The Merchant's Tale: A Social Commentary on the Playerbase by the Devs?

[Wyssahtyn]

always a good sign when notoriously out of touch devs take shots at their playerbase

[ThreeBeastSmile]

The thought did cross my mind, based on the hoopla surrounding the rewards right now, if this was actually just some gigabren move by the devs to gauge which players actually play the game for the sake of playing the game without use of a survey (because they are ever so allergic to those after all, and direct input).

Pretty amusing here watching from the sidelines either way. I hope they get the data they need if it is! Though there does appear to be a seeming uptick in the behaviour that a reward needs to be exhibitable in order to be mobilized to do anything, or worse, doing that unenjoyable thing just to get it... maybe not applicable to this case*, sometimes the content is just bad/boring (and certainly not helped along by the current state of combat).

*(I have not done the content nor plan to do it in the immediate future, maybe eventually if the whim takes. /disclaimer)

[TeresaFortell]

It will be even more of a social commentary piece when the sub counts drop further. I am certain the developers would be very content to see that.

[Sililos]

Dont forget, While Casuals are told to put on a blindfold and ignore everything as their reward, The Hardcore players are given "Wish fulfillment" in the form of a Genie.
A reminder that hardcore players get everything they want while the rest of us are told "Pay your sub and turn a blind eye to the faults/neglect."

[Absurdity]

Dont forget, While Casuals are told to put on a blindfold and ignore everything as their reward, The Hardcore players are given "Wish fulfillment" in the form of a Genie.
A reminder that hardcore players get everything they want while the rest of us are told "Pay your sub and turn a blind eye to the faults/neglect."

Not only a false equivalence but also flat out wrong. The rewards for Criterion haven't improved, they actually haven't changed at all.
It always dropped a mount you could sell on the marketboard and that is the same case this time, you can also buy a framer's kit, an orchestrion roll and materia...so the rewards are exactly the same as every previous Criterion.

None of the issues with Criterion's rewards have been fixed, they just made the rewards for Variant worse to have something they could put into the new "midcore" mode.
Because Advanced is certainly not hardcore, it's around extreme trial level if not easier.

[Zelda206]

Considering how the launch of Dawntrail, the decline of FFXIV and the PR statements Square Enix has been making in passive side-remarks to the gaslighting their '[western] staff/stance' cause(s) (JUST TO NAME A FEW THINGS), the 'tongue-and-cheek' shots at the audience felt unprofessional and came off 'western'.
"You're not happy you're NOT the center of attention? You're not the hero this time? Pout, you little brat. You didn't like our shining poster child for the expansion and we ignored your actual criticisms and have chalked your whining up to you not being the center of attention. Eat and be fed, you little emperor you."

Probably not the INTENDED message, but that soured my experience nonetheless and I feel compelled to blow it up into a grotesque representation of what it is. You could put a top hat on Taylor Swift, but once those words leave, it won't make her look anymore dapper.

[Altera]

To the bodyguard and Not the main character option, I felt that was a snide jab at players who didn't enjoy the main character of Dawntrail.
I don't mind being a bodyguard, but at least I want to offer my service to worthwhile customers and causes.
This snide jab has made me look at Devs with disappointment and made me dislike the DT main character more. And I've been a strong supporter for FFXIV and it's Devs since I started playing in 1.0. Never taken breaks.
I feel all that support is just not being mutually respected and unless 8.0 is great that I feel like it's time for my WoL to do the Emet snap and return the Aetherial Sea/Star, as she's done all that she's set out to do.

I feel sad that I've started to feel like this as ARR to EW has been one of the most insane experience I've had playing videogames for 40 years now. :/

[Kaurhz]

Maybe they can do a social commentary (through content) on the state of the game, when even more people have started to move on.

[Sililos]

Not only a false equivalence but also flat out wrong. The rewards for Criterion haven't improved, they actually haven't changed at all.
It always dropped a mount you could sell on the marketboard and that is the same case this time, you can also buy a framer's kit, an orchestrion roll and materia...so the rewards are exactly the same as every previous Criterion.

None of the issues with Criterion's rewards have been fixed, they just made the rewards for Variant worse to have something they could put into the new "midcore" mode.
Because Advanced is certainly not hardcore, it's around extreme trial level if not easier.

I see.

Little hard for me to judge advanced and i have never been able to get into criterion savage for any of them.
There has not been a single group up for even advanced on PF on OCE, and the ones i have made? Not one joiner after hours on end.
Marketboard prices for the items that do appear? 45 mil+

For OCE players advanced may as well be Ultimate difficulty for all the ability to find groups for it we have.

But I still stand by the comment about the Genie mount being Wish fulfillment for SE's favored minority vs the blindfold for everyone else to 'suck it up'.

[Mouthbone]

The main character option was very cringe and tonedeaf
Is it also present in the JP script?