Hardcore MMORPG's would be a massive failure if it was released in today's MMORPG era

[Morticous]

True, however in this case they're in the minority and yet want the majority to do thing's that they don't enjoy instead of finding a different outlet that better matches their taste.

speaking for myself. I dont want you to do things you dont enjoy. I want a FF MMO, not a wow clone and if you dont like it then im totally fine with you leaving. Unfortunately SE has taken a sharp turn from what they used to be and therefore im unhappy with it.

You don't go to Harley Davidson and get pissed off when they don't sell crotch rockets (or at least you shouldn't because that would be stupid).. but a hardcore Harley Davidson fan would probably be pretty pissed if their favorite brand started making only crotch rockets and no more of the loud growling hogs they love and expect from HD.

[raelgun]

hmm, you havent defined what your take on 3-4 months actually is yet, in most hardcore games, it takes a long time to get to the start point of end game so to speak (i.e enough raid worthy gear), and its designed to, as opposed to just getting full BIS in that time, getting just to the point you NEED to clear and progress in the content is always has variation, but wont take 3-4 months to reach that.
CLEARING the content and getting full BIS is another matter, you dont NEED to be in full BIS to do current content, this is just peoples greed talking.

[Orophin]

So, you basically just said "It would take a long time to do things so most people would quit". What evidence do you have to back that up? How do you know that so called hardcore players are all but gone?

I think that game Pantheon that failed to get enough Kickstarter funds was a pretty good indicator. Sounds like they still plan to make the game regardless, but people tend to put their money where their mouth is.

Of course they may be other factors at work here such as who the driving force behind it is, (Brad McQuaid) but it still fell well short of its goal either way.

Basically, a game needs to be designed with this playstyle in mind and be able to sustain itself with a smaller player base. I just don't think you're going to attract hundreds of thousands of people with an old school style MMO anymore.

[Taruranto]

Yeah OP, as opposed to the theme parks MMORPG that lasted for years, like WoW... and... and... oh.

[Chihaya]

To OP:
Please combine all your critique/suggestions/trolling/dead horse beating threads into 1 to reduce the amount of /facepalming.

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...y-s-MMORPG-era
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...rdcore-players
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...-the-Developer
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...he-game-matter.
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...s-of-Promathia

This is just like on the first few pages of the forums right now.

[Noxifer]

exactly man.. If they want all these crap MMORPGs to exist.. Those games need a new genre name.. Like MMO15minRPGs or something.

Or MMOPG... Massive Multiplayer Online Power Gaming Cos it's all about who has the shiniest toys, not about experiencing the game/world.

[Amberion]

Or MMOPG... Massive Multiplayer Online Power Gaming Cos it's all about who has the shiniest toys, not about experiencing the game/world.

Then I would even go as far ass remove the MMO from that. Any game that has its main focus on instances can't be called a MMO.

MMO = A lot of players.
Instance = Few players playing Co-OP.

[Sheer]

I don't understand these generalizations... Why can't the developers decide who they want to appeal to? Don't indie games exist because they fit in a particular niche? They don't have to appeal to everyone (nearly every game design document I've read even has a "target audience" under it) - they can appeal to the casuals, the hardcore, or both if they so choose. Technically speaking, they don't have to appeal to anyone. Not a great financial investment, but it's their choice; they're the developers.

I think the issue is that there's variety. Back in, say, 2005, there were a lot less options for popular MMOs than there are today. I mean, a couple that I could name from back then are FFXI, RuneScape, Guild Wars (just released in 2005), and WoW. Ask me to list MMOs from 2013, and I can say RIFT, WoW, FFXIV: ARR, Guild Wars 2, Neverwinter, Vindictus, The Secret World, SW:tOR, EVE Online, Tera, RuneScape, and a ton more... Point is, the MMO community isn't just condensed to a few options; there's a bunch of games for us to choose from and enjoy. This should be celebrated! But instead all I happen to see on all the forums for these games is "this game is dead", "this design will never work", "everyone's dumb but me", and so on.

My point is, find the MMO you enjoy and enjoy it. It's critical to provide feedback, but it doesn't help anyone to run around claiming the game will be a ghost town in a month. Stop being so hostile to your fellow players and enjoy the game. A strong community has the power to carry any MMO, no matter how "bad" it is. So kick back, relax, and smile. If you wanted to stress out, I'm confident you know of many better ways than videogames to accomplish just that.

[Derceto]

Yeah OP, as opposed to the theme parks MMORPG that lasted for years, like WoW... and... and... oh.

lol Indeed. If this statement doesn't say it all.... I don't know what can. Let WoW be WoW, and let anything else stand on it's own. Why all these mmo's continue to burn in the trailblaze of WoW is beyond me. I think it's been proven time and time again that it just doesn't work.

Make character. Kill x of y for so many levels. At level cap grind reputation/raids/dungeons for items or tokens. Dress character with rewards until new update comes out which makes everything you've done redundant.

Sound familiar to most? Guessing so. Likely got lots of "been there, done that" thoughts as people left mmo's over the years.

[Fendred]

Well, the problem is that there really isn't as much variety as you suggest, Sheer. Most of those games follow the same predictable pattern that other MMOs follow because they play too much like one another. When almost everyone has played World of Warcraft for a time, it doesn't make sense to create a competing title that plays very similarly to it, but that is exactly what a lot of developers have done. SWTOR going free to play is partly to blame for that in addition to lack of end game content.

I think the real issue holding FFXIV back is the lack of replayability at end game. The thing that is supposed to hold our interest at end game is... replaying the same highly difficult boss encounters over and over again until we eventually snap. It fails to be an interesting or engaging experience, and we're expected to be satisfied with that content for months at a time before they come out with the next one. Think about it: If it wasn't for some of the ties you had in the community, would you even stay to keep doing this stuff?