There is nothing wrong with instant gratification

[Supersomething]

Running an instance 60 times is not about instant gratification, its just terrible design that is not fun.

This is something that I think most will agree on, but again the end game was unfortunately not fleshed out which is becoming the trend of late for most MMO developers. At this point it becomes a decision for the individual as to whether or not they want to stick it out and wait for additional content to be added in the next patch, or leave the game and come back at a later time. However things like adding more content immediately after the game has been released is not feasible unless you're EA selling release day DLC for a nominal fee haha. Believe me I am right there with you on not enjoying the umpteenth time of running CM for my Darklight gear, but when I get to that point I just work on something else heh.

[MomoOG]

Running an instance 60 times is not about instant gratification, its just terrible design that is not fun.

Bad design has nothing to do with instant gratification vs working for something.

[Kosmos992k]

Running an instance 60 times is not about instant gratification, its just terrible design that is not fun.

No, you're wrong there. Every game, when you hit the level cap has a more limited selection of content for you to play at that level that produces the items needed to obtain the ultimate weapon/armor/whatever. It's can't really be any other way, if you give more cap level quests that drop the rewards, obtaining the ultimate becomes to easy, if you have content at that level that doesn't drop what is needed, no one will run it (though they will bitch to high heaven about it) - which is why so many people who share your point of view are running CM day in, day out.

Of course all those capped players out there could be running lower level content for fun with their friends or folks they meet in the game, they could be trying other classes or different gear or builds. They could be crafting or gathering or just wandering around helping people at random. You know, doing the stuff that an MMORPG is here for.

Folks that hit level cap and grind a single dungeon because that's all they see as being worth doing are not playing a MMORPG, that style of play treats FFXIV as a single player game with random, anonymous online matching. If that is what you want, then another kind of game may be for you, because that's not what MMORPGs and in particular FFXIV are about.

[Blimbeard]

That's a very idealistic viewpoint. It's not feasible for a developer to be able to release an MMO at launch with perfect balance (which is of course largely subjective),enough content to satisfy the ever more voracious locust type players and have no timesinks, nor to have enough spare resource to be able to instantly hotfix all issues, while still remaining profitable.

Not unless you the player are willing to accept a very large increase in subscription cost of course.

I'm not saying there's no room to improve or raise the bar on launch standards, but to expect what you're asking for is not very realistic. Even the most altruistic customer focused game developers need to make a profit, their employees have bills to pay like the rest of us.

[killergerms]

It should not be easy to get Full darklight gear or any gear at 50, yes running 60 dungeons sucks but itll make you stand out more to those who don't feel like doing any.

[FAVisceglia]

Fun is subjective. Personally? I have fun working hard for something and then being rewarded. This doesn't mean the game doesn't need changes, but those will come–some may even be coming in the next hotfix.

MMOs are dynamic and evolving constantly. If you're not willing to wait and see, as you are so quick to dismiss, then MMOs are, perhaps, not for you.

[Azazela]

The ultimate goal can be as faraway as 6 month, but the process of getting there needs to be rewarding. Otherwise your MMO fails at its core.

[Daragust]

The ultimate goal can be as faraway as 6 month, but the process of getting there needs to be rewarding. Otherwise your MMO fails at its core.

Then by your logic, 60 runs is fine because you are gaining gear as you go. If it were the case that runs 1 - 59 saw no improvement in your character, I could understand the complaint. But lets be honest, by your fourth run you can already replace a piece of jewelry.

[killergerms]

Also this game just came out, wait till 2.1

[Iskander]

1. all MMOs are time sinks. This is an undeniable fact. An MMO has no ending (until they turn the game off) so the content is meant to be a time sink that players invest their time into.

The fact that people want to rush to 50 is not the fault of the company, but the player. If content is meant to last until next patch, and players want to zerg through it in half the time, then that's there fault and they will have to wait for the next patch like everyone else while grinding endgame stuff. SE said content would be released every 3 months. Not their fault you wanted to blitz through it in 1.5 months. Have fun with your endgame.

2. The main "sin" is the entitlement of players that think that the company needs to run on the player's schedule. This couldn't be further from the truth, and it irritates elitists and those with entitlement issues. "I cleared the content already, I shouldn't have to be left grinding until there's more content. Give me more."

3. Grinding is a part of every single MMO ever in existence. There has never been endgame where they say "here, enjoy getting into the hardest content right off the bat." NO. You have to grind through easier content to make yourself useful in harder content so you don't get thrown around like a ragdoll and hurt your team.

4. The summary of OP's "instant gratification":