(>_> ..Is this the kind of "cute" we're referring to? Because this doesn't fit the current game.

IMO, I say put the chocobo companion to the side, along with market wards & PvP. Establish a good foundation for the game before throwing so many novel ideas into the game. It's good the development team is brainstorming, but the fact is the game needed more depth and these do not add depth, they are surface-level ideas.

The game needs depth, this is what those who know Final Fantasy are looking for. Tossing old FF elements won't cut it, then it will become Final Fantasy Universe - a game in which FF elements are tossed together. It won't have a serious look to it. This is more time spent on novel ideas that don't add to the game, and could detract from the game.

People want to play FF as a world with depth...

I bet you 100% of us all want to travel here... explore it, find out how this place came about and how it all ties into the world of Eozera. We want to go into the leaning tower, look through the windows, have the sun hit our faces, hear the cracking of old broken glass under our feet, see the aged dust on the concrete... This is depth.

We want to team up w/ other characters...

We see this image all the time, but look how badass the front character looks.. Does that not make you want to play a paladin? Not this under developed tank class we have now.. That whm looks like she's about to put up a forcefield or stop something from happening.. it's dynamic! We want our character's to have impact on the world... Isn't this what we get from playing console FF games?

Let's get back to basics here.. seriously.