FFXI was my first MMO so everything it threw at me was "the norm". I stopped playing after about 4 years and played WoW. There were many things in WoW that were much more accessible and less time consuming that made me look back at FFXI and wonder "why the hell did I spend so much time trying to accomplish certain things in this game when it took a fraction of a time in WoW?"

My nostalgic feelings come from the times where I was hanging out with the community in the game. I don't miss taking several months to max out only one job or losing xp upon death or many of the other features that just made the game feel inconvenient and play at a snail's pace.

Some people only know FFXI (or X game) so they're going to be resistant to change when certain features aren't present in a new game. This is where it's all opinion and nostalgia has nothing to do with anything. They may like several features from FFXI and not to see them in FFXIV doesn't feel right for them. On the same note, they also have to understand that the developer's creed for this game is significantly different than that of FFXI, so they have to make the decision as to whether or not they can adapt to this game's playstyle or if they should move on.