I like how there's this idea that sideways progression is what kept FFXI alive for so long. What kept FFXI alive for so long was the fact that there was vertical progression but the increases were in extremely small steps and there was a HUGE time-sink between those steps. Then abyssea came out and got rid of all that and added way quicker vertical progression and the majority of players loved it. Now with Seekers of Adoulin they're trying to bring back some of that old, hardcore players onry, mentality and they lost a LOT of players because of it and had to turn back around and make things easier.