Quote Originally Posted by Bonoki View Post
They’ll try something new, but if it doesn’t work, they give up on trying altogether.
It's the same even if a game feature/mode did work--instead of iterating based on player feedback and continuing to improve and expand it, it gets abandoned and replaced by something similar but separate. Take Palace of the Dead, for instance. I think it's a cool system (and had one of the better side stories attached to it), but it's capped at 60, gives no currently relevant rewards, and was kicked to the curb in favor of Heaven on High, which did nothing fundamentally different and, in turn was abandoned for Eureka Orthos--all similar systems, but completely unrelated. Consequently, all three are dead and offer nothing for players at level 100. I don't manage the offices or pay the bills, but that seems like a lot of wasted development time. Think of what PotD could be if it had been continued and kept relevant--keep the level cap current, offer better rewards, add different play modes and challenges to keep things fresh.

I could say the same for the exploratory zones, as well. Eureka definitely had some issues, but I liked it as a whole. While Bozjan Southern Front made a few improvements in some aspects, it removed a lot of what I liked best about Eureka. I may be in the minority, but I enjoyed the weekly challenge log, the elemental aspects, and FATE trains; I actually felt like I was playing a MMO again. I hope I enjoy the new exploratory zone, but I know it will die with the release of 8.0 (I'll care if I'm still playing by then).


I find myself increasingly nostalgic for level 75-era FFXI (I have no experience after that). Yes, it was quite obtuse and certainly doesn't fit my current lifestyle, but there is something to be said about not having the game hold the player's hand all the time. One of my fondest gaming memories is when a couple friends organized a Saturday to get me (and others) through all the Promy zones. We had a full alliance of 18 and it took us all day, but damn, what an adventure! There just isn't anything like that in XIV.

I guess I'm getting old, but I miss when having a cool piece of gear mattered for more than just appearances. I miss being able to chat with party members during downtime, instead of just turning on Go Mode and rushing through everything. I miss sidequests that required me to think, travel, and explore. I miss when developers tried to make the best game possible, instead of trying to cater to the widest audience possible.