This game is play to win.

[Oscillate_Wildly]

I think the problem with the differing opinion is that not all of us in the community have played the same multiplayer online games. Not just RPG's, but other games like shooters and...Whatever LoL is. There are all these opinions on what a cashshop is, what it ought to be, and what it meant for the future of games long since past. Many feel it's a slipperly slope. I'm not sure I feel that, just yet at least.

I don't feel threatened by it, but it does annoy me to some extent. We know the reasoning behind it (server loads) and that's alright. However as far as the excuse of 'server loads', Yoshida in interviews and live letters uses this reason as one big excuse for everything. I have to wonder if this game is steady enough to carry on as is if things are really that bad. Are the extra 2~ dollars per month per retainer and extra character actually alleviating some of the costs? Or could more money go into fixing the server's structures as a long term investment.

FFXI had similar add on ventures such as the Robe for purchasing real life items (a necklace I think?) which was a one time purchase. If they raised the price per retainer purchased, permanently, it would fix an issue where a person might not have the money that month and need to let the retainer slide. Items would be locked out, and who knows. Maybe the extra retainer just isn't worth it. Who knows, perhaps the persistent fee will be abolished down the road, and subscribers will be awarded for it.

But as an aside, I guess many of us will need to just look at what we're saving and store what we can in the patch (seasonal event items) to our armoire and sell/destroy what we don't really need. Hoarding is an issue, let's just be real on that. (I don't /really/ need all these bat wings, but what if!)


edit: On the subject of Ventures. From what I've seen in previews, you send your retainer out for an hour and they can come back with maybe like FIVE of an item. I don't think that's really an advantage. In one hour I could get like, 2 stacks of animal skins, where my retainer in an hour could get 5 (I think animal skin was the example from a pull down list in the video.)

Also retainer ventures cost GC seals, 1000 for 5? Five hours for 1000 seals, could get you 25+ of an item. This is good for people who need to go to work who might need just a little more of a thing but don't have the time to go out themselves and don't want to buy it. Its just a little thing. I don't think this will become a huge deal.