I solved the problem with this game.

[Mistyregions]

The problem with the community and developers is the community doesn't understand it takes money to implement even the smallest QoL. So they are always asking for stuff that's unrealistic because the game isn't a fan service it's a business.

So my solution? For every single person complaining about races, housing, whatever it may be Square should allow a crowd funded development option. It's that simple. Square gives an estimate for the development and implementation cost and it's up to "but I want housing now" guy to fund it.

Pretty simple right? Here is a example, "I want developers to implement instanced housing because I feel left out and my feelings hurt and I'm soft". The premise is that a huge amount of the community wants this right? *according to the forums*

Since people are so confident in their stance, square can give an estimate to cover the cost of this because they DON'T HAVE unlimited resources. Let's says its 300k, the community can crowd fund it and get it implemented and since they believe everyone should have access to everything they definitely will let people use it even if they don't contribute right? See, EZ PZ. Want new background colors for the UI? 50k new unisex glamor? 400k.

This solution allows the developers to maintain their business and work towards new content for the rest of us without limiting resources to the new content. This then allows them to take that money and outsource it to smaller companies and get it implemented. This solves everything really. People can get what they want without demanding a company to bend to their personal insecurities.

[Raldo]

Are you put off by people offering suggestions and input? If not for that, what else are we doing here? Most people are complaining from a place of love ("I like this thing and I'd like to see it improve"). I mean, I don't think you can even post here without an active sub. We're already paying for them to do work.

Sure, resources aren't unlimited, but we can't know what their plans are. We voice our opinions in hopes that our opinions are shared and our feedback is heard.

Go tally up how much money they're making per-month off of subs alone, then lets talk.

[Enla]

Let's not give 'Small Indie Company' Square Enix any ideas please... They already act like they aren't a major AAA company for most of the year, actually treating them like an indie company would be a disaster from which we'd never come back from.

[Paladinleeds]

It also has to be developed using SE Crystal Tools (or whatever engine they use now... was Crystal Tools the old one?) - the people implementing it have to be understanding of the code of FFXIV. In essence, it'd be a case of hiring new people. Then training them etc. I believe Yoshi P has gone on record saying finding appropriate developers (that can speak Japanese, which is what they communicate with each other using) is extremely difficult. Thus, while I can see where you're going with this, it is not as simple as that.

[Mistyregions]

Let's not give 'Small Indie Company' Square Enix any ideas please... They already act like they aren't a major AAA company for most of the year, actually treating them like an indie company would be a disaster from which we'd never come back from.

What do you mean by this comment? Are you insinuating that they have unlimited money to focus on just one IP in their portfolio? That they should not diversify and keep the game withing a budget? That they should not give raises to employees? That they should just return all profit from this game back into the game?

[PharisHanasaki]

Not sure if this is a troll post, but I'll take it as a legit discussion.

You are right in saying that it takes money to develop stuff, but more than that it takes time and human resources.
Yoshida san has said before that even more money or more developers can't make them release updates faster.
He also has a tight schedule for every patch, everything that will go into the next patch gets scheduled and assigned.
Adding more stuff in the middle of an iteration is hard, so they usually move into onto the next one.

Development is a complex thing, multiple factors can affect the ability of a team to introduce changes or features.

[Shougun]

Quite a few people understand things cost money to implement, they just still want it. I think you're exceptionally simplifying your opposition and being insulting at the same time (see your points of being soft and insecurities as reference, I feel like making a poor and insulting form of communication).

As for the idea of the thread I wonder if Mogshop could contain that concept... I'm just worried that it would lead to bad behaviors where they don't add anything significant unless it's been kickstarted by the players first (and then of course monetizing the result of their kickstart, meaning SE doesn't put it's own funds forward as much... which is normally what one would expect from businesses). Like other big corporations with lootbox fever and claim they can't make anything without them- which we know is not true (see CDProjektRed), and even though they have massive funds they don't seem to invest those massive funds for anything more interesting (see those lootbox sport games as reference lol). Just seems like opening a path to worse deals on the player's part (though a very honest company could potentially use the idea for great effect for both the game, players, and dev team).

