I hope Square doesn't keep deeming certain content unnecessary

[FrogDog]

Speaking of, I actually don't like when there is content that just stops but is still in the game. Guildhest and combat guildleve are two such contents. I've said in the past that combat guildleve is my favorite type of open world content, but since they're not updating it, I'd rather these two contents be removed and adjust the rewards for other contents to compensate.

I'm not sure how I feel about contents that seem to be replaced, like squadron-trust. If they roll trust to older contents, then I would be fine with removing squadron. Otherwise, I guess it could stay as it has distinguishable features, like being related to the GC.

Removing content, even old, vestigial content is never good optics and I think the bottom line is that updating, cutting, or compensating is just more work for them whereas letting the content sit there forever is zero work.

I don't do ex trials or savage raids so that left me to do some of these other fringe bits of content like squadrons. I'm still a bit peeved that the effort I put into squadrons was just thrown to the wayside by a replacement that offers less control and optimization, and is just tortuously slow.

Nothing, however, bugs me as much as the lack of attention the Gold Saucer receives in general, and chocobo racing in particular. Chocobo racing and breeding was a pretty popular bit of side content for 7 but in XIV it gets totally neglected for years with no new tracks, no new rewards, and minimal improvements. Player engagement really comes down to incentives and it baffles me how readily S-E will abandon casual/fluff content they have in place to put something new out that they will soon abandon as well. I'm willing to bet Island Sanctuary ends up being one-off content that dies by the end of Endwalker, yet they go that route instead of working what they want to do with IS into a better housing system.

[Rae88]

Nothing, however, bugs me as much as the lack of attention the Gold Saucer receives in general, and chocobo racing in particular. Chocobo racing and breeding was a pretty popular bit of side content for 7 but in XIV it gets totally neglected for years with no new tracks, no new rewards, and minimal improvements. Player engagement really comes down to incentives and it baffles me how readily S-E will abandon casual/fluff content they have in place to put something new out that they will soon abandon as well. I'm willing to bet Island Sanctuary ends up being one-off content that dies by the end of Endwalker, yet they go that route instead of working what they want to do with IS into a better housing system.

At least there's something big supposed to be coming to the Gold Saucer in Endwalker. So hopefully it makes people happy

[Jeeqbit]

The resources were obviously redistributed to new ideas, like Delubrum Reginae, Delubrum Reginae Savage, Memoria Misera, a second BA-like thing (Dalriada), critical engagements (which each involve the same amount of design work as dungeon bosses), the Firmament, ocean fishing, crafter and gatherer overhauls and QoL.

[ZedxKayn]

The resources were obviously redistributed to new ideas, like Delubrum Reginae, Delubrum Reginae Savage, Memoria Misera, a second BA-like thing (Dalriada), critical engagements (which each involve the same amount of design work as dungeon bosses), the Firmament, ocean fishing, crafter and gatherer overhauls and QoL.

It was not, we had Eureka's 4 zones and BA for SB, but we also had HoH, Tataru's outfit, Allied tribe quest, more EX dungeons, ponctual events, two Ultimates, and possibly more I don't remember were cut.
Despite reaping more money in than ever with ShB, SE didn't give it back to us as content nearly as much as they did in the past.

[Jeeqbit]

It was not, we had Eureka's 4 zones and BA for SB, but we also had HoH, Tataru's outfit, Allied tribe quest, more EX dungeons, ponctual events, two Ultimates, and possibly more I don't remember were cut.
Despite reaping more money in than ever with ShB, SE didn't give it back to us as content nearly as much as they did in the past.

I implied that 2 of the eureka areas that were cut were replaced with some of the things I mentioned.

None of the Eureka areas had Critical Engagements. What I explained about them involving the same sort of work as dungeons bosses is important to consider. In eureka we effectively just had skirmishes, which is just make a mob bigger and more powerful and call it a boss. There was sometimes mechanic work but I don't think it was on quite the same scale for most of them except the big one in each area like pazuzu. The critical engagements have the sort of mechanics we would expect in dungeons and raids.

And of course we didn't have a Dalriada, a Delubrum Reginae, DRS, firmament or ocean fishing areas. You can argue that level design work from eureka transferred into all of these extra things but the boss fights and mechanics would most likely lend work from the 2 extra expert dungeons and the deep dungeon fights that were cut.

I think that the Allied beast tribes, the ultimate and holiday events were cut because of covid. I am guessing on the Allied beast tribes and holiday events, but if I was a producer it would be a pretty obvious decision to cut "small" things like holidays and allied quests to make up for covid backlog. They've never cut holidays this way so it seems pretty obvious why.

