Make FFXIV a 'Sandbox' game. No way it can compete against upcoming 'Themeparks'.

[Speeral]

So Garlean troops, Fallen enemies, and Bandits can all attack you, but heaven forbid another player? Isn't that a little safe. One is just an artificial way of producing the other.

Gift what you have to release the pc's in xiv are on the same side. That's how the world was designed so of course we aren't fighting each other. now if say LL, Uldah, and Gridania were at war with each other looking to conguest the other lands, than PvP would be a necessity. This game in that respect is not designed like wow or rift with faction at each others throat or aion between the two sides.

now arena style PvP where the best warriors test there might on behalf of their companies would be a really neat idea SE can look into to bring PvP into xiv and make it fit the world. You gotta look at PvP from the perspective of the game.

[Chezen]

All the people I know who played FFXIV and tried Rift, came back.

WoW peeps enjoyed it a bit more, but why go play a game that's just like WoW when you can just play...WoW?

I hadn't planned on commenting, but.... ah well.

I wouldn't call Rift a WoW clone, more like a sibling. It gets a lot of things right that WoW got wrong with Cata, IMO. Currently, I think Rift is better, and has potential to veer off in a drastically different direction than WoW. In any case, WoW lost me as a customer before I even heard of Rift, and I don't intend to go back.

As for FFXIV, it just needs to do what FF has always done best, and stop messing up at it. I don't see that FF has to fall neatly in either catagory. The groundwork is already laid out for it to be a very different and fun game. Given time, I think it could blow other games out of the water. It doesn't need to be WoW, or Aion, or anything. It just needs to be a Final Fantasy.

[Ostia]

Serious question here.

How is FFXIV NOT! Like any other game out there ?

[Abriael]

I don't know how FFXIV can possibly survive the impending disaster that is TERA, Blade&Soul, Star Wars, Rift, Guild Wars 2 and so on, without doing something that those games aren't doing. But, currently, all of those games do everything FFXIV does, and they do it better (apart from crafting, which is FFXIV's only strong suit at the moment).

Really? Let me correct a bit of a error. "Currently all of those games do" *nothing at all*, considering that they haven't even launched (if you exclude that blandfest wow clone that's rift), most of those don't even have a firm release date, and no one has any idea if they will have any real quality behind the PR claims.

FFXIV needs to differentiate itself and tap into the almost untapped market potential of Sandbox gaming if it wants to survive.

There's no need to be "sandbox" in order to compete. All it needs is more rides, and better rides than the competition, which is entirely possible.
It already has plenty diversifying and unique features (the armory systems for instance). I do find it funny, though, that some, OP included, clamor for the removal of the unique features the game *already has* and then say that it needs to be unique to compete.
Quite telling.

[Jennestia]

It just needs to be a Final Fantasy.

Which sadly people who never played FF games feel it shouldn't be a "FF", and more like a "standard MMO". If FFXI was a standard MMO, every year after NA release where they kept saying it will die this this year etc woulda been correct.

[Chezen]

I do find it funny, though, that some, OP included, clamor for the removal of the unique features the game *already has* and then say that it needs to be unique to compete.
Quite telling.

Which sadly people who never played FF games feel it shouldn't be a "FF", and more like a "standard MMO". If FFXI was a standard MMO, every year after NA release where they kept saying it will die this this year etc woulda been correct.

Which might be the trouble for some. They say they want something different, but they are stuck on what they think an MMO should be.

It is true that there are console gamers that aren't attracted to MMOs (I was one), and there are MMO players that aren't attracted to console. But I don't think I'm going out on too much of a limb to say that both types have likely played an FF game. I think SE is capable of attracting both crowds. I think there were a lot of people excited for this release because they were both MMO players and FF fans.

[Abriael]

Which might be the trouble for some. They say they want something different, but they are stuck on what they think an MMO should be.

Bingo! *applause*

It is true that there are console gamers that aren't attracted to MMOs (I was one), and there are MMO players that aren't attracted to console. But I don't think I'm going out on too much of a limb to say that both types have likely played an FF game. I think SE is capable of attracting both crowds. I think there were a lot of people excited for this release because they were both MMO players and FF fans.

Bingo. The true untapped market (as much as some aren't willing to admit it because of their "PC PRIDE!") are console gamers. FFXIV has plenty room to compete with other games simply because it'll be launched in a fat, big market that none of those will ever touch.

[Elaguila]

I don't get the theme park metaphor. Are you comparing quests and game content to rides in a theme park? Seems like a far fetched metaphor tbh.

[Carpe]

As for FFXIV, it just needs to do what FF has always done best, and stop messing up at it. I don't see that FF has to fall neatly in either catagory. The groundwork is already laid out for it to be a very different and fun game. Given time, I think it could blow other games out of the water. It doesn't need to be WoW, or Aion, or anything. It just needs to be a Final Fantasy.

It already has plenty diversifying and unique features (the armory systems for instance). I do find it funny, though, that some, OP included, clamor for the removal of the unique features the game *already has* and then say that it needs to be unique to compete.
Quite telling.

I really agree with these two points. FXIV can be something different and something fun. The groundwork is already laid out for this with the armory system. All we need now is to give it more Final Fantasy flavor.

Please check out my post: http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...pecializations

I talk about some ideas for how we can take what we have now, build upon that, and get to something more like a traditional Final Fantasy game.

[Phrozen]

don't even know how somebody can put rift / guild wars 2 on the same lvl as FFXIV lol. figuring XIV is on new engine it's already years ahead of all those other garbage games. they're only temp games you play for a few months then quit hence why a lot of them have cash shops