Unofficial Census 2016 for FFXIV

[Tolmos]

You might be ok with your efforts being underminded in every aspect of the game, but most people are not and that's why this game can't retain people.

How are your efforts undermined? Was the reward removed from your inventory? Did they somehow stifle the fun you had attaining the reward?

I seriously cannot understand this. If I attain a reward, how is that reward worth more if another player cannot attain it? Whether they have it or not, my reward is my own. If no one else ever gets it, I have that reward. if everyone else gets it, I have that reward.

Shy of them literally taking it from me, which I would indeed rage over, they have in no way, shape or form affected me by allowing other players to attain said reward with a different level of effort.

[zosia]

How are your efforts undermined? Was the reward removed from your inventory? Did they somehow stifle the fun you had attaining the reward?I seriously cannot understand this. If I attain a reward, how is that reward worth more if another player cannot attain it? Whether they have it or not, my reward is my own. If no one else ever gets it, I have that reward. if everyone else gets it, I have that reward.

Shy of them literally taking it from me, which I would indeed rage over, they have in no way, shape or form affected me by allowing other players to attain said reward with a different level of effort.

The coffin lid is a perfect example, I paid 15 mil for one back in January, if I had known to wait two months so I could buy one for 50k I would have. How am I supposed to feel when a game devalues my coffin lid by 14,950,000 gil?

I might have my coffin, but I am not getting my 15 mil back. That time was wasted. Literally wasted. Should the coffin lid drop rate been buffed? Yes. Should it drop every single run in VA? NO NO NO NO NO. It's really not my problem anymore bub, this game has these issues and it will continue to bleed subs because nothing feels worthwhile. You guys can beat your chest like this is some childish position for us to hold, but you are only hurting your game.

People like rarity, people like to feel accomplished, and people like to stand out. These are pretty easy trends to see in MMO's. This game does not answer to any of those needs. No items are rare, there is little to no sense of accomplishment in this game, and since everyone can have everything, no one stands out.

I am sorry that individualism is a hard pill to swallow, but I don't want to have the same stuff as the next guy. It makes the game compelling when I can envy others and be the evny of others. It motivates people to stay subbed and have long term goals, something this game lacks.

[Tolmos]

The coffin lid is a perfect example, I paid 15 mil for one back in January, if I had known to wait two months so I could buy one for 50k I would have. How am I supposed to feel when a game devalues my coffin lid by 14,950,000 gil?

I might have my coffin, but I am not getting my 15 mil back. That time was wasted. Literally wasted. Should the coffin lid drop rate been buffed? Yes. Should it drop every single run in VA? NO NO NO NO NO. It's really not my problem anymore bub, this game has these issues and it will continue to bleed subs because nothing feels worthwhile. You guys can beat your chest like this is some childish position for us to hold, but you are only hurting your game.

For that 15 mil, you got to have the coffin lid early. Yes, other players later got to have it as well, but for the time that you had it you were one of the few. You got to have your status symbol, and that time is what your money went towards. It was, indeed, your choice to drop the $15,000,000. Buyers remorse does suck, but I can't say I would have been as unhappy with my purchase in your hoes since I would have gained something from it.

That said, I still struggle to understand where the issue is. :-\ Maybe it's an age thing, and I'm just getting old, but I fail to see how schadenfreude is supposed to increase my enjoyment of the game, and how the lack of it is supposed to be a death blow to the game.

[zosia]

For that 15 mil, you got to have the coffin lid early. Yes, other players later got to have it as well, but for the time that you had it you were one of the few. You got to have your status symbol, and that time is what your money went towards. It was, indeed, your choice to drop the $15,000,000. Buyers remorse does suck, but I can't say I would have been as unhappy with my purchase in your hoes since I would have gained something from it.

That said, I still struggle to understand where the issue is. :-\ Maybe it's an age thing, and I'm just getting old, but I fail to see how schadenfreude is supposed to increase my enjoyment of the game, and how the lack of it is supposed to be a death blow to the game.

It's not a matter of schadenfreude, it's being frustrated that you climb your personal mountain top (Raiding, minions, glamour, housing, etc), only to see an elevator put in 1-3 months later. Now, when you come across your next personal mountain top (a new raid, minion, glamour, funiture, etc) are you more likely to climb the mountain every time or are you going to wait on the elevator?

That's the problem of the game. Did I come whine on the forums when the coffin lid was made into common place trash items? Nope. Will I ever work on saving gil to buy 15 mil furniture again? Nope. Will I ever buy glamours when they are current. Nope, I saw what happened with the thavnarian set. As a matter of fact, I won't buy any vanity items until the end of an expansion, because I could be paying a 300% mark up for no good reason, like with the coffin lid.

You don't see this as a problem? There is no reason for people to stay subbed. People can literally wait to sub for the right month, blitz through all the content and rewards, and unsub. This is not even about a rarity problem or feeling like a special snowflake.

Smart consumers are probably only playing this game for 1/4th of the months out of the year. There is no way to keep players in the game and subbed since there are no real long term goals.