I guess it's time

[LalafellDown]

SE is copying the World of Warcraft formula, because they think that is the key to success. Has World of Warcraft done anything groundbreaking in the last decade? Or has every expansion just been more dungeons, more raids, and more rep grinds? I wouldn't expect too much different here. The devs are trying to add different stuff like diadem, aquapolis, deep dungeon, and gold saucer with mixed results.

While i find the game less fun than I did before as well, I think calling the developers lazy is pretty extreme.

They should copy Guild Wars 2 instead.

[Voldemort]

My advice would be to ride the coattails of the Free Log In Campaigns.

As someone who had been unsubbed for almost eight months before resubbing for 3.3, I can attest that, personally*, not much has changed. Using the two Free Log In Campaigns to do 3.1 and 3.2, I was able to finish off the storyline without a hefty investment for the rest of the month. At this point the only content that I actually enjoy consistently is the story, so 4 free days each time was perfect to complete them.


*I should explain what I mean by "Personally, not much has changed". My biggest gripe is in terms of gear grinding, as stating things like "Lord of Vermillion was dead on arrival!" or "I dislike Relic grinding!" is subjective to those who it caters to. So I'll only discuss the gear progression.
Lore gear is in it's prime. It's gated by a weekly cap, and individual content (running one trial, raid, dungeon, etc) doesn't give a lot of them.
Therefore the Lore gear progression is slow, and it eats up a lot of time for one full set.
But this was the same for Esoterics, which are now very easy to get. With the last Free Log In, I got a full 200 set within a couple hours.
Even before Esoterics, Law and Poetics in their prime were the same.
The slow grind, only to replace the gear, has made me stop caring about having the next best ilvl. So who is to say that there is even a need to grind out Lore gears for someone like me? I could simply wait until the next log in campaign and reap the Lore gear quite quickly for whatever content is gated by a higher ilvl.


I've always broken down my argument mathematically as to why it's simply better to wait for the log in campaigns than to continue subbing when you're unsatisfied with the content. Because the rule of subscription-based MMOs is: your sub pays for more enjoyable content. But how much content are you getting?

If it costs roughly $15/month to play, then you're paying $45 per patch.
That's almost the equivalent of a new release game through Amazon Prime.
So is the content released per patch worth a brand new game?

What about the five-month content drought last year after the release of Heavensward?
We payed $40 for the expansion, and five months worth of subs until 3.1. So was Heavensward worth $100? ($40 + $60 in subs) Two brand new release games?


With the Free Log In Campaigns, you can do any of the content you miss, and catch up with the storyline.
Personally, I resubbed for 3.3 because the story, Aquapolis, Moogle Beast Tribe quests (those Meandering Mog Slippers!!!), and Deep Dungeon were all extremely exciting pieces of content that was worth my $15.
I'll resub when Deep Dunegon gets released for 3.35, and Ill see how it is. If it bombs, then I'll probably ride the Free Log Ins until 4.0

[RobbieH]

They should copy Guild Wars 2 instead.

They have some ideas planned based on the first Guild Wars, in GW1 there were NPCs that could be used as party members to do content, you would gear them up too, something like this is planned but obviously in the state "please look forward to it", and there's little info on it.

"New GC ranks, plus new type of content where you can bring your own group of NPCs, possibly new dungeons for this purpose but no promises that it’ll be done in time for 3.4 (source: PLL XXVIII)"

From the Upcoming Content Tracker

[MagiusNecros]

They have some ideas planned based on the first Guild Wars, in GW1 there were NPCs that could be used as party members to do content, you would gear them up too, something like this is planned but obviously in the state "please look forward to it", and there's little info on it.

"New GC ranks, plus new type of content where you can bring your own group of NPCs, possibly new dungeons for this purpose but no promises that it’ll be done in time for 3.4 (source: PLL XXVIII)"

From the Upcoming Content Tracker

Looking at this sheet am I to assume the new GC gear they promised for 3.3 is now being pushed back to 3.4?

Edit: What a disappointment. I had hoped for it to be included in 3.35 but that's just sad.

[RobbieH]

Looking at this sheet am I to assume the new GC gear they promised for 3.3 is now being pushed back to 3.4?

I think i saw a forum post by a mod/dev saying yes.

[Obysuca]

I think i saw a forum post by a mod/dev saying yes.

Which sadly, still means "I don't know" or "Maybe" :/ Seeing as all the numerous things they said yes to or said how it's going to be and it ended up completely different.
"FC and personal housing will be different!" "You can afford a house just off getting your first 50!" "Roaming primals!" etc

Two? Three? years ago in another topic, they said "We'll be adding FC alliances". Where are those? lol

[Iromi]

Shoot..where are our working alliances in diadem? lol Whenever I take my FC in there with 3 ships we all sit there in different parties like a buncha fools. Can't share loot, credit or anything. That is NOT an alliance.

[RiceisNice]

Shoot..where are our working alliances in diadem? lol Whenever I take my FC in there with 3 ships we all sit there in different parties like a buncha fools. Can't share loot, credit or anything. That is NOT an alliance.

Same place as FC alliances, it got ganked by roaming primals.

[Braden]

If SE doesn't shake things up a bit, they will have the same subscription loss that FFXI had. They are making the same mistake of being too casual, as XI was too hard core. I think they should cut out the ilvl system, to keep better gear relevant for longer. If I had it my way, I would delete the word raid from content. They should mimic XI's endgame style and content, to create delayed gratification and longevity. They need to take a break from 4, 8, and 24 man instances. Also remove the cap on tomes and use tome gear as a base or bottom line to clear story content/exp. Tomes are basically participation trophies, you shouldn't be able to get near the best gear by doing 4 man dungeons X amount of times.

[LalafellDown]

They have some ideas planned based on the first Guild Wars, in GW1 there were NPCs that could be used as party members to do content, you would gear them up too, something like this is planned but obviously in the state "please look forward to it", and there's little info on it.

"New GC ranks, plus new type of content where you can bring your own group of NPCs, possibly new dungeons for this purpose but no promises that it’ll be done in time for 3.4 (source: PLL XXVIII)"

From the Upcoming Content Tracker

I'm having a blast with Guild Wars 2 right now
The world is huge and exploration is fun <=== FF14 lacks fun exploration
Story is better than FF14 and all NPC's in the game are voiced
The new expansion is fun as hell
Hundred and hundreds of people are still participating in events (equal to our fates) and they're fun to do. <==== FF14 fates are dead and are for grinding experience, boring.
Combat is fun. killing things in GW2 is a blast and not a chore
Horizontal progression.
you get tons of loot by just doing anything
Dungeons are fun and have multiple paths. Each path with its own story.
2 zones in Guild Wars 2 (over 30 zones) is the entire world of FF14.
I haven't stopped playing GW2 since last week. I only log in to FF14 for the Moogle tribe and that's it. Gonna stop after this patch not worth it anymore
GW2 offers way more content than FF14 and I don't have to pay $9.99 a month

FF14 is very polished, but its the same thing patch after patch. Dungeons are boring, fates are dead and the world feels empty. Last time I was in MLN looking for an A rank I didn't see one person there. That's how the world is in FF14, empty you don't go there unless you need something.

Bring NPC's to dungeons, I'd rather have real people.