Compromise: Just Charge $5 For Now. Once 2.0 is Out, Then Charge $12

[AmyRae]

Speculation.

Speculation.

Speculation.

Speculation.

Is this the "because I said so" argument? Making absolute statements about something that won't even be finished for another year. Even if all of it were true, how does it follow that 2.0 should disregard the fact that they may be able to get more subscribers by charging less? That was my "faulty argument", was it not?

This is disappointing. You seemed so reasonable up until this post. Now you sound like a Jehovah's Witness for the second coming of FFXIV.

You seemed reasonable yourself until you spent the majority of your prose on ad hominems against one such as I. I guess everyone is equally disappointed.

My claims towards 2.0 are not mere speculation. It's grounded in the reasons provided by Yoshida himself.

I apologize for the belated nature of my next announcement, but as significant updates to the game have been released over the last ten months, a portion of the team has also been simultaneously devoted to working solely on the new FINAL FANTASY XIV. This is an essential part of the process of realizing the ideal we have envisioned. Planning for the new FINAL FANTASY XIV began in January of this year, and April saw the start of large-scale tasks. Since then, however, we have made no compromises in the game’s operation and updates. I believe this is evident if you review the contents of the updates that have been released thus far.

Every resource possible has gone into this year’s patches. The ideal that we have for FINAL FANTASY XIV, however, is extremely high, and we are aware that all of the following changes are still required to achieve the desired quality of service—redesign and restructuring of server layout and operation, overhaul of the user interface, reworking the design and specs of in-game areas, and vast upgrades to the player community systems.

That last part is what we're getting in 2.0, what 1.0 can't do, what releasing 1.0 as the PS3 version would immediately be picked up on by critics as to why it's not good enough to be considered a first-class MMO, and what should have been a part of the game from the beginning.

And it's definitely not speculation to think most people will leave FFXI once full fees for 1.0 resume. Polls on the BG site (who have some of the most hardcore FFXI players, who produce free software mods for the community to use at no cost) are showing that most will leave. If those dedicated hardcore players are going to leave in droves, imagine what the casual community is prepared to do? And yet, if a discount were offered, much of that opinion would be reversed. What a wasted opportunity this could turn out to be to keep the player base that has been cultivated this long.