Ffxiv monthly sub isn't stretching & response to PCGAMER article

[Aneshda]

Don't forget, WoW has a 3 month patch cycle. Lots of new stuff every 3 months. And thanks to the weekly quests, world quests and events there is always something to do.

[Hyperia]

I believe they are hard set on the formula is because all of the original decision makers are working other games and now it’s just a maintenance staff doing work.

[MisterNublet]

Yoshi-P and Co. needs to go back to copying other MMOs. It's clear they're incapable of creating a RPG(MMO).

[Raven2014]

At the very least the need to change the pace they're dropping the content even if there is no plan of increasing the quality. I said it before but playing the more modern games make me realize just how date every aspect of FF14 is, and one of the aspect stood out is the pacing. For example, dropping a new EX for a month, then a new PvP season for 1.5 month, then 24men raid the month after 1.5 month, then a new savage for 2.5 months (with some small event/content during), than another EX ...etc... so on and so forth. This way for once, people don't feel rush with multiple thing at once when a big patch drop, for two they don't feel having to wait too long in between for something "new", plus it helps varies the kind of activities we do.

Modern games know how to drip feed the small stuffs every 1/2 weeks, while making sure the larger stuff is usually only 1.5-2months in between and I feel this facilitates much better player engagements.

[Absurdity]

I definitely feel what they're saying as a primarily casual player. There is minimal casual content being dropped while it feels like most of the new stuff is either extremely niche to high end raiders like savage, chaos, and ultimate or it's niche to ff11 or foray fans.
We used to get trials and dungeons in new patches, it wasn't just loading in, do 2 hours of story, do 1 dungeon, and then log out and that's your content for 5 months.

I have to assume this is an overcorrection from endwalker where raiders were complaining there was a lack of rewards and "midcore" raider content, so SE overcorrected and frontloaded this expansion with their stuff. Still feels absolutely terrible to have minimal things to do, and I can't even justify having this game installed anymore with how slow they are to drip feed things to do for casuals.

Are you sure though?
Patch 6.1:
-24man alliance raid
-extreme version of the last MSQ trial (Endsinger)
-1 new dungeon
-ultimate (DSR)
-1 "new" unreal trial
-PvP update
-2 side quest stories
-Hildibrand quest
-1 beast tribe
-1 new custom delivery
-Some system updates

If you check the upcoming content for 7.1 it is almost identical, this has been the formula for basically forever, it has always been mediocre.
People had just been entirely blinded by the Endwalker MSQ hype to see how anemic the content at the time was.

[Jeeqbit]

Content in patches is definitely about the same as any other expansion, except a bit extra (Chaos Raid new to DT, Variant/Criterions new to EW, Lifestyle content/Firmament new to SHB, Ultimates new to SB, Deep Dungeons and areas like Diadem with NMs/raids new to HW).

First patch literally never contained a trial because they were making the extreme of the final trial from the .0 patch.

[Tint]

Content in patches is definitely about the same as any other expansion [...]

But in other expansions it was fun to simply play the game because the jobs were fun.

Endwalker changed that. Now we need content to keep us entertained because the gameplay itself has become boring.

And after a content lull basically since EW release people are simply fed up. They waited for the next expansion and now they leave.

[Arzalis]

YoshiP can say the whole "just unsubscribe!" thing all he wants, but if people actually did it, he'd be panicking and begging for us all back. It's an empty platitude at this point and a copout to avoid criticism.

SquareEnix as a whole would actually go bankrupt if people only subscribed 2-3 months a year. Especially seeing as this game is increasingly the only thing keeping the company afloat.

Basically, you have people who want something worthwhile to do in the game, but the devs are either unable or unwilling to make content that will actually keep those folks around. The fact we might not even really get anything substantial until March or July is insane.

The article is a good one because it does point out what I think is the core of the issue here: CBU3 seems completely unable to adapt to any feedback in a timely manner. They just completely abandon stuff for years and maybe, possibly look into it at that point. It's genuinely hurting the game and needs to change.

[Daralii]

YoshiP can say the whole "just unsubscribe!" thing all he wants, but if people actually did it, he'd be panicking and begging for us all back. It's an empty platitude at this point and a copout to avoid criticism.

Considering his "It'll get better, please don't retire" comment in a recent interview, people probably have started unsubscribing. We probably won't know the damage until the new fiscal year at the earliest, but I'm definitely curious.

[Arzalis]

Considering his "It'll get better, please don't retire" comment in a recent interview, people probably have started unsubscribing. We probably won't know the damage until the new fiscal year at the earliest, but I'm definitely curious.

I agree. It's definitely a sudden change of tone. I suspect we're starting to hit the point that's making them uncomfortable. Until they actually address it though, it won't matter. From the sounds of things, we aren't going to see any feedback being considered until 7.2 or 7.3.

Honestly, it all points to a poorly run operation to me. This is almost always a management issue. Modern software development basically demands this sort of flexibility and SE is unable to keep up for whatever reason.