Really starting to worry...

[Mahayana]

I really couldn't begin to think about recommending this game to anyone until some basic features required in any mmorpg are fixed.

proper economy
party administration
ls administration
difficulty

honestly who gives a crap about ifrit strategy when we dont use any strategy in average parties. WHEN we manage to find parties due to the atrocious party seek/find (or lack thereof ), it usually consist of a healer, maybe a tank and 6 f***ing archers mowing down raptors ten levels higher. Then when you organize a real party and go for something mildy challenging you get the same exp as the raptors cause guess what? the exp amount you receive is caped at around 10 levels higher than you.

That's just one thing wrong with the game and honestly when i discovered that, I came within inches of rage quitting.

I completely understand the OPs concerns about the direction of the patches and the economy. I understand that different divisions are working on ifrit and chocobos that the party UI, but please for the love of god, if it's because the code the game was built on is and requires a lot of rewritten code, just tell us that. I can understand and even relate to that, but not even a mention of party UI fixes just pisses me off. It's as if they are trying to push it under the carpet by shoving ifrit and chocobos in our faces.

[Lamentor]

I can't help but notice that at least 80% of people that post here don't even bother to read the letter from the producers, or keep up with what's going on with new patches.

1.19 we're getting

Ifrit (r30/r50)
Caravan escort (repeatable quest!)
THREE beastmen stronghold areas, all with big battles and more than likely extremely challenging.
Materia (lots of figuring out, and getting what we want. A lot of content in itself)

Content-wise, that's actually a lot. Sounds like we're going to have our hands quite full until 1.20 comes out with even more content to build on this. Come PS3 release with new players, they'll already have tons of content to get their hands on from the get go.

Bored in a week due to lack of content? I doubt it.

[Biggs]

That's looking at it from a long-time player's point of view. Of course the people who have multiple 50's are going to burn through any and all new content, that's just how it is. However every additional piece of content just adds to the pile of things new players have to look forward to.

While I agree with this statement, it only highlights the fact that SE doesn't really give a damn about its current player base. I see little point in leaving the servers on while reworking the game, only to have the current player base level all their jobs to 50 and run out of things to do because they are too busy making things for people that aren't playing yet. I am not saying I don't understand how this can happen given their situation, you have to work from the ground up after all. I am only reiterrating what I believe to be the biggest pickle SE is currently in with this game: How to encourage current players to stay on while also tempting new players to join? As it stands I feel like many people that have played for this past year will leave the game if SE starts charging without adding in content for all the characters that have 5 plus jobs at 50+

I don't envy their prediciment.

[Venat]

Problem is with Items & crafting & equipment stats and job limits on equipping gear.

What fuels players wanting equipment is stats. Its because there isnt really stats to equipment is the real big problem.

Another problem is items are too obtainble.

Another problem is crafting is way to easy.

Making Materials in crafting should give players less Materials to use in a finished craft.

Heres good example:

Silver Ore x4=12 Silver Nuggets=x6 Silver Rings or Earrings.

It should be:

Silver Ore x2=Silver Nuggets x4=2 Silver Earrings

What Square Enix is doing is giving players too much equipment that just stocks up and eventally never sells.

This also makes items dirt cheap

Lack of a marco/equip system or some sorta adjustments to boosting Abilitys by equipment is really a big problem due to players wanting Equipment.

This game CAN get there players back BUT game needs to have all its problems addressed & have enough content & have a good future to contune playing.

There is a WAY to let hardcore & casual players do same content. As you can see Square Enix is bringing out Ifrit fight in R30 & R50.

Casual players can do R30 & hardcore can do R50. Main thing is the rewards will not be the same.

[Isaaru]

@OP Yeah, Trabia is pretty empty at times. I had trouble last night gathering together a raptor party for ranks 30-35. It will possibly get better to be honest you just have to wait and see.

@Venat With the new recipes introduced in 1.19 they are actually fixing the surplus of items you are speaking of, check the main page of the lodestone.

and finally

@everyone raging about game should be ready by now because it's still be sold in store. I'm not digging through a million articles about FFXIV's dev team changes, but iirc it was stated in one of them that it was estimated to take 2 to 2.5 years to make FFXIV retail ready meaning that we still have at least 1 more year. In all honesty since the dev team changes it hasn't really even been a full year of patching because of all of the ground work the new dev team had to do. But with 1.19's attribute adjustment, further leve adjustments, grand company additions, materia, recipe and crafting revamp, and new equipment stat revisions more content related items should start rolling in from now on.

NOTE: We already know about the job system which imo is a huge step to adding the capability of challenging content, and the Ifrit battle really is good considering the amount of content they have prepared in 1.19 for the 2 month interval it has been since last patch

[Payadopa]

I'm wondering what SE has in mind to get people interested in this game again. Sure, chocobos and air ships might seem awesome to us, but that's not gonna sell it to an outsider. I'm wondering if there is any hope..

On the other hand, do you think by 'just' adding Ifrit and no means of transportation other than Anima that that will draw people in? Groundwork comes first, in my opinion.

[Colino]

THREE beastmen stronghold areas, all with big battles and more than likely extremely challenging.

It's actually going to be just 2 for the time being. And I doubt they'll be "extremely challenging" unless you plan to roll through them with just 3 or 4 people. Anyone can claim everything, so at least for the first week both of them will be full of players destroying everything in sight.

[Konachibi]

Just thought I'd throw this pic in for you:

http://i56.tinypic.com/21lk6f7.jpg

This is an everyday view around humblehearth on my server. I wasn't part of that group, but there were at least 5 or 6 other groups just like that in the same area (Also notice how they aren't an archer-conjurer zerg group ). Mun-Tuy Cellars is the same as are the rank 30 aetherial nodes in la noscea and thanalan. In fact I can't remember a time when I've gone into Nanawa Mines and it hasn't been packed full of players.

[Murugan]

Just thought I'd throw this pic in for you:

http://i56.tinypic.com/21lk6f7.jpg

This is an everyday view around humblehearth on my server. I wasn't part of that group, but there were at least 5 or 6 other groups just like that in the same area (Also notice how they aren't an archer-conjurer zerg group ). Mun-Tuy Cellars is the same as are the rank 30 aetherial nodes in la noscea and thanalan. In fact I can't remember a time when I've gone into Nanawa Mines and it hasn't been packed full of players.

The person who commented on seeing archer zerg parties for guildleves was exaggerating.

That is because one archer in any guildleve group is an archer zerg that will likely kill all guildleve mobs before anyone else in the group has an opportunity to do anything. Multiple archers would just be overkill.

[Konachibi]

The person who commented on seeing archer zerg parties for guildleves was exaggerating.

That is because one archer in any guildleve group is an archer zerg that will likely kill all guildleve mobs before anyone else in the group has an opportunity to do anything. Multiple archers would just be overkill.

Ah, right. I didn't know, my archer is still only rank 17 so she does still occassionally die during battle leves. Though her hit has certainly improved since rank 1-15.