FFXIV has lost it's magic

[Babydoll]

Best post, all my thoughts in one single post. It's baffling MMO dev's have not learned from a decade of constant failures that the WOW model DOES NOT WORK AND IS NOT SUSTAINABLE.

Agree with the OP, I miss MMO's feeling like SAO/Log Horizon, actual scary living worlds with danger around every corner. Right now they feel like a facebook game with a gear grind and fun bosses, yay.

This! This is exactly my thoughts on the game atm >.<

Also...I'll never understand why companies think copying something instead of being innovative is a good idea. It doesn't work that way! Being successfully innovative is the key to a successful MMO...

[SynMaris]

This! This is exactly my thoughts on the game atm >.<

Also...I'll never understand why companies think copying something instead of being innovative is a good idea. It doesn't work that way! Being successfully innovative is the key to a successful MMO...

FFXIV 1.0 would like a word with you.

[Smush]

Best post, all my thoughts in one single post. It's baffling MMO dev's have not learned from a decade of constant failures that the WOW model DOES NOT WORK AND IS NOT SUSTAINABLE.

Agree with the OP, I miss MMO's feeling like SAO/Log Horizon, actual scary living worlds with danger around every corner. Right now they feel like a facebook game with a gear grind and fun bosses, yay.

100% agree

[Keyblade]

100% agree

Unfortunately your wrong in saying the WOW model doesnt work.
Wow still has over 9 million subs and its still going strong. Where as FFXIV had 1.2 mill purchase and only just abit over 500k still playing.
Its not the WOW model failure . Its the end game fail of, hey lets grind fates to 50 then have no idea how to play my class. .3 seconds delay . Yup devs wont fix this. Oh you want variety in dungeons , nahh we will just give you WP/AK and that it. The worst part is oh you wana spend hours on your character . Thats cool . But at the end of the day you look like everyone else. ...THIS GAME IS TRASH END OF STORY.

[Raminax]

Funny, I recall WoW's subscription peak being in Wrath of the Lich King, where every dungeon became facerollable and raids were PUG'd to high heavens. Cataclysm makes Heroics require half a brain and suddenly raids are very difficult to PUG. Hello subscriptions bleeding out.

Also, the reason I like to use and has experienced with WoW clones usually: They are all worse than WoW. They never attempted to mix up the formula. The aesthetics are the same. The gameplay is the same. Heck, sometimes the terminology is blatantly ripped off. Yet they all end up playing worse. So, why would people give a WoW clone a chance when it has proven to somehow end up being worse despite copy-pasting a winning formula? There's hardly any sense in doing so.

As for WoW steadily losing millions of players, I attribute that to there being far more high-profile MMOs available nowadays compared to back during the Classic Era. You had, like, what, Final Fantasy XI, World of Warcraft or Everquest to choose from? Now we have stuff like Guild Wars 2, Aion, TERA, EVE, WoW, FF XIV, Star Wars and things like Everquest Next and WildStar in the making. And those are just MMORPGs. There's all kind of silly MMOs of all types of games such as LoL and World of Tanks too. I think it's quite obvious that people have spread out now that they have a genuine choice to make instead of being forced into Grindfest 1.86 because there's no alternatives.

[Lord_Zlatan]

The WoW model works? Really? look at the mmo market currently.


Why has every single WoW clone failed hardcore or been forced to go f2p?

Why is this forums complaints mirroring all those games who went f2p currently?

Name 1 mmo that has not last more then 70% of subs in the first 2yrs in p2p since people adapted the WoW. (for this game to match XI it can only lose ~5% of its subs from its peak a year)

The WoW model has been proven to be a failure in the market. WoW is the only one out of about 20-30 mmos that have made it work. Think of all the BIG AAA mmos that have crashed and burned. Even now WoW is starting to bleed absurd amounts of subs. The more casual that game gets the more people it loses.

Copying WoW only works for a quick buck... the entire model is not sustainable. MMO MUST HAVE LONGEVITY. Casual content is by design short lived.

If people do not have enough time... those people need to expect to get left behind. THAT IS HOW IT SHOULD BE. Ultra casuals and casuals need to stop wanting handouts, it is ruining/has ruined the genre for the rest of us.

I somewhat agree here.
As someone that has been through every type of gaming stye (Played FFXI and LOTRO hardcore; played Diablo/playing PoE casual, and playing FFXIV in-between the 2 styles) I feel like there needs to be a reward for everyone. Not a reward that everyone can obtain, but rather scaled rewards that certain types of people can obtain. In FFXI, even though i played hardcore, there was certain things that I could not and would not ever obtain simply because I was not dedicated enough to get it. That is OK with me. I had reasonable expectations. I joined the game late, and never expected to get a Burtgang or Excalibur.

