An option for characters to start at level 50, pre-heavensward, for FREE

[Seraphor]

Why should ARR skip become free when new players are getting previous expansions for free with each new expansion?

Because that's hundreds of hours of story to get through before you make it to endgame, and as has already been explained, some players don't care about story in an MMO, they care about endgame.
It's a large portion of their customerbase, who will feel forced to fork out extra money to play the game the way they want to play it.

Imagine if it was the other way around:
The base game and expansions unlock the world, jobs, and your endgame content, but if you want to play through the story, it's $5 per 'chapter'.

This is a double blow for those who fall somewhere in the middle, who don’t necessarily not care about the story, but want to reach endgame to play with their friends ASAP, and then maybe replay it for the story at a later date.
The story skip potions for them, is basically paying for the privilege of less content.

[Iscah]

I feel like there's an underlying argument with this recurring discussion that the game should appeal to everyone, and it's failing if some people dislike it.

If this is indeed the logic, I don't think it's necessarily the right approach to take.

I like RPGs, but I don't like every RPG. There are plenty that I've played briefly and decided it wasn't the game for me, and moved onto something else. There's nothing wrong with that.

So why does this game need to try to cater to every sort of person that likes MMOs?

Which cost money, and as the number of expansions increase, do the costs increase with them? or does the cost transfer over to the latest one? If so, shouldn't the first one eventually drop off the price treadmill?

I haven’t checked the current prices, but if it’s still $18 for ARR, and $25 for HW… does SB become $30?
Or does SB become $25, HW drop to $18, and ARR drop to $10?
If so, shouldn't ARR become free at 6.0?

More like $12 for 5.0, $6 for 6.0 by that mathematical pattern... After which we are apparently done with this grand story arc, and who knows what will happen to the game after that?

[Seraphor]

I feel like there's an underlying argument with this recurring discussion that the game should appeal to everyone, and it's failing if some people dislike it.

If this is indeed the logic, I don't think it's necessarily the right approach to take.

I like RPGs, but I don't like every RPG. There are plenty that I've played briefly and decided it wasn't the game for me, and moved onto something else. There's nothing wrong with that.

So why does this game need to try to cater to every sort of person that likes MMOs?

This basically boils down to "if you don't like it, play something else." which isn't a position SE can afford to take if they're trying to attract the WoW crowd.
There are lots of people who want to play this game but don't want to sit through hours of story to play with their friends.

[Kaedan]

Because that's hundreds of hours of story to get through before you make it to endgame, and as has already been explained, some players don't care about story in an MMO, they care about endgame.
It's a large portion of their customerbase, who will feel forced to fork out extra money to play the game the way they want to play it.

Imagine if it was the other way around:
The base game and expansions unlock the world, jobs, and your endgame content, but if you want to play through the story, it's $5 per 'chapter'.

This is a double blow for those who fall somewhere in the middle, who don’t necessarily not care about the story, but want to reach endgame to play with their friends ASAP, and then maybe replay it for the story at a later date.
The story skip potions for them, is basically paying for the privilege of less content.

You completely missed the point.

New players who buy Shadowbringers will be getting $80 worth of expansions for free. That MORE than makes up for the cost of paying for an ARR story skip potion.

When 6.0 comes out, new players will get a whopping $120 worth of expansion free.

EDIT: And let me be clear. I have no issue with people who don't care about story having the option to do so. And they do. What I have an issue with is people wanting it for free, because that's just plain selfishness at that point.

[Seraphor]

You completely missed the point.

New players who buy Shadowbringers will be getting $80 worth of expansions for free. That MORE than makes up for the cost of paying for an ARR story skip potion.

When 6.0 comes out, new players will get a whopping $120 worth of expansion free.

That's how MMO's usually work anyway...
It's old, outdated content, it goes in the bargain bin at gamestop for $5.
It is nowhere near $80 of content anymore. Hell HW is currently FREE anyway, that's how SE feel about it, it's free.

[Lersayil]

Because that's hundreds of hours of story to get through before you make it to endgame, and as has already been explained, some players don't care about story in an MMO, they care about endgame.
It's a large portion of their customerbase, who will feel forced to fork out extra money to play the game the way they want to play it.

Imagine if it was the other way around:
The base game and expansions unlock the world, jobs, and your endgame content, but if you want to play through the story, it's $5 per 'chapter'.

This is a double blow for those who fall somewhere in the middle, who don’t necessarily not care about the story, but want to reach endgame to play with their friends ASAP, and then maybe replay it for the story at a later date.
The story skip potions for them, is basically paying for the privilege of less content.

While I see your point, I dont think its worth catering to all and every kind of people. Chances are those players that are only interested in the endgame will be sorely dissapointed and burn out pretty fast. Best case they just quit, worst, they complain very loudly that the games focus should shift in a way the current majority of players wouldn't approve.

The main story and leveling is a decently good filter and indicator of what kind of game one is getting into. Its not perfect, it should be touched up in many placed, but probably shouldn't be skipped by default.

[Seraphor]

EDIT: And let me be clear. I have no issue with people who don't care about story having the option to do so. And they do. What I have an issue with is people wanting it for free, because that's just plain selfishness at that point.

Again, imagine if it was the other way around, which could be a very plausible scenario, as many other 'games as service' use this model.
The base game and expansions unlock the world, jobs, and your endgame content, but if you want to play through the story, it's $5 per 'chapter'.

How would you feel?
The "endgamers" get to play their game, but as a "story player" you have to pay more than them...

However you want to play the game, paying for the privilege of LESS content, is always going to sting, hard.

[Kaedan]

That's how MMO's usually work anyway...
It's old, outdated content, it goes in the bargain bin at gamestop for $5.
It is nowhere near $80 of content anymore.

First of all, ARR skip potion is $18 normally, $7 on sale with each new expansion. So even if we use your logically flawed example, you're still paying less than the value you're getting.

As for being "outdated", in FF14 it's not.

HW unlocks DRK, AST, and MCH.
SB unlocks SAM and RDM
ShB unlocks GNB and DNC

Those jobs are all continuously updated.
Furthermore, the old content is still relevant.

And that doesn't change the fact that they are still getting what others had to pay $80 for free. So it's more than fair that if they want to SKIP it they pay a small fraction of that cost.

[Seraphor]

First of all, ARR skip potion is $18 normally, $7 on sale with each new expansion. So even if we use your logically flawed example, you're still paying less than the value you're getting.

As for being "outdated", in FF14 it's not.

HW unlocks DRK, AST, and MCH.
SB unlocks SAM and RDM
ShB unlocks GNB and DNC

Those jobs are all continuously updated.
Furthermore, the old content is still relevant.

And that doesn't change the fact that they are still getting what others had to pay $80 for free. So it's more than fair that if they want to SKIP it they pay a small fraction of that cost.

Again, paying for less content, is completely illogical.

[Kaedan]

Again, paying for less content, is completely illogical.

??????

You're not paying for less content. You're paying to SKIP content you don't want to do (and would otherwise have to do).

Let's reiterate here: You want the option to skip story, for whatever reason. Sure, that's fine. Great. That's your prerogative. But it MORE than makes sense for you to have to pay for the PRIVILEGE of skipping 100 hours of content. Especially when as a new player you are getting the previous expansions for free.

You're not getting less content... you can still DO the content (even after you skip it come ShB). So don't try to make dishonest claims to support a bad argument.