Should FF14 take a new route? Discussion

[KaivaC]

monthly boycott of a free service how does that help anyone. the app is free. SE is doing fine

As mentioned in other threads, it is starting a dangerous trend in search of money. Why would we need the app? Communications? We already have that in the form of Discord and TeamSpeak, the former of which is usually preferred. Additional currency for what? These are things they should have added with the Eorzea app that is already available. At present, it is optional - a bad option, but an option nonetheless. But this is the start of something that, four years into FFXIV's life, should not have been made in the first place. If they were going to do it, it should've been added into the already existing app, provided they fixed that rather than just making something that is overwhelmingly negative.

[KisaiTenshi]

As mentioned in other threads, it is starting a dangerous trend in search of money. Why would we need the app? Communications? We already have that in the form of Discord and TeamSpeak, the former of which is usually preferred. Additional currency for what? These are things they should have added with the Eorzea app that is already available. At present, it is optional - a bad option, but an option nonetheless. But this is the start of something that, four years into FFXIV's life, should not have been made in the first place. If they were going to do it, it should've been added into the already existing app, provided they fixed that rather than just making something that is overwhelmingly negative.

The trend, in the mobile space, is to have dedicated "chat" apps that you can sell premium "sticker" and "emotes" in. That's where i see that heading.

[Savagelf]

and send your retainer on mission this would useful in some regarde be able when your retainer finish a task to be send them on another while your not playing

[Vhailor]

This makes no sense. Stockholders are interested in profits, and as long as the game keeps producing numbers to their satisfaction the game will not change. SquareEnix is extremely unique in that it is the only company to ever completely REDO their MMO after a complete flop. This means they are probably more conservative than ever in changing the status quo of what's working to try new things. To the company, Yoshida is the one who salvaged their game and made it profitable.

It may seem the game is stagnant to you. Stockholders see numbers and make decisions on that, not on their in-game experience.

By the way, I completely agree the game is stagnant (recently unsubbed after seeing the latest live letter) but to say you'd fire the entire leadership team if you were a stockholder makes absolutely zero sense.

There's a difference between short-term profits and long-term stability and viability. As an investor, I pay more attention to the latter than the former. SE's practises and the resulting financial reports are an illusion, a sugar high. It would make me tremendously nervous were I one of SE's stockholders.

Being overly-conservative is just as harmful as being overly-risky. Both guarantee the eventual failure of an organization. SE has been overly-conservative not just with FFXIV, but with all of the franchises I've played under their corporate umbrella over the past five years or so. It's a recipe for disaster.

[Shurrikhan]

The trend, in the mobile space, is to have dedicated "chat" apps that you can sell premium "sticker" and "emotes" in. That's where i see that heading.

So, LINE after you ban (by threat of lawsuit) the use of anything resembling your IP from being sold as stickers on LINE?

[LalaRu]

I'm not too much concerned about the app's fee, not much different than hiring a third retainer. Nothing game breaking and nothing that "forces" you on that.

I'd like to see the "basic" perks you get when the app is released, and wanna see if them are useful enough to let me keep the app installed on my device.

[BillyKaplan]

Throwing my two cents and I'm sure someone already brought it up, but my problem with the premium services is that some of those things should've rightly been in the game already. Why do I need to pay extra for a mobile app to move things between my retainers? Why not fix how THAT works instead of invest so many resources into making me pay an extra fee just to be able to use the system in a sensible way? The app proves it's possible, now they just need to put it into the game, but the chances of them doing that now went even further down because "oh you want that? well! [points at the app]". That's what worries me about it. Basic QoL upgrades that any worthwhile developer should've bent over backwards to give us are locked behind this.

[KaivaC]

Ohh...let me head this off before it turns completely into a discussion about the app. The app is a bad call, for sure, at least for NA/EU. But that doesn't really have a bearing on FFXIV itself, which feels...stale. It feels like there's no more innovation. Now...Eureka did manage to give us relic armor. After all the hate for it, at the end of the day, players did it because they had something that they wanted. I didn't like the endless grind myself, but it was something. The devs should take the feedback from that and improve it. Honestly, they need to decide if they are going to follow in the footsteps of FFXI for Eureka...and if they are, don't give us a poor man's version of Dynamis. Go all the way. Make it more than just FATE after FATE after FATE for three hours at a time.

Now...I'm curious about Doma's Reconstruction. Some of you may recall I made a mention about giving us something to do in the world map similar to what I think this will be about. Hopefully, I haven't seen any details yet. I just hope the devs are aware that player irritation with the product is starting to grow. The tipping point, in my opinion, was 4.0 being the same thing with a new coat of paint - the rest of the stuff that followed just added to the fire.

[KaldeaSahaline]

It feels like there's no more innovation. Now...Eureka did manage to give us relic armor. After all the hate for it, at the end of the day, players did it because they had something that they wanted.

While I know you're not saying Relic armor is innovation, I wanted to say that Eureka giving us Relic Armor should not be praiseworthy. I'd bet it's simply just a copy and pasting operation, toggling the dyeable flag, and clicking the plus sign on the materia socket button to 5.

I mean hell, an unpaid intern can handle that.

If the process is ANYTHING more than that, they have SEVERE process issues.

[Kewitt]

There is enough new content every major patch... even if it's simlar to older content it is new.
They have slitting there budge between.. what they know works and what they want to try differently IE eureka. PoTD
They spend more on diadam and it was a failure. So I think they have a nice balance right now.. Test the waters with some money make use what works gets enough funding. Then with whats left over make new content.