@Casuals , do you think the message has gotten through?

[Absurdity]

I'm starting to think the anger a lot of people feel towards this game is because they are realizing it's an MMO.

The game has spent years trying it's best to not look or act like one, so I don't put blame solely on the players who don't actually want to play an MMO.

[Volgia]

The game has spent years trying it's best to not look or act like one, so I don't put blame solely on the players who don't actually want to play an MMO.

I mean, it's the biggest appeal, right? It's not designed like the typical MMO pushing for FOMO (remembering how fast you could fall behind your friends in WoW if you didn't log in almost daily), so you can do everything at your own pace.

But it's STILL an MMO.

[0blivion]

It is, in fact, very much an MMO. Easy content lacks longevity because it's, well, easy. Ultimates last a while because progging them is effort. And outside of some outliers, Savage is easy enough to be beaten by literally everyone, too, and after it's outgeared even moreso.

[BigCheez]

The game has spent years trying it's best to not look or act like one, so I don't put blame solely on the players who don't actually want to play an MMO.

I wish they would just let the game be what it is and stop trying so hard to make everything appeal to everyone. This approach results in every facet of the game making so many compromises that it doesn't appeal to anyone.

It's an MMO that doesn't require players to co-operate or interact with each other.

There are no long term goals to work towards because anything worth getting is quick and easy, and anything that takes time or is difficult to get isn't worthwhile.

The combat system has been heavily streamlined to appeal to people who aren't interested in battle content, which in turn makes it less appealing to those who are interested in the combat system.

Crafting/gathering has been so heavily streamlined that it's mostly botted and has been made so accessible that it isn't a viable way to make gil because you can't sell gathered/crafted items to people who can easily gather or craft them for themselves while AFK.

I think they've designed themselves into a corner by trying way too hard to make XIV the friendly and approachable MMO. Sure, they removed a lot of the "pain points" that come with MMOs, but they also made the game so boring in the process that it isn't worth playing anymore.

[Kaurhz]

I'm starting to think the anger a lot of people feel towards this game is because they are realizing it's an MMO.

Is there an implied "That isn't all that good", at the end of your sentence or something?

[Volgia]

Is there an implied "That isn't all that good", at the end of your sentence or something?

Idk, it's weird when people come and say CASUALS ARE BEING STARVED OUT OF CONTENT, and then you point out to the massive amount of content made accessible for "casual players" and then they say but it's boring to grind, craft, gather, raid, market flip, play DDR Minigames, etc.

Like what did they expect when they signed into an MMO?

[Kaurhz]

Idk, it's weird when people come and say CASUALS ARE BEING STARVED OUT OF CONTENT, and then you point out to the massive amount of content made accessible for "casual players" and then they say but it's boring to grind, craft, gather, raid, market flip, play DDR Minigames, etc.

Like what did they expect when they signed into an MMO?

Well given they've made a fairly big effort to make all of these as unengaging as humanly possible, under the guise of all-or-nothing, it's really not difficult to see why they may view themselves as being starved for content, when they've reduced everything to a pathetic husk. -- Granted, this isn't really exclusive to just casual players.

Like, compared many of the casual activities, e.g., crafting now, versus how it was when they actually cared about creating an engaging experience, the difference is night and day, how interactive it was, and what it expected from a player, it's night and day difference if you ask me. Crafting now? Bot infested, and when they try and insert something engaging, it still gets undermined by a half-baked job system for crafters -- and sorry, but yes some of these systems are incredibly boring.

What I find weirder is that people seem to have this idea that all casual players want a complete and utter unengaging experience, and that somehow activities like raiding existing can act as a sufficient enough justification.

What did they expect? Perhaps something that actually actively encouraged them to play the game, and interact with the game even on a fundamental and casual level... Rather than a game that essentially actively scorned them and pushed them away for it.

[Mawlzy]

It is, in fact, very much an MMO. Easy content lacks longevity because it's, well, easy. Ultimates last a while because progging them is effort. And outside of some outliers, Savage is easy enough to be beaten by literally everyone, too, and after it's outgeared even moreso.

It's silliness like this that is partly responsible for the lack of engaging content.

There is no reason that content that is accessible (easy) cannot also be engaging.

[Zelda206]

A bit out in the field here on my take, but if Yoshida's response was basically to explain to 90% of the playerbase that most of the newer released content is for the sweaty FCs and dedicated raid groups, then that tells me that manpower has been siphoned for the next big bait-on-the-hook but SE isn't being forthcoming about it. In hindsight, FFXIV is already being put in maintenance mode due to SE's decision-making and interference and the gamble is to see if the next "big thing" hooks the playerbase. That's just my gut. It would explain a lot, despite them not explaining anything to their public. FFXIV now is becoming simple service to streamer communities and those that are in static groups, making solo play obselete IN SPITE of them adding MORE to the Trust System, a system that caters to solo.

[Kaurhz]

It's silliness like this that is partly responsible for the lack of engaging content.

There is no reason that content that is accessible (easy) cannot also be engaging.

The way I view much of the content and systems in this game currently is...

They are currently maintained not with any specific demographic in mind, but simply for the sake of hitting some arbitrary system feature quota, and this isn't really entirely off-brand either... It's just there existing so they can say they have this feature without actually routinely updating and refreshing it, e.g., Grand Companies.