I don't even know where to start. My opinion isn't so much on the current status of the game, but why so many people have rose-tinted glasses or nostalgia goggles when talking about XIV in comparison to any other MMO. Times change, and MMOs change too, as dictated by the times. Using XI as a reference, there are as many people saying XI was/is better, as there are saying XI sucked until a lot later in its life. But XI was made at a time when slow paced MMOs were common, and today MMOs need to be fast paced, like XIV. I'm not daying XIV is without its flaws, but the player base needs to use a bit more tact than just saying "start over".

Also keep in mind tgat as technology advances, games get harder to produce, and companies don't always pay their employees well. The "realistic" qualities we expect come at the colt of time, and the quick solutions come at the cost of quality. That's why no butts, and clipping are a thing. Though I don't have a butt, so that's real to me, lol

Besides, while I am not a veteran MMO player, what I have heard from those that are is that, XIV isn't doing anything completely different in regards to its patch cycles. Its always various forns of familiar content mixed in with hints of new.