How is anyone fine with the 4-month patch delivery schedule?

[Hyperia]

The scope of what the developers are working on is significantly larger than it was when they started ARR and the 3.5-month schedule. While they can add many more developers at the top, final Q&A still depends on a very few individuals who have limited availability. An extra two weeks reduces stress on the team and stress is one of Yoshi-P's biggest concerns about the team now as it is causing retention issues. I'd rather wait two additional weeks than lose features because a developer quit due to overwork.

[Lunalepsy]

What are players who aren't going to do Ultimate do for four months in 6.1?

1. Do the alliance raid, which probably takes 1-2 hours to complete on day 1.

2. Do the Tataru and Hildebrand quests which take 2 hours judging by previous instances.

3. Do the new extreme trial which takes like 2-4 hours to clear.

4. Waste 5 mins every day on beast tribes, and waste 3 mins every week on custom delivery.

Congratulations that's all you have for 4 months. $60 in subscription fees. That's even less than what you get from the typical AAA single player title.

With this little content they should be accelerating patch delivery, not slowing it down.

Why not? Other games take years to update.

[Xuled]

Play Elden Ring and other titles. Easy.

[sharknado]

Congratulations that's all you have for 4 months. $60 in subscription fees. That's even less than what you get from the typical AAA single player title.

The game director encourages people to play only when they want to. So people subbed for expansion launch, did it, quit, came back for 6.1, quit... This isn't WoW, you don't have to be subbed 24/7.

And even WoW with all it developers and cash can do a patch half a year or longer, it's generic as usual and most is tested by players, not the company

[Ath192]

What are players who aren't going to do Ultimate do for four months in 6.1?

1. Do the alliance raid, which probably takes 1-2 hours to complete on day 1.

2. Do the Tataru and Hildebrand quests which take 2 hours judging by previous instances.

3. Do the new extreme trial which takes like 2-4 hours to clear.

4. Waste 5 mins every day on beast tribes, and waste 3 mins every week on custom delivery.

Congratulations that's all you have for 4 months. $60 in subscription fees. That's even less than what you get from the typical AAA single player title.

With this little content they should be accelerating patch delivery, not slowing it down.

Okay the content had gotten really repetitive and stale when doing the 3 month period, could they be pressured? Eh sure, but I don't think you'd see the results you want. Lets review what they are working on:

1. Redoing the PVP stuff so its viable endgame stuff to dedicate to
2. Graphics update
3. The same old stuff of new (same with different paint dungeons and alliance raids), ultimate etc...
4. The new dynamic difficulty dungeons
5. New deep dungeon
6. Sanctuary Island

For each of these things they'll have to revamp entire ecosystems in case of PVP, Touch every texture in the game, develop a new dungeon system for dynamic difficulty (probably learned a few things from Bozja), Keep doing what they were doing before in the three month schedule and develop a new instanced zone with mechanics for the sanctuary Island system.

Like, yeah it takes time but let's face it, they're giving a lot more than they were a year ago in terms of development and things to do so it seems like they are back in full force.

I will agree with one thing, this game has nothing to do at the moment, not for people that have been playing it for a long time and did what they wanted. But I will also admit I am SEEING that square is trying, and its not like they haven't announced huge things upcoming besides the regular so they are trying. There is evidence the money isn't just going poof.

Each one of these activities probably has a team dedicated to them and well it does seem like they are mobilizing. So I think the money we spend on the sub isn't being wasted personally.

[SturmChurro]

I can
1. ride my motorcycle
2. swim
3. go for a walk
4. play other games

Life is too short to afk in limsa all day

When paying for a sub for a game, I'd like to actually have things to do in the game I am paying a sub for.

I am not looking for anything in particular. I am simply asking Square Enix to increase the quantity of content that they're offering. As it stands we are getting less and less each expansion, no matter what the people on copium would say.

Quantity, quality, and to make that content last.

[SturmChurro]

Then don’t sub for all 4 months ?
If you are at the point where nothing in the game interest you then just stop paying for it.
People are always going to run out of media to consume. Hence canceling streaming services until new tv shows come out.

What's the purpose in the sub then? When a game has a sub, it is presumed that content gets released at more frequent periods (or there is something to do) to justify the sub. The "just unsub" argument I have always thought was laughable.

[Atelier-Bagur]

What's the purpose in the sub then? When a game has a sub, it is presumed that content gets released at more frequent periods, or there is something to do, to justify the sub. The "just unsub" argument I have always thought was laughable.

Compared to other MMO's and their content droughts? FFXIV seems to be the more consistent with its patch releases that justify a sub (which is needed to keep an online game going without resorting to numerous amounts of micro-transactions and pay 2 win models). So its not laughable for people to sub and unsub when they know content will be coming anyway. Also maybe I'm one of the few that does this but...I dont play this game every day. In fact I go a week or 2 without playing to do something else to avoid burnout, but I still keep my sub going for the off chance I want to play the game. I figure this is how others usually play MMOs without making it their 2nd job.