What would you want to bring over from FFXI to FFXIV?

[Delily]

I don't agree with this exactly. While nostalgia does exist it doesn't stop SE from actually implementing the designs used before in a successful way. Consider that designs such as Crystal Tower, World of Darkness, Golden Saucer and Triple Triad were brought from other FF games and adapted to the "FF14 Edition".

FFXIV is an optimized MMO, similar to how FFXIII is an optimized JRPG, and Diablo 3 is an optimized ARPG. The team look at the data for how the majority of players play and built a game that targets that style. What people call "dumbing down" is in reality a reflection of actual game play. We have certain design decisions, like strict roles and no customization in skills because those reflect reality. However, we get high quality content very quickly, and probably the best story of any MMO. These are conscious design decisions made by the team.