Quote Originally Posted by Burn View Post
I honestly expected a game where it learned from XI's mistakes and improved upon concepts that worked in XI while keeping it a unique experience.
That sums up exactly how I feel.

I found out about this game a few months before it went into beta testing. When I got the email saying I'd been accepted into closed beta, I literally squealed with excitement and joy. That feeling followed me into beta.

When I got logged into the game, that feeling quickly turned into shock and disappointment.

The graphics were all forced onto high settings, so my computer could barely handle playing it. The mouse was set up like FFXI's and made your character go spinning out of control, so I could barely control my character. When I tried to fight in combat, it was slow and buggy. When I tried to craft, I broke every synth. My frustration greatly outweighed my enjoyment. It just wasn't fun. I filled the beta forums with feedback, and spent more time there than in the game because I just couldn't bring myself to play.

All of us beta testers thought there was going to be the miracle patch before the end of beta. That they were quietly listening to our issues, and we'd see them hit all at once right before the end of testing. That never happened. So then, in the period between the end of testing and release, we thought they must be implementing the fixes. I mean, it just was not believable that a major company like SE would release their next Final Fantasy MMO, their magnum opus, in the condition it was in. Because it wasn't ready. I personally expected that the release version would be different, so I kept my CE on pre-order.

Needless to say, it wasn't that different. In fact, we almost didn't get a hardware mouse. It made it into the game at the last minute.

Despite me being upfront about the problems facing the game, my friends flocked to FFXIV and we all made a linkshell together. Within weeks, people were leaving.

There have been changes, yes. Additional graphics options so I can keep everything on low settings, I can control my character properly since the mouse actually works now (though it could still use some work), lag issues have been improved. But to be honest, the game still isn't even on par with FFXI. I expected that SE would have taken the 8 years of experience they had running that MMO and apply it to FFXIV. I'm not saying I want or expect FFXI-2. Certainly not. I want something different. Eorzea is a different world with different lore that I've grown fond of. I like that both solo and party play is supported. I expected a next-generation MMO, with pick-up-and-play quality, that felt finished. I expected they would have learned from FFXI's mistakes, and improved upon what worked, to give us a unique experience. I expected that SE would actually be listening to their players, for once. I expected a game that felt like it came from a seasoned developer, that felt modern, not like an archaic throwback.

I expected... better.

I stick around because I know there is incredible potential. But I don't think I've ever been so heartbroken by an MMO experience. I was really let down.