If you're unhappy with this game then unsub... forever.

[Striker44]

Players have the right to be unhappy with the game. Telling them leave is also not the best solution depending on their issue. Yes complaints get annoying, mostly the trolling ones. But a lot just want the game improved in one or another.

The issue is that "improvement" is often a very subjective thing. What one person considers an "improvement" could be a complete turn-off for someone else. When your "complaints" basically become hating the very core of the game and demanding changes so extreme that they would likely push away many more people in an attempt to please "you," it says the game and you just don't mesh anymore, and that's okay. It's comments like these:

I'm well aware sloppy ****** design is popular. It's why Squeenix is pursuing it. Unsubbing has zero impact. This game took money from people who enjoy video games so they could give us 2-3 expansions of an enjoyable video game and then bait-n-switched us with a game designed for lazy ERP Limsa AFKers. I still play for friends. This game's combat design is awful.

This is utterly condescending, egocentric, and at its core, immature. "Good game design can only mean exactly what *I* like, and if you like something else, then you're awful." That's not helpful. It reveals more about the poster than anything about the game.

[Supersnow845]

The issue is that "improvement" is often a very subjective thing. What one person considers an "improvement" could be a complete turn-off for someone else. When your "complaints" basically become hating the very core of the game and demanding changes so extreme that they would likely push away many more people in an attempt to please "you," it says the game and you just don't mesh anymore, and that's okay. It's comments like these:



This is utterly condescending, egocentric, and at its core, immature. "Good game design can only mean exactly what *I* like, and if you like something else, then you're awful." That's not helpful. It reveals more about the poster than anything about the game.

The thing posters like you always miss is we are basically just asking for square to admit that the design some of the veterans miss from 2-4.0 actually existed and it is possible to create content with that design philosophy in mind while still catering to modern players

We aren’t asking for to make 14 something it’s not, we are asking for shades of the game we miss back after square abandoned us to appeal to a player base that by and large doesn’t interact with more of the genres deeper systems so it brings the experience down for all of us, an example would be job design a high skill ceiling and a low skill floor was not a bad thing for casuals, a skill ceiling that is it’s skill floor is bad for veterans

[Arkdra]

The thing posters like you always miss is we are basically just asking for square to admit that the design some of the veterans miss from 2-4.0 actually existed and it is possible to create content with that design philosophy in mind while still catering to modern players

We aren’t asking for to make 14 something it’s not, we are asking for shades of the game we miss back after square abandoned us to appeal to a player base that by and large doesn’t interact with more of the genres deeper systems so it brings the experience down for all of us, an example would be job design a high skill ceiling and a low skill floor was not a bad thing for casuals, a skill ceiling that is it’s skill floor is bad for veterans

This game as a whole was so much worse designed back then, this is why nobody takes you crackpots seriously.

[Supersnow845]

This game as a whole was so much worse designed back then, this is why nobody takes you crackpots seriously.

SB was far better than the current game (unless you are an e thot) and we all know HW and ARR was flawed but it had its good points

Not all of us think “accessible” (read braindead) jobs, 30 minutes of story every 5 months and zero repetitive content is a good thing

[Nebelheim]

This game as a whole was so much worse designed back then, this is why nobody takes you crackpots seriously.

And you think how mindlessly braindead easy the game has become is any better. Playing the game in the endwalker era feels like playing on cruise control with how easy it got to play jobs and how they feel they need to keep "perfect balance for the 2 minute meta". I would gladly go back to the arr-sb period if it meant we got away from the boring 2 minute meta because they want to keep there perfect balance where every job plays the same. But i guess i would be considered a crackpot for preferring that period of combat design over the 2 minute era of endwalkers.

[Zabuza]

This game as a whole was so much worse designed back then, this is why nobody takes you crackpots seriously.

I'm actually curious. Can you tell me some of the things that were designed worse? FFXIV has certainly improved in the social scene, with stuff like glams, emotes, adventurer plates and the like. A lot of people who picked up this game originally weren't looking for that sort of stuff to be the meat and potatoes of our experience. I certainly bought it so I could play a game. Not socialize in late night e-venues.

[Renalt]

[Atelier-Bagur]

Here's why I have my stance for unsubbing if you're truly unhappy.

We have had quite a few examples of MMOs having to make big changes because they have been under fire with people unsubbing their game and leaving for something else. The two that come to my mind atm are World of Warcraft and Lost Ark.

World of Warcraft which seriously needs to be studied in both its game design and history for any MMO to learn from all the successes and failures of the genre imo; because this game currently is on its path of trying to undo all the damage that stubborn developers have accumulated for years because of not listening to the feedback of its audience. This came about with Shadowlands; and although there were other factors affecting the mass exodus (such as company allegations) the years of feedback falling on death ears have caused long time fans and veterans of the game to finally wake up and unsub. The amount of people unsubbing caused Blizzard to quickly backtrack on their established designs and because of Dragonflight; its been a slow process for them to make the changes that people have asked for the game.

With Lost Ark, it was the same, where once the most popular MMO in Korea quickly fell down because of the numerous amounts of endless unfun grinds and other issues (not very familiar with the game honestly, but word online is that this game aint doing too good) have drove away their consumers from continuing playing the game and this caused the developers there to make emergency streams to try to do damage control and listen to feedback.

These companies while they create games, we cant forget that they're a business. And a business wont truly listen to your feedback if you continue to pay for the service. It gets complacent in its own stride and this is something that unfortunately I feel is slowly creeping on the FFXIV dev team. This isnt ever about people not wanting to listen to complaints on the forums or ignoring criticism, this is about having the integrity to vote with your wallet and leaving the game if you're actually not enjoying playing the game. Results speak for themselves and again, 2.0 would've never happened were it not for people leaving the game.

And before people give the excuse of "oh but then how will they ever get feedback if nobody is play-" let me stop you right there, because guys, I know it sometimes easy to forget but we have a thing called the internet. The dev team can easily figure and research the data that has already been provided in numerous online outlets. That feedback doesnt just magically disappear if the majority leaves. But again I apply this statement to any of those who actually dont enjoy playing this game anymore. Why would you waste more of your time giving a company your money on something that you detest?

I say it again, at the end of the day, gaming is a business to these devs. And nothing speaks louder and clearer than the loss of money.

[SophiaDL]

too long to quote.

That's all good and beautiful in a rainbow world.

Fact is, if there was a loss of playerbase, they would just spit out more mogstation purchases, put up the price, and people would jump in in droves to buy the stuff. (which they started doing lately by the way, more and more stuff on the shop)

Literally all they have to do is sell a $500 plushie of graha eating a taco, and people would fight for it black friday style if it was an in person sale, and it'd go out of stock in a matter of 5 minutes if it was on the site.

[Tanis_Ebonhart]

That's all good and beautiful in a rainbow world.

Fact is, if there was a loss of playerbase, they would just spit out more mogstation purchases, put up the price, and people would jump in in droves to buy the stuff. (which they started doing lately by the way, more and more stuff on the shop)

Literally all they have to do is sell a $500 plushie of graha eating a taco, and people would fight for it black friday style if it was an in person sale, and it'd go out of stock in a matter of 5 minutes if it was on the site.

Eh. I wouldn't doomsay just yet. Now if FF14 got something as game ruining as the WoW Token then that's when it's over.