"Growing old is mandatory;

[Krotoan]

Back to the point. As a gamer, I obviously grow up over time and often want different things in video games as a result. What was fun one year, may be annoying the next. All im asking is if SE has done enough for the game since 2.0 to keep up with your changing gaming habits and expectations.

If you're literally the same gamer you were back then, disregard.

This question makes you seem very young. I'm not calling you a child, but you are definitely on the lower side of the 1-60 scale.
I enjoy knowing what to expect, not logging in the next month to find all the things I've learned and gotten good at are no longer useful or relevant. I enjoy when these things are built upon and maybe made more complex but if they just give me different situations to apply these skills I'm happy as well.
Past a certain point in my life I became happy to find my favorite thing and put some time and energy into it when I had a break. New and exciting is good for what it is, but comfortable and familiar holds a lot of value for me.

I've changed significantly since I've passed my teens and 20's, but after that I became very sure of who I was and what I enjoyed. The time since this game released isn't a big chunk of my life.

also: if you are expecting 1.0 to 2.0 changes ever again, you will likely be disappointed. That was a huge gamble for SE which luckily paid off. Expecting them to expend that kind of money and effort on a successful project that's doing fine as far as the investors and company heads are concerned isn't logical.

[Fredco191]

Huh. Thinking about it now, I kind of did grow up with this game.

[Enyalios]

Been playing since 2.0, played in 1.0. Nearly unsubbed for the first time this month but joined a team with some old friends from coil. Let’s see how much fun 4.2 raid is

[SilverObi]

I wouldn't say I'm outgrowing XIV, just it doesn't excite me like it used to. Really need something to spice up this relationship or I'll have to call up some old ex's

[princesst3a]

Initially began playing during the 2.0 beta, played religiously for while after release, slowly faded to varying on-and-off periods until ultimately putting my account on hiatus around the time Heavensward came out. Perhaps it's worth mentioning that it was due to no sense of boredom with the game per sé (I had only just completed up to 2.1 MSQ), but life and other things got in the way. I never forgot about her, though, and I pined for the day I could commit to her again...(imissedmycatboy orz)

Fast forward to the start of this year, finally re-subbed and it's been like getting reacquainted with an old flame. Having a lot of fun catching up and and hoping for something "real" this time...

lol no but seriously. Haven't gotten bored yet cuz I never really got to where I wanted to be when I first quit in the first place and enjoying my time immensely so far. I just need more active friends to interact with while I'm online tbh >> since that's a major factor that keeps me coming back to this sort of game.

[Soge01]

Been playing since 2.0 beta. The game is still kinda fun to me but it really needs to start updating its enemies and dungeons to be less simple. I'm not asking for anything too difficult, just enemies and dungeons that make you think a little more. Besides glamours, those are the only two reasons why I haven't really returned to the game completely for awhile. I'm just pretty much bored with the current enemy and dungeon formula after going through it for 5+ years...

[Vidu]

growing up is optional." - Chili Davis

How many subbed players since 2.0 feel this game has kept up with your maturation and expectations over the years as a gamer?

Like dating someone for 5 years but you're the only one who has changed and matured since but your partner is still the same ole person when y'all met. Makes ya wonder what's in it for you in this relationship 5 years from now, right?

I've been playing since 2.0 beta and I cant share your sentiment (which seems to be that you're bored and burnt out by the game - maybe take a break?). There are actually two major points to why I cant share your view/feelings here that I'd like to explore.