[Mistyregions]

It also has to be developed using SE Crystal Tools (or whatever engine they use now... was Crystal Tools the old one?) - the people implementing it have to be understanding of the code of FFXIV. In essence, it'd be a case of hiring new people. Then training them etc. I believe Yoshi P has gone on record saying finding appropriate developers (that can speak Japanese, which is what they communicate with each other using) is extremely difficult. Thus, while I can see where you're going with this, it is not as simple as that.

Well then that can be factored into the cost, making more apparent to the "it's so easy" crowd, how monumental the task they ask actually is. I swear I hear how easy it is to put in instance housing ,and how easy it is to put helmets on viera and how easy it is to unisex over 10k peices of gear in the game.

[Mistyregions]

Are you put off by people offering suggestions and input? If not for that, what else are we doing here? Most people are complaining from a place of love ("I like this thing and I'd like to see it improve"). I mean, I don't think you can even post here without an active sub. We're already paying for them to do work.

Sure, resources aren't unlimited, but we can't know what their plans are. We voice our opinions in hopes that our opinions are shared and our feedback is heard.

Go tally up how much money they're making per-month off of subs alone, then lets talk.

I'm not put off I'm just tired of hearing about it, there is complaining to complain, then there is whining a raging and demanding and insinuating intolerance.

How many active subs are there? 1 million? That's 15 off million dollars, after taxes (I dont know shit about Japan's tax structure) they have to reinvest in this IP diversify their product line by investing into new IPs and the mundane things like, cover 401k investments, healthcare, yearly COL wage increases. So I'm willing to bet it's not much.

[Paladinleeds]

Well then that can be factored into the cost, making more apparent to the "it's so easy" crowd, how monumental the task they ask actually is. I swear I hear how easy it is to put in instance housing ,and how easy it is to put helmets on viera and how easy it is to unisex over 10k peices of gear in the game.

Asking for us to pay for these western developers to be trained in Japanese (which by the way, requires a minimum of five years of study IIRC to be allowed to take the exam to be considered fluent enough in Japanese for a work visa for this sort of company) won't be feasible due to the timescales involved in getting them on board (like I said, it's a multi year process to get the talent involved with Japanese). Also, because of code issues, NDAs would have to be signed and the staff brought onto the team (remember this is an in-house game engine that they don't allow other companies to use). These developers would have to leave their other jobs (so they'd have to WANT to work for SE), or foreign developers trained up in the language. The fact is that SE runs FFXIV on a shoestring budget. We make stupid amounts of money, and that gets siphoned off to other projects. Also, Yoshi P has gone on record stating that they made the cash shop to be able to try and get more funds to the team (although I don't know whether that's just PR speak he was told to give and SE actually take all that too for other projects). Diversifying yes, I get that. But for years this game has been run on a shoestring budget.

Given Japanese developers aren't likely to move en-masse to SE to work for them, we'd have to train up western developers in Japanese. So, we'd be waiting multiple years to see it anyway, not as simple as this is. Plus, I believe SE doing these sorts of Kickstarter type campaigns as an AAA developer would get them in trouble with Japanese law. So it wouldn't be possible. It's not as simple as the technical and human resources aspects, there's also legal aspects to consider.

I'm not put off I'm just tired of hearing about it, there is complaining to complain, then there is whining a raging and demanding and insinuating intolerance.

How many active subs are there? 1 million? That's 15 off million dollars, after taxes (I dont know shit about Japan's tax structure) they have to reinvest in this IP diversify their product line by investing into new IPs and the mundane things like, cover 401k investments, healthcare, yearly COL wage increases. So I'm willing to bet it's not much.

Once again, they added the cash shop. Not to mention, from my understanding in Japan, they pay for their healthcare with their taxes (and judging from the mention of the 401k, I assume you're American, so that may explain why you added the healthcare part). So, the outgoings might not be as much as we think.