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

[alexhatesmil]

this game in it's current state compared to original release is like seeing a movie trailer for a new massive stephen king horror movie. you get so excited to see the movie and preorder your tickets. you go and watch the movie and you enjoy it very much. you enjoy it so much you cannot wait to get your hands on it to add to your movie collection when it releases. you pre-order the movie because you enjoyed it so much and couldn't wait to get your hands on it.

the movie comes out and you go pick it up soon as the store opens, get it home, put it in the dvd player, turn it on, and find out the horror movie has become a comedy. sure you may like parts of the comedy, but you wanted what you went to see at the theater and couldn't wait to get your hands on when it released. then you look around and realize all movies that are being released are comedies and they have completely quit making horror movies completely. you ask what happened to the horror movie you went to see at the theater and you had ordered to get on release day and you are told "well if you don't like comedies you can always go find something else even though they are only making comedies now"

Not really. Let's rework your movie analogy to make it a bit more applicable to FFXIV.

A horror movie flops at the box office. In order to recoup their expenses, the producers decide to recut the movie as a comedy and rerelease it in theaters. They are entirely forthcoming with this information, and all of the new promotional materials brand the recut as a comedy. Everybody in the world should now know that the new version is a comedy.

You loved the original, so you go see the new version. Then you walk out and say, "WHAT?! IT'S A COMEDY NOW?!"

By the way, did I mention that because you bought a ticket to the original movie, the producers let you into the new one for free?