I wouldn't mind FFXIV becoming a WoW clone in the casual/hardcore appeal if...

[A5ko]

Regardless of what's said when comparing WoW to FFXIV, it's pretty obvious which game is more popular on the whole. I played FFXI for many years, likewise WoW and both had their charm. FFXI was my first 'real' MMO so the grind was pretty normal. Taking an age to find a party and then staying in it for 4-6 hours killing the same creature was both fun and social.

Then came WoW, and I saw that a game could be played in a different manner without the need for repetitious killing of the same mobs. When I think back to FFXI and the dunes, it is through rose tinted garlond goggles, as I'm sure now I would just get sick of it in a few minutes. We've been spoilt by games like WoW which has changed many peoples outlook on the way MMO's should be and what is an accepted standard.

If FFXIV was just a prettier clone of WoW set in the FF universe it would have been so much bigger. Those of you complaining about the cartoony graphics, tell me, did you switch off Final Fantasy 7 the moment you saw Cloud's Pop-eye arms? Those cartoony graphics are part reason WoW has the biggest subscription base in a paid MMO. It didn't try to be future proof and alienate 75% of the gaming population with pretty graphics. FFXIV did, and to further kick us in the teeth it didn't have the content or game play either.

I'd like to see the following things in 2.0

- Quest driven levelling with the option to grind (standard MMO affair now days)

- Clearer directions and unambiguous quest logs. (I'm not asking for arrows to NPC's but at least make it clearer)

- Better tutorials to snatch and keep new players. (Who wants to guess what to do in their first 5 minutes of game play?)

- Regular and interesting game content to keep the higher levels interested.

- Increased Draw Distance so the game world doesn't feel empty

- A non-clunky UI which doesn't require several hundred key presses to craft. (Without having to MACRO it).

Of course it is a different beast now and I am seriously looking forward to 2.0. I'm not a WoW fan boy (as some of you are probably lighting up your torches to burn me), I stopped playing WoW last year. I just dislike seeing people claim how poor WoW is and then have the nerve to say FFXIV is something far better.

Something has to change, otherwise this game will always be one of a tiny following never really amounting to anything. Sure it has a somewhat loyal fan base but unless you are prepared to pay triple your subscription every month, then it won't be around for many years like FFXI. I cannot even begin to imagine the loss SE have made and could further increase if they can't pull this off. I'm hoping they do succeed, I really do.