The current state of the "MMORPG" FFXIV is unsustainable. Here's why

[Jojoya]

You can argue about job design all you want but it comes down to the developers reacting to 2 different things: player demand for job balance so their favorite job is less likely to be excluded because elitists pay too much attention to theorycrafting and metas, and most players having reached a skill cap where they just can't handle more complexity in a job. The developers are rarely going to cater to the elitist niche no matter how vocal they get because every MMO in the past that has done that has inevitably failed.

Is the content overall truly less difficult than in the past, or does it just seem that way because you're now more knowledgeable as a player and are more likely to have gear up to date? A lot of the excitement we get from games is because we start out knowing almost nothing about what we're doing and have to figure it out, whether alone or with the help of other players. Once you have a decent grasp of the game's general design and mechanics, it becomes easier to progress because you have a basic idea of what to expect. As you get better, a game naturally gets easier. Same as with job design, when the majority of players start reaching their skill cap the developers can't afford to increase difficulty farther outside of the very niche content like the Ultimates. The game costs money to make; the developers need to make sure that the game appeals to enough players to keep paying the expenses.

The game has plenty of long term grinds. Hand of Creation. Divine Provider. The Indefatigable. Necromancer. The Accursed. Ultimate Thrillseeker. Of the Longest Hunt. Honest Gillionaire. Gambler. The Alpha Wolf. The Fortunate. The Luckiest of...
Are you trying to convince us you completed them all?

Try to blame things on casuals all you want but it sounds like the real problem is on your end.

Perhaps you've played the game too long. Any game will get boring after a while if you don't give yourself a break from it.

Perhaps you're expecting this game to be something it's not intended to be. MMOs need to have their vision of what they want to be, and that's not always what a specific player wants.

I can promise you that the game is not at risk of dying in the next 2 years. There are lots of players still experiencing the content for the first time and overwhelmed with all the things they have to be doing. Even if SE were to move the development team to other projects and just keep a maintenance mode staff, the game will keep going for many more years to come because it's an enjoyable experience that many players want to continue sharing with family, friends and others.

It doesn't need your approval to survive anymore than it needs mine or that of any other single player.

This is a shit take. "Just leave" Game not changing the way you like it? "Just leave". The devs are being lazy with the .x patches? "Just leave". How many times are we gonna use this argument until you're the only one left?

To your credit though that it was I do when a product I've used for a long time starts to drop in their quality, I don't pay for mediocre shit. But then again mediocre shit seems to be the norm for SE these days.

It's not a bad take. It's an honest one.

When a game no longer suits what you're looking for, it's up to you to find a game that does. It's not up to a specific game to change to meet your personal standards.

Players have been using your argument for years and yet the game is still here despite all the naysayers. You're not going to end up anymore correct than any of them were.

[Kyrj]

"The game is still here"

Said every SWTOR, Age of Conan, Wildstar, LOTRO, etc. player

[RobynDaBank]

"The game is still here"

Said every SWTOR, Age of Conan, Wildstar, LOTRO, etc. player

"The game is still here"... also said by the RuneScape, WoW, ESO, GW2, even Everquest players of the world. Your point?

[Kyrj]

"The game is still here"... also said by the RuneScape, WoW, ESO, GW2, even Everquest players of the world. Your point?

I can give you WoW and ESO and to a much much lesser extent GW2 but RuneScape is pushing what MAYBE 300k? And lol everquest. You really used everquest.

[R041]

I can give you WoW and ESO and to a much much lesser extent GW2 but RuneScape is pushing what MAYBE 300k? And lol everquest. You really used everquest.

Don't forget Ultima Online, there are literally dozens of us!

[Jojoya]

"The game is still here"

Said every SWTOR, Age of Conan, Wildstar, LOTRO, etc. player

SWTOR is still here 11 years later.

Age of Conan is still here 14 years later.

Wildstar did end updying - because it was not casual friendly among other reasons.

LotRO is still here almost 16 years later.

WoW is still here 18 years later. Know what's at the root of WoW's resurgence? They've recognized even raiders are growing older and will enjoy the casual side of the game.

The players who have the problem are those who have invested too much of their identity into playing a specific game that they convinced themselves was hardcore - just to later realize the game was never as hardcore as they imagined.

I can give you WoW and ESO and to a much much lesser extent GW2 but RuneScape is pushing what MAYBE 300k? And lol everquest. You really used everquest.

When WoW was released, Blizzard considered reaching 300k players to be sign of an amazing success. The old guard of the time said they avoided dreaming of 500k, thinking it unreachable.

Even today, MMOs do well enough with 100k players that they continue producing new content.

You've set your bar too high for what constitutes a viable game.

If your ego needs a game to have millions of players before you are willing to play it, wouldn't you better off with something like LoL or Fortnite?

So are WoW Players Casuals, or all Hardcore? Why do they get more engaging mechanics? Why are there so many more WoW players even today? Why are we conflating 'Casual' with someone that literally can't do basic video game mechanics?

Is there really such a thing as being hardcore or casual considering the gaming community in general has never agreed on definitions for those terms? Perhaps we're all just people who enjoy playing games, and that's all that needs to be said.

"Engaging mechanics" is subjective. You should try listening to comments of some of the top raiders who play both games.

WoW still has so many players due to franchise loyalty and sunk cost fallacy. Over half my friends when I was still playing WoW would tell me "I'm not playing this game because I like MMOs. I play this game because it's Warcraft".

[Kyrj]

They're here but they're on their deathbed, if I have to spell that out for you then there's no point in me wasting my time on you.

[MintnHoney]

Is there really such a thing as being hardcore or casual considering the gaming community in general has never agreed on definitions for those terms?

Yes, there are such things as being a hardcore gamer and a casual gamer.
The problem is that people tend to get offended for being identified as one over the other (usually casual), so personal views have changed the presented definitions over time.

[Jojoya]

They're here but they're on their deathbed, if I have to spell that out for you then there's no point in me wasting my time on you.

Everything dies eventually. Except maybe taxes.

Learn to enjoy what's available while it's available instead of dragging pessimistic luggage around with you.

Yes, there are such things as being a hardcore gamer and a casual gamer.
The problem is that people tend to get offended for being identified as one over the other (usually casual), so personal views have changed the presented definitions over time.

So then what are the definitions of each?

Personally I have no problems being identified as casual. Even when I was a core healer for a realm first guild in WoW (small realm, we weren't world first material outside of one player who retired from that rat race), I considered myself casual. I liked the raiding for the challenge to see how far I could push myself but I liked what was considered casual content even more. But my idea of casual probably wouldn't match what others see as casual.

What I dislike is the people who try to blame casuals for killing MMOs when that has never been the case.

[R041]

WoW still has so many players due to franchise loyalty and sunk cost fallacy. Over half my friends when I was still playing WoW would tell me "I'm not playing this game because I like MMOs. I play this game because it's Warcraft".

XIV definitely suffers from Sunk Cost Fallacy all the same. We'll see how many people stay after the MSQ basically dumpstered itself. :l

"I play because I like Final Fantasy"

I definitely played because it was Final Fantasy. I don't think I would've stayed past Heavensward if it weren't for it. Definitely no longer enjoy combat outside of DDR boss mechanics.