Heyas,

I got the game at launch, CE and all and while I didn't leave for the myriad of problems the game has had during its tenure (I left because I had 0 other people to play with), I think it behooves me to come back and at least spend the 3000 Crysta I bought when I started :P

Fact is, I love the idea behind this game, the fact that it IS different than most other MMOs out there, but in the ways I want it to be different. I don't mind slower paced combat. I don't mind the interface. I don't mind long grinds or tough enemies. I love the beauty of the world and the concept of where they want FFXIV to go. I love the 2.0 stuff they've put out. What I can't do apparently, is play this game by myself (or any MMO lately it seems). I tried FFXI and loved that as well, but again never fell into a LS. Finding one that matches me seems to be a tall order, so let me tell you a bit about myself.

I've played pretty much every MMO to be released in the western hemisphere since EQ 1999 (and even some eastern ones). None have etched a fonder set of memories in my mind than EQ because of the bonding that went on in the game. Having to group up w/o dungeon finders and staying with a group of people for many hours on end led to some wonderful friendships (and relationships). I found some of that grouping with Japanese players in FFXI (they seemed to be the only ones around when I played at the time) even though I couldn't exactly speak their language. They went out of their way to use the translation thing as best they could and we had hours of fun at a time leveling.

I've raided in every AAA MMO released since and including EQ. I love killing things, but it's only one of the many things I look for out of a game. I want to do EVERYTHING possible in a game, to the extent I'm allowed. I want to craft, kill, explore, build (in the MMOs which allow this) and just experience everything the designers have set out.

I work from home currently so I can spend A LOT of time in the game if I so choose. At launch here I had fun racing Armorer levels with someone trying to stay number one. Took a lot of time, but the competition was friendly and thanks to the original system of advertising wares (I.E. shouting in the different wards), I came to make a lot of community connections with players. No idea if they're still around, but I found a lot of fun in having the write down the recipes I was given in the little CE journal because there was no list in game. I loved having to get out there and advertise what I had made to people instead of just posting on an auction house. I dunno ... it just made the world feel alive to me.

Unfortunately it seems like a lot of people didn't enjoy that and we're left with what we have now. However, I find that the people who care so much about a game that stay with it even after it's been classified a total disaster will be some of the coolest people you can game with, whether it be socializing, crafting, killing or exploring together.

I also want to see where they take the game because in my mind, the potential here is great. I'd love to see the player housing, the airships, the many things I picture when I think of a Final Fantasy based world. PVP doesn't interest me, so I have no thoughts about that.

I do have a point to this post and it is this: I'd love to come back and experience the game with a LS that suits me (and possibly my girlfriend). I know there's a listing on this forum of active LSes that TheVedis keeps updated and I give many props to people who care enough about their community to do things like that. But rather than go to each website respectively and post the same thing time after time, I wanted to post about me as a player here in the event someone reads these forums and feels their home could be my home as well.

Thanks for reading

Scrubbs