TL;DR version: Options are good, and in honest truth people will play how they play regardless of your opinion, you can't control every aspect, nor should every aspect of this game cater to one kind of player... Level-sync offers benefits that are needed to encourage party play, and aspects that keep people social where they might otherwise spend all their time soloing or being power leveled and miss out on the journey.



=========================





What I don’t understand is why some are so adamant on not allowing players to have options? I just don’t get it. Why are people so opinionated on how others play their characters? It’s like so many things, if you don’t want to participate in something, then don’t. No one is forcing you to. At the same time, just because you don’t “like” a feature that you swear is useless, doesn’t mean it wouldn’t add to someone else’s experience. I personally don’t like PVP at all, but I’d never “petition” that it should not be implemented just because its not my cup of tea. Calm down a bit… seriously.



The wider variety of player base we can keep, the better off we will be and the more likely we will continue getting new and varied content added to our game.
Those that are truthful know that its not features (like level-sync) that ruins games, its attitudes, and our own attitudes are the most damaging to our own experiences. Its an unavoidable fact.



Level-sync is an actual legitimate way of bridging a gap and unlocking more opportunities for people to be able to enjoy their time together actually actively partying. If you view it as a waste of your time, then don’t participate, but I will gladly welcome the chance to spend part of my time adventuring with friends and helping them level in a way that helps them improve their skills rather than just handing them levels. My friends are not a waste of my time, they are the best part of my journey and my own adventure. I guess that is why Level-sync doesn’t scare me. I’m unsure why level-sync is viewed by some as more damaging than the current PL system is. I’m truly at a loss, but I can just agree to disagree on that point.. To each their own..



The OP acts as if when/if its instituted, that you will not be able to find anyone to party with at regular levels. I truly don’t believe that is the case. I played FFXI for a couple years after Level-sync came out and I honestly never experienced any issue finding parties willing to party at regular level. Whoever you are, there will likely be like minded players, and with the addition of content finder, it will be even that much easier to find people wanting to do the higher level content. That’s where everything new and exciting will be, so that will be what draws the most attention.
Another poster complained:



“Level syncs are good in theory, but then you get stupid people who do the same things they do in every game where they start using it as a way to power level without ever leaving the lower areas and so on and so forth. - TheVedis”


“Stupid people” as you term them are always going to exist dear.. if staying in low level areas is where they like to reside and spend all their time, then how does it affect you if you are playing higher level zones? Why do people think they need to have reigns on how others play?


In reality, people probably will "abuse it" much like how people "abuse" the ability to powerlevel in this game. End of the story is though that just because some do, doesn't mean everyone will, or that everyone else has to.



Something that keeps getting overlooked is that this game is being made with the intention of providing enjoyment to both casual and “hardcore” players.



Before anyone makes a comment about it not being “Tanaka’s game” anymore, I’ll use the echo to remind us of something:


Letter from the Producer XX (10/14/2011)
“I believe that as a major MMORPG title, rather than as a FINAL FANTASY title, FFXIV needs to be three things—global, widely accommodating, and secure.”
....


“What I want to make is a theme park where both casuals and hard-cores can exist and play together. That’s the minimum requirement I think a modern MMORPG should fulfill.”
~ Yoshi-P