[devs?]

[_C-a-e-r-i-t-h_]

Hello. So good to see you.

I have a ton of questions for you. I've always had a ton of questions. I guess you're kinda busy, so I'll just ask this one question, and if you answer it I'll shut up for a while. Like, six months or so. But only if you answer it. Or ban me, but that would be unpleasant for us both.

Here's the question:

What is going on here?

Seriously. I've been following the dev posts and Letters from the Producer(s) and I see that Yoshida has made a really nifty table of things that he updates from time to time, but for all the information in it it doesn't really answer the really big question:

• Do you have a vision you are working towards?
  • If so, what is that vision?
• Or are you keeping the fundamental game the same but just adding features?

I know I'm not the first to ask. There's more than one thread asking what the "master plan" is. It's been asked lots, but never answered. Never even addressed.

So I ask again:

What is going on here?

Give us an idea what the final state of this game is going to be. What it will look like, what it will play like. You could do a demo video if you want, four minutes of mocked-up gameplay with commentary to give us enough information to go off of. Storyboards, sketches, whatever.

Or you could put together a "FFXIV Rebirth FAQ" addressing those little details like:

• Are the zones going to be remapped?
• How many distinct zones will there be?
• Will races be differentiated in any way?
• How exactly will the battle system play out? Maybe walk us through a boss fight, showing how abilities are used etc so we can see how it differs from what we have now.
• How will crafting and gathering play?
• Are you getting rid of surplus/fatigue?
• Are you going to get rid of durability?
• What do you foresee as "a day in the life" of a typical player in Eorzea? How does an adventurer spend their time? What do crafters and gatherers do with their time?
• How will players buy and sell (and deliver and store) items?
• How will people get around?

And probably a handful of other questions. I mean, like, big questions about gameplay and stuff. Probably billions of little questions about specifics like where you can find herbs and spices, but I mean the big visionary ones that people actually care about.

A lot of people are disgruntled. You know that. A lot of people are "waiting for the game to be good." But mostly we're waiting for something but we don't know what it is we are waiting for. So tell us what we're waiting for. That's what I want to know.

What's going on?

[Alaltus]

+1.

Though it was already said fatigue was going in a interview with yoshida sometime ago

[Kallera]

I don't think you have actually read the Dev posts and letters, because that have actually gone and explained this, and that they will start subs when they have a solid direction for the game. You aren't stating anything that hasn't been said before. They can't show it because it's not concrete yet.

[_C-a-e-r-i-t-h_]

I don't think you have actually read the Dev posts and letters, because that have actually gone and explained this, and that they will start subs when they have a solid direction for the game. You aren't stating anything that hasn't been said before. They can't show it because it's not concrete yet.

See, that's what I am asking. The notice stated:

... we have decided to extend the free trial period until we can provide a plan that outlines a level of enjoyment that will satisfy both us and our customers. When we are confident that we have reached that goal, we will notify our customers immediately.

The initial reading is that they'll start charging when they have a plan, an outline, of what they're going to do. The second part though, about "reaching that goal," suggests an alternative reading: that the free trial period will be extended until the game actually reaches a satisfactory state. Plus, it wouldn't make sense to start charging people until changes were actually implemented; merely having a plan is not enough. So that's why I interpret it differently than you.

But they haven't shown anything. You're right. I assumed they hadn't shown us because they were only showing us the little, immediate changes. But if you're right that in the year since there's been a problem, the nine months since the game officially launched, or the six months since they acknowledged that there's a problem, S-E hasn't even come up with a plan for this game, well... consider me disappointed.

[quantumsaint]

I wish they would finish the original storyline at least. I don't know about you guys, but I haven't really been motivated to level, because I know once you get to 46, that's all the story there is.

[AeraLucis]

I think if the devs could confidently answer most of those quetions, they would. But at this point I think nothing is written in stone for them and it would be more detrimental if they stated things would turn out one way and instead it ends up another. The Devs are being very careful with what information they release, and covering their tails with big red "content under development" disclaimer when they do give out something ufinished. Its probably best to wait until they can safely say what we can expect instead of getting hyped up on unfinished additions that may not even make the cut.