1. Glam counts can't be expanded.
  2. New players can only roll on certain servers during extremely limited windows.
  3. Current players see intermittent alt creation restrictions.
  4. The website 'runs out' of digital copies of the game.
  5. There's almost always a queue.
  6. There are always restrictions in place on marriages.
  7. The mogstation is a clunky mess (albeit slightly improved) that feels like it dates from 2005.
  8. There are weird systems for everything: retainers, crafting, gear swaps, glamour (the prisms, the plates, the dresser, the armoire).

Is... anyone else starting to see a pattern here? Look, I love the game, and I really am a lifelong fan of the company and the franchise. But I'm beginning to feel like FFXIV is kind of being held together by spit and baling wire. And while things have been creaky and "quaint" like that since launch day, I'm starting to worry that the entire muddled system is in real trouble (having the digital copies go down - even for a while - is alarming, and I'm hardly the only person that saw that as a big red flag).

It is my belief that the design team does the best that they can with the resources allotted, but that they've been carrying water with a rusty bucket since day one. And with this sudden surge in players, that shoestring approach to hardware, in-game QOL, population maintenance, website stability, etc. is no longer sufficient.

This is a really, really critical time in FFXIV's lifespan - easily the most crucial moment since launch. And I'm really not seeing a company that has prepared for this trial. In fact, I feel like they've been caught unawares and are trying to bail like mad to stay seaworthy.

Please, Square-Enix - now is the time. Reinvest in this game.