
Originally Posted by
Dannythm
Now we are talking. I'll admit that my use of the term "clones" is incorrect, but there is no way to deny that all these games were made based on the same concept, the one that Everquest presented and the one that WoW popularized. None of them tries to break the mold, that's why some people are calling "playing it safe" and "WoW clones", because the underlying gameplay is exactly the same, take or add a given gimmick. I had fun with some of those games, I didn't with others, but I know I enjoyed FFXI and WoW the most, and I'm sad to see how WoW after BC became well... a different game, still I enjoy it even know.
I'm not saying that using a concept that is proven is bad, or will result in bad games, and if you review my posts I've never judged 2.0 yet, I'm just saying I fear to find the same old stuff, even if it's good. What FFXIV in it's original conception attracted me was the new concepts, the new ideas trying to evolve the way mmorpgs are played and understood, insted now I'm getting the feeling that we are coming back to the Everquest formula with gimmicks, even if it's more polished and technically better, people would get bored of it fast. But it's a fear, not a judgement, I fear the game to turn it that way, not saying it is that way.
The quest based content points that way and but the ability to buy land and build your own house, or breed and raise chocobos can just be gimmicks, the same as Tera's combat.
We don't know yet how those ideas are implemented and how the new game version mechanics will work and what gameplay experience will deliver, maybe it's a game based on the same old mold but evolved enough to make it different, maybe it's a lot closer to 1.0 than what Square is showing, in fear for the bad press 1.0 received, or it may be just another mmo to get into the market and be forgotten in 6 months, with it's only achievement be that it failed twice. We still don't know and of course I will play ARR and then I will judge it, but until now I can only expect from the info Square has given me.
Edit: if I care so much it's because I don't want the game to disappoint me. It was bad enough with all the lacking content and broken game in general 1.0 delivered the first time. But I want XIV to remain different and good at that, not play the same "standard game" again.