SO if ver 1.0 did these things:

Custom class creation via Armoury system (skill loadout) w/o constraints on stat resets
No restrictions on Guildleve acquisition
static exp/skill points gained from monster kills
structured goals such as NM hunts, dungeon crawling, or rewards for exploring
and iconic transport (airships and chocobos)

FFXIV woudl have been much better recieved and much more succesful post launch.

I think it would have been a true spiritual sucessor to XI.

For instance the armour system:

If you took a gladiator and equiped some Conj and Thurm spells (we used to have spells like bio,dia,slow,paralyze,poison ect ect) you could create a "red mage"

Took a Marauder and stuck on some Thurm and lancer skills you could create a sort of "Dark Knight"

I recall an interview with Tanaka stating that while there wasn't going to be a "samurai" job or class. If you equiped certain skills and had certain stats you would be granted the title "Samurai" or "Red Mage"

The idea in thought was awesome, but in implementation it turned out to be pretty poor.

Especially when reseting your stats was placed on an absurd timer and it didn;t grant you a complete stat reset. So it made if very difficult to switch from 1 play style to another w/o hours/days waiting on timers to adjust stats to suit your new needs.

Guildleves:
I think the biggest downfall in FFXIV was how Guildleves were handled. If i remember correctly we were allowed 8 leves every 48 hours. After that you were left with absolutely zero structured content.
If we were able to pick up leves without a limit XIV would have done much better post launch. having such a harsh restriction on the games "main content" drove many people away.

EXP/Skill Points:
The 2nd biggest downfall in FFXIV.
Who remembers fighting a dormouse and gettign 65exp and 200 skill points then figthing another dormouse and getting 75 exp and 5 skill points then fighting a 3rd dormouse and gettign 50 exp and 150 skill points?

Or fighting 3 mobs at once you get 100 exp and 100 skill points for the first kill, 50 exp and 50 skill points for the 2nd kill and 0 exp and 0 skill points for the 3rd kill?

Or fighting in a group and 1 person would get 500 exp+500 sp and you would get 500 exp+50 sp?

there wasn't a smooth way to level or skill up which lead to much frustration.

If they just put in from the start, static gains for monster kills and credit for kills on "unclaimed" mobs FFXIV would have been recieved better by players.

Structured goals:
at the launch of FFXIV there weren't any NMs, no reasons to explore a dungeon, no boss fights. No good reason to gather a party to adventure in a dangerous area of the world. The world was dead.
The only reason to form a group was to fight high HP mobs so you had a chance to reach that holy 500SP/kill cap.

I know FFXIV was meant to be a sandbox type game, but it lacked substance to make the sandbox work.

Iconic transport:
Chocobos and airships 2 staples that set FF part from other fantasy worlds.

I think that if FFXIV launched with those above changes, then continued with the original sandbox vision we would have a very unique fun FF world to play in.

unfortunatly we'll never experience that vision, but that said i'm looking forward to XIV:ARR after such a let down from ver 1.0 i'm ready for a new direction and vision.