Prepared to answer the call? (Long)

[Biggs]

I feel like this thread can be written now that the only people left to respond are those that have paid to stay. I have been thinking about this over the last month or so, and I am curious to see what the community has to say on the matter.

So this is it guys and gals. The few thousand of us left that have chosen to brave the coming months out with SE are all here. While many of you (myself included) have at times felt neglected by SE as they prepare the 2.0 client, we have chosen to stick it out and see what the future brings regardless. For that I commend us. So many of us take on a sense of entitlement when we post on here about this game, and this past week especially I feel like I can say way. This is OUR game. We will shape how the community is run. WHile SE is certainly the owner and creator, we are the ones that have stood by and offered both applause and criticisms, and we are the ones that shape the living portion of this games destiny. The changes they are making are based on our feedback. We have been told to hold on any real progress in the game designed for the current player base in favor of them redoing the game in an effort to save it. We accept that and wait patiently. As important as that is, I feel like we still have work to do in the coming months and years.

When I first joined FFXI (before some of you roll your eyes, stay with me here a sec) the game had been out for 2 expansions already and had a fairly large veteran player base. A system had already been established by the current player base that entailed where to go to party at what level (grind camps), what job combinations were considered acceptable to party with, and what roll your class was expected to fullfill in a party. Even the protocol for seeking a party and leaving a party was established. ("I am leaving in 15 mins, would you like me to find a replacement?") But the veteran player base treated the influx of new players like a whiney little brother that you got stuck bringing along because your Mom said so. It almost made me give up before even trying. (I ended up playing happily for years)

Now I realize a good portion of the game is still being changed, so before this post gets miles longer, the question I pose to the community is, how many of us are prepared to step up and set the example for what type of community we want if this game gets going again? Those of us that are left now have to at least accept or admit that some part of you is hoping that this becomes a success and new people join, or else why be here and keep paying?

None of us use the new player search function right now. I definitely understand why, most of us no longer need to, or we belong to LS's that take care of us. But mark my words, that behavior will effect large amounts of new players coming into the game. If all they see is us neglecting search in favor of shouting in town, guess whats gonna happpen? What is the standard Linkshell edicate right now? Are you a member of 30 linkshells? Does your main Linkshell leader know? When you leave a party, how do you replace yourself? The Ul'dah thing alone scares me. I fear that, despite them changing the cities in the future, because most of us stay in Ul'dah full time, that will be where new players come too as well. If that is how we want, then thats ok, but I think that in the coming months, if we really do want to be successful and have a fun community, we need to start thinking now about how we want it to be. The economy also worries me. I hope that, when we get closer to relaunch, many of the crafting veterans take the time to pump out some cheap (REASONABLY PRICED!) low level gear for the newbies. I hope that greed can be set aside with the realazation that you can be fair and still fill your already full coffers even more.

I would love to turn this thread into a sounding board for our hopes and ideas about the future. And I can only hope, that at the very least, it gets some of us (especially the ls leaders) to look at what we are doing now and how it will effect a much larger player base should this relaunch work as planned.

I vow to start, this very day!, leaving my search for party tag on when playing solo! And I promise to use the search function FIRST to look for party members BEFORE starting 2 hour shout marathons when looking to group up! I also vow to keep any goods i put up for sale that are level 20 and below 10% cheaper than the current asking price for the same goods! (The level 50 gear will still be full price for all the Scrooge Mcducks and Tony Montanas out there!).