Reduce cost of Soul of the Crafter

[MomomiMomi]

You're right. I'm completely wrong! Specialization is the best!!

In fact, I think it should be implemented for battle classes too! You should only be allowed to equip 3 soul crystals. Don't worry though, if you want to play another job than those 3, you can always buy a new soul for 480 of whatever the highest tome is (450 weekly cap).

Except that not having specialization doesn't stop you from playing your other crafts. And by next patch, you'll most likely be able to make everything you currently can't make.

[-BlueGreen-]

All the armchair game design experts in the forums are a joke.

I suppose the fact that they pay a subscription doesn't mean anything? Who keeps the lights on for SE? Players do, that's who. Without our money, there wouldn't be a FFXIV.

With that in mind:
1. 2.X crafting - anyone could craft anything, people played and generally were happy. If they weren't, they simply didn't craft.
2. 3.X crafting - some people enjoy crafting more due to specialization, some people enjoy it less, even to the point of considering quitting (I no longer have a recurring sub and may not renew once my days run out). I have yet to hear of anyone pick up crafting after 3.X if they were around for any significant time during 2.X.
3. How many people have been attracted to start playing FFXIV post 3.0 specifically because of crafting specialization? Quite likely, zero (or at the very least, far less than the number of people that became disinterested post 3.0).

What does the above mean in simple terms? Specialization as it exists now can be viewed as a sub killer. New restrictions are not new content, or at least not in the sense that it can attract new players while keeping old players on board.

[ArturVernon]

Wow overkill comment 'sub killer'

If you don't like it then don't play. The amount of people who like or at least are indifferent to specialist vastly outweigh the 'we hate it' camp. If all you who detest it actually just quit rather than bleating on about it then I'm sure SE wouldnt care about the $200 of sub losses. That's how small your collective is

[StouterTaru]

snip

2.x had an increasing large barrier to surpass to be able to craft anything, that by itself drove several people away from crafting

3.0 had a much smaller barrier, but unless red scrip gear/mats become more easily attainable in the next few months, the barrier will be just as bad or worse than 2.x come the end of 3.x

Crafting has always been a much better tool for retention than recruiting, so it's a poor comparison. One could argue that crafting has kept more people subbed than Gold Saucer, so Gold Saucer is the real sub-killer

[Kakure]

3. How many people have been attracted to start playing FFXIV post 3.0 specifically because of crafting specialization? Quite likely, zero (or at the very least, far less than the number of people that became disinterested post 3.0).

I left the game about a year and a half ago because pre-specialization endgame crafting degenerated into compulsive marketboard undercutting.

In a world where everyone is allowed to craft everything and every HQ Sky Pirate's Helm of Fending is exactly the same as every other, it only takes a few ambitious omnicrafters to elbow everyone else out of the market for high-end items. I found that I could list a bunch of items, adjust the prices once a day, and maybe sell one or two by the end of the week, or I could camp out in the front of the marketboard, undercut other crafters for hours on end, and sell a sizable numbers of items each day. I spent a couple months doing that because it was the only way to do what I enjoy -- challenging crafting -- on a daily basis, but it was exactly the opposite of all the things a game should be and eventually I just quit.

I returned to the game a few months back in large part because I think the changes to the crafting system -- including, most notably, specialization restrictions -- take it in a positive direction.

[TaleraRistain]

Not sure how you say "as many people" like as dislike and then say in the same sentence say that those who dislike are in the minority.

Yeah that bugged me when I saw it as well. "As many" isn't a minority or a majority. It's equal.

[Alistaire]

If SE are too arrogant to admit they made a mistake

If anything, the arrogance would be in calling it a mistake when every one of these threads ends up with as many people who like the system as this vocal minority of people disliking it.

[Nekotee]

I'm sorry but...
I was omnicrafter in 2.X
I was at the beginning of 3.0
I was stunned by specialist system

but now I really enjoy it !
It bring people together, I mean I made a network of people I know and who love crafting
we help each other, trade comp help and answer question... that's really fun !

It follow what yoshida said about communication and playing with other people (not in a bad way XD)

...

The ONLY annoying point right now is the awful amount of time you have to spend to gather enough comp to make a 2* craft
and I said annoying, not bad or need to be fixed...
It's doable just long

and I think we will later have to said comp in dungeon
in a way as easier as collecting lv50 2* to 3* comp in ilevel 70 to 100 dungeon

[FoxyAreku]

No. Specialist system is great and it should stay just like it is.

[Keldrath]

I'm sorry but...
I was omnicrafter in 2.X
I was at the beginning of 3.0
I was stunned by specialist system

but now I really enjoy it !
It bring people together, I mean I made a network of people I know and who love crafting
we help each other, trade comp help and answer question... that's really fun !

It follow what yoshida said about communication and playing with other people (not in a bad way XD)

...

The ONLY annoying point right now is the awful amount of time you have to spend to gather enough comp to make a 2* craft
and I said annoying, not bad or need to be fixed...
It's doable just long

and I think we will later have to said comp in dungeon
in a way as easier as collecting lv50 2* to 3* comp in ilevel 70 to 100 dungeon

Well this is the first I'm hearing about it, but I know I didn't spend all this time leveling all the crafting professions because I wanted to be reliant on others.