Future direction of FFXIV

[AziraSyuren]

I don't feel like the game's going anywhere. As infuriating as some of the changes (or lackthereof) are, none of them have anything to do with why people actually play this game. Even for healers, too many of them play healers simply because they like the idea of healing to really care about their job design. I don't feel as if the dev team hasn't done any major course corrections in terms of things OTHER than job design ever since the overhaul of the Diadem and the game is only getting more popular.

The future isn't looking bright, it's just kinda looking listlessly forward.

[Midareyukki]

In the event that Yoshida does leave, we need someone to follow his disposition toward the game. And not fall into the same mistake ActiBlizzard made of replacing all their roster with uncaring money-makers. To me, Yoshida and all the others should stay (assuming they want to, of course). Because for better or for worse, they're the ones who have made the game what it is, and they aren't the rest of Square Enix.

Regardless, the dev team needs new blood. Not just to replenish the ones they've been losing over time, but also to make room for new ideas and improve on what they already have. Especially to finish their long-term projects. A lot of systems in the game are left unfinished because no one's had time nor patience to pick them back up and polish them.

[alex4815162342]

Welcome to the Complaint Zone !

[KageTokage]

Welcome to the Complaint Zone !

There's a difference between complaining for the heck of it and making constructive criticism.

As much as people like to sugar coat it XIV is not perfect and could still be better in ways both big and small.

[Jandor]

There's a difference between complaining for the heck of it and making constructive criticism.

As much as people like to sugar coat it XIV is not perfect and could still be better in ways both big and small.

There is plenty of complaining for the heck of it on these forums

[Clover_Blake]

There is plenty of complaining for the heck of it on these forums

Seconding this. People think that their personal opinion of what something "perfect" is should be the universal norm, and the game should change and adapt to their personal wishes, otherwise it's a bad game, its future isn't looking bright, and Yoshida should consider leaving. Meanwhile, the rest of us are excited about 6.1.

[KageTokage]

Not saying that there isn't baseless/petty complaining, but I haven't seen much of that in this thread specifically.

I'd say there is enough general displeasure regarding certain elements like the current design of healers for it to be considered a valid problem, especially when they suggested pre-Endwalker they'd have to actually be healing more...yet come the full release, optimal healers are still spending less then 10% of their time on GCD healing.

It's not bad enough to turn most people away completely, but it doesn't mean it should be ignored either.

[LaylaTsarra]

Seconding this. People think that their personal opinion of what something "perfect" is should be the universal norm, and the game should change and adapt to their personal wishes, otherwise it's a bad game, its future isn't looking bright, and Yoshida should consider leaving. Meanwhile, the rest of us are excited about 6.1.

Amen sister. You're not alone.

[anhaato]

Lately a lot of these changes keep making me think "who asked for this? Who is this for?" Like, who asked for them to remove kaiten? I challenge the devs to find me a single smn main who was asking for a buff to searing light. Or a Hrothgar player who said "man, I REALLY wish I could wear the Karen hair with my ears hidden!"

And I've been thinking about this a lot since 6.0 was just being announced. Who asked for the removal of hq gathering items? Who asked for smn to be turned into a one button job? Who asked for the removal of brd procs? Who asked for housing to turn into a gacha system that lasts over a week?

I know the devs DO listen to feedback, but the problem is becoming how often and which feedback they're listening to. It just seems like they're listening to random minority opinions more than anything. People will surely say "at least we're not Other Game" but at some point we have to come to terms with the fact that there's a growing detachment between the devs and the players. Hell, Endwalker itself was a hot mess of a story that resulted from exactly that. Like, it's all but openly confirmed that they trashed the original plan of 6.0 being primarily about Garlemald. There was this false assumption that we would somehow be unhappy with a conclusion to a singular villain entity's end if it came about with stakes that felt lower than that of Shadowbringers. (And before anyone says "Well I would've!" no you wouldn't have, otherwise Heavensward wouldn't be as lauded as it still is to this day.) So I say again, who asked for them to do such a thing to such a prevalent evil force in the story? Who asked for Garlemald to get reduced to a single zone storyline?

I realize my argument about Endwalker's story won't prevail much because of how unanimously praised it was on release, though I wonder if people still feel the same now that the new expansion hype has died down. If this was the vision the devs absolutely had to communicate with the world, then it was an abject success for them. But I stand by my previous points.

[Jandor]

I realize my argument about Endwalker's story won't prevail much because of how unanimously praised it was on release, though I wonder if people still feel the same now that the new expansion hype has died down. If this was the vision the devs absolutely had to communicate with the world, then it was an abject success for them. But I stand by my previous points.

I still like it, but I would have preferred it over two expansions. Mostly for the incredibly niche reason that ending the first story arc at the traditional FF level cap of 99 would have had a very pleasing symmetry to it.