I don't actually play, but I have an active subscription so I'm able to post on the forums. I haven't posted on these forums since beta, but I just had to respond to this one.

I've been planning to come back once 2.0 launches, but if I come back and this game still has the market ward and retainer system (which was one of the many reasons I left in the first place), I'm gone for good, I will cancel my subscription and never look back. My wife, who is a FFXI player and has been waiting two years for her PS3 version, says she'll cancel her pre-order if they decide they're going to launch with wards/retainer system.

I realize there has been a search counter added since launch, but this isn't just about ease-of-use or accessibility. Don't forget about the obvious reason here too — the fact that having thousands of lifeless NPCs in a designated area doing absolutely nothing but standing idle looks incredibly stupid, it is also bad for immersion and role-play. Just scrap the whole system Square Enix...it is currently garbage.