FFXIV does not need to be like FFXI

[Luvbunny]

Just one question : If you remove all content created after Abyssea...what would you really do in the game ?
If you're such a hardcore fan of FFXI that Abyssea totally ruined the game for you, you probably already cleared everything worth doing.

Abyssea did wonder for FFXI, it obliterate all those hardcore HNM LS and completely destroy their monopoly on dynamis and endgame activities. That expansion brought "theme park" mode to FFXI, where you can log in, play ASAP, customize your play style and stats, and try ALL jobs and have fun trying to kill NM with jobs that are not considered "HOT FLAVOR OF THE MONTH".

The biggest drawback with abyssea, because it is so accessible, you have to deal with a truckload of newbies all in level 99 via speed leveling and have no clue on playing their jobs. And everyone rushed to level HOT Flavor of the month jobs without spending any time understanding how to play it. Madness ensued and everyone bitching about all these level 99 beast master farming dynamis lol.

Seekers of Adoulin had a rough launch since it was suppose to "reset" the game with i-level system progression similar to FF14, hardcore revolted when their RME weapons got "nerfed". But Seekers now has become a very nice expansion - you can blame player base for wanting to optimize everything and kill other jobs that they deem not optimal. In any case, I still like FF14 better, so much faster pace, so easily accessible and convenient, and way way better. Bring on the theme park, log and play, it's a game, it should never be a job that require "Dedication".

[Reynhart]

Abyssea did wonder for FFXI, [...]Seekers of Adoulin had a rough launch since it was suppose to "reset" the game with i-level system progression similar to FF14, hardcore revolted when their RME weapons got "nerfed". But Seekers now has become a very nice expansion

I really enjoyed Abyssea, precisely because it made the game less tedious to play. After so many years, it felt refreshing to not "fear" every new critter you met.
I've played Adoulin, but only a little. Some ideas were really interesting, but at that point, I really wanted something...new.

Geeze luvbunny, when are you going to learn that there are different kinds of games. You never liked ffxi just like I never liked ffxiv that much, you have your likes and other people have theres. Stop being such an idiot.

FFXI and FFXIV are two really different games, yes. But there's nothing to justify FFXI to be so slow paced. I went back too, thinking I'd finally level up my Rune Fencer, because I really liked the job for the little time I played Adoulin. Then I started to fight...8 seconds between each swing o_O
And as a RUN, it's not like you really have much to do between those swings, since all your spells and skills are basically buffs you cast before the fight. So you wait...between each hit...and every minute, you launch a weapon skill.
You can argue that the game offers great strategy and great challenges, and I'd even agree with you on all of that, but waiting is just...boring.

[Souljacker]

FFXI and FFXIV are two really different games, yes. But there's nothing to justify FFXI to be so slow paced. I went back too, thinking I'd finally level up my Rune Fencer, because I really liked the job for the little time I played Adoulin. Then I started to fight...8 seconds between each swing o_O

XIV is incredibly slow as well. 2.5 second GCD makes those of us who have played other games cringe.

Still, I was an XI player for the better part of a decade and I miss a lot of things from it. The complexity and attention to detail is one. I've been leveling bard and while I've resigned myself to the fact that there are only three songs (building an entire class around three songs is insane), the other day I was filtered into a haukke manor and thought "why aren't there different kinds of arrows?" I mean, it's a no brainer, right? We had all kinds of arrows in XI that did different things. Weapons had latent effects, not add effects and it wasn't clear what triggered the latent. We had to figure that out ourselves. XIV is a lot more accessible, but wow I do miss some of that old style JP complexity.