I guess it's time

[Zeyphr_Darkshadow]

This should be a meme at this point lel.

[Beetle]

This should be a meme at this point lel.

(Basically forget the people that stayed around and supported them through 1.0-1.23b)
(Grind, Grind,Grind reset progress is fun.)
(HW content was pretty meh, didn't really amaze.)
(Your roots? Bomberman)

[Velhart]

(Basically forget the people that stayed around and supported them through 1.0-1.23b)
(Grind, Grind,Grind reset progress is fun.)
(HW content was pretty meh, didn't really amaze.)
(Your roots? Bomberman)

SE has no obligation to the people who played 1.0-1.23b beyond what they have already done. You had free service up to the last few months and a permanent discount on your subscription fee for ARR. You also did not have to pay for 2.0. Even had the story slightly altered to transition you into 2.0.

[Claymore65]

SE has no obligation to the people who played 1.0-1.23b beyond what they have already done.

I think its less "no obligation to Legacy Players" and more something to keep in mind: FFXIV before ARR was not a popular game. It had tremendous issues. Everything from UI, bugs, questionable restrictive design decisions (like Stamina) and more killed the game off. The game, to be frank, was a failure, and while it may have improved a bit by 1.23b, it was still not in a place to succeed. A Realm Reborn took what was basically a joke to reviewers and many gamers and turned it into a popular MMO, albeit one that some players may enjoy less due to their preferences. Without ARR, the game probably wouldn't exist today. That's why the Devs (and stockholders/executives) are naturally nervous about including more content from FFXI and V1.23. When they tried making the game "more like FFXI", the game failed miserably, and despite improvements it couldn't regain the trust they lost in players and the public. This is one of (if not the) major reasons FFXIV plays it safe, and especially why the improvements from Heavensward didn't necessarily mess with the core components of the game.

That said, for 5.0 the devs are in a much safer position. They no longer have the extreme stigma of the legacy game looming over them, in fact new players go into the game assuming it's actually good. They now have a chance to make incremental changes if they want to, and to take more risks (hypothetically speaking anyway). They now have more systems to expand on, from Exploratory missions (which need a revamp, but could be expanded in the future), Deep Dungeons (which I'm excited for), and more. If the Dev team wants to make bigger changes, they have an opportunity now, though keep in mind it's not likely to be incredibly drastic. They have already expressed some interest in modifying secondary stats (I remember YoshiP mentioning he was considering removing Accuracy for 4.0), and there could still be plenty more in store for us. However, they still have to be careful, even if they're on less shaky ground. Don't expect the game to suddenly become FFXI-2. It won't, and to be frank I don't want it to. However, the game can still change and improve in various ways over time. Still provide feedback, whether negative or positive. Find what you like, and ask them to make more content like that. Just don't expect massive changes, especially not immediately. And if you want to provide negative feedback, try to be polite and respectful, since otherwise people don't take your complaints seriously. Being needlessly pedantic and whiny doesn't provide much value.

That said, if there's any cool content that they can port over from 1.0, that would be totally fine with me. Some of the content might be easy to convert, though the rewards and the like would naturally need to be adjusted. Just remember that ARR gave the game the second chance it needed to succeed, so the Devs are going to be wary of drifting back to the game pre-ARR.

[Velhart]

snip

You can definitely tell the developers are in more of a experimental phase right now. Still giving what you expect from a patch, but throwing things in like Diadem, Aquapolis, or the upcoming Palace of the Dead. This is something I support, but at the same time hope they finally find something that really sticks or they stay committed to. Diadem was not very successful, but the feedback given, I hope by 3.4 it becomes something a lot more fun and challenging.

Some modification in secondary stats I would definitely like to see. Parry needs some serious attention (which I believe is changing 3.5 or 4.0) and Accuracy needs to be looked at again and determine if it is a stat worth keeping around. FFXIV and WoW are not the same game, but their secondary stats and how they function are similar. WoW removed accuracy from the game to make less desirable stats at the time more relevant, and it worked wonders. Doing the same in FFXIV may help making less wanted secondary stats for a job more desirable. I know healers in raids would love to see accuracy go away.

