Sub-Dividing Patches & Patch Schedule

[Ryvick]

Sorry, did you just describe every Sub sandwich shop I have ever been to in the first few sentences as if that is somehow not a successful business model?

A pre-made game is a solo game and you can buy those just about everywhere. MMOs don't come pre-made after the first year.

As for cost/benefit feel free to keep complaining but it wont change anything.

[NarhiFaunlha]

Sorry, did you just describe every Sub sandwich shop I have ever been to in the first few sentences as if that is somehow not a successful business model?

When you buy a sandwich, you're not given a wrapped up piece of bread on its own and told to wait for the rest. You're given a complete sandwich.

[Duskane]

You go to a sandwich shop and pay for a sandwich. You walk to the end of the line and you're given a piece of sliced bread. You wait 5 minutes. You get a slice of cheese. You wait 5 minutes. You get some meat. You're told that the sauces are coming with the veggies. You get some of the veggies. Then you wait some more. Weren't you promised both? Why wasn't the sandwich made and given to you at once? By the time your sandwich is finished the bread is soggy, the meat is cold, and the cheese is lukewarm.

actually just subway

[Red-thunder]

The expansion release itself has the amount of content as a "whole new game" (in their words)

AHAHAHAHAHAA

[TaleraRistain]

The Live Letters preview everything that will be added in the given patch cycle. The next one will outline what is coming directly in 7.2, what will be in 7.25, etc.

This is their design for releasing content and has always been their design for releasing content. You seem to be fairly new by your join date. If you're comparing this game to other MMOs, don't. While it has some inspirations, it doesn't follow all the trends of other MMOs. Instead, do a little research on the game first and see what individual design it follows.

[dspguy]

I appreciate the OP's metaphor, but I can't say that a sandwich shop can represent the release schedule of an MMO. We don't pay a subscription fee to get our stale bread, moldy cheese, rotten meat sandwich from a shop. I don't think it applies.

I've played a lot of the mainstream MMOs (not all). They all have patch cycles for releases. The nature of an MMO is that we are paying a subscription fee to access the service. The same way we pay a usage/subscription fee for internet, mobile, paywalls, VPNs, etc. I have never played an MMO that released the entire game, all in one patch, and then the developers "peaced out" while the company collected subscription fees for a decade.

I do agree that it feels like a long time between patch cycles. Personally, I sub/unsub (and set a reminder on my calendar for 42 days so I don't lose my house). When I do spend that $15, I tend to hit the game hard for weeks. And then leave it behind for 1.5 months.

[NarhiFaunlha]

I appreciate the OP's metaphor, but I can't say that a sandwich shop can represent the release schedule of an MMO.

I'll admit: I might've been a little bit hungry when I came up with that metaphor.

My biggest complaint is that the content they release keeps you busy for a week or so. Sure, you have weekly dailies to do for a few months, but there really isn't anything there to incentivize you to keep playing. There needs to be. That's part of the reason why I feel like Field Content needs to be implemented sooner into the patch cycle. Currently we're told its coming even though we don't know precisely when at launch.

[Daralii]

I'll admit: I might've been a little bit hungry when I came up with that metaphor.

My biggest complaint is that the content they release keeps you busy for a week or so. Sure, you have weekly dailies to do for a few months, but there really isn't anything there to incentivize you to keep playing. There needs to be. That's part of the reason why I feel like Field Content needs to be implemented sooner into the patch cycle. Currently we're told its coming even though we don't know precisely when at launch.

Unless they deliberately divert extra attention to getting it out quickly, it probably won't be before May.

[Red-thunder]

You go to a sandwich shop and pay for a sandwich. You walk to the end of the line and you're given a piece of sliced bread. You wait 5 minutes. You get a slice of cheese. You wait 5 minutes. You get some meat. You're told that the sauces are coming with the veggies. You get some of the veggies. Then you wait some more. Weren't you promised both? Why wasn't the sandwich made and given to you at once? By the time your sandwich is finished the bread is soggy, the meat is cold, and the cheese is lukewarm.

That's the issue with FFXIV's patch cycle. You're told in the Live Letters leading up to the Expansion's release of all the content you're getting. The X.0 patch arrives and its just MSQ. Then the Raids. Then the Alliance Raids. Then later you're promised more content like Cosmic Exploration or Field Operations- but that's going to be subdivided into mini patches- even though you were promised everything.

The worst part is that we aren't even told how the patches will be organized. If you purchase Dawntrail, you're supposed to be able to play the Beastmaster class. We don't know when or how long until that class will arrive.

Is it too much to ask that we're given an estimate on when these patches will drop? Is it too much to ask to request that when a patch drops, the entire patch is dropped at once? Why bother calling it 7.21 and 7.22? Just call it 7.2 and 7.3.

I just want Field Content. I want to do something more than a weekly grind. I want my money's worth.

I want my gosh dang sandwich.

I won't be surprised if putting all their meager content in a single month will cause their total subscriptions to drop by more than 50%. They will never do so because there is not enough content for people to keep a 4.5 month sub lmao