Questions and Feedback on the Future of FINAL FANTASY XIV

[Anapingofness]

Allow me to begin by saying, thank you for sharing those details with us.

However... much like my title states... Bad road SE. I think you're making a horrible mistake.

Personally, I think that it is far to early to expect people to pay the subscription fee for this game. Certainly, you have shared with us your plans for the future of the game. I'm not the only one who thinks that these plans look simply amazing! However... we have been promised amazing before and received utter disappointment when the time came- here's looking at you FFXIII! But I digress...

However, you have forgotten that SE has burned a lot of its customers and is right now burning even more.

What you don't realize is that the people who voted on sites such as the Lodestone, Core, and Alla are only a fraction of the people who actually play the game- one can even reasonably argue that they are more "hardcore" players than "casual".

That being said what little faith was renewed by Yoshida-san has now not only been shaken but to the test.

Basically, SE, what you're asking of us is to trust you. That is a mighty tall order and one I'm not so sure I can put my faith in.

What you're asking of us is simply too much considering that the game is far from complete and even more importantly patch 2.0- the on that has all of these phenomenal changes is a year from now!

While I want to be a part of this, I can't say that I will be. Paying for an incomplete game is just something that I (probably) can't afford- and I know there are others with me on this.

My message to Yoshida-san simply this.

You have said that you will be borrowing certain aspects from other games and I say, damn right you should. Emulating success and making it better is the way to go. Why reinvent the wheel?

My suggestion:

*Borrow from Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO). As in, Micro-transactions.

After WoW's release many MMO's were basically crushed. FFXI survived WoW but that was because it was released first and many players had grown attached to their characters. Nevertheless, it took a hard hit. To be perfectly honest, FFXI wouldn't have survived if it came out after WoW.

LOTRO, despite having a rather powerful name and a very solid fan base was doomed to be just another notch in WoW's belt.

So the guys at LOTRO had a brilliant idea. Micro-transactions. That is to say that players can truly decide how they wish to go about paying and playing for the game. It can range from a monthly subscription- which the hardcore fans use to those who slowly buy things as they get to them.

The game is free to play until level 50. They certainly don't make it suck for players, in fact, they make the game quite fun so that you stick around and buy things.

There are both small and little things to buy that range from buying your mount earlier than you would otherwise to buying expansions, stats, and the like. I urge SE to take a look at their model because I think FFXIV could truly benefit from something like this- especially the way it is now.

My question to SE.

How do you plan to attract new players?

Even with a discounted monthly bill (which SE has made no indication of so I will assume that we'll be paying the full 13$) many players will quit. Without being able to attract new players 2.0 will fail before it even has a chance of being implemented.

Following LOTRO's model will, in my opinion, be the best course of action for FFXIV.
Not only will this solve the hardcore/casual player problem but it will enable people to truly play and pay at their own rate.

That being said, this is a temporary solution that can be turned permanent if need be. I'm all for it.

Personally, I'd like the no-pay period to be extended until it is at least closer to 2.0 or until 2.0 itself. However, as far as paying is concerned I'd settle for a -50% discount at the very least. I think a lot less people will be angry with that.

[Kafeen]

I'm agreeing with this. Additionally, FFXIV has been a drain on the company's resources for a year past the release date. If you take into account the fact that resources were already placed into the initial release, no shareholder in their right mind would be happy with the situation. SE can't keep reporting losses every quarter, and even if you guys feel cheated or "scammed" somehow, FFXIV is going to have to stand on its own feet eventually

In addition, what does SE have to loose from those who say they're going to leave? SE is gaining nothing from them now since they don't pay, most are saying that they'll come back when version 2.0 hits. So, even if they didn't charge until 2.0, all they would do is loose the revenue that they can make from those of us who are willing to pay for the game we play in its current state. The reduced population should mean less stress of their servers, not that this seems to be an issue any more.

[Judah]

Are we going to be expected to purchase FFXIV a second time when 2.0 is released?

I have a feeling this is going to be like FFXI: Rise of the Zilart, and quite frankly - it doesn't matter how good the proposed changes sound, if you seriously take my money for 12 months just to hit me with a 50 dollar bill at the end of it - Will no longer be a Square-Enix customer.

[Klick]

In addition, what does SE have to loose from those who say they're going to leave? SE is gaining nothing from them now since they don't pay, most are saying that they'll come back when version 2.0 hits. So, even if they didn't charge until 2.0, all they would do is loose the revenue that they can make from those of us who are willing to pay for the game we play in its current state. The reduced population should mean less stress of their servers, not that this seems to be an issue any more.

Here's what they lose. People. This isn't just about money people. You have to look at the reason for MMO's in most cases. Why do we play? Well most of us if not all want the sense of community added to our gaming experience. Otherwise I'd just play normal Final Fantasy titles by myself on a console. If more people leave, and we're talking the people who have already leveled and know the game, you lose valuable marketing players. You need to fill servers with all types of play styles, this is what keeps people coming back. You think WoW is fun? Psh personally I think it's a steaming pile of crap. However with so many players, people get attached to their sense of community. THAT is how you addict people, and that is how you keep them paying you.

I understand everyones arguments here but I agree with the people against this decision to charge. I personally don't care about the money, it's chump change per month for a lot of entertainment time. However, I think it's a bad idea because of what it will do to the already pathetic community. This game is the most anti-social MMO I have ever played. Why is that? Because there is nothing to do but level up. Once you're done with one job go to the next because God knows there is no end game to speak of. Ifrit doesn't count, you kill him a couple times and you're completely geared out from him. This game is in desperate need of changes fast. Instances to farm, raid mobs to kill, time sinks and some other stuff that they are already adding soon. If this game doesn't find an end game soon, no one will give a shit in a year. This will be a dead MMO.

[Ryans]

Can we get confirmation on which caster is going to white mage and which is going to be black mage? It doesn't seem fair that all the melee classes have a definitive answer and casters are left to speculation.

[Kafeen]

I'm fine with putting the subscription back in place, but would like it to be revised. Particularly in terms of multiple characters. I'm sure many people experimented with multiple characters when it became free, but I'd like to see one monthly fee which includes multiple characters.

I'd like to see this too, say 8 character slots for a flat fee rather than charging more for additional characters.

[Saburo]

Are we gonna be able to keep our classes, our levels and our gear once we jump to 2.0?
Is it 100% sure?

[Laperouge]

FFXIV is a nice MMO and not in a BETA state (like some idiots say). And it's perfect timing for nilling so SE can get some more money for new server base and so.
P.S: Do want be a PS3 CBT part^^

[kurokawa]

Q ) What if, by the time ffxiv 2.0 is launched on ps3 late 2012, Sony announce the Ps4 for release early 2013?

[Kafeen]

Are we gonna be able to keep our classes, our levels and our gear once we jump to 2.0?
Is it 100% sure?

That's what they said.