Clipping is inevitable. I've never played a MMO that lacked it in some form. I think sliders are cool, since unlike half-hearted pandering attempts they actually allow a broad range of players to be satisfied and design a character to their liking within the set specifications of a playable race.

As for it being a lot of work? Yeah, maybe - but if corners were cut then I'm disinclined to be overly sympathetic. The development team are quick to ask players to spend money on merchandise to support the game, be it through the Mog Station or the Square Enix store. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect more of that money to go towards the game itself.

I also think it doesn't matter if the games are different when they're in the same genre and are direct competitors. If two supermarkets compete for customers then they generally strive to check what the other is offering and match it with a version of their own. In this case, when it comes to a glamour log, FFXIV's system is the inferior option to me and I'd like it to be equal to or greater than ESO's version. 'Glamour is the real end game' is a meme the development team themselves are aware of, after all.