Unofficial Census 2016 for FFXIV

[zosia]

this is wrong what is the point of having 200k players forever when the current model will always have more (at its lowest point aka right now) then that will ever have.

guess what when 3.4 hits the numbers jump back up for the players who come for the new patch and leave.

the game model you guys are wanting will only hold (for a long period of time) a much smaller number than what we do now.

There have been two major content patches in the last seven months and there was still a net loss of subs, about a 24% loss. In light of that fact, your proposition is to stay the course because any change could be worse than what we have now?

Great plan, lol.

[Musashidon]

There have been two major content patches in the last seven months and there was still a net loss of subs, about a 24% loss. In light of that fact, your proposition is to stay the course because any change could be worse than we have now?

Great plan, lol.

choose the course with more players or the one with less, sounds like the better one to me.

but hey its better to just drop 70% of the current players and just accept 30% forever i mean it's better to just take the drop and accept mediocrity.

The whole point of this thread actually is that this is the highest point right now and we have been only losing subs since 2.X with minor spike at 3.0 (on straight decline since then) and "to be" 4.0. This game will never surpass 500k subs / 200k active players ever anymore. We are discussing here problems, that caused it and how to prevent it from happening in next FF:Online. Because this one is done for good.

but we are already above that, you are discussing made up problem based on what you like or dislike about the game and saying it's because of this opinion of mine.

[zosia]

choose the course with more players or the one with less, sounds like the better one to me.

but hey its better to just drop 70% of the current players and just accept 30% forever i mean it's better to just take the drop and accept mediocrity.

I don't think you really understand the problem here. This is not a casual vs hard core argument as much as some of you like to make it out to be. This is a post mortum on why this game cannot retain any type of player. Do you really think everyone complaining here is some HC special snowflake raider?

Pull your head out of your tuckus and see that this game is poisoned across ALL player skill strata. From casual tome farmers to HC raiders, no one is staying subbed for long periods of time. It has everything to do with the lack of compelling incentives. There are several reasons any rewards in this game are no longer compelling. There are several reasons why this game is not captivating people any longer.

[seraf]

Here's the thing though, if you make so players who have played for longer have a distinct and continual advantage over those who don't, you will never see new players. I started around HW's release. Why would I continue playing if no matter what I do, someone from launch is ahead of me not because of their individual skill, but because they picked up the game before I did?

In what way are you "always behind" the older players as a new player? If you start the game off right now and play it on a consistent basis you can get through 2.0 to Heavensward in around a month or two depending on how many hours you can invest. By the time you get through HW you should be in whatever the most current patch is and then you can gear up to the latest gear. I have a friend who started around March this year and is already i230 and has a few Classes at Lv.60 now.

[Bourne_Endeavor]

And we need new players why again?

What is better, if game sells 1 million and keeps running for 10 years never getting new players but also almost never loosing old ones. Or if game sells 1 million each year for 10 years, but only 200k players stay subbed longer than month?

Because no game has an infinite supply of players. People inevitably loss interest for one reason or another, which in turn, means a loss of revenue with no way to replace it.

In what way are you "always behind" the older players as a new player? If you start the game off right now and play it on a consistent basis you can get through 2.0 to Heavensward in around a month or two depending on how many hours you can invest. By the time you get through HW you should be in whatever the most current patch is and then you can gear up to the latest gear. I have a friend who started around March this year and is already i230 and has a few Classes at Lv.60 now.

Um, I think you misunderstood? I said this in reference to the person I quoted implying veteran players should have an advantage over new players based solely because they happened to have purchased the game earlier. I wasn't saying I was behind or couldn't catch up.

[Istaru]

We need one of these badly:



Myself, I would be checking of a number of them.

[Claymore65]

An important thing to keep in mind, when discussing Player Retention, is that there is no "magic bullet" for it. Players have completely different motivations, and many of these are contradictory, though not in every case. Game designers have the (immensely difficult) task of appealing to as many of these motivations as they can while not alienating players instead.

For example, here are a some of the more common motivations, along with what content appeases these players. Keep in mind that this is also a spectrum, and players can have many of these motivations at the same time. For example, a character can love challenge, but also love lore. Not all of them contradict.

