My first 72 hours since being gone for two years...:(

[Fawkes]

I blatantly stated what I mean. In the context of MMOs, it was never a popular game. It has always had a very low population. The fact of whether it has been profitable or not is irrelevant. Obviously it has always been profitable or it wouldn't still be playable, they would have shut it down. Profitability has nothing to do with how popular it was/is compared to other MMOs.

"Compared to other MMOs" I think you just mean WoW and know nothing about any other MMOs.

[Selsix]

"Compared to other MMOs" I think you just mean WoW and know nothing about any other MMOs.

Now compare these ancient population numbers when XI was at its peak to today's big players. Even ignoring WoW and just using the other top dogs it's abundantly clear that XI only ever had a small token population. The OP is claiming XI is some absurdly popular MMO and apparently has a steady population putting XIV to shame, that is blatantly false. It never even surpassed 1 million subscriptions. It was always niche and now is even more niche.

Hell, just comparing it to XIV alone despite the disaster that is Dawntrail shows it's an absurd lie that XI somehow has a stronger population.

[CCheshire]

I admit 3 years is very long in a MMO lifespan like the FC leader would have quit and if no one logged into the FC house, then it'd be demo'd a long time ago or it's under new management and they removed everyone else who was inactive and renamed it to a new FC along with keeping the old house.

Also, I'm not sure if this is your first MMOs but many ppl always sign up, play, and then quit over the years since I started in ARR even my former friends have left the game and won't return when I kept touch with them on discord too. The idea that the FC is gone isn't really that unique since as we get older, we're stuck with more IRL obligations and often less time for hobbies too. I always played FFXIV because I personally have fun and find my sub worth it like you can't really force others to keep playing the game if they are bored of it.

Finally, is the "elden ring" or "dark souls" style gameplay in the room with us now? FFXIV has always been a tab targeting game for the better or worse, and the raids are based on memorization of patterns, safe spots, and boss attacks than action games, so...

[Rithy255]

Finally, is the "elden ring" or "dark souls" style gameplay in the room with us now? FFXIV has always been a tab targeting game for the better or worse, and the raids are based on memorization of patterns, safe spots, and boss attacks than action games, so...

While I agree ff14 is a tab targeting game and should remain that way and also raids are based on memorization.

It doesn't mean they can't make the jobs interesting to go along with that, I think the core issue this game suffers from is replay value, why would I wanna do something on a different job when jobs largely play the same and do the same thing? It's not like you maybe would wanna learn a fight and then do it again on a more challenging job like Black mage, because BLM is now summoner tiers level of easy.

Its also not like they can't shake up fights a little but more and add more different patterns that don't always appear to make fights less about just remembering, but also about adapting.

Its the things they do overtime, the small job changes over the course of time to slowly pander to people who ONLY care about the "DDR" aspect of the game while ignoring those who prefer Job design and a bit more nuance to things then just remembering patterns.

[CCheshire]

While I agree ff14 is a tab targeting game and should remain that way and also raids are based on memorization.

It doesn't mean they can't make the jobs interesting to go along with that, I think the core issue this game suffers from is replay value, why would I wanna do something on a different job when jobs largely play the same and do the same thing? It's not like you maybe would wanna learn a fight and then do it again on a more challenging job like Black mage, because BLM is now summoner tiers level of easy.

Its also not like they can't shake up fights a little but more and add more different patterns that don't always appear to make fights less about just remembering, but also about adapting.

Its the things they do overtime, the small job changes over the course of time to slowly pander to people who ONLY care about the "DDR" aspect of the game while ignoring those who prefer Job design and a bit more nuance to things then just remembering patterns.

Typically, I play certain raids, dungeons, and mentor rous because I find it fun even if my fav job is casters then I will switch it up with alt jobs too if I'm bored. Also, I don't do solo DD, savage, current extremes because I find it boring and too stressful regardless of the job I am playing for them and like I like the overall FFXIV exp than individual job revamps and changes for each upcoming expansion. If SE does a job change that I disliked then I'm flexible enough to drop old jobs like I was sad when I lost StB AST and DRK, so I moved on to new or other jobs in ShB and now DT.

[SyferU]

I feel that FFXIV has become nothing more than a theme park MMO built on Dark Souls-style gameplay

I don't even know if this is bait or not. What do people even think Dark Souls plays like when they say stuff like that?

[Selsix]

I don't even know if this is bait or not. What do people even think Dark Souls plays like when they say stuff like that?

They think having to move out of the way of an attack makes it like Dark Souls. It's delusion, really.

[Daralii]

I don't even know if this is bait or not. What do people even think Dark Souls plays like when they say stuff like that?

I've seen people seriously argue that needing to watch an enemy for a telegraph instead of just watching for a marker on the floor is a Dark Souls mechanic. This would also make something like FF4 a Soulslike, because even the tutorial boss changed sprites to show when you shouldn't attack it.

[Brandr]

Yet, since I’ve already mentioned I was a big fan of Shadowbringers, one of the first things that really got me potentially trying the game again was the hint of new open zones, similar to what we had in Shadowbringers with the Bozja and Southern Front content. But I came to discover through other websites and videos that yet again, Square Enix has decided to copy an old and, in my opinion, archaic notion they once did in Stormblood: a completely distinct and separate leveling system.

Sincere question, Square Enix: Why? Why give us nearly two expansions and three and a half years away from some of the best content you have ever created at the peak of your subscriber base? That content in Shadowbringers was one of the driving factors that kept me subscribed. Yet, for another expansion and another two and a half years, we have to rely on doing nothing more than dungeon grinding or FATEs—the same repetitive formula over and over again. Do you guys not comprehend that this is one of the driving factors of why people went away, and for small other tidbits, tend to be the final nails?

You didn't even played the content and is judging based on game journalists?
Bro...

... all they want to do is copy things like Dark Souls or Elden Ring

Now, this is straight up a lie.
This game has nothing to do with souls-like. FFXIV has many, oh God so many, problems you could have cited as valid reasons to quit.
Either you got this impression by following the most unreliable and stupid source of all time (game journalists) or you simply have no idea what you are playing.

Btw, this whole texts stinks AI. A

[TaleraRistain]

I'm a bit confused. You say that a distinct and separate leveling system like Eureka had is archaic. But then you praise Bozja which had...a distinct and separate leveling system?