Also, I think 1.0 content was transferred over to 2.0 already in some shape or form. Like Chocobo Escorting is part of FATE's now, guildleves are still a thing, the trials and relic quest returned. The dungeons also came back. I can' remember if there is anything specific that did not come over.

Faction Leves come to mind, which I thought may be a great way to summon spawned HNM like bosses and make Grand Company's more relevant again. Was basically you accumulated points through doing leves and then you use those points to buy a Faction Leve, and then you spawn the NM and kill it, and receive it's rewards. This seems like a great compromise for open world NM's if the developers map the areas right in 4.0. Also of course some modifications on how you obtain points since leves work differently than they did in 1.0 somewhat. If they couldn't make the open world aspect of it work, then maybe have it pop like Aquapolis and fight the HNM like boss in there.

[Iromi]

SE has no obligation to the people who played 1.0-1.23b beyond what they have already done. You had free service up to the last few months and a permanent discount on your subscription fee for ARR. You also did not have to pay for 2.0. Even had the story slightly altered to transition you into 2.0.

I rather pay 20 a month for content we had in 1.23b then what we have now.They have done a lot but you have to remember, back then on the forums and the player polls (the timing they were released) it was never hinted at that they would remake the game entirely like this. IN FACT...Rokien was the one who kept saying they are going to change it entirely and make it more like WoW...and you know what happened? Everyone made fun of him on the forum and ran him out. No one whatsoever was given the impression that they were going to entirely change the battle system, remove our stats and entirely change our game 100%.

When they released those surveys was in the early 1.x stages when there was nearly nothing to do and the battle system/separate leveling system needed to be changed. So by the time 1.23b hit at the end..most of us were like, oh awesome, its finally where it needs to be. Don't even get me started on what happened on xivpads chat when we saw how they took away our stats. People were saying it must be because its the beta and a joke. "Don't worry guys, they wouldn't take away our stuff like that lol" My heart sunk when I saw my years worth of hard work turned into garbage in seconds...as did my friends. Nearly all of them left and never came back.

If they straight up said , hey guys we are totally changing the battle system, etc (even the mock up pic looked like the game was staying the same) you think the reaction of 1.x players would have been the same? Since most of them quit who I knew...I doubt it :P

[MagiusNecros]

This should be a meme at this point lel.

Remove the words "never" and "don't" along with omitting point 2 and you'll get something like...

What we have learned:

1. Forget the fans
2. Back down
3. Forget your roots

If they straight up said , hey guys we are totally changing the battle system, etc (even the mock up pic looked like the game was staying the same) you think the reaction of 1.x players would have been the same? Since most of them quit who I knew...I doubt it :P

The reception would not be as vehement as at least they were being honest about it. Which is what I think matters. The more I look at the game's changelog I feel game staff and subscribers are isolated from one another and the dev's just can't give us an honest answer. Which at that point if devs and players alike cannot communicate I think the MMO has failed and they only are looking at how much they can nickel and dime you for...and for how long they can get away with it.

[KitingGenbu]

The more I look at the game's changelog I feel game staff and subscribers are isolated from one another and the dev's just can't give us an honest answer. Which at that point if devs and players alike cannot communicate I think the MMO has failed and they only are looking at how much they can nickel and dime you for...and for how long they can get away with it.

Are we sure that the dev team is really saying what is being translated or even know about the subtle changes that occur in the NA/EU version of the game? I mean Yoshida didn't even know how some of the characters in the story were changed text wise to suit 'localization' until he found out about it through someone comparing the JP and NA versions on youtube.

I bring this up because things have to be translated quite a bit, so some things can be 'purposely' lost/altered to suit the need of the situation. (/conspiracy theory over)