In LOTRO, the game was much more accessible to the casual player (less than FFXIV) but there were still things i knew I wouldn't get simply because of level of dedication.

FFXIV doesn't have that. That is what I think is missing from the game to be honest. Everything is streamlined and optimized for everyone to have a legitimate chance at obtaining what they want. I know for sure that I can get everything I want to get in this game without exception. Why? because it is all streamlined... want full allagan? sure it will take you a while, but you can get it NP by just getting drops. Want all your mythic, relic +1? just takes time... not real dedication to hunting, epic long quests, etc etc.

Don't get me wrong I LOVE THIS GAME. I love it because I am someone that can't be the hardcore MMOer that I once was but I can still achieve all the content in the game for the most part. But at the same time, there are things missing (in terms of incentive) for the hardcore community, things that will truly distinguish members of the community from one another.

Not to go off on a serious tangent, but a great way to implement this would be to re-introduce Notorious Monsters (not fate based) that are force pops with rare drops. Another would be specific challenges that Hardcore players can do Solo... SOMETHING different from the FATE/DUNGEON/RAID scene that other games seam to implement. FFXIV needs some more diversity for the hardcore and casual, but still allow members of the community to distinguish themselves.

[Tazo]

I somewhat agree here.
As someone that has been through every type of gaming stye (Played FFXI and LOTRO hardcore; played Diablo/playing PoE casual, and playing FFXIV in-between the 2 styles) I feel like there needs to be a reward for everyone. Not a reward that everyone can obtain, but rather scaled rewards that certain types of people can obtain. In FFXI, even though i played hardcore, there was certain things that I could not and would not ever obtain simply because I was not dedicated enough to get it. That is OK with me. I had reasonable expectations. I joined the game late, and never expected to get a Burtgang or Excalibur.

In LOTRO, the game was much more accessible to the casual player (less than FFXIV) but there were still things i knew I wouldn't get simply because of level of dedication.

FFXIV doesn't have that. That is what I think is missing from the game to be honest. Everything is streamlined and optimized for everyone to have a legitimate chance at obtaining what they want. I know for sure that I can get everything I want to get in this game without exception. Why? because it is all streamlined... want full allagan? sure it will take you a while, but you can get it NP by just getting drops. Want all your mythic, relic +1? just takes time... not real dedication to hunting, epic long quests, etc etc.

Don't get me wrong I LOVE THIS GAME. I love it because I am someone that can't be the hardcore MMOer that I once was but I can still achieve all the content in the game for the most part. But at the same time, there are things missing (in terms of incentive) for the hardcore community, things that will truly distinguish members of the community from one another.

Not to go off on a serious tangent, but a great way to implement this would be to re-introduce Notorious Monsters (not fate based) that are force pops with rare drops. Another would be specific challenges that Hardcore players can do Solo... SOMETHING different from the FATE/DUNGEON/RAID scene that other games seam to implement. FFXIV needs some more diversity for the hardcore and casual, but still allow members of the community to distinguish themselves.

This will never happen because the over casuals who don't share your point of view(which is most of them) will complain that they can't get these epic gearz by logging in for a few hours a week.

[Doo]

This will never happen because the over casuals who don't share your point of view(which is most of them) will complain that they can't get these epic gearz by logging in for a few hours a week.

Hence why RMT is such huge business. Players want gear quick but don't have the time or patience to obtain it.

[Lord_Zlatan]

This will never happen because the over casuals who don't share your point of view(which is most of them) will complain that they can't get these epic gearz by logging in for a few hours a week.

Its all about expectations though. That is a different story all together. In most MMOs my expectation is to complete the high end dungeons and be competitive in PvP. If that is through epic loot or skill, depends on the game. In some games, that is not accessible to all. Having access to content for all is something i am in favor of. Being able to clear it and obtain its reward is something I feel should be reserved to those that deserve it.

But again, most people don't share that PoV.

[Maxthunder]

OP I agree with you and I have said the open world needs more meaning than fates as well as challenge and threat. For some reason players think you want XI when you say that but thats not what it means. Currently the open world is a care bears dream. It has no importance and this needs to change. Mobs should threaten you and they should kill you, it should not be easy street because in the end players will sooner or later get bored and leave.