Quote Originally Posted by Talraen View Post
I hate free to play with a passion, not because they're charging me for a bunch of stuff, but because they're continually charging me to actually play the game. That's not happening here, so I'm fine with it.
Well, if you want to get technical, SE IS charging you to actually play the game. That's what a subscription is all about! One might even say the FTP is a step up from that, because you only have to pay to play the game if you WANT to play it to a greater degree than is allowed by the free options. The best way to enjoy FTP games is to find one where you're satisfied with the gameplay that's offered for free. At that point, any purchases you choose to make do not feel obligatory - you make them because you want to, not because you feel that you have to. FTP is a fine option, so long as you understand and can tolerate the limits that are imposed by playing free.

I agree with you on other points, though. I first cut my teeth on gaming with stuff programmed in BASIC (yay DONKEY.BAS!), and my first console was the Atari 2600. I've watched how gaming pricing models have evolved over the years. (I was quite impressed with DOOM's model - distribute the first chapter for free, and charge for the full game. Got so much enjoyment out of that first chapter that I happily forked over for the full game, even on my limited teenaged budget!) While the DLC phenomenon wasn't something I was expecting, I've generally made my peace with it.

And as far as DLC goes, FFXIV's case is ridiculously easy to forgive. Unless you count the expansions themselves as DLC (and technically speaking, they are, but this is a practice that has been typified by MMOs for a long time now, so I consider them to be Grandfathered in), there's no Mogstation items that lock away storylines, dungeons, raids, or anything along those lines. There's nothing offered that provides a direct enhancement to you that would make you more desirable in endgame content. The mounts move at the same speed, the gear has no stats worth speaking of. It's all stuff that changes your appearance, in one way or another, without changing your gameplay. I can definitely live with that!