Yes another one of those threads. But maybe a point of view you should consider?

[Alerith]

You're kinda contradicting yourself a bit. You say you don't want to spend hours sitting around LFP or anything, but you also say that everyone is in their own clique or tight LS group, which means they are out doing stuff together and NOT sitting around LFP.

Also, in regards to new players and new characters, I believe that the community should help and support them. Everyone will find their way, no matter where or how they start out.

What I personally would like to see is events that bring other linkshells together in events. Prehaps a raid in which members of Linkshell A have to create a diversion so Linkshell B can attack an objective, and reward both LS's for their participation.

In regards to the paying for an incomplete product, I certainly understand. However, I think that at this point, it's "necessary" in order for the game to progress to this 2.0 level. While I'm not particularly pleased about paying out for it, I do understand where they are coming from.

As is evident in the plan notes, there were many "we need" and "we hope" on behalf of the developers which tells us that they aren't charging us this soon because it's convenient, but rather because they HAVE to or else they'll never reach 2.0. One could argue that SE has plenty of money to pour into XIV from other sources, but to be completely fair, Square Enix is a company, and not a "non-profit" one either.

To compare, there was a news story near my hometown about a football player (whom makes millions) owning and running an arcade or kids game place. The place wasn't doing well and was in danger of shutting down. The football player said that he won't use hit football earnings to bail out the arcade. It's a business and it needs to stand on it's own two feet. Bailing it out wouldn't fix the problem.

In this case, XIV needs to start standing on it's own, which I'm sure it will do.

Everyone is under the assumption that the whole community is going to collapse and die because of subscriptions. This is horribly false, and to be honest, good riddance to the ones who don't want to pay. (For those who CAN'T pay, that's a completely different group. I mean the idiots that want a first tier game and not have to pay for it.)

Ultimately, the game experience will be what the players and community make of it. I, for one, will be staying and paying because I see good things on the horizon and I am happy to be a part of the events leading up to it.

EDIT: Playing video games while drunk is OK. Posting on any kind of forums under such a condition is not such a good idea. But to each their own.