Compromise: Just Charge $5 For Now. Once 2.0 is Out, Then Charge $12

[Kio]

The majority of us purchased the game upon release already with the assumption that it would cost us at least $12 a month to maintain play. So I don't really buy budgeting woes from the playerbase lol.

What doesn't sit with me well, at the moment, is that the game play aspects I feel are most important to me, are not anticipated until over another full year from now.
On top of that, most my friends have already left the game or have decided to play with other social circles. So, as of the moment, I cannot participate in pretty much any of the new content with the exception of a few solo quests and slow grinding of crafting jobs.
Even if I stay for the exclusive storyline, which I am curious about, I fear due to high challenge level of the new contents, I likely won't be able to partake in it anyway.
If it came down to paying $12 a month for a game I wasn't even really playing in my view, I doubt I will continue the subscription. (> <) sorry Yoshi-P and company! I know you work very hard, and have been doing a bang up job so far!

However, if the subscription price in the lean-time was greatly reduced, I could more easily digest that for the casual status I assume myself to be in.

If I don't play through 2012, I don't know if I'll even come back in 2012/13. I don't really feel like trying to rejoin into a game where the hierarchy has already been establish long ago. I didn't really like the negative environment that created on my server for XI, when suddenly you have struggle to compete against the groups who already had everything maxed out and all the top gear and achievements.

[Answa]

Kio, and I'm not flaming you, I'm literally curious, what gameplay aspects are missing that won't be addressed shortly?

[Carzilla]

im not willing to pay full price for an unfinished game.

all the game consist of is atm is grind and go get it missions which in turn = boring. I really think they should keep it free or atleast half price till 2.0. it just dosent seem worth it to pay in its current state. Id rather save that money and buy a game that dosent feel barren when u play it..

Plain and simple: the game is boring right now and people are pissed cuz they have to wait another year to get their monies worth. And on top of that we have to pay Full price Subscription for an uncompleted game.. people are gonna leave. some will stay, and others will just stop caring in between updates and move on..

a whole year is such a long time to keep your hopes up. carefully pour salt on the wound while it heals what a philosophy. eh..

[Anapingofness]

I disagree. I actually think it may make it worse to charge full price as though it were a quality game. For one thing, they're not fooling anybody. The level of repair version 1.0 needs is so bad that it needs to be completely replaced by 2.0 servers and a new client.

To charge full price under those circumstances harkens back to an arrogant attitude (remember this?) rather than one that's in touch with its players. And that would be a shame, because I think they have done a lot to improve player relations and it could get overshadowed by something like this.

Furthermore, the request for the discount is coming from a well-established, well-known organization of hardcore FFXI players. I'm confident they support paying full price for 2.0 as much as I do.

Everyone, including those who play now and those waiting for the PS3 version, is waiting for a successful 2.0 version. This question of a discount only pertains to that awkward time between now and then. If it makes more money and keeps more players, why wouldn't a discount make more sense?

Amy, I can't +1 your posts enough.
Thank you for being the voice of reason, you and Renta at that. ^_^ /hands cookie

...Also thank you for pointing out THAT /coughffxiiicough because it is an awesome example of everything that is wrong with a game except for maybe graphics...lol which right now is coincidentally the biggest thing FFXIV has going for it. However, unlike THAT, FFXIV has some hope of becoming a good game.

I've said it since day one, I think they should remain f2p but I'll gladly pay 5$ for the game. Otherwise, I know for a fact that my sis, brother, friend and myself are leaving FFXIV until 2.0.

Also, I don't believe that this debate will continue once 2.0 comes. This is because 2.0 is literally going to make or break this game. If up until 2.0 the game has become something not only that can compete in the MMO market but something that stands apart from all of the rest then people will have no problem paying the full price. However, SE has been disappointing people greatly lately so I can't place my trust in them so easily.

Azurus had mentioned this in his post, they need to show not say.

When you really think about it, SE is very lucky to have such dedicated fans. Many would simply leave without a second thought.

The bottom line is that many SE fans have gotten complacent with accepting less than amazing work- which still baffles me.

The SquareEnix of today sure as heck isn't the SquareSoft I grew up with in terms of quality.

Nevertheless, I hope an announcement is made soon in regards to this. I also hope that when it is made that a more logical and reasonable decision is presented than what was said earlier. ^^;

[Renshi]

5-7$, 12-14$...
It's something I can pay with my lunchmoney, but if people wants it bring it on =)

[Alkoun]

I don't mind $15. I certainly don't mind $5 either.

[Baxter]

My suggestion would be charging full subscription price minus the character fees, and retainer fees.

[LuxLex]

Baxter! Haven't seen you in forever, cooking buddy!

[Baxter]

Baxter! Haven't seen you in forever, cooking buddy!

How you been Lex?? I got back into the game, and just as I did my videocard poofed ;( I should get my replacement monday, but it might be tuesday thanks to my remote location.

[Rowyne]

I agree with the OP, and I am confident in stating that FFXIV will definitely lose subs if they start charging $12.99/month at this point.

I've been playing since closed beta. I've watched linkshells fall apart, communities collapse, and friends drift away. My husband has lost interest, and is bitter about the fact that we paid $75 each for our CEs and sunk hundreds of dollars into our computers to upgrade them so we could even play. And we still haven't gotten what we paid for. He has flat out said that he will be cancelling the minute our Crysta runs out because he will not pay to play an unfinished game. This entire experience has been an emotional roller coaster ride. I'm burned out, and I haven't been able to admit until now that I'm just not having fun.

I'm still here to report the news to my linkshell members who aren't playing, and keep our little family going into 2.0. The whole thing is like some kind of twisted labor of love.

It's going to be really hard to convince my husband to let me keep my account active if I have to pay this kind of fee to do it. He might be more open to half that cost.

I certainly appreciate that SE has kept the game going F2P for over a year, now, and that they have sunk a massive amount of money into it. But I also feel that they were given little choice. A part of me has always wondered if they should have just shut it down and sunk 100% of their team's resources into it, without having to maintain game servers and keeping it out from under the microscope. But I think that would have created a greater sense of betrayal and worry from the players that paid for a product they couldn't even use. I cannot feel pity for SE or that I somehow owe them a subscription fee. They chose not to research the current MMO market. They chose to ignore current MMO standards. They chose to ignore the beta testers. They chose to go ahead with the release date. And as a customer, I just don't feel like I should have to pay for those mistakes.

This isn't a finished product, don't make us pay a finished price.