Thank you, Yoshida, and everyone involved in FFXIV.

[Wilhelm_Frost]

I'd like to take the time to speak of my journey here. What it has meant to me. I encourage anyone who so desires to please follow in kind.

When I first embarked on this journey it was little more than a pass-time. A thing I did to while away the hours between shifts at work, something I did with the few friends I had at the time. Fun, yes. But superficial to me. It could as easily have been any other game, or any other hobby.

But I had seen the work involved. The risk you took. To reinvent from 1.0 and make a game that was truly worthy of the name, of the time, of the investment of your audience. I fell in love with Eorzea, with the stories and the moments of humor, wonder, joy and sadness around each corner.

I fell in love with this beautiful world, and came back, day after day to see where the story went next. To share this world, and in my own way contribute to it.

I fell in love with the music, and picked up my guitar. I put work into a hobby that had just been a hobby to that point. I fell in love with the writing, and took up my own pen, wrote my own stories. Some sharing the world of Eorzea, and some all my own. I fell in love with my fellow players, and got to know them. Have been encouraged by, and given encouragement to. Met someone who has now been in my life for ... fancy that, almost ten years exactly!

I didn't understand back then how much this game would change me. I wouldn't know for years how it had been building in my heart. What it would truly give me.

I struggled, in my own ways. Without getting too personal, I will say that a child who grows up in abuse fills the holes in their heart with tears until there are none left to cry.

Eorzea has mended wounds in me that I have not the words to explain. For twenty years, perhaps more, I could not cry. Not for the death of me. You have mended this in me, and there is nothing I can do to express how much that means.

So I bow, deeply, with reverence, to the artistry on display here. I thank you for ten years. I thank you for the tears I have shed. I thank you for the smiles, the laughter, the stories, the memories, for each and every friend I have made along the way. For every chance I have had to log in, and tell people; "Catbear is proud of you!"

And if this were to all end tomorrow, no more logging in, no more XIV, it wouldn't unmake what you have given me.

Tales of loss, and fire, and faith. Every word; on our hearts engraved.

I am a better man for this journey, and I will never be able to repay that to you.

Thank you. For ten years. For all of the struggle and all of the hardship you have had to endure in this time. For all of the times you have been disappointed in us and still continued forward. For all of the times we have been able to make you proud. For all of the times we have shared here with you, as your warriors of light.

Thank you for everything you have given to my life.

[Leifei]

Wholesome story. I love it.

[RosaliaDLB]

Now this is a genuine story, which is something rare, it's usually always "good story vs bad story" on this forum, but this is just you sharing your story for the rest of the forum to see genuinely, glad to read the game has helped you this much.

[Snorky]

How beautiful! I salute you catbear!

[FenyxRising]

The risk you took. To reinvent from 1.0 and make a game that was truly worthy of the name, of the time, of the investment of your audience.

Is this a dig at the current state of affairs?

[Wilhelm_Frost]

Hardly! I watched gameplay footage from 1.0, it was ... it was rough. Not all bad, but definitely not all good. Most companies cut losses. Better that than find themselves throwing good money after bad in a sunk cost fallacy. It was a risk, and I'm glad they committed to it so wholeheartedly!

[WeebPolice]

Is this a dig at the current state of affairs?

Lol, citizen.




Do not fear the shadows.

[FenyxRising]

Hardly! I watched gameplay footage from 1.0, it was ... it was rough. Not all bad, but definitely not all good. Most companies cut losses. Better that than find themselves throwing good money after bad in a sunk cost fallacy. It was a risk, and I'm glad they committed to it so wholeheartedly!

Yeah and sadly they no longer do that.

[Jeeqbit]

My intention was always to play FF11 but then I saw FF14 existed so I knew it would have to be that. I would have played 1.0 despite the issues but I wasn't ready to at the time.

I wanted to play because I believed the aesthetic would turn away people I don't like and draw in people that I would rather interact with. I wasn't really personally into a lot of the aesthetic myself (such as lalafells), but you're never going to like everything.

I would have most likely played very casually, but the brightness of the game, the bright colors, the music and how great Thanalan looked drew me in. As crazy as it may sound, I found pressing my 2 buttons on a Gladiator so much fun that I couldn't wait to login every single day. Only needing to kill 3 enemies for quests was also really good, although not having a mount from the start was tedious.

But what drew me in really quickly was the story. I was gripped by ARR from the start, but especially through all the scion deaths and helping Cid find his airship and his memories. After that, it just got better and better, as if SE aimed to make every new patch better than the last.

I would have just played casually but because it was so good, it drew me in enough that I wanted to play more.