Well Isaac, I'm thinking this thread is here is the final hope for a FFXIV that I would enjoy.

The challenging party battles and feeling of accomplishment while leveing up that I remember so fondly from FFXI is simply not present on FFXIV at the current time.

It actually seems as if a majority of players prefers to skip the leveling process entirely, and focus on a more arcade version of an MMO where you dodge exploding floors and time your attacks to coincide with questionable animations. I can understand, I just don't agree.

The game does not run smoothly enough to be headed in the arcade type direction. I feel that they would really need completely different gameplay mechanics than what the new design team has to work with to accomplish the direction they are headed.

It seems to me that games that are created from the ground up for arcade style gameplay will function better and simply be more fun that than a basically turn-based game that has been retooled for faster action.

I don't find the available end-game content that interesting or enjoyable. If PL'ing is not removed, such that regular EXP partyies (which include leveling up!) return as a main focus of gameplay, and parties become more easily created and regularly available, I just don't see what FFXIV has to offer that isn't done far better in other games.