Dear SE: Please listen to actual players, not just content creators

[tsunderebestie]

Hi, content creators! Since you (and hopefully SE marketing reps) are here, I'll respond directly.

Content Creators: First, congrats to your audience for pushing back against your out of touch, anti-casual takes. At least they care about the game, even if some of you are just waiting for the next GW2 sponsorship.


Second, you all know that MMOs have an aging audience with more jobs, bills, and family responsibilities than time to game. All MMOs are declining in players, so what's the end goal of trying to tank FFXIV faster? Other Twitch/YouTube gaming categories are more competitive, we're all too old for TikTok, and "Just Chatting" is dominated by a select few. Pivot to caring about the game we all benefit from.

SE Marketing Team: Other games have a creator program and an open way for everyday players to comment on patches and expansions. In-game feedback forms, surveys, Discord tickets, etc. Please make it easier for casual players to reach Yoshi P and the dev team.

[Themarvin]

If they did QA on the content they have already made, and which was a success and great success and good formulas in ways that everyone could take part of it, we would not be having this idea, but it seem like that the crew is inept of looking at past success and adding onto it making a stronger and instead ending up with 200 minigames that get obsolete with each expansion.

[Daralii]

If they did QA on the content they have already made, and which was a success and great success and good formulas in ways that everyone could take part of it, we would not be having this idea, but it seem like that the crew is inept of looking at past success and adding onto it making a stronger and instead ending up with 200 minigames that get obsolete with each expansion.

Don't forget about the deliberate regression in some cases. A very easy example is how they acknowledged that the entry system for BA was bad, implemented a simple queue system for its successor and added support for 48-man premades to PF, then decided that the next one should use a worse version of the BA system because they didn't like that people were using the party finder and queue to form a party and queue. They aren't even willing to fully go back to the Delubrum model with the change in 7.3.

[Mawlzy]

Don't forget about the deliberate regression in some cases. A very easy example is how they acknowledged that the entry system for BA was bad, implemented a simple queue system for its successor and added support for 48-man premades to PF, then decided that the next one should use a worse version of the BA system because they didn't like that people were using the party finder and queue to form a party and queue. They aren't even willing to fully go back to the Delubrum model with the change in 7.3.

That response was one of the strangest elements of the LL.

It's almost as if, in order to stretch out thin content, decisions are made that actively impede engaging with the content.

Reducing QoL to extend the lifetime of content is a self-defeating act of desperation.

[FuturePastNow]

Don't forget about the deliberate regression in some cases. A very easy example is how they acknowledged that the entry system for BA was bad, implemented a simple queue system for its successor and added support for 48-man premades to PF, then decided that the next one should use a worse version of the BA system because they didn't like that people were using the party finder and queue to form a party and queue. They aren't even willing to fully go back to the Delubrum model with the change in 7.3.

They said as much in the live letter: DRS being easy to enter made DRS too easy to do. They don't want to clear rate of this content to be too high. They set a low target and, unfortunately for all involved, the managed to undershoot even that lowly goal. Thus we get the most minimal changes possible.

[Kohashi]

Disclaimer: There are many FFXIV creators who are wonderful community representatives and hosts. I've also watched and enjoyed many hardcore raiding streams, including the charity world first races.

Both can provide meaningful feedback, and they hardly listen to content creators. Also, I'm pretty sure he sees them as an extension of the community and an amalgamation of feedback.

Yoshi-P’s Recent Admission:

In today’s live letter, Yoshi-P openly admitted that the development team is feeling the pressure from the constant demand for new, challenging content. He mentioned that the staff is stretched thin with trying to balance delivering fresh and exciting content while keeping up with player expectations.

Oh no, SE has to deliver a constant stream of content with sufficient quality and not the slop they delivered for the past 2 years? Oh no, very sad... anyway. Maybe they should do less crappy projects and take some decent decisions for a change. How to tell your playerbase your management is complete garbage without directly saying it (we already knew anyway).

Casual Players Aren’t Asking for Easy, Just Accessible:

The thing is, casual players aren’t asking for the game to be “easy” or watered down. We want content that’s accessible, enjoyable, and rewarding at our own pace. Some of us want to experience the story, engage in social content, or explore without the pressure of knowing we have to be the best or memorize hundreds of mechanics for a raid.

I’d love to see more casual, accessible content that doesn’t require hours of commitment. That way, everyone from the hardcore raider to the casual solo player can feel like they’re getting the most out of their experience.

How do you do "not watered down content" that also doesn't require hours to be sunk in? Extremes are such content, yet I've seen a lot of arguments that are too difficult and not "casual" enough.

I am curious how you would do it, considering the current gameplay and job design.

[Volgia]

Casual Players Aren’t Asking for Easy, Just Accessible:

The thing is, casual players aren’t asking for the game to be “easy” or watered down. We want content that’s accessible, enjoyable, and rewarding at our own pace. Some of us want to experience the story, engage in social content, or explore without the pressure of knowing we have to be the best or memorize hundreds of mechanics for a raid.

To me I always scratch my head at this , responding to the "we want content that's accessible, enjoyable, rewarding at our own pace ...", that's literally how the game is designed. But if your pace is exhausting all the content in place you aren't playing this game casually, you just don't enjoy the rest of the content available to you.

[Mawlzy]

How do you do "not watered down content" that also doesn't require hours to be sunk in? Extremes are such content, yet I've seen a lot of arguments that are too difficult and not "casual" enough.

I am curious how you would do it, considering the current gameplay and job design.

If you could see beyond "content = PvE" you would answer your own question.

[Kohashi]

If you could see beyond "content = PvE" you would answer your own question.

what's wrong with the PvP again? o.O aside from being 100% casual, for fun and with no real balance?

[Kaurhz]

I would say with non-PvE content...

The problem is that it is too accessible, and you end up being done with it far far too quickly for it to actually feel like any substance, meaning or accomplishment at all.

Maybe it's a curse of knowledge type thing... But I look at non-PvE content and just go... "Really?"...

I often ask myself the question on who they are actually designing it for, really... Because, it's like they are designing much of the non-PvE side around people that don't actually want to engage with it.