Quote Originally Posted by Tebhi View Post
I'm glad this thread was started. I think SE can learn a lot from seeing exactly why people have stopped playing XIV.

My reasons:

Drastic changes - I understand that MMOs evolve, but the changes that are being undertaken are too extreme. I haven't played for a month or two and the game is completely different now (mob size, sp gain, party sp boost, etc.)
Linkshell Exclusion - I always felt like I was cheating on a LS when I'd run into guildies and had a different LS on.
Crafting - I was watching a movie, crafting one day and I realized that I wasn't enjoying the movie or crafting while doing this.
Lack of Incentives - It just felt like there was not a reason to keep sping after a certain point. The best I could do is hit r50 and fight those NMs for shiny stuff, but it just wasn't a good enough carrot to chase.
Repetitiveness - MMOs are repetitive, but it was just too much in XIV. I was doing the same leves over and over, grinding the same mobs repeatedly.
Dwindling Community - The bustling community that I saw at launch was slowly getting smaller and smaller. Eventually, I was in a city with mostly afk people, very quiet crafters and the usuals that hung out in town all day.
SE's Issues - I was really disheartened when Tanaka stepped down.

I'm currently playing RIFT. Honestly, I prefer Final Fantasy's art, music, armoury system and the fact that it's a Final Fantasy game. I'm willing to try this game again at PS3 release, I think. It's tough to say--who knows what will become of RIFT, GW2, etc.

I'll continue to visit this forum to check for updates and discuss issues; I really do enjoy the community (minus the trolls).
Your definition of "drastic" is flawed. This game needs real, intense, overhauling, and actually DRASTIC changes before it gets any good. However, by your definition of "drastic", there is no word in the English language that can actually define the level of change that this game needs. Mobs getting bigger and changes in SP gain are not "drastic" changes. I can assure you that this game is very much the same as it was at release.