It is time to get a 3rd free Retainer

[Claviusnex]

Are you sure they are just a UI? I was sure they are a workaround of 1.0 system and still retain the core 1.0. It is just not visible. That is why when you summon retainers you get the message no longer selling. I was not playing when retainers were hidden so maybe this is wrong. But why keep them then?

We might be thinking the same thing with just a different way of how we see the program structure. I look at the retainer as the UI to a set of processes. Retainers could just as well be a chair or a stuffed animal. The problem isn't the retainer UI concept itself but the processes they spawn. In fact I rather like the interactive character ability they bring. If my understanding is close to correct the processes the retainers spawn all run on the server side and the data structures are copied and passed around between the various servers that perform each of the different functions. This is the problem that as the retainer inventory and character profiles grow they send more data between servers clogging up the communications stack and taking up more memory with replicated data. It is straight forward to resolve in multiple ways from a high level design viewpoint and should be able to be done in stages but SE has to be willing to assign the human resources to do it. When I was still working one of the things I did on projects I led was have the team bring in problem areas with old code. It could be a problem for many reasons such as too many code bugs, poor code structure that made modification risky, poor performance, etc. We would pick one or two to fix in addition to the new functions we were adding. To me the inventory issue is one of those areas I would have said let's fix for this next release.

[Snow_Princess]

We might be thinking the same thing with just a different way of how we see the program structure. I look at the retainer as the UI to a set of processes. Retainers could just as well be a chair or a stuffed animal. The problem isn't the retainer UI concept itself but the processes they spawn. In fact I rather like the interactive character abilitythey bring. If my understanding is close to correct the processes the retainers spawn all run on the server side and the data structures are copied and passed around between the various servers that perform each of the different functions. This is the problem that as the retainer inventory and character profiles grow they send more data between servers clogging up the communications stack and taking up more memory with replicated data. It is straight forward to resolve in multiple ways from a high level design viewpoint and should be able to be done in stages but SE has to be willing to assign the human resources to do it. When I was still working one of the things I did on projects I led was have the team bring in problem areas with old code. It could be a problem for many reasons such as too many code bugs, poor code structure that made modification risky, poor performance, etc. We would pick one or two to fix in addition to the new functions we were adding. To me the inventory issue is one of those areas I would have said let's fix for this next release.

The retainers should got their overhaul with the rest of 2.0
It could of been addressed and part of the update to go into heavensward of 3.0
Now it NEEDS to be addressed because it is breaking down "we can't do this we can't do that, retainers can't handle anymore unless we go to a new system, welp, that could of been down in 2.0 and 3.0 , now it NEEDS TO BE DONE!

[RichardButte]

The retainers should got their overhaul with the rest of 2.0
It could of been addressed and part of the update to go into heavensward of 3.0
Now it NEEDS to be addressed because it is breaking down "we can't do this we can't do that, retainers can't handle anymore unless we go to a new system, welp, that could of been down in 2.0 and 3.0 , now it NEEDS TO BE DONE!

This.

5.0 is only going to add another hojillion items to the game. It's not like MMO databases ever get SMALLER so the dev team really needs to get their shit together and deal with this sooner rather than later.

[Snow_Princess]

This.

5.0 is only going to add another hojillion items to the game. It's not like MMO databases ever get SMALLER so the dev team really needs to get their shit together and deal with this sooner rather than later.

It is later, it is fast approaching too late to fix ...

The "sooner" would apply to fixing it for 2.0

[Bourne_Endeavor]

It is later, it is fast approaching too late to fix ...

The "sooner" would apply to fixing it for 2.0

Sooner would be 3.0. Bear in mind, Yoshida's team was dealt a decidedly unfair hand with 2.0. Square Enix never intended for FFXIV to be anything more than a salvage project because they bordered on bankruptcy. Corners were cut for necessary cost efficiency, especially as the devs were attempting to make 1.x playable while simultaneously recreating it on a shoestring budget. I don't think it's fair to criticise them that far back. The way I see it, A Realm Reborn gets a pass. Heavensward understandably played it safe since it was the first chance they really had to add their own spin and not rely on remnants from 1.x. Stormblood, however, is when things need to change and grow. Frankly, inventory should have already been addressed alongside glamour and housing. The fact we only got half of the inventory expansion and nothing else is... disconcerting.

[Snow_Princess]

Sooner would be 3.0. Bear in mind, Yoshida's team was dealt a decidedly unfair hand with 2.0. Square Enix never intended for FFXIV to be anything more than a salvage project because they bordered on bankruptcy. Corners were cut for necessary cost efficiency, especially as the devs were attempting to make 1.x playable while simultaneously recreating it on a shoestring budget. I don't think it's fair criticise them that far back. The way I see it, A Realm Reborn got a pass. Heavensward understandably played it safe since it was first chance they really had to add their own spin and not rely on remnants from 1.x. Stormblood, however, is whenthings need to change and grow. Frankly, inventory should have already been addressed alongside glamour and housing. The fact we only got half of the inventory expansion and nothing else is... disconcerting.

Ill yield to that, at the VERY LEAST!!! we should got the armory expand now in 3.0 because NIN,DRK,AST,MCH was introduced since getting the 25 armory. I was VERY SHOCKED they did nothing then (and I did want to speak up about it, but I had no access to the forums then, I did send ingame suggestions mail about it though)

They really should of done more for SB release, even repeating some of 2.0 mistakes in it, very disappointed. Ill give them 2.0 but there is no excuse for 3.0 and 4.0