Plots everywhere demolished and open!

[Shougun]

Meh. Idk what else you'd spend the monthly crowns on. They pile up so I buy houses.

I'd rather they just let us buy instanced housing for gil.

I don't have any monthly crowns. And a pile up of monthly crowns is no excuse for their "limited" time "sales", lootboxes, 50 dollar mounts, and 100 dollar houses. Not everyone is subscribed to that game, it's a buy to play game. I don't care if they have a crafting bag, it's inexcusable. It shouldn't be copied into other games. The only thing they do good is the scope of their instanced housing, aside from their cash shop.

IF SE added a means for people who sub to gain a reasonable access to mog shop items then I'd find mog shop concepts far less, BOOOO lol. But certainly if they added items to the mogshop without a reasonable source to purchase them through subscription it would be /awful/.

I see FFXIV as a sub 2 play game though so to me when I hear you get monthly tokens in ESO and it's not too hard to stack them out, honestly (in translation to FFXIV) doesn't sound that bad and actually a benefit to us if we had that. Just wanted to add some context, in case SE is wondering what people think - that'd be my thought. From the point of view of a sub 2 play game, I don't hate that idea and see it's a decent way to make some extra funds that aren't too bad. Like I don't think the seasonal on the cash shop are horrible, and actually if you had monthly tokens I feel it would be even less so. I don't really mind the stuff that doesn't fit in the game at all either, or from other FFs, but I do find stuff that's clearly from this game removed and added back in as like "boo" (but similarly on houses if there was a reasonable rate of tokens each month then 'not that bad').

This naturally assumes that they continue to produce either EQUAL or GREATER quality content that's part of the experience as well (which is where naturally many people, and rightfully so, get leery and scared of corporations rubbing their slick money lubed hands together and try to do less for more - we see this all the time).

Lootboxes should still not be a thing though, it's clearly gambling. I don't care what lawyer limbo circus someone try to pull- lootboxes are obviously gambling that pray on people's impulsive desires, but worse because there is no monetary value and are easier to do at all times as you don't have to travel to any location to be part of it (can't or are not supposed to be able to sell anything you obtain from the game). Gambling for rain water in the tropics. No lootboxes. Sell what you're going to sell, lol. (Altough for those gambling reasons I can see why they're popular to use, big money as people will spend far more than they would have on an outright purchase... which should tell you their problem and what they are in a nutshell xD). At least with trading card games you actually get an item, that you could theoretically sell (sometimes when opening a TCG pack you might make money for example, you're not making anything with digital lootboxes unless you plan to break ToS). Even that though, personally, I don't like TCG based around the gambling mechanic (random card packs)- I like the card games that just sell sets (non-random) and you get what you paid for and you know it'll be a good experience because they had to be sure that's what they were selling (selling fun, not a chance at fun).

Personally I thought if they did instanced world space housing (like Rift, Wildstar, ESO, etc) that they would provide through story a zone to each player (or account), and then if players wanted they could buy additional ones (like retainers)- maybe even strip some of the money parts of it out. Like additional spaces can store and display items, but the gardens, submarines, etc, wouldn't return items - this way people couldn't purchase printing presses (like they do with retainers.. lol). I wouldn't mind themes sold, like ESO so long as there were either two stipulations, A) it's very feasible to purchase them with monthly given tokens or B) there are in game houses that are equal in quality and the shop ones sell ONLY themes that don't belong in the game (like you might buy a midgard house, vivi village house, or something).

Said something similarly on the concept of airships, where you would not have any airship that belongs in the game sold on the cash shop BUT you could say buy FFV Lunar Whale or FFIX invincible, FFVII Highwind, etc. Especially neat if they were like the primal statues, so you could have a FF airship statue. Alternatively using the logic above if they gave a reasonable rate of monthly tokens, that'd not make it so annoying (to me). But if there was either a hilariously terrible rate of tokens, drop in quality and amount of content, or just pure exclusivity to the shop (especially stuff non-seasonal that was extracted from the game) and no tokens then I'd probably also be pretty miffed.

As I said though it's certainly fair to be leery, or just want a better value... SE may be using the funds to make better game(s) and much better working environments or they may just be giving their higher ups progressively larger and larger bonuses while everyone else crunches harder and harder with less support and worse leadership which causes lower quality games. We've actively seen the later happen for other companies. Imo I want to see SE do well and everyone their have reasonable work life enjoyment, so it's why I mentioned some of my thoughts - but I could see SE take such thoughts and twist them into making themselves a situation to do less in general while making more (while all companies have to make money a good game company will also want to make a great game at the same time).

Naturally the best would be everything in game and no shop exists and the game is perfect... Lol. Just wanted to lay out some thoughts, at least personally I think SE does still read our forums even if others have doubts.