We should get exp boost in the game.

[Stepjam]

Why are you so quick to turn away potential new players? When you make an "MMORPG" the target audience is RPG players.

Why does every game have to target everyone? If you don't want story with your MMO, that's 100% ok. But why not just find an MMO more to your tastes than say that a game that doesn't match your tastes is wrong? Sounds like you don't care about story in your games, which is fine, more power to you. But you'd probably be better off just playing story light games than complain about story in story heavy ones.

Edit: Also you talk about how RPG players are often a big target audience of MMOs. And you know what RPGs are commonly known for? Story. So why would RPG fans be upset about a story heavy game?

[Enla]

Palatable is acceptable to you? I mean in the CCG genre Hearthstone is palatable. But at least the players aren't in denial and know the game isn't new player friendly and it needs to be changed. However the greedy cooperate side says "nah, forget that". FFXIV may not be as bad as hearthstone but it's not far off from turning into the hearthstone of mmorpg's. At least in MTG and Shadowverse you get in game currency plus updates that give you free packs through-out the expansions. Hearthstone be like, "for the release of the expansion here's a quest for 10 packs. pay me for more or spend 40-60 hours grinding to get to a playable state."

Because I enjoy the game as it is now? Yes. Particularly since the only part I take issue with is being fixed next patch, which removes any further reason for me to whine about the leveling slog.

Also I hate to break it to you but SE is a corporation and a corporation's first job is to make money. I know, it's shocking, but bear with me here while you try to compare to completely different genres that have nothing to do with one another. Likewise we have been shown time and time again that the Mogstation, and the skips as part of it, is one of the only ways money actually gets funneled back into the game for more content. That money goes directly back into producing the endgame content you're holding up as what new players strive to reach. So what do you want? A free way to skip the story or more content at endgame? Because they aren't compatible with each other.

[Rymm]

Why are you so quick to turn away potential new players? When you make an "MMORPG" the target audience is RPG players.

No game will appeal to everyone, but why are you so quick to assume that the story turns away more players than it attracts? So far you haven't presented anything more than thin anecdotal evidence. If you haven't noticed, FF14 active users are trending up in general, even taking into account the up and down fluctuations caused by the patch cycles.



Now, we can go around in circles on what it is that is causing its success, story vs. endgame, but that sounds exhausting and pointless seeing as neither of us have any tangible evidence. I'll just leave you with a golden oldie- If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[Dfess]

A free way to skip the story or more content at endgame? Because they aren't compatible with each other.

They seem to be compatible in other games...

[Theodric]

They seem to be compatible in other games...

Which games?

[kaynide]

Different games, different genres, different goals. The FF franchise in general is a story driven series. Different players have different goals. Me? I’ve been playing since launch and not once engaged with active endgame content. My enjoyment has been maxing out every job level, doing every quest. Except For said endgame content I am 100% cleared in the game. Were it endgame focused like guild wars 2, I wouldn’t have stuck with it. (Love gw2...in bursts btw, no hate)

[Kleeya]

Palatable is acceptable to you? I mean in the CCG genre Hearthstone is palatable. But at least the players aren't in denial and know the game isn't new player friendly and it needs to be changed. However the greedy cooperate side says "nah, forget that". FFXIV may not be as bad as hearthstone but it's not far off from turning into the hearthstone of mmorpg's. At least in MTG and Shadowverse you get in game currency plus updates that give you free packs through-out the expansions. Hearthstone be like, "for the release of the expansion here's a quest for 10 packs. pay me for more or spend 40-60 hours grinding to get to a playable state."

Talking of Hearthstone, did they release a free option to get rid of these annoying parts of the game where you have to play with cards and improve your deck ? I would really like to enjoy the story and the lore, but not doing boring card battles. Is that a possibility now ? Or don't they want new players ?

[Jirah]

Why does every game have to target everyone? If you don't want story with your MMO, that's 100% ok. But why not just find an MMO more to your tastes than say that a game that doesn't match your tastes is wrong? Sounds like you don't care about story in your games, which is fine, more power to you. But you'd probably be better off just playing story light games than complain about story in story heavy ones.

Edit: Also you talk about how RPG players are often a big target audience of MMOs. And you know what RPGs are commonly known for? Story. So why would RPG fans be upset about a story heavy game?

This is the bane of all games, games with a specific niche trying its best to appeal to everyone by cutting its bell-end off appeals to nobody. The Wii taught the gaming media the “casual audience” is a vast ocean compared to the puddles that are categorized as the “gaming audience” as a result many games have lost their luster trying to have the broadest appeal possible. The broader the more people will Play it, and more Money

FF14 is already a high niche game, a MMO, a Final fantasy game, being so closely tied to “anime culture” for some reason, and subscription based models. I say fine tune what we got not throw it all the way for the causal mindset. Simplifying the game to the point of it being a kids game

[Vidu]

Except you're wrong. The story isn't the pull for this game. The title is. Also, I accept that FFXIV is what it is but, it needs to change. What they have now is not sustainable in the market we have today. The only people who will continue playing are whales and hardcore fans. No new player is going to drop $60 on a game and then another $60 when they find out the game is locked behind a massive story. My friends quit because they couldn't jump into dungeons right away. Sure they are just a few people but they are the average mmo players. People like that don't stick around if they can't do what they want to do and are told they have to do it this way unless they are a massive fan of the franchise already.

Its might be a bit late to respond to this now, but I just want to point out that the title "Final Fantasy" is one that is associated with story-heavy, story-driven games. So it stands to reason that anyone who has at least a faint idea about what Final Fantasy is and what makes it famous, has to expect that this is going to be a game with a story focus - and I dare say that there are enough people out there who are into that and who are looking for a game thats telling them a story. Since we're throwing ancedotal experience around: Personally I started playing this game because I was intrested in the story. I even started raiding (and kept raiding) because there was story locked behind Coil. And I know the same being true for a couple of my friends - we werent mainly looking for an endgame-MMO-experience, we were looking to play a Final Fantasy with a story-focus.
If your friends arent looking for that, thats fine - they dont have to play this game. There are games out there that cater to their taste - and at the same time, as statistics that other people have posted here already show, there are enough new players coming in who are infact looking not only for the "endgame-MMO-experience" but also for the "story-telling Final Fantasy experience". If WoW offers the "jump straight into dungeons experience" thats great for people who are looking for that! They can play WoW then - and everyone whos looking for a story heavy game can play FFXIV - not everyone needs to like and play every game. For those people who are looking for a story this game wont feel like its "locked" behind the mainstory, the mainstory is going to be their game. For those people it wont be "I need to spent 120$ to play this game" - they'll spent 60$ and are going to be amazed that for that amount (+monthly sub) they get several hundred of hours of story worth to play through. Quite a sweet deal, if you ask me - speaking of sweet: It reminds me a bit about how I buy chocolates. I make very sure that I like most chocolates in the box before spending my money on it - maybe your friends and everyone else should do the same. You dont need to play every game and if you dont like some of the main things a game offers, find another one. There will be people who like this game - until it dies. Which it obviously will do at some point. But at that point that will have other reasons than being to story-heavy.

Speaking of WoW... I'd really like to try it, but that artstyle is just not to my taste - you think they could change that for me?

[Xeronia]

So in other words you don't want new players to have an easier time than you did playing the game? If you had to suffer through it then so do they. I got you.

Forgive me if I am mistaken but isn't the next patch addressing the issue of new player retention with shortening ARR and adding flying to ARR after completing the ARR base story?