Fat Moogle Mount on Mogstation!

[Jynx]

There is a big difference, to me personally.

That's the rub though. You can say these things all you want but the trend has been pushing even further and further towards the future you don't want to happen.

If the pay to receive market continues to grow it wont be long until they start to sell the most lucrative candy available (Power). This isn't even a new concept in the traditional games market buying power is a pretty common practice even in multiplayer games. Hell MMO's often offer instant leveling options and I can guarantee that if the moaning about length of time it takes to get from a new account to heavensward (Or whatever the new expansion is called) continues they will offer the option to pay to skip that "Hassle" as well.

Some people act like these types of fears are unfounded when it's happened time and time again in the market. Just because SE hasn't done it to FFXIV yet doesn't mean they don't want to, any company would seeing how quickly it can wring cash from consumers. These practices make games less of an experience and more of a commodity where you wring it for all the cash it's worth and leave it to rot pouring your newfound funds into something else you can wring for cash quickly instead of a long term investment (Such as a subscription model)

A vocal few have been complaining about the cash shop since its introduction, but it seems it's gonna be here to stay.

I don't see what your point is. As long as they can goad anyone into using the service of course they will keep it around. That doesn't mean we should just be cool about every little thing they put into it.

Look at it this way, the metallic dyes were a bust because beyond the few people hilariously gullible to purchase a temporary item like dye in the cash shop. What did they do with it after sales flagged and interest in it waned. They put the dyes in the game and even expanded the available dyes, sure the option to buy them still exists but it is also additional game content now instead of a separated thing.