil takes time, even if you go full out undercutting everyone else you could end up with mats stuck for days up for sale, and then when you try to buy mats they might be more expensive than what you sold them for, or there might be a shortage of mats and there aren't enough for you, it's really not a reasonable alternative, and doesn't solve the current issue at hand, the fact that the game is over 2 years old and the money they got from renting retainers is not going back into solving the lack of space.

I feel like your whole argument is just "I don't have any problems, therefore this isn't a problem".

[Warlyx]

if only they reduced the amount of materials needed.....some crafts take like what 6 different items? come on now...they dont want to expand inventory but SE doesnt HELP AT ALL , and every patch more glamour comes around , and more "tokens" (see midas items) , dont forget tribes items, primal tokens .....on the top of fishing tackles , glamour prisms , ect...

they dont want to fix inventory? FINE , but at least put tokens as currency , and stop adding unnecessary items in my inventory (KEY ITEM INVENTORY SAYS HELLO BTW!)

[MomomiMomi]

I feel like your whole argument is just "I don't have any problems, therefore this isn't a problem".

Everyone can do it. They just don't want to. My entire argument is that people are doing it to themselves.

[Welsper59]

there is no reason, in a game we're paying a monthly subscription for, that we should have to sacrifice efficiency for storage space. SE isn't some crippled indie developer that can't afford new servers to sort this crap out, they're just another stupid AAA developer that would rather take (massive, if XI set any kind of precedent) profits from one project and use it to fuel an utter abomination (like FFVIIHD).

To be honest, that's actually a huge reason right there that you pointed out as to why the XIV team may not want to lol. Every company allocates set funds to their individual offices and departments/divisions, regardless of how much profit it may bring in. Even if it were a situation that XIV was the only source of profit for the company, it's still bound by the authorization of management (higher ups) to determine how much of the companies money they get. You're definitely right that SE isn't some make it or break it type of indie developer that's risking homeless status, but the divisions themselves are still bound to protocol and restrictions. That's just universal business practices all across the world.

Now, having said that, they could always prioritize funding towards such things, but that's likely Yoshi-P's call on that. Why he doesn't want to is for his reasons that we won't really know. Maybe it really does have some sort of underlying limitation as to why it'd be a problem. Maybe it's just because of the tinfoil hat conspiracy theories that it literally is for no other reason than to milk more money to line their pockets with. Maybe, in regards to that last one, it's that the income from the cash shop really has been arranged to be exclusively for XIV development. It being a vanity based cash shop though, does mean that profits are unstable, so it's likely to go to things like RL events and more merchandise to (hopefully) profit off of. Who knows?

[Nalien]

It being a vanity based cash shop though, does mean that profits are unstable, so it's likely to go to things like RL events and more merchandise to (hopefully) profit off of. Who knows?

That's the hope, though so far (and we've had this stuff for nearly two years now) progress has been... Slow?

We got EU servers, and fingers crossed 3.3 delivers on the Housing adjustments promised around 3.1, but so far we've seen nothing with regards to inventory issues. They've consistently compounded problems with new items and continue to waste potential storage space; Others have pointed out the potential to put more in the Key Item spaces, and I've mentioned how the Armoire potentially wastes space (stores AF but not Augmented AF).

With all that in mind, it has become increasingly hard for me to just give them the benefit of the doubt on this... They're out right profiting off the issue with the retainer service, which has never sat right with me. Nor has the cash shop in general, but that's vanity fluff I can ignore (for the most part, I still have some issues with it) and we've seen returns on that. They out right stated around its launch that they'd use profits from it to improve servers and provide more Wards for Housing, and we've got (and are getting more of) that. Retainers are, for some, a requirement at this point, and then there is the simple fact that they're not vanity fluff, Venturers give them actual in game value, be that increased chances at rare Venture rewards, or a simple break down of the 18h Venture profits you can bring in (which essentially has SE selling ~120k for $2 a month). Then you have to consider that retainers aren't a one time cost, it's an extra subscription (one which they likely can make projections on). I've always very much been against the retainer service because of that, and always figured they'd work better as veteran rewards. I can get past that if I see inventory issues being sorted out though, but I haven't. I've seen the issue worsen and practically nothing on SEs end about any long term (or short term) solutions... Deal with the inconvenience or give us more money, those seem like the only options going forward. It's a very similar issue to Housing space, except that has had numerous comments from Yoshida regarding the plan going forward (we've been told we're getting new stuff in 3.3, for example). Storage? Nothing. And every event they labor me with more seasonal furniture that I'll either never be able to obtain again (or have to pay real money for if they put it in the cash shop... /shudder) or have to pay ridiculous prices for on the market board as players take advantage of the finite supply of the stuff... Good thing I can dump that stuff in my FC chest so I can put a Christmas tree out again next Christmas, I feel bad for people who don't have that option though...

[Welsper59]

That's the hope, though so far (and we've had this stuff for nearly two years now) progress has been... Slow?

We got EU servers, and fingers crossed 3.3 delivers on the Housing adjustments promised around 3.1, but so far we've seen nothing with regards to inventory issues. They've consistently compounded problems with new items and continue to waste potential storage space; Others have pointed out the potential to put more in the Key Item spaces, and I've mentioned how the Armoire potentially wastes space (stores AF but not Augmented AF).

With all that in mind, it has become increasingly hard for me to just give them the benefit of the doubt on this... They're out right profiting off the issue with the retainer service, which has never sat right with me. Nor has the cash shop in general, but that's vanity fluff I can ignore (for the most part, I still have some issues with it) and we've seen returns on that. They out right stated around its launch that they'd use profits from it to improve servers and provide more Wards for Housing, and we've got (and are getting more of) that. Retainers are, for some, a requirement at this point, and then there is the simple fact that they're not vanity fluff, Venturers give them actual in game value, be that increased chances at rare Venture rewards, or a simple break down of the 18h Venture profits you can bring in (which essentially has SE selling ~120k for $2 a month). Then you have to consider that retainers aren't a one time cost, it's an extra subscription (one which they likely can make projections on). I've always very much been against the retainer service because of that, and always figured they'd work better as veteran rewards. I can get past that if I see inventory issues being sorted out though, but I haven't. I've seen the issue worsen and practically nothing on SEs end about any long term (or short term) solutions...

That's actually something that I failed to imply/mention (just forgot to) when I brought up the cash shop, so it's good of you to have brought things like the EU servers up. Assuming a big part of it really does come from optional services/goods income (cash shop), then that's likely part of the reason why retainers are the way they are and have not changed... yet (hopefully lol). Maintaining servers is not a one-time expense, just like having additional retainers. It's also not a cheap venture to upkeep, especially if the hosting company knows you're a big name one... mark ups for temporary/monthly/annual services are very real (and unfortunately legal) in many parts of the corporate/business world. It's likely a risk they don't want to take right now to reduce the side income, as it could affect upkeep of those additional servers or other things that are a result of that profit.