1) Has the game matured? Or is it only us?
When I'm looking at the game I can only say: Yes, it most definitely has. There might not have been a giant change like from 1.0 to 2.0 (I havent experienced that change myself obviously but from all I know its massive) but rather small changes. We all tend to forgot about those sneaky improvments. Remember 2.0? When you had to decided between good stats or good looks because we didnt had a glamour system? When we thought that Titan EX and Twintania are unbeatable because the fights were way to complex? When AoE-markers on the ground were barely visible? And today we're (finally!) getting some improvments to the glamour-system (still not good enough, lets not discuss this here and now, please). We've beaten Thordan and Shinryu EX - both a lot more complex than Titan EX ever was. Our AoE-markers improved. Mechanics in dungeons got updated. Crafting got more complex and potentially interesting. We have PvP. The Gold Saucer. Hunts. All those little things that you dont think about - I could go on for a while, but I hope everyone is getting the point.
To stick to your "growing up analogy": I'm 24 - lets say I look at pictures of myself. One when I was 4, one when I was 14 and a current one. There is a huge difference between 4 and 14 - but not such a huge difference between 14 and 24. At somepoint "growing up" doesnt mean "changing almost completly" anymore. And I feel just as myself (at least for the moment or the next 10, 15 years...) the game is at a point where the devs are comfortable which the basic fondation and are building on top of that. They're now able to do more intresting things with it, but follow the same, basic rules.

...and the first thing that came to mind when you "complained" about the game not being "mature" enough was the latest storyquest - maybe not what you were getting at, but the storytelling has most definitely gotten more mature...

2) My personal relationship with the game.
I'll stick to your analogy here - more or less at least.
Obviously the game isnt as surprising or exciting anymore as it was for the first 3 months. I'm not sending texts to my friends in the middle of the night anymore to tell them that my weaver has now reached level 31(!) and can therefor craft them this new gear tomorrow, maybe even in HQ! Fights are breathtaking because of the visuals and the music, not because I'm sitting at my PC being all overwhelmed by trying to recall boss-patterns, dodging, manging my CDs and positining the boss properly (I main a tank, always have) - I can actually enjoy them now because I've gotten used to how the game works, which makes those fights a lot more fun. (I actually believe by now that Titan EX is a pretty easy fight, even syched, but that we just all sucked back then... that and terrible lag that has gotten better since we've got new EU-servers... at least for me)
I know what to expect from this game by now, which is almost a comforting thought. My "relationship" with the game isnt a flirt anymore, neither is it a 5-year-relationship that has gone stale because one partner grew up and the other one didnt (as I said: I do feel the game has matured - a long with the game not needing to mature that much in the first place. I feel more that I had to grow into it and that we can have a mutual relationship build on "trust" now - the game knows what it can expect from me in terms of mechanic etc. and I know what I'm gonna get from it.). I actually feel that my relationship is a bit more like my parents marriage - they're married for over 30 years now. They know each other pretty well, surprises are rather rare and mostly small ones. Sometimes they'll spend some time apart from each other or just less time together - and the next week they might decide to go on a spontanous weekend-trip together because they really want to spend time with each other now.

Its a bit similar for me and the game: I know what I'll get - and sometimes thats excatly what I want. If I want something new and exciting or totally different, I'll go and play a different game - at this point we can luckly leave the analogy behind and not call that "cheating". I dont expect one game to fullfill all my game needs for the rest of my (or rather its, I'm worried...) lifetime. But I like returning to/playing this game because its comforting and relaxing to know excatly what to do and how everything works.
The game still has a lot to offer to me - if thats different for you... maybe its time to move on and try a different game. You can always come back - unlike with a partner there wont be an ugly break-up after all

[Thorio]

The game changed quite a bit since I last played it to coming back to it this year. I'm happy with it for now.

[kaynide]

I mean, I hooked up with the girl who would become my wife via Final Fantasy 11 almost 20 years ago. Met IRL at a party, both kinda not feeling it and realized we both wanted to go home and play XI. So we did.

She still plays the exact character from 11 now in 14..and aside from getting a little greyer/fatter/more creaky,I can’t say much has changed.

Well that and now there are 2 smaller versions of her running around.

Is it a perfect game? Nah far from it. Is it a good time with my wife when we got an hour or so to goof off together? You betcha.

[SannaR]

Noo Kaynide fell or didn't notice/care that the necro king necroed.