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

[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.

[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.

[Mawlzy]

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.

Agreed. It feels like the design process is as imaginative as filling out the Island Sanctuary workshop schedule.

[TaleraRistain]

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 person you're quoting also thinks Savage is midcore so I'd take what they're saying with a grain of salt. There are still plenty of people in PF still progging all current floors. If what they were saying was anywhere near true, then there would have just been relcears only since week 1.

In regards to the MMO thing, XIV has always played fast and loose with the MMO concepts. This was always an RPGMMO and that was the audience they tried to draw in. When it came out, people were drawn from other MMOs like WoW that had more FOMO or didn't focus as much on story. The story has stumbled with this expansion which is probably why the more RPG-focused side may be a little less than satisfied. And they're chasing FOMO more whether they intend to or not. So now they're alienating players who didn't like that in other MMOs. But the MMO elements of this game were never the big draw. They were the optional things that players could do but could also decide not to do and still have a rewarding experience.

There have been a couple of articles about the shareholders meeting recently and they did admit that quality has declined and sub numbers are down. So it will be interesting to see what path they decide to take to fix that. Do they continue to try to emulate other MMOs or do they go back to the unique experiences that drew many in the first place?