Powerleveling Revisited

[Lavani]

Once the game starts costing money I think the amount of people wanting a mediocre experience in content will drop. I REALLY hate to say it, but it's obvious most people who have played FFXIV during this time were here for the graphics and free play, not out of loyalty or interest. There are lots of fun MMOs out there, and if you're playing an MMO for a story/content, you don't skip it. It's just not logical.

Yes I agree that you don't "skip" a story if that's what you're after. When I was leveling my first 50, I did it entirely in "legit" groups. I had zero PL parties and I still "skiped" the content. At 50 I was able to do all of the story quests and switch to lower level classes, (that got powerleveld at times) and turn those in for the exp rewards. Regardless of having the option to powerlevel or not people can still enjoy content and story. It's illogical to remove a game style or leveling process because someone else doesn't agree with it.

I'm not going to argue with your point - it is valid - but you have to understand how incredibly stubborn and devoted the secondary group is. The former group may bring in the cash, but the latter is where you will be gauranteed to keep recieving that cash. The trick isn't to absolutely, under any circumstance, please the first group only, but to trick you guys into throwing money at the game to keep funds up (Through patches that promise a better game - like how WoW does, and any of us who like WoW know how potent this is) while the more reliable, stubborn group plants down and stays under even the most harsh of circumstances - that is, once you prove, as a company, you care about us, too.

Hmm, which would explain why Yoshida mainly focuses on appealing to the non-loyal-FFXI potentials. How interesting.

Since you brought the subject of WoW. Yes Blizzard seems to be catering to less "hardcore" players recently. It is extremely easy to level to cap, run a few dungeons and get full epic gear. That is one of the reasons they lost so many people during WotLK and Cataclysm. Why would they continue to do this if they are losing people? Because the people that enjoy the quicker access to content (via fast leveling) and perhaps even the ease of access to epic gear (although not top tier) outweigh "the incredibly stubborn and devoted secondary group."

Both Blizzard and SE are major companies in a very competitive industry. They are going to make decisions based on profit margins a lot. Also SE is trying to erase the taint that the original ffxiv launch brought the company, and probably the best way to do so is to make the game succeed by doing similar things that wow did (in terms of time spent leveling vs time spent on end game content) to gain a larger number of subscribers. The largest part of MMOs is the endgame content, that's why new patches add END GAME CONTENT.

More people playing tells reviewers that the game is more successful and if they enjoy the game as well the game will receive even better reviews and bring in even more people to play and pay. They probably also see this "incredibly stubborn and devoted secondary group" and know they will stick with the game through "the good and bad". You said "trick you guys into throwing money at the game to keep funds up" well guess what, that's easier done to the "loyal" people who have been here for forever and a day because they want the game to "succeed". The game will succeed when more people are playing the game, not just the devoted few.

[Murugan]

Was leveling someone 21-24 this morning, we passed 6 regular non Power-leveled groups on Selbina fighting Mitelings and at multiple cactuar camps.

Keep telling me how "power leveling has killed regular EXP groups", because I don't buy it one bit. EXP grouping has never been better off in this game, power leveling hasn't hurt it and the changes which benefit both power leveling and EXP groups are a huge boost to getting leveling in this game on the right track.

As for it being too fast, don't hold your breath for them to slow down 1-50 anytime soon. No matter the speed they set it at a large percentage of the population will have all battle classes to 50 by the time PS3 hits, and those PS3 players are going to want to catch up. The best hope you have for a steeper leveling curve is after a cap raise.

[Radiator]

Is there a way to do a forum poll? Because I'd wager that 80%+ are just fine the way things are currently. Not that the 20% doesn't count, the system could be tweaked. I'm also 99% sure that 100% of the people that don't use the forums don't care about this at all. People want to be able to help their friends , as mentioned earlier, especially on PS3 launch.

[Fieros]

People want to be able to help their friends , as mentioned earlier, especially on PS3 launch.

Help their friends do what exactly? Do you propose that we be able to powerlevel their DoH classes so they can craft endgame items without having to spend time grinding?

[Lavani]

Help their friends do what exactly? Do you propose that we be able to powerlevel their DoH classes so they can craft endgame items without having to spend time grinding?

Ill sign that petition. I don't give a rats a$$ about mid level tiers end game is the meat of every MMO.

[Reokudo]

I agree with Lavani where he said endgame is the meat of the MMO. Although leveling shouldn't be that easy. But endgame is usually what people look forwards to. Leveling a new job to 50 on the same mobs over and over will bore you out.

[Andrien]

@OP
i think you have to factor in the possibility that your server might have a large amount of high lvls or not very populated.

[Teakwood]

OP has clearly never actually been in a PL'd party; the people being PL'd still need to be able to pull and hold the mobs until the PL kills them.

Statement about the demand/supply of low-level gear being completely haywire is valid, but then again, I think we hear enough people saying "there should be more low level gear!!" that this is ~actually a supply problem~, not a demand problem.

The only people who have crafts leveled at all are people who took a craft or multiple crafts to 50 ages ago, and they're not interested in making gear many levels below their own skill and/or they don't see the money in it. A friend of mine has made a surprising amount of money leveling a few crafts to the 20-30 range and making and selling low-level gear; it's a seller's market on Palamecia server, so I don't think you can actually pin this one on PLing.

I'd be curious as to actual statistical data about how much XP is obtained through PL vs. how much is obtained through normal partying, because I have a feeling it's a lot less than the moralisers are saying. I know for a fact it's been easy for me to XP without a PL, though. The game's community leaves much to be desired, I know, but try shouting in Ul'dah for a non-PL low level party, see if anyone's interested? Even a Light Party can get pretty excellent XP depending on camps.

Edit: I hope it's a short term bandaid, too! That said, my experience seems to have been much different than yours.

[Teia]

If this trend continues, and if the general majority wants it to stay, then I might just have to leave. Each day it gets worse, unfortunately.

The problem comes when people take "vocal minority" for "general majority." To be honest, I'm not sure just what the actual demographics are, but I certainly hope SE goes with something more concrete than a general impression from reading the forum.

[Nabiri]

@OP In these kinds of situations I wish people would be respectful to their party leader and other members and ASK if the party would like a PL. If one person says that it would ruin their enjoyment, then it really is quite rude to force that on them.
If people want a PL party they should make one.. but for a party that's doing it's own thing, and is fine as it is... I wish people had the courtesy to ask, rather than forcing others into uncomfortable positions.

As a WHM in FFXI I was often upset by rude people, who suddenly invited a high level player, (without asking me), to take over my job for me and leave me bored and hurting for skill points. ._. I was forced to leave such parties many times because I suddenly had nothing to do.