Lack of 'server community' in FFXIV - a nostalgic perspective

[Seig345]

I've always found this an interesting Chicken-or-the-Egg topic.

People say the DF killed the game's ability to have a close knit community, but if the majority of the players really wanted that, there's nothing stopping them from forming parties the old fashioned way. Yet, it's generally observed that the majority uses the DF because fewer people go the old route due to the DF being the path of least resistance.

So the question (for me) becomes: Is FFXIV's community the same people who played/play FFXI, is it them + a large casual group, or mostly just that casual group with a few of the "old guard" hanging on "because Final Fantasy"?

If SE were to suddenly yank these modern DF conveniences out of the game, would the entirety of the community truly stick around but start to pull together, or would that simply drive off the casual group, leaving a more close-knit yet considerably smaller community? Would that be unfair to the group driven off that was enjoying the game as it currently is or should having a tight-knit community come first? Would it negatively impact the game's development cycle for the remaining playerbase if a considerable number of subs were lost as a consequence or would it allow for a deeper gameplay experience that didn't require such a fast development cycle?

It's an interesting social topic, that's for sure.

[Brightamethyst]

So the question (for me) becomes: Is FFXIV's community the same people who played/play FFXI, is it them + a large casual group, or mostly just that casual group with a few of the "old guard" hanging on "because Final Fantasy"?

If SE were to suddenly yank these modern DF conveniences out of the game, would the entirety of the community truly stick around but start to pull together, or would that simply drive off the casual group, leaving a more close-knit yet considerably smaller community?

IF SE removed the modern conveniences like the DF the game would fail in a matter of days. Like Claviusnex said, the MMO community has aged and changed. What worked for me in 2004 FFXI when I was 21 is not what works today when I'm 35 and just want to casually run a dungeon or two.

[Seig345]

IF SE removed the modern conveniences like the DF the game would fail in a matter of days. Like Claviusnex said, the MMO community has aged and changed. What worked for me in 2004 FFXI when I was 21 is not what works today when I'm 35 and just want to casually run a dungeon or two.

Ahh, so it is unlikely that gamers who are 21 today are still opting to try out/play MMORPGs? I'm not disagreeing or anything, I just wasn't sure if that was a generally accepted aspect of the MMO community at large. I myself certainly don't have the time to play an MMO like FFXI used to be nowadays, but I had just assumed that there's still younger MMO gamers out there who would.

[Claviusnex]

Ahh, so it is unlikely that gamers who are 21 today are still opting to try out/play MMORPGs? I'm not disagreeing or anything, I just wasn't sure if that was a generally accepted aspect of the MMO community at large. I myself certainly don't have the time to play an MMO like FFXI used to be nowadays, but I had just assumed that there's still younger MMO gamers out there who would.

I guess a lot has to do with the distribution of players' ages. While there surely is a younger group of players I suspect they are not the largest demographic and have adapted to the current state of the game. I think you will likely see more comradery in newer games where the player base is closer in age, their point in life and progression through the game.

[Brightamethyst]

Ahh, so it is unlikely that gamers who are 21 today are still opting to try out/play MMORPGs?

To some extent, yeah. It's a different market now. Flash back to 15-20 years ago and MMOs were pretty much the pinnacle of online gaming. Halo, Call of Duty, smartphones, MOBAs, etc weren't things yet. Today though you have endless options for online play. The popularity of MMOs in general has dropped significantly over the years, and a large part of the current MMO community is made up of the holdouts who started playing them "back in the olden days."

[jameseoakes]

IF SE removed the modern conveniences like the DF the game would fail in a matter of days. Like Claviusnex said, the MMO community has aged and changed. What worked for me in 2004 FFXI when I was 21 is not what works today when I'm 35 and just want to casually run a dungeon or two.

I'm going to agree with this, I think having to stand around shouting looking for group to get into most content is just going to drive people out. I know people who played in 1.0 and not being able to get groups for content is one of the biggest complaints. I'd dread to try and play though the story now struggling to get people to run the dungeons without the roulettes filling in numbers so don't think they'd get many new players to stick with it and lose a lot of the player base who would likely be very bitter.

[Seig345]

To some extent, yeah. It's a different market now. Flash back to 15-20 years ago and MMOs were pretty much the pinnacle of online gaming. Halo, Call of Duty, smartphones, MOBAs, etc weren't things yet. Today though you have endless options for online play. The popularity of MMOs in general has dropped significantly over the years, and a large part of the current MMO community is made up of the holdouts who started playing them "back in the olden days."

I see... Well, that's a shame.

That being said, and as I've droned on about in other FFXI related threads before; as much as Vana'diel will always have a special place in my gamer heart, I know that I'd never last long if I attempted to go back to playing something like that again.

[Iscah]

People are generally too selfish these days. They pretty much expect to be able to press a button and demand help without earning it.. aka duty finder..

Er.... Duty Finder is "selfish and demanding"? The system that lets you say "hey, I'd like to run [dungeon], please match me up with other people who also want to do that"?

Personally I feel much less demanding just getting in the queue rather than asking my FC for help - people might not actually want to do that right now, but feel obligated to help me because I asked.


As for having to shout for a party... that takes a lot of guts for me. What if people ignore me? What if they join me and we don't get along? How long do I wait to call again without seeming spammy?

(So far I've only done it once, in Eureka, and did thankfully get a nice team mate right away. But it still makes me nervous.)

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While it's not a matter of "everyone knowing everyone" on the server (there are too many people, and on Japanese worlds the language barrier makes it difficult), my FC has a good community feel amongst ourselves. We chat a lot, and run into each other often. But people outside of the FC aren't going to see that happening.