Theres a thing called anima

[Charismatic]

Every possible change ever effects the game as a whole, but is it necessarily a negative impact? Well, I certainly don't think so.
People getting places faster doesn't suddenly make the game worse... or shouldn't if the game is well-designed. Unless of course you're on a specific quest where for some reason that is the point of the quest and all they'd need to do is restrict airship/anima usage while the quest is active. Simple.

[I personally don't believe there should even be those kinds of quests unless it's something like smuggling stuff on the airship (with there actually being some skill-based method of success) or a race or something like that. Something that requires focus/concentration/skill rather than just walking just to walk or riding an airship just to do it.]

[Rhomagus]

[I personally don't believe there should even be those kinds of quests unless it's something like smuggling stuff

I think they actually had that in XI. If you didn't use the airship or chocobo you'd fail either because you didn't get there in time or the item was "damaged" via warping or something.

If they want to create content that is based around utilizing the airship I'm fine with this. Forcing a ride/cutscene is pointless if there's nothing to do.

What in-game related feature/item do you wish you could use in the real world?
Yoshida: Definitely teleportation. Commuting to work is such a waste of time…

[Rhomagus]

4Gamer: What kind of game is “Final Fantasy” to you? I really wanted to make sure I asked you that.

Yoshida: That’s a tough question. (laughs) A lot of different people have worked on the Final Fantasy series and I think you’ll find as many “Final Fantasy”s as the people who made them. I think it means something different to each player out there too. For example, if you ask if somebody likes Final Fantasy, they often reply with the titles from the series they liked. And each of those answers will be different too. However, I think what everyone has in common is getting pulled into the world of Final Fantasy. Every new FF title brings a new way of looking at the world. I think that FFXIV will prove itself as part of the Final Fantasy series by the way we show people how they can enjoy their time in Eorzea.

Why we are getting these features implemented asap and as barebones versions later to be developed

4Gamer: Yet, it feels like FFXIV lacks some of the overall characteristics that make a game part of the Final Fantasy series. The names of spells certainly show their FF roots but we have yet to get chocobos or airships. I feel like it still needs things to make it feel like a Final Fantasy experience.

Yoshida: I think if you ask players about that, they’ll ask for Meteor, airships, things of the like. As for the chocobos, they are there but people want to be able to ride them. That gets us back to the discussion we had just a bit ago which asks, “What is the bare minimum that people expect when they begin to play this game?” I think the things people expect from an FF game have to be reflected in the game content. That’s why, in addition to the other tasks, we have to ask what’s most important to the players, which is precisely what our team is thinking about right now.

later on in the interview:

First, we have to get our ducks in a row. Then, once we have confidence, we can work things out from there, creating a timeline for things that will happen in each quarter of the year, and then beyond. However, we have to get ourselves into a position where we can make good on our promises first.

The following quote is from a more recent interview:

4Gamer: I see. One side may see it as making the game too easy but there are more who feel safe while playing because of it.

Yoshida: I think so. Down the line we’ll be releasing a PS3 version of FFXIV and that means a new generation of players including some who have never touched an MMORPG before. We’ve been working on UI improvements for the last six months but when the PS3 version is released, there are going to be a lot of things that are needed for those players as a matter of course. So even if there are current players who might object to it, I’ve always felt that we need to release whatever information we can. We want players to understand that we’ll continue to add new things, and given that, we’d like for them to make their own decisions on how to play the game, develop battle strategies, etc.

Bolded for emphasis. I'm confident that suggestions would be better heard if they kept this philosophy in mind. This is the current producer's design philosophy.

To add:

4Gamer: It doesn’t have to just be real friends. Sometimes people meet new friends online and choose to start playing a game together. I think there are a lot of people who continue to play with other people in these smaller communities.

Yoshida: That’s the way things are going. So we think about what kind of content we can make that doesn’t require strict role division and makes it easier to form parties while at the same time, creating content that makes a player think “hey, this weekend, let’s make a plan and take on the hardest thing we can with the group we have”. There are a lot of entertainment choices out there and given the busy lives of the current generation of players, it’s only natural that people would have different ways of playing whether it’s a weekend or a weekday.

Given the type of content we want to make, you come to the conclusion that it just isn’t probable to balance the game with groups of 15 people.

To continue:

Yoshida: So if you ask what makes FFXIV special, it’s that you can be by yourself, play in a small party, play in a big party, play any class, play differently on the weekends or weekdays, the community size, and the way parties are going that day…. It doesn’t matter because there is so much you can choose from. The job system will be added which just means you could also team up with your friends and enjoy playing as certain jobs. I think all of that is what will make FFXIV different.

Bold for emphasis.

Also from the Eorzeapedia interview:

Q. At the Ebisu event back in September we saw what looked like group crafting – where a group appeared to jointly craft a cake. What can you tell us about that?

A. Yoshida-san indicated that he wants to keep developing this system, but its priority is still to be decided. He went on to joke that he needs to address how the cake would be used before addressing how the cake was made.

Again bolded for emphasis, even though it's passed off as a joke, it's a legitimate premise of game design. If it has no use, then there's no need to implement it.

This is often where writers and editors butt heads. Sometimes there are whole chapters of books, whole concepts of characters, that have to be flushed away or adjusted and streamlined. This choice isn't always made for "money because it ruins things". It's often made because it doesn't fit within the overall theme of the peice or is a distraction. In some instances, while a lengthy description might seem superfluous at the time, it may be put into perspective when contrasting certain milestones of the adventure as a whole.

In game design the theme should be represented and expressed through the gameplay. Even "immersion" (which is different for everyone) revolves around gameplay. I'm okay with immersion, but not as a distraction to gameplay. This is my reasoning for why forcing a needless waiting mechanic on people that are trying to do something else is not good game design. Also keep in mind, I'm not asking for the abolishment of an airship cutscene/experience. I would love to see airship content, but they shouldn't sacrifice a player's time for aesthetics. If they are asking for a player's time, they need to offer something in return, preferably in the form of gameplay.

The only other excuse I see for using the timesink mechanic is as a tool for social engineering, a poor one at that. I could never agree with this and I believe it's at the core of the "immersionists" argument.

The following thread outlines possible content the developers could implement. It contains a risk/reward mechanic for all of the possible choices while still maintaining:

1.) An express travel option for some
2.) A relaxed experience for others
3.) And last but certainly not least, gameplay related content that fits within the story and adds to the immersion of any player who wants to experience said content.

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...-Content-Ideas.

Please add your thoughts and I'll update the OP accordingly.

[Commat]

Again bolded for emphasis, even though it's passed off as a joke, it's a legitimate premise of game design. If it has no use, then there's no need to implement it.

The super cake quote killed my belief that the devs have a clear vision of what players want.

They don't know what use a giant cake would have?

They couldn't dream up that 4 lvl 50 CULs making a cake for their LS that they drop before a dungeon run that everyone can take a piece of would make ranking CUL important and down right awesome? How hard is that?

Rank 50 CUL recipe "Birthday Cake!"
requires
-shit ton of mats
-4 rank 50 or higher CULs where all 4 CULs take turns on the mini game and to complete, the quality has to be above some hard to get number.
-Using Birthday Cake places it on a table. Party members can click the cake to get best food buff. Something like +hp,mp,acc,dmg,haste.

It would be the ultimate buff for full parties and be damn fun to make before raids.

Really? They can't find a purpose for it?