• Challenge: Some players heavily value the Challenge games can offer. Whether it be incredibly complex rotations, difficult mechanics, or punishment for failure, these players love it. They play primarily to test their skills. Content like Savage Raids appeases this kind of player.
• Prestige: Some players play for "prestige". They want to show off their incredible gear, proudly wear their titles, and have truly exclusive equipment, whether it be functional or simply visual (mounts/minions etc). Prestige players favor long-lasting, hard-won items, and hate it when it becomes easier to acquire later. These players favor games that require a lot more commitment.
• Progression: Some players desire a constant sense of progression. They always want to feel like they're getting stronger, and ideally quickly. They constantly want to feel as if they're improving, whether it be through better gear, new skills and abilities, or even improving their skills in various fights. These players prefer to get gear faster and upgrade it often. They usually don't need complicated stats, and will focus on what's "strongest" instead. The current gear progression in the game caters to these players, with high ilvl gear only lasting 3-6 months.
• Storyline / Lore: These players are fueled by a sense of immersion and a desire to learn more. They love additional storyline cutscenes, scour the world for lore in sidequests, and eagerly pursue minute, world-expanding details. These players enjoy content like the MSQ, side quests, and exploration.
• Social: Some players play the game for the community and social interaction. These players engage in Roleplay, enjoy casual discussions with others, and love meeting new people and making friends. These players enjoy new venues to meet new people with, whether it be expanded chat systems or online forums. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to truly shape a community through gameplay, so social players must usually work on their own to find what they enjoy.
• Side activities: Some players enjoy having a wealth of side, "fun" activities. They enjoy mini-games, personal challenges, and other content to the "side" of primary gameplay. This may also include houses, "glamour", and more. The Golden Saucer, for example, is content that these players love.
• Completion: Some players thrive on completing tasks in the game. They want to accomplish as much as they can, and seeing "unfinished" content drives them to play more. These players will level every class, complete every dungeon, and get every achievement. Simply adding more content is what appeases these players.
• Experimentation: Some players love to tinker and experiment in game. They love to tweak stats, character skills, and combine abilities to create powerful or creative builds. These players favor complicated gear stats that allow them to optimize, or at least create something different. Currently, FFXIV doesn't do a great job with this motivation, since gear is rather simple and there is no real way to customize your character's combat style.
• Commitment: Some players place a heavy value on commitment. This usually comes in two flavors, with some preferring a high level of commitment and others preferring lower amounts. Players who want high levels of commitment want to spend a lot of time playing the game, and be demonstrably stronger and/or rewarded as a result. Lower commitment players favor shorter grinds, "catch-up" content, and the ability to progress without investing as much time. Many "low commitment" players play other games or have real life schedules that make a heavier commitment impossible. Currently, FFXIV caters well to low commitment players, with plenty of opportunities to catch up on the gear grind.
• New Experiences: Some players play exclusively for "new" experiences. The first time running through a dungeon, the exploration of a new zone, getting a new ability, trying out a new class, discovering a new fight mechanic, and such are what this kind of player enjoys most. These types of players hate grinding or re-doing old content. Unfortunately, due to the finite amount of content in most games, these players can be the hardest to please. There is a limited amount of ways any encounter can be built, and the farmable nature of dungeons and raids (including "hallway" dungeons) gets grating quickly. Still, they can be appeased with new, innovative content and randomized content.

Even the list above doesn't cover many of the detailed player motivations that drive player retention. Unfortunately, the Devs can't produce enough new content to satisfy all of these motivations, so they have to pick and choose carefully. There is no one way to satisfy everyone, and what attracts and keeps some players pushes others away. The best they can do is come up with a variety of different content which caters to these different motivations.

We need one of these badly:
Myself, I would be checking of a number of them.

That is truly beautiful. I think pretty much every forum needs one of those.

[Vantol]

this is wrong what is the point of having 200k players forever when the current model will always have more (at its lowest point aka right now) then that will ever have.

The whole point of this thread actually is that this is the highest point right now and we have been only losing subs since 2.X with minor spike at 3.0 (on straight decline since then) and "to be" 4.0. This game will never surpass 500k subs / 200k active players ever anymore. We are discussing here problems, that caused it and how to prevent it from happening in next FF:Online. Because this one is done for good.

[Vantol]

but we are already above that

We are not. There are ~507'772 players who logged in at least once (or more) in past 7 months, and ~225'457 players who completed 3.3 main quest (which takes maximum a few hours).