Is there a point in caring about the game?

[Jeeqbit]

It used to be quirky but now we have to really wonder whether this studio is ever capable of doing anything outside of what Yoshi P's spreadsheet tells them to do.

I've wondered that too, that maybe he made a rule against it after all that.

Sure, but other than Lost Blood Rage 5.5 WAR, these actions can't really salvage the hollowing of job identity and depth anymore.

Unfortunately true.

They definitely need to find a way to let simple and sophisticated versions of gameplay coexist, but it does not seem that they are interested in that, at all.

I wish they would see that.

[Red-thunder]

Sure, many of them were bad systems at the time, but they absolutely could have worked if they tried, and not only that it still had benefit of the doubt for having something to explore, to try out.. They've completely replaced that element with a stale and rigid formula because they are too afraid to fail -- But ironically what they fail to realize is this is the very thing that will end up making the game struggle.

It is so sad that this is probably what happened to everything in terms of design in this game.

This game seems to be just permanently stuck with DDR raids because it got praised the most. So they just funneled themselves into this lane....

I don't know how they can even improve the game when they seem to just not have a vision at all. They don't have the passion.

When I have passion for something I'm not afraid to go out there and express it even if I get slammed. Because I have something to express, something to show the world.

There is that basic human yearning for passionate creative expression, that is so strong as to overcome the fear of criticism and failure, that seems to be missing from FF14.

[Heavenchild]

I really do still care. But maybe I should not...

[Kaurhz]

It is so sad that this is probably what happened to everything in terms of design in this game.

This game seems to be just permanently stuck with DDR raids because it got praised the most. So they just funneled themselves into this lane....

I don't know how they can even improve the game when they seem to just not have a vision at all. They don't have the passion.

When I have passion for something I'm not afraid to go out there and express it even if I get slammed. Because I have something to express, something to show the world.

There is that basic human yearning for passionate creative expression, that is so strong as to overcome the fear of criticism and failure, that seems to be missing from FF14.

I would bank on it this having been the case.. They were venturing into a lot more risks.. and even when they do take 'risks' in modern times, it's giving the most barebones systems without actually learning anything, and just fitting it into the rigid weekly login cycle (one of the issues with Island Sanctuary).

I am honestly not even fussed if they do or don't improve it. They've honestly had long enough, and the sheer lack of communication just puts me in a position where I wouldn't really want to go giving it a second chance... Even games like Runescape, for some of the absolute atrocious decisions they float around, they at least have the common courtesy to actually poll their players, for as little 'depth' that game has, it was actually refreshing to go back to it.

8 Years ago when they first started with the idea of deep dungeons, my immediate response was "Man it would be so cool if they could combine something like this with other facets of the game to create a dungeoneering experience.. All we got since then were Magicite additions, a few buff minions, and Orthos which didn't even last 2 weeks before it was barren. But hey, I wonder what name they'll give Pomander this time around

[MuraBoy]

I swear to Hydaelyn that the 8.0 rework is probably going to be the last Bastion for me...

Not that i'm gonna stop playing if things go south, but i'm going to say goodbye to being subscribed every single month or almost, and i'll move to another online game with better combat/class design AND systems that feels modern, like Retail WoW or something.

[Musashidon]

if you want the game to be something it isn't and has never been, then no there is no point.

if you are like me and are happy with the game and direction why would i stop caring? i mean i am not losing out on someone else not liking blm changes i have no real qualms with consistent and constant updates and patch cycles i can't say i always like the content but i dont know anyone who likes 100% of any game or anything that is released for a game.

[Hallarem]

They've come close to nuking the worldbuilding, but they haven't fully. If 8.0 steps over that line, then it's truly over for me at least. As the world and the story is my top concern in this MMO. But thats just for me personally, the gameplay isn't really good.

I'd love for the Scions and other characters to get story arcs, and not just be side characters. Or introducing new chara-... oh right we got them and their story arcs were rushed and dumb.

Can we get new writers please?

[Red-thunder]

if you want the game to be something it isn't and has never been, then no there is no point.

if you are like me and are happy with the game and direction why would i stop caring? i mean i am not losing out on someone else not liking blm changes i have no real qualms with consistent and constant updates and patch cycles i can't say i always like the content but i dont know anyone who likes 100% of any game or anything that is released for a game.

The game has been something players loved years ago.

They are catering to the lowest common denominator now, that is the direction you seem to be happy with.

It's not just about job complexity.

It's also raids becoming stale and recycled.

It's about the story going from mature, nuanced writing to Disney/Marvel/Pixar-ified "everyone is happy" slop.

It's about the world now becoming as shallow as a kid's pool, with new lore being invented on the fly to fit the plot and old lore discarded and forgotten, creating a plot full of worldbuilding self-contradictions.

It's about side content like crafting becoming neutered with all its former complexity gutted. Or deep dungeon being nothing but rehashed and regurgitated copy-pasted content iteration after iteration.

It's about the objectively much longer patch cycle with less content to boot.

It's about the slow removal of things people used to love like job quests or extra dungeons.

It is disingenuous to say that this game has never been what people want it to be. The reason there is so much discontent is because the game used to be something that had so much potential.

[Veritas-Ancora]

Occult Crescent coming out at the end of May really broke me.

I've lost all interest in these shenanigans. Are you kidding me? End of May?!

Are they twiddling their f@#$ing thumbs on content while people are voicing all of their concerns?

[GartredZW]

I swear to Hydaelyn that the 8.0 rework is probably going to be the last Bastion for me...

Not that i'm gonna stop playing if things go south, but i'm going to say goodbye to being subscribed every single month or almost, and i'll move to another online game with better combat/class design AND systems that feels modern, like Retail WoW or something.

"oooh boy. Just 2 more years of this, and then I'll do something drastic, like take breaks from the game occasionally."