What's the point with that quite lackluster story in Endwalker?

[Theodric]

Unfortunately that describes a growing number of the newer posters from what I've seen. They're also entirely oblivious - either willingly or otherwise - to how different the game used to be back in the 'good old days'.

In my opinion the golden era was ARR/HW/StB when there was more of an attempt to take a jack of all trades approach and cater to different groups of players. It's slim pickings for anyone who has a deeper interest than the Scions or content along the lines of Eureka/Bozja and Ishgard Reconstruction as opposed to new gpose features and furniture designed with 'venues' in mind.

It is what it is, though. It remains to be seen what 7.0 brings with it but much like Kaoru other games offer more of what appeals to me at present. The most one can do at this point is either leave entirely or drop some feedback now and then in the hope that maybe, just maybe, it'll be seen and passed along to the development team.

[TheDecay]

Unfortunately that describes a growing number of the newer posters from what I've seen. They're also entirely oblivious - either willingly or otherwise - to how different the game used to be back in the 'good old days'.

In my opinion the golden era was ARR/HW/StB when there was more of an attempt to take a jack of all trades approach and cater to different groups of players. It's slim pickings for anyone who has a deeper interest than the Scions or content along the lines of Eureka/Bozja and Ishgard Reconstruction as opposed to new gpose features and furniture designed with 'venues' in mind.

It is what it is, though. It remains to be seen what 7.0 brings with it but much like Kaoru other games offer more of what appeals to me at present. The most one can do at this point is either leave entirely or drop some feedback now and then in the hope that maybe, just maybe, it'll be seen and passed along to the development team.

You are completely right that many gameplay features seem to have been abandoned in EW, such as exploratory content. The lack of depth is very clear to see. And as I've explained in another topic, I believe this can have long-term consequences for FF14 if there's an emergent new MMO that really pulls off PvE combat well (the fabled Riot MMO perhaps):

The reason I think low complexity is damaging to FF14 in the long run is because it will leave the gameplay-focused players extremely unsatisfied while keeping the "casual" or glam/RP/modding-focused players mildly more satisfied (I say "mildly" because I don't believe going from Stormblood gameplay to ShB gameplay really made many casual players much more satisfied with the game than going from HW to SB did because of the removal of a lot of HW jank). While many of the gameplay-focused players continue sticking with FF14 because, let's be real, the MMO landscape is pathetic, it creates real opportunity for a new entrant to capture its unsatisfied players very easily, and I think this is the real long-term danger for FF14.

[Theodric]

You are completely right that many gameplay features seem to have been abandoned in EW, such as exploratory content. The lack of depth is very clear to see. And as I've explained in another topic, I believe this can have long-term consequences for FF14 if there's an emergent new MMO that really pulls off PvE combat well (the fabled Riot MMO perhaps):

Yeah. That being said, I've pretty much resorted to using other MMO's as a way to get my fix for exploration and immersion these days. There's a lot of ways in which FFXIV could have added some cool things to the game world to see and do but even after many suggestions on that front the design isn't evolving in the slightest. At most you get aether currents and the sightseeing log as opposed to hidden quests or treasure to find.

As much as I enjoyed FFXVI for the most part, in terms of exploration the same approach was taken. There's very few hidden items to find of worth and scant treasure chests. As for the story itself, it's another JRPG without alternate endings or player agency. I liked that games such as Breath of Fire IV and Shadow Hearts had different endings.

As for upcoming MMO's, I've my eye on a handful. Whether any are the ones to breathe some new life into the industry remain to be seen but simply prioritising being an actual game will give them a major boost. FFXIV's been around for ten to thirteen years depending on how you decide to count. It claims to be willing to stick around for at least another decade and I think it will - since FFXI and WoW are still around. Though I do question how much of FFXIV's success is down to it being a new place for those who became disillusioned with other MMO's to hang out in simply because it isn't them.

I'm cautiously optimistic for Ashes of Creation. Despite it being pushed as PvP focused, I've been watching their monthly updates and their approach to the other aspects of the game is pretty intelligent. If it can live up to even half of the promises made then I think it has a lot of potential. It's recognising some of the flaws present elsewhere in the industry and seeking to address them but also striving to be an MMO for people who actually enjoy MMO's...as opposed to being an MMO rapidly devolving into mostly being a solo experience.

I'd say my main concern is with the potential monetisation practices but at this point when FFXIV is locking exclusive emotes and such behind £250 limited edition statues, I can't bring myself to shun a game purely on that basis.