I wouldn't mind FFXIV becoming a WoW clone in the casual/hardcore appeal if...

[TaalAzura]

...The hardcore aspect was more like XI's view on hardcore. IMHO, XI's endgame was viewed much more difficult (see: timesink) than that of WoW's, however XI didn't have the appeal that WoW did for the general public. I wouldn't mind making the first 80% of the game casual friendly, but that last 20% should be painstakingly tough, and really provide a challenge to the hardcore players/XI enthusiasts (which there seems to be a decent amount of).

I do think making the game a lot of the game casual friendly (questing exp, content solo-able) is a fantastic idea to get new players who normally wouldn't play to join, however in that same aspect the game's content shouldn't be sped up to accommodate. Leveling shouldn't take a long as it did in XI (considering how vastly different they play) but it shouldn't be as hasty as it is now. If content can be done at a casual pace, than the progress should reflect that.

I fear that in an attempt to get people to enjoy the game in the short-run (have a good launch, high number of subs), the game will be designed exactly for that; no long-run enjoyment. There will be a focus on having fun now, instead of spreading it out (which XI did a great job of, albeit it took a certain type of player with dedication to actually appreciate the system).

TL;DR Make content casual accessible, but not easy/short. Make endgame content exceedingly difficult to keep players in long-run; like WoW but harder.

[KiriA500]

TL;DR: Some people have more free time than others, and want to feel special because of it.

IT'S CRAP LIKE THIS THAT IS KILLING GAMING!

Edit:
Since nobody is picking up on it, I'm being sarcastic here.

[TaalAzura]

TL;DR: Some people have more free time than others, and want to feel special because of it.

IT'S CRAP LIKE THIS THAT IS KILLING GAMING!

This post is pretty ambiguous, I can't tell which side you're on.

[Amage]

you want WoW go to wow ty

[RudyFails]

TL;DR: Some people have more free time than others, and want to feel special because of it.

IT'S CRAP LIKE THIS THAT IS KILLING GAMING!

Don't take this like I'm attacking you, because that's not my intent at all. But your statement could easily be reversed to say: "Well if I can't get it, then no one else should be able to either". It looks like a constant tug of war between people with time and without it. It's an argument about who's experience should be hindered and who's should not. It honestly looks like this game is making its best effort to meet somewhere in the middle.

I myself don't have nearly the amount of time to invest in this game like some people do, but I'm still enjoying myself and have no harsh feelings towards the people who can. If you put the time in you should be rewarded, why not? It doesn't have to be miles ahead of the rewards people like myself will get in limited amounts of playing, but should still be available. From what I've learned you can just as easily buy and customize some of the best gear in the game if you've got the money. Meeting in the middle.

[Byakko]

TL;DR: Some people have more free time than others, and want to feel special because of it.

IT'S CRAP LIKE THIS THAT IS KILLING GAMING!

Some people like you want everything handed to them with little to no effort. Why do you want to hold others back because you can't play as much? Whats going to keep more active people playing if there is nothing for them to achieve? WoW has infected the MMO playerbase with this mentality that no one can be better than anyone else so as to not hurt anyone's feelings.

Also, comparing the endgames of WoW and XI, all I know is I saw a much higher % of max level players completing the final raids of every WoW expansion than I saw people clearing the more difficult dynamis, killing wyrms, sky, sea etc.

OPs solution satisfies both aspects of the player base, why do so many have a problem with there being more time consuming/difficult content for people who play alot. XI had the strongest community of any MMO I have played because it had a very active, loyal playerbase that stayed with the game for years. SE should be trying to keep those people around. If we get 6 millon subs who login for 30 mins a week a la WoW, do you guys really think that is going to improve the game?

[XxOstiaxX]

Some people like you want everything handed to them with little to no effort. Why do you want to hold others back because you can't play as much? Whats going to keep more active people playing if there is nothing for them to achieve? WoW has infected the MMO playerbase with this mentality that no one can be better than anyone else so as to not hurt anyone's feelings.

Also, comparing the endgames of WoW and XI, all I know is I saw a much higher % of max level players completing the final raids of every WoW expansion than I saw people clearing the more difficult dynamis, killing wyrms, sky, sea etc.

OPs solution satisfies both aspects of the player base, why do so many have a problem with there being more time consuming/difficult content for people who play alot. XI had the strongest community of any MMO I have played because it had a very active, loyal playerbase that stayed with the game for years. SE should be trying to keep those people around. If we get 6 millon subs who login for 30 mins a week a la WoW, do you guys really think that is going to improve the game?

You saw a higher % of people completing wow end game, because obviously you are bad at math..... A game with 10-12 million people vs a game with 500K.... Now think about it....

[Gramul]

TL;DR: Some people have more free time than others, and want to feel special because of it.

IT'S CRAP LIKE THIS THAT IS KILLING GAMING!

No. It's ideas like "my way of having fun is more valid than your way" that's killing gaming.

You don't just sit on your ass for that kind of content. Simply having more free time isn't going to cut it. You have to work for it. You have to show patience and commitment. You have to show that you're willing to put a valuable piece of your life to gain something incredible in the game.

All I want is reward progression.

Repeating something 100 times and be no closer to what I wan't than when I started just because I didn't get lucky is a ridiculous system.

Give us tokens, seals, totems, points or whatever when we succeed and I'll be happy to grind something 100 times because I'll know that all this work will pay off.

Hardcores will get their rewards faster and be special/first because they play more, and casuals will get theirs too eventually and nobody's effort will be wasted.

Happiness for everybody.

I think this is a perfect solution.

[Yrusama]

TL;DR: Some people have more free time than others, and want to feel special because of it.

IT'S CRAP LIKE THIS THAT IS KILLING GAMING!

Edit:
Since nobody is picking up on it, I'm being sarcastic here.

And then there are the rare people like me: between jobs, lots of free time, but deliberately taking it slow to preserve the game's longevity. I'm not going at a snail's pace by my standards, but I'm definitely varying things up. My only fear is that my crafts will be all leveled and they might not add anymore.

[Nakiamiie]

TL;DR: Some people have more free time than others, and want to feel special because of it.

IT'S CRAP LIKE THIS THAT IS KILLING GAMING!

I totally agree with this non-sarcastic comment.
Time sinks (stupidly ridiculous low drops or the task of gathering 100 billion items to advance 1 step) need to disappear from gaming. It would be much more preferable if they were to add new content every 3 months or build on the actual content, rather than simply making it a time sink and then laugh at people actually trying to attempt it and beat the odds.