Quote Originally Posted by Thunda_Cat_SMASH View Post
Because if you don't need different gear sets, why even bother with making it horizontal progression? Horizontal progression implies that you'll need to change up your character on a per fight basis, whether it's by gear, talent trees, loadouts, what have you. The only game I've found that managed to do it well is Monster Hunter, and even then it's possible to brute force your way with a single gear set. Mostly.
That's not at all what I think of with horizontal progression. FFXI lasted as long as it did at the same level cap with the core concept of sidegrades. These were not necessary things to get because they were not upgrades. They were different options to reach the same end. They were usually extremely minor upgrades at best, or sometimes extremely slightly inferior.

The whole system is based around the lack of having to upgrade, and is exactly the kind of thing that Yoshi was talking about that he wants in XIV and says he's doing with ilvl but isn't, because the ilvl system requires you to go out and get that piece of gear, the very thing he said he doesn't want.

XI's gear swapping during combat is a completely separate thing, and was definitely a negative of the game.

Basically, it is a desire to have ilvl tiers last longer than they do.