Quote Originally Posted by Atelier-Bagur View Post
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I think the end of your commentary is the key. This is no longer the year 2000. Or 2005. Or 2010. Or whatever. The very nature of an MMO has evolved over time. Back when WoW was new, it was considered earth-shatteringly "casual" that an MMO could feature things like dying without losing xp, gear, etc.. For the "first generation" of MMO players, if you will, WoW itself had aspects that made it feel "not like an actual MMO." Fast forward to 2023. The primary demographic of MMO gamers is no longer teenagers, college kids, and recent college grads with lots of time on their hands; now it's adults with families and full-time careers. Most of them don't have the time players in general had to play 15-20 years ago. I remember having no problem with sitting in the Barrens looking to form a dungeon group, to then walk over to Wailing Caverns, knowing the dungeon itself would take 1-2 hours to fully complete. I had a ton of fun playing that back in 2005. Today? No chance I find that enjoyable. I want to be able to log on and feel like I've made progress or done something significant even though I might have less than an hour to actually play. It's not that people "hate" your ideas; it's that the world has moved on.

Looking at your an R041's posts, I feel like there's a choice. One can either claim they are the arbiters of what is "good" or "bad" in game design, and then get frustrated and throw temper tantrums when the other hundreds of thousands of players disagree with you. Or one can acknowledge that their thoughts are simply that - their own, individual personal opinions - and that they might need to poke around for a game that still fits them. All of R041's cursing and rants come down to an immature tirade because the world disagrees with him. No, people aren't lying when they say the things they say about FFXIV. They're offering their own personal opinions. Just like you. The difference is they're mature enough to recognize them as personal opinions.

My own personal opinion? I don't feel like things "get better" after ARR...because I had a ton of fun all the way through, including ARR. I never felt like playing FFXIV was a "mediocre experience." In fact, the complete opposite. I've found it an awesome, fun experience. I also recognize that that's my opinion, and I feel pity for people who are so bitter they can't accept the idea that a lot of other people can have a lot of fun playing a game they don't personally enjoy.