I guess it's time

[Razard]

Too bad it worked only once. Now everyone is blaming Yoshida for all wrong decisions, which he actually made and keeps making. And dev team still keeps silence. I don't know what must happen for us to get some kind of reply at last.

I wonder if it's because Yoshidas so called "wrong decisions" (lol) didn't almost single handedly sink the entire company and turned the entire franchise into a punchline for years.

Oh wait, that was Tanakas 1.0. ^^ Keep living in denial though.

[Vantol]

I wonder if it's because Yoshidas so called "wrong decisions" (lol) didn't almost single handedly sink the entire company and turned the entire franchise into a punchline for years.

Oh wait, that was Tanakas 1.0. ^^ Keep living in denial though.

As I have said, financial success doesn't mean the game is anyhow good, even if millions play it. Just like game that "almost single handedly sink the entire company" can be actually a masterpiece.

So, keep living in denial you too.

[Yurimi]

I wonder if it's because Yoshidas so called "wrong decisions" (lol) didn't almost single handedly sink the entire company and turned the entire franchise into a punchline for years.

Oh wait, that was Tanakas 1.0. ^^ Keep living in denial though.

Let's be fair here, YoshiP took 2 years and then some to build on the foundations Tanaka created for this game and given a huge budget to "fix" things. Tanaka was denied extra time and budget because SE demanded he put it out before the release of WoW's Cataclysm expansion using funds milked from FFXI that was already being stretched to fund other titles in development (such as recouping the losses the failing XIII created) in order to draw in players from that game at the end of patch cycle when most are looking for something else to do. Not saying YoshiP is doing bad but lets not pretend Tanaka was given even half the favorable situations that YoshiP was before you go burying him for his choices.

[RiceisNice]

so total of $2000 (with one card) $2500 (with 2 cards) I think maybe more like $3200 (with 3 cards)

playing this on 1 card full settings works fine as well. I like to play windowed boarder less so i can surf the net with ease.
with one card i get about 50 to 80 in cities/world. dungeons are 60+ stays around 80+ when i was fighting (just tested it out)

Now that's sort of the problem when you're looking at a subscription based MMO. If it's that demanding for a rig to play the game at maximum, imagine the recommeneded or even minimum. It makes for the game to not be very accessible for people who don't have the rig to do so, and those that do are not able to fully enjoy the beauty of the game (which would probably not make up the gameplay). The requirements for 2.0 are much much lower than what it was previously, that even PS3 can semi-reliably run the game.

... in order to draw in players from that game at the end of patch cycle when most are looking for something else to do. Not saying YoshiP is doing bad but lets not pretend Tanaka was given even half the favorable situations that YoshiP was before you go burying him for his choices.

At the same time, I feel that people need to stop praising Yoshida for saving FFXIV with 2.0. We're in 3.x now and it feels like the game is in a rut with their over ambitious ideas and content.

[Thayos]

At the same time, I feel that people need to stop praising Yoshida for saving FFXIV with 2.0.

I agree we're far enough along in the new FFXIV's life to start viewing Yoshi as less of a rock star and more of a developer.

That said, he has turned out to be a pretty good developer. His version of XIV is maintaining a healthy playerbase, and we're seeing this development team implement new content that breaks the game's usual mold.

The painful truth for some players (not me) is that XIV just might never be a preferred title for hardcore gamers. Yoshi-P was pretty upfront through the remake period that this game was being built for a more casual/midcore audience, and he delivered on that promise. In fact, my biggest problem with this game is that its endgame has too much raid-style content, which doesn't really fit with the more casual nature of the rest of the game -- but Yoshi has taken steps to remedy that during the 3.x cycle.

EDITED TO ADDRESS THE COMMENT BELOW:

I know this is risking a flame war, but:

A masterpiece that is a financial flop is useless when it comes to running a business.

That's kind of a hipster way of thinking, isn't it? For a p2p game to be a financial flop means that nobody wants to play it. So... I don't see how you could possibly have a masterpiece that's also a financial flop, unless you believe that a sliver of gamers knows what's best for everyone... which is a rather pretentious belief.

In fact, that's why so many gamers were burned out on Tanaka, even while he was making content for FFXI. He was often criticized for forcing content upon his players that nobody wanted or asked for, as if he knew what was best for them.

Not saying I agree with that assessment -- I generally had no beef with FFXI -- but it is what it is.

[Deathgiver]

As I have said, financial success doesn't mean the game is anyhow good, even if millions play it. Just like game that "almost single handedly sink the entire company" can be actually a masterpiece.

So, keep living in denial you too.

This is the most oblivious thing I've seen in this thread. As far as SE is concerned, the ONLY thing that matters is if the game brings and keeps a decent sized player-base. A masterpiece that is a financial flop is useless when it comes to running a business.

[Yurimi]

In fact, that's why so many gamers were burned out on Tanaka, even while he was making content for FFXI. He was often criticized for forcing content upon his players that nobody wanted or asked for, as if he knew what was best for them.

Not saying I agree with that assessment -- I generally had no beef with FFXI -- but it is what it is.

While Tanaka took a lot of flack for his choices in XI I would like to point out that FFXI was at its peak players during his lead of it and subscriptions sharply dropped AFTER he had left XI to work on XIV due to sudden changes in direction (Abyssea comes out, progression changes from horizontal to vertical progression) alienating a large portion of its dedicated player base and never recovering which may be why YoshiP is hesitant to take any chances with drastic changes in this game.

[Thayos]

While Tanaka took a lot of flack for his choices in XI I would like to point out that FFXI was at its peak players during his lead of it and subscriptions sharply dropped AFTER he had left XI to work on XIV due to sudden changes in direction (Abyssea comes out, progression changes from horizontal to vertical progression) alienating a large portion of its dedicated player base and never recovering which may be why YoshiP is hesitant to take any chances with drastic changes in this game.

Great points.

Also, right around then is when SE finally (officially) announced FFXIV (we'd known "Project Rapture" was coming, just not when), and that alone changed the entire dynamic of whether to keep investing time in FFXI.

Another note... as much as I enjoyed campaigns in WoTG, I feel like that's when the exodus started. Abyssea didn't help, but players were turned off by the use of reskinned zones and the slow trickle of content during that expansion cycle. It took like three years for the entire storyline to be implemented. And then came Abyssea (before those three years were up), which just kind of sealed the deal for folks who'd been hanging on.

But yeah, if Yoshi-P suddenly announced that FFXIV was going horizontal, he could easily risk a backlash from people who've made this game their home based on its more easily accessible, less-intimidating vertical design.

[Vantol]

A masterpiece that is a financial flop is useless when it comes to running a business.

True-true. But we are discussing here not how to help SE make money. But how to help SE make game more enjoyable. Even if it means huge financial loss to them.

Would you prefer a game, that brings a lot of money to company, but is depressing and makes you bored/angry every time you play it or game that "hardly makes it", but is interesting and a lot of fun?

[Deathgiver]

True-true. But we are discussing here not how to help SE make money. But how to help SE make game more enjoyable. Even if it means huge financial loss to them.

Would you prefer a game, that brings a lot of money to company, but is depressing and makes you bored/angry every time you play it or game that "hardly makes it", but is interesting and a lot of fun?

It doesn't matter what you or I think about whether the game is "interesting and a lot of fun" (which is a completely subjective measure and holds little relevance to SE's decisions), it matters what the majority of the player-base wants. The only good measure of this for a game with a half million subs globally is the subscriber numbers. If the sub numbers are staying in their acceptable margins SE's going to stick with the formula that works.