Is Stormblood an expansion or a Major update?

[alimdia]

Some people tried to equate Heavensward to a "big patch" and saying it wasn't deserving of being called an "expansion" so he likely thought that your post was a passive-aggressive reference to the same thing.

It depends how people look at it, there's a line of thought that thinks an expansion is just 3.0 and 3.1 to 3.5 are free content updates, while another thinks that 3.1 to 3.5 are part of the expansion (and paid for with the purchase of the expansion), but with a staggered release.

People who follow the first line of thought aren't wrong that 3.0 by itself can barely be called a full game, so the second one makes the most sense for me.

[Canadane]

It depends how people look at it, there's a line of thought that thinks an expansion is just 3.0 and 3.1 to 3.5 are free content updates, while another thinks that 3.1 to 3.5 are part of the expansion (and paid for with the purchase of the expansion), but with a staggered release.

People who follow the first line of thought aren't wrong that 3.0 by itself can barely be called a full game, so the second one makes the most sense for me.

Yeah I've always thought if like the second group.
Heavensward isn't over yet. And someone new coming to 2.0 while we're all on 4.0 may purchase Heavensward and they'll get quite a bit of content with that purchase.

[Lexia]

It depends how people look at it, there's a line of thought that thinks an expansion is just 3.0 and 3.1 to 3.5 are free content updates, while another thinks that 3.1 to 3.5 are part of the expansion (and paid for with the purchase of the expansion), but with a staggered release.

People who follow the first line of thought aren't wrong that 3.0 by itself can barely be called a full game, so the second one makes the most sense for me.

I would consider it more of the first group, and that the $14.99 a month is what pays for the patches. Now I don't play any of the f2p games but I would imagine you don't get new patches every 3 months in f2p games like you do here in XIV.

[alimdia]

I would consider it more of the first group, and that the $14.99 a month is what pays for the patches. Now I don't play any of the f2p games but I would imagine you don't get new patches every 3 months in f2p games like you do here in XIV.

That is correct, f2p games patch every month instead of 3-4 months.

My main argument against "sub pays for content updates" is that if you join the game now you won't be paying $45 per each update you missed, but you do have to buy the expansion, so it makes more sense that the cost of updates is being included with the expansion.

[Alexander_Dragonfang]

That a game dev calls their expansion a expansion doesn't make it a expansion. Just look at GW2 heart of thornes, can't be considered an expansion even if Anet calls it so. Just like their "updates".

[Deceptus]

Some people tried to equate Heavensward to a "big patch" and saying it wasn't deserving of being called an "expansion" so he likely thought that your post was a passive-aggressive reference to the same thing.

^ Many folks have said that HW is really nothing more than a larger patch. Admittedly 3.1 was pretty lackluster as well. Hopefully they learned their lesson and start the 4.0 relic from the get go.

[Ametrine]

I guess I'm used to smaller games, as I'm in the former camp of thinking the "expansion" being 3.0 and my monthly sub paying for the patches and server use. :/

[NatSilverguard]

it's actually both!

[Felis]

I would consider it more of the first group, and that the $14.99 a month is what pays for the patches. Now I don't play any of the f2p games but I would imagine you don't get new patches every 3 months in f2p games like you do here in XIV.

Heavensward Expansion is everything in 3.0 - 3.5 (or maybe even 3.6?) locked behind Ishgard access, not what is just in 3.0
Without HW your $14.99 are only for the 2.x parts in the patches that don't need HW.

[Zojha]

Let's just say: It is a large amount of data that is being transferred to the server and our local installation. It expands and updates the data we already have.

Everything that adds something is an expansion of some scale. Everything that changes what's already there is an update of some scale.

So...it's going to be a moderate to large expansion and with the battle system upgrades likely also a moderate to large update.