2024 is going to be FF14's last chance to tackle its stagnating formula (PC Gamer)

[Tahbitha]

I just want to pipe in real quick and say that I've been playing the game for more or less two years at this point, log in nearly every day for several hours, and just recently completed the MSQ.

I've enjoyed the HECK out of the game and I'm looking forward to playing for years to come.

Lali-Ho!

[Rolder50]

I just want to pipe in real quick and say that I've been playing the game for more or less two years at this point, log in nearly every day for several hours, and just recently completed the MSQ.

I've enjoyed the HECK out of the game and I'm looking forward to playing for years to come.

Lali-Ho!

Bold claim when you have only just reached the point where you start to feel the stagnating formula.

[Atelier-Bagur]

Bold claim when you have only just reached the point where you start to feel the stagnating formula.

How dare this person

[Tahbitha]

Bold claim when you have only just reached the point where you start to feel the stagnating formula.

Not a claim, a simple statement of fact. I just thought it was worthwhile to point out that there are many of us still enjoying the game.

[Badguyinstall]

Not a claim, a simple statement of fact. I just thought it was worthwhile to point out that there are many of us still enjoying the game.

I've been playing for about 5 years now and yeah. I keep up to date on MSQ, pretty much getting everything done the week it comes out minus savage and yeah. I still enjoy hitting roulettes, the Gold Saucer, frontlines, and so on.

[Absurdity]

Bold claim when you have only just reached the point where you start to feel the stagnating formula.

And that's only if you play an excessive amount, remember that this game had 10 years of updates at this point. Obviously you've not run out of content if you've only played for a single expansion, if it were the case that you're done with 10 years of updates after 2 the state of the game would be very dire.

[Turtledeluxe]

FFXIV has not typically been described as stagnating historically as far as I know, so you have to ask yourself why this term has become so incredibly trendy. Imo it has less to do with the content or even the rollout of the content. It's the desperate bid for ease of play and balance that has ruined jobs and combat, generally, and made the game a snoozefest for most jobs and most encounters. The big audience the devs thought they would draw in by knee capping the entire game all left them once the hype was over. What did we learn?

It isn't just that players know what they're getting in 7.0. It's that they know the new abilities will mostly be cosmetic, they know they're going to faceroll most trials and dungeons, they know team composition doesn't matter at all, and so forth and so on. The devs won't make any moves that will make moment to moment gameplay surprising or special bc all content has to be totally clearable with no effort.

[Musashidon]

What did we learn?

that some people actually believe what you said typed out here. SE's big audience is only growing.

[Turtledeluxe]

that some people actually believe what you said typed out here. SE's big audience is only growing.

How is it growing? Subs are dropping, players are spending less time playing the game, the new content has all been poorly received, XIV revenue has been declining for several quarters. Can you please explain how you came to this conclusion since you're so obsessed with metrics and are making the objectively laughable claim this game is "growing"?

XIV even did a "reinvite a friend" campaign a month or so ago. That was just for fun and not because SE has noticed a spike in disengagement with the game?

[OgruMogru]

Not a claim, a simple statement of fact. I just thought it was worthwhile to point out that there are many of us still enjoying the game.

I'm glad you're having fun with the part of the game you're on! The thing is though, the people complaining about the current state of the game would generally concur on also enjoying those older parts of the game. It's no wonder people still progressing through old expansions are still enjoying themselves because whilst old content has/had it's own issues the current state of the "endgame" is worse and more noticeable once you get here. Chances are, if a lot of the issues people have is addressed in DT and the game course corrects in a satisfactory way then by the time those not bumping up against the endgame barrier get through EW the issues won't feel as a bad again because you aren't all trapped for 9 months with very little to engage with. I'm not trying to say people shouldn't express that they're enjoying the game, most people would also agree that the majority of the game has been satisfactory to great - which is why the missfires in EW feel so egregious - all the complainers are comparing it to the fun time they had and you are still having.

There is a difference between the way people still getting through that backlog and people that are playing current content approach the game. Different habits and priorities form and this is where the problems are for EW. It's not even about casual or midcore or hardcore or skill or anything [those are separate issues] I'm not expecting endless entertainment or endlessly repeatable content but as someone who has been keeping up with the patches, playing since 2015 my experience of the game has never been with this huge lavish banquet of backlogged content to get through but has been fairly consistent square meals. EW has been like crumbs in comparison. A stale breadheel sliced thinner and thinner and thinner like this