Is it possible to keep the Hardcore appeased?

[Tooth]

FFXIV is unfortunately, a very casual game, and nothing will ever change that.

[zakalw3]

FFXIV is unfortunately, a very casual game, and nothing will ever change that.

Without bashing player's personal preferences...

Why is this a bad thing?

How could the game cater better for Hardcore players?

How did previous games you've played do this better?

[killergerms]

You'll have to wait till more content comes out for it to even appeal to hardcore gamers, finishing turn 1-4 within 40 minutes doesn't seem that would appease them. Also this game just came out. I for one am excited for the new content.

[Buckles]

I think you can appease hardcore players -- but I do not think you can appease hardcore players who have a narrow scope of what they want from a game (if they even know what they want from a game). The latter is the type of player who comes to the forums complaining about this or that or them.

I think any hardcore player ('hardcore' in the truest sense) will always find new goals to set themselves within the game, or are hardcore because they enjoy the game and are not easily dissuaded from it as the 'other' type of hardcore players are. Clearing every dungeon and amassing an armory of all the best equipment (to me) does not mean that person is hardcore -- this type of player generally does not enjoy the process that went behind the acquisition of the gear and will eventually quit to do the same in the next MMO release.

True hardcore players are the people online six, twelve, eighteen months later still tearing the content a new one and contributing positively to the community.

[GuardianAngel]

I think it depends somewhat on whether hardcore is measured in hours played, or a specific need to be on the bleeding edge for progression/gear/etc.

For the latter, I don't think this game is really focused (or if it is, it's not really succeeding) at providing a significant challenge hardcore players. If you're singularly focused on getting gear and progressing, the content is definitely lacking at the moment. I think even most "mid core" players could have cleared it all by now if they dedicated themselves to it.

However, in terms of hours and "general stuff to do", I think the game is in a good place for launch. It has some flaws, but has kept my attention easily playing 5-7 hours per day with my significant other after work as our main hobby, and only now after a month are we generally looking into "real" end game progression. The rest has gone into alts (for cross class skills), crafting, gathering, and helping to gear up FCmates as they reach 50.

[Terius]

Very hard to keep making content for people who play 10+ hours a day.

[OmegaBlack]

I think arr/YoshiP is looking at it right.All new content is going to be hard or harder for hardcore ppl to get new set of gear or weapons then,then later on use the echo system to let midcore/casual player take part it in.

I for one love hardcore gamer they give me a chance to see ingame gear and say "oh dam that item looks sweet" give me something to to work toward.But i dont like the fact that when there done some off them cry out for more content and the hasnt even been out for a year.

I remember ffxi my first 75 took me just about a year.What ever happen to those good times in gaming/mmo, i know the casaul player wanting to be like th hardcore with less effort they should make most new age mmos like it was in the 1st 5 years in FFXI,letting players earn there way to the top.(At least by then they would know how to play the job).

Oh that note play the game the way u like,dont jump on the hype train for new content let Yoshi and crew put out great content.

[ogopogo]

What is there to appease? Hardcore player will extract what they want from the game content and be "done" with it once they felt they've experienced everything the game has to offer and moves on. Part of the appeal for the play style is to experience as much content in as efficient a way as possible allowing you to get the most, by their definition, out of each game. And if the developer happen to create content that might interest them again, they'll come back and rush through those in the same manner as well. I guess from the company's perspective, this is not what they want to happen because these player won't be paying monthly fee in a consistent manner which pretty much has nothing to do with the players. Let the companies running the games find their own way to solve their problems I say and perhaps one day we'll see MMOs that are designed to get around it, which, judging from its content, FFXIV isn't designed to do.

[LloydShade]

MMO = Massively Multiplayer Online game.

By definition, it's meant for the masses. You play 10 hours a day? The mass doesn't, you're screwed. Complain as much as you want, you're still screwed. Try to gather people like you to make you point appear more appreciated? Won't work, you're part of a very small minority. Whatever you try, your playstyle is screwed. Change it and have fun, move along and do something else or be forever displeased with upcoming games.

No sane person will ever develop a MMO for players who play 10 hours a day for 3 years. Every unique dungeon which could be completed in an hour takes months to build. So let say 10 unique dungeons a day = about a year a work (assuming there is few elements reused). A year of developer work for a day in the life of a no-life rusher.

So 10 hours par day for 3 years, there are 365 days a year, so 1095 days in 3 years. Therefore, it would take like 1095 years to build a MMO to satisfy a no-life rusher for 3 years.

[DuferBloodmoon]

I feel as though there isn't that much content end game and that it is a treadmill. I do think that if pvp were in the game, it would greatly side track a lot of us burning through the content. My average day (If I log in outside of a raid day) is to get on and farm and then hope that the items I farm will even sell, since everybody undercuts by huge amounts I really don't ever sell. Then I'll grind my AK's for myth, then use the philo to gear my second lvl 50. But pretty much it's a waiting game for me at this point for resets.