The second ultimate has even had a lot of work on it so it's not really fair to say that this was cut for other content, it's been said it was done because of covid backlog getting in the way and needing to prioritise the expansion.

I have no idea how some little Tataru outfit can come into this. What is that even about?

[Deceptus]

It was not, we had Eureka's 4 zones and BA for SB, but we also had HoH, Tataru's outfit, Allied tribe quest, more EX dungeons, ponctual events, two Ultimates, and possibly more I don't remember were cut.
Despite reaping more money in than ever with ShB, SE didn't give it back to us as content nearly as much as they did in the past.

Sadly this is 100% accurate.

It's a combination of SE is siphoning money away from FFXIV developments, and FFXIV team not hiring more people to share the workload.

And it's showing. Glaringly so. FFXIV is SE's cash cow right now and they're milking it for all it's worth and not giving it time to properly recuperate.

[KizuyaKatogami]

The resources were obviously redistributed to new ideas, like Delubrum Reginae, Delubrum Reginae Savage, Memoria Misera, a second BA-like thing (Dalriada), critical engagements (which each involve the same amount of design work as dungeon bosses), the Firmament, ocean fishing, crafter and gatherer overhauls and QoL.

The thing is. Critical engagement bosses are really no different than eureka bosses.SB was able to give us 4 new zones, all filled with these bosses. Memoria Misera isnt really anything new since SB gave us Rathalos and Ratahlos EX while also giving us an extra trial in the form of Yojimbo. Delubrum and its savage version basically equate up to if not slightly less than the amount of bosses we'd get in a deep dungeon. Lets not forget btw, we also lost out on things such as no primal weapons for the new jobs, no new ultimate weapon models for them, no voiced alli or weapons trials, and plenty more. Resources werent just redistributed. We lost out on content. SB was able to give us extra dungeons, deep dungeon,hildibrand,allied beast tribe questline,diving,an entire new housing district,two ultimates, and much more. Content has been downgraded from last expansion and a lot of it is prior to covid so theres really no excuse for it.The only difference btw that a critical engagement has over some of the eurek abosses is that its an eclosed area. It makes you feel like youre fighting some bigger than it actually is. It's still around the same amount of mechanics.Hell one of the critical engagements is literally a pazuzu clone lmao.

[Jeeqbit]

The thing is. Critical engagement bosses are really no different than eureka bosses.

Yes they are. Yoshi-P has said they are different than fate bosses. He explained that Skirmishes could be done in the open world, but that Critical Engagements are different and involves the sort of work that would go into a dungeon boss. That changes a lot, really, because that means they redistributed resources that would go into making dungeon mechanics and did it in Bozja and Zadnor.

[KizuyaKatogami]

Yes they are. Yoshi-P has said they are different than fate bosses. He explained that Skirmishes could be done in the open world, but that Critical Engagements are different and involves the sort of work that would go into a dungeon boss. That changes a lot, really, because that means they redistributed resources that would go into making dungeon mechanics and did it in Bozja and Zadnor.

well i have to say it certainly doesnt feel like it. They have the same amount of mechanics as a eureka boss, theyre just in an enclosed space. Nevertheless though my overall points still stands. We're missing content. We were missing content before covid was a thing, and we're still missing content period. I hate seeing it used as an excuse when there were already things beforehand we were missing out on.

[ReynTime]

The thing is. Critical engagement bosses are really no different than eureka bosses.SB was able to give us 4 new zones, all filled with these bosses. Memoria Misera isnt really anything new since SB gave us Rathalos and Ratahlos EX while also giving us an extra trial in the form of Yojimbo. Delubrum and its savage version basically equate up to if not slightly less than the amount of bosses we'd get in a deep dungeon. Lets not forget btw, we also lost out on things such as no primal weapons for the new jobs, no new ultimate weapon models for them, no voiced alli or weapons trials, and plenty more. Resources werent just redistributed. We lost out on content. SB was able to give us extra dungeons, deep dungeon,hildibrand,allied beast tribe questline,diving,an entire new housing district,two ultimates, and much more. Content has been downgraded from last expansion and a lot of it is prior to covid so theres really no excuse for it.The only difference btw that a critical engagement has over some of the eurek abosses is that its an eclosed area. It makes you feel like youre fighting some bigger than it actually is. It's still around the same amount of mechanics.Hell one of the critical engagements is literally a pazuzu clone lmao.

But we got... umbrellas! And photo stickers, and more scrip turn-ins (but this time there was a STORY!) with repurposed diadem again! And ex... ex.. exploration mode...
And I mean, sure we haven't gotten any actual "expert" dungeons after 5.1 but uh... we got... cool MSQ solo fights that we do once and never again...