Criticism of Shadowbringers and the hostility there in

[Vahlnir]

SE milks XIV while giving us back as little as they can afford and it's very much worth criticizing, not trying to rationalize.

They've been doing this for years, but with Shadowbringers I think it was way more obvious. The pandemic didn't help things either, since everyone had to wait a while longer at the beginning for anything new to release. But despite the quality of the story going up (and perhaps the quality of some of the side stories as well), just about everything else suffered. I'd be okay with taking the story back down a notch if it meant getting more of what we did in the past.

[linayar]

emmmm... no

Huh, guess it's only for complete edition? Because I know I got a 30 day free when I started.

That's not the point.

I don't think we're getting our money worth of content for what we're spending in subs, at all, especially if on top of that you add retainer and mobile app subs, without mentioning cash-shop-only cosmetics.
SE milks XIV while giving us back as little as they can afford and it's very much worth criticizing, not trying to rationalize.

If you have any reason to access the server, then pay the subscription for that month. Only you can decide whether it's worth that subscription fee. But if you don't, then you can just wait until it's at the end and try to do all the content in one month if you think that would make it worth the subscription fee.

For me, I play the game for story and battle content, and that hasn't changed with the various expansions. I still get dungeons, trials, raids, and alliance raids, all of which add to my growing collection of potential results in the various roulettes, and I get the various story quests that accompany these contents. And they're all released at a nice, predictable pace. That means, I always have a reason to log in every month, even every week if not every day, even with no house, and that means the subscription fee is worth it.

Thus, the subscription fee is there for you to decide if there is something you want to do in the game for that month. It's not tied to what content is released because that's on their end with their own schedule. Alliance raid, for example, will still be in .1, .3, and.5 whether or not you subscribe throughout the expansion or only for parts of it.

[ZedxKayn]

If you have any reason to access the server, then pay the subscription for that month. Only you can decide whether it's worth that subscription fee. But if you don't, then you can just wait until it's at the end and try to do all the content in one month if you think that would make it worth the subscription fee.

For me, I play the game for story and battle content, and that hasn't changed with the various expansions. I still get dungeons, trials, raids, and alliance raids, all of which add to my growing collection of potential results in the various roulettes, and I get the various story quests that accompany these contents. And they're all released at a nice, predictable pace. That means, I always have a reason to log in every month, even every week if not every day, even with no house, and that means the subscription fee is worth it.

Thus, the subscription fee is there for you to decide if there is something you want to do in the game for that month. It's not tied to what content is released because that's on their end with their own schedule. Alliance raid, for example, will still be in .1, .3, and.5 whether or not you subscribe throughout the expansion or only for parts of it.

I will pay as little as possible because I really do not approve of the monetization system for the content (or lack thereof) we are getting, but as a paying customer, I will criticize it because I know we should be getting more.

They get away with it because the majority of the active playerbase doesn't know, care, or think about that issue at all, or even enough to make the choice to spend less on the game, that doesn't make it any less of what very much feels like a rip-off.

[linayar]

I will pay as little as possible because I really do not approve of the monetization system for the content (or lack thereof) we are getting, but as a paying customer, I will criticize it because I know we should be getting more.

They get away with it because the majority of the active playerbase doesn't know, care, or think about that issue at all, or even enough to make the choice to spend less on the game, that doesn't make it any less of what very much feels like a rip-off.

Now you're trying to apply your sense of value to everyone else. People know what they are paying for. If they don't think it's worth it, they can unsubscribe. That's all there is to it. Sorry if the game gives enough for enough people to want to subscribe, but hey, at least it's not 22 million of them at once.

[ZedxKayn]

Now you're trying to apply your sense of value to everyone else. People know what they are paying for. If they don't think it's worth it, they can unsubscribe. That's all there is to it. Sorry if the game gives enough for enough people to want to subscribe, but hey, at least it's not 22 million of them at once.

I'm not trying to apply my values, but I really do think there's an important subset of the playerbase who pays just because it's what they always did or because it's like this in WoW, without putting too much thoughts into what they're getting. I know I've been in that position for a while.

[Rinhi]

If they don't think it's worth it, they can unsubscribe.

addiction, force of habit and forgetting that they have a recurrent subscription are all things that happen
do you know everything you're subscribed to and if you do, do you use it enough to warrant paying for it monthly? because many people sadly don't

[linayar]

I'm not trying to apply my values, but I really do think there's an important subset of the playerbase who pays just because it's what they always did or because it's like this in WoW, without putting too much thoughts into what they're getting. I know I've been in that position for a while.

WoW gives you incentives to keep subscribing, like mounts for 6-month subscription. FFXIV has nothing like that. They even stopped veteran rewards because they didn't want people to have to subscribe for a long time in order to receive some rewards. It's a very direct and clear offer: subscription fee for server access, while content access is determined by what expansions you own. Everyone is responsible for their own money. It's not your job to be concerned about "saving" people from their own spending choice.

addiction, force of habit and forgetting that they have a recurrent subscription are all things that happen

Addiction and force of habit are a personal problem, not the game's. Or rather, if the game is addicting, then it automatically means it's worth paying for because you are playing it due to your addiction.

Not knowing you have a recurring subscription is a budgeting problem, but if you don't care, then you don't care. I care because I can't afford to spend money on something I'm not deriving satisfaction in using.

do you know everything you're subscribed to and if you do, do you use it enough to warrant paying for it monthly? because many people sadly don't

Yes and yes. It's why I quit WoW and SWTOR because I ended up not playing either much. At least FFXIV's subscription doesn't give you special currency to purchase from the online store, so it really is all about whether you want to play.

[Rinhi]

Addiction and force of habit are a personal problem, not the game's. Or rather, if the game is addicting, then it automatically means it's worth paying for because you are playing it due to your addiction.

that is not how addictions work and you should know that

[linayar]

that is not how addictions work and you should know that

Regardless of how it works, you don't get to say that someone's purchase of a subscription is invalid if it's because they're addicted to it unless there is actual harm, like drug addiction. If that addiction makes them spend more than they should in terms of budgeting, then sure, the people closest to them should interfere. But other than being a "whale" for the online store, having a continued subscription if they're playing every month is not an issue.

[kaynide]

I’m not really sure what the issue is regarding sub fee or not. Obviously voice opinions and if enough people stop, SE might change their policy..but unless that happens, this is how it is. It’s like going to Disneyland.

They provide X in exchange for Y. You agree to pay or not. If it’s worth it to you for whatever reasons, you pay for it.

Facts are, for me, there is no alternative that offers what this game offers me, my family and circle of multi-lingual, multi-interest friends. So it’s worth it. Would I like to pay less? Sure, but I am willing to pay for what I get out of it.