Disappointed With XIV Direction

[Kohashi]

If 14 actually provided a comprehensive exit survey then maybe people wouldn’t feel the need to announce they are leaving

I have to say it's been a while since I have laughed so hard while reading something. And who would have the time and resources to read every person's feedback who unsubscribes for whatever reason? Roughly 20 million people are subbed each month.

While having targeted surveys to test the player base trends and how the company is doing in terms of delivery is an excellent idea, what you propose is not feasible.

Also, let me say this: If a company relies on directing people to provide feedback in forums, it's just another way of saying, "We don't care what you have to say." Forums are mostly echo chambers that hardly ever prompt a company to change. They're a space for people to vent and nothing else.

[Supersnow845]

I have to say it's been a while since I have laughed so hard while reading something. And who would have the time and resources to read every person's feedback who unsubscribes for whatever reason? Roughly 20 million people are subbed each month.

While having targeted surveys to test the player base trends and how the company is doing in terms of delivery is an excellent idea, what you propose is not feasible.

Also, let me say this: If a company relies on directing people to provide feedback in forums, it's just another way of saying, "We don't care what you have to say." Forums are mostly echo chambers that hardly ever prompt a company to change. They're a space for people to vent and nothing else.

Someone who can organise a basic AI to read general answers to “on a scale of 1-10” questions and send out targeted surveys at an amount that is feasible for the company

It’s almost like almost every other MMO and live service game has figured this out

[Jeeqbit]

If a company relies on directing people to provide feedback in forums, it's just another way of saying, "We don't care what you have to say." Forums are mostly echo chambers that hardly ever prompt a company to change. They're a space for people to vent and nothing else.

To be fair, they talk about the forums a lot. When you watch development panels and Q&As they often say "I checked the forums and saw x, y or z". There was also that time not too long ago when Yoshi-P had to stop requiring people to read them if they couldn't handle it due to an increase in rudeness. Checking the forums is not just something the GMs tell people to get them off their back, it's frequently mentioned in interviews, live letters, etc. It seems strange to us, with how forums are very dated of a concept, but it's what they genuinely feel works for them. If we think of the forums as an "issue tracker" then they are looking at most likes is my guess.

So, I think they are genuine about the forum but obviously there could be additional things like tracking issues more concisely or regular surveys.

[Kohashi]

To be fair, they talk about the forums a lot. When you watch development panels and Q&As they often say "I checked the forums and saw x, y or z". There was also that time not too long ago when Yoshi-P had to stop requiring people to read them if they couldn't handle it due to an increase in rudeness. Checking the forums is not just something the GMs tell people to get them off their back, it's frequently mentioned in interviews, live letters, etc. It seems strange to us, with how forums are very dated of a concept, but it's what they genuinely feel works for them. If we think of the forums as an "issue tracker" then they are looking at most likes is my guess.

So, I think they are genuine about the forum but obviously there could be additional things like tracking issues more concisely or regular surveys.

Which forums are they exactly looking at? Internal forums? JP forums? I don't personally recall anything they implemented based on most requested things in the forums. Even if they mention it, it doesn't mean anything. Useless, empty words, the same way Yoshi-P says the same PR script each time.

If they truly looked at the forums or had a team that gathered feedback we would have been miles away. While not every suggestion can be implemented in-game, some are good. From accessibility to User Experience, to new player friendliness, to job changes and the list goes on.

Someone who can organise a basic AI to read general answers to “on a scale of 1-10” questions and send out targeted surveys at an amount that is feasible for the company

Why don't you apply to S.E and program that basic A.I tool that can do all of those things, not to mention process the collected data to transform it into something meaningful for them.

People who can program specific solutions for companies are not cheap. Plus it requires scheduled maintenance, continuous development, and deployment.

As for "it's touted as the ultimate social MMO, yet to me, it feels more anti-social than ever. " The community is what players make it to be. it's not SE's job to hold anyone's hand or teach players how to socialize.

I've been in countless FCs with a lot of players online who never utter a word. A great deal of players are very socially awkward, shy, very passive, waiting to be handheld and directed.

[Jeeqbit]

Which forums are they exactly looking at? Internal forums? JP forums? I don't personally recall anything they implemented based on most requested things in the forums. Even if they mention it, it doesn't mean anything. Useless, empty words, the same way Yoshi-P says the same PR script each time.

They did mention they would listen more on the lodestone before the expansion and then in the raft of subsequent interviews from the media tour, they suddenly acknowledged lots of things that had been discussed on these forums for years (and I actually read/watched the hundred or so interviews that happened).

Also:

• https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/...04#post6622904
• https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/...81#post6621981
• https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/...97#post6382897
• https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/...00#post5777900
• https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/...98#post5450398
• https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/...66#post6198766

You will notice a trend with these. They are posts that got lots of attention and replies. But it nevertheless shows they got read. They also had developers pouring through all the posts related to character appearance before releasing the improved version of the benchmark.