Since there has been nothing to do in this game other than craft and farm since release, they could have done wonders with it if they had taken a nod from Minecraft. I bet it would be one of the hottest games out there. The stupid world design could have been player corrected. We would have all felt free, and the game would be fresh with that type of sandboxy vibe. It would definitely make it a lot easier to overlook all the issues.

Does it present long term problems for the world? Probably. Just wishful thinking I guess. Being able to operate in FFXIV like you can in Minecraft would have made it awesome.

This is my view. It may differ from yours.