Optimistic About ARR's Launch

[hrdndv]

Yeaaa... To the entire Final Fantasy Team...

Final Fantasy is soooo big. There are so many different exotic cultures. 1.0 didnt exploit the varied beauty of Fairy Villages, Moggle Towns, and a true Giolden Saucer. And in the Ul'dah opening event it showed a bunch of those weird little BlackMages that are clearly not Lalas. Maybe we could find where they live?

Yep Yep ... I think Yoshi-P has hinted that a lot of this willl be in the game eventually. And what about Snerbles.... don't they deserve a major plot line?

Well. It is a full month to go. It is really hard to not think about ARR, so trying to do other stuff is hard.

So what do I predict? Hmmmmm..... I don't expect the opening of Beta 1 to be all that spectacular. It will probably be very similar to Alpha. But as they add in all the stuff over the following three months or so, I think it has a sound basis to become a crowd pleaser.

I expect Beta to be hectic. Lots of people saying, "Why isn't this such and such?" Devs saying, "Just be patient." And some things not changing they way some people want. BUT... As soon as the gripers get tired of complaining the real qualities of the game should stand out. Many people are worrying that it won't have the true FF feel. Others worry their favorite exotic FF touch will be left out. I'm worried that SE won't do Summer Fun this year.

People complain that the Devs don't release enough information, but it is hard to say something about something that could change tomorrow.

[Themis]

+1 for the positive thread. In the midst of a lot of complaints and criticism, it makes me happy to see someone appreciate what the development team have and are doing.

I am definitely rooting for Yoshi-P and his amazing team.

People complain that the Devs don't release enough information, but it is hard to say something about something that could change tomorrow.

It's hardly surprising that the marketing/PR teams are quite strong on what they allow and don't allow to be said by the development when you have people that whine and complain or, worse, groups like Metacritic which pretty much dictate the potential success of games and how likely companies are to publish (SE doesn't have this issue as much since it self-publishes) or purchase stock to sell. It's better to be quiet than have negative reviews because they promised 10 things and only 1 got through. Things like that are twisted against them and make them look like a company that can't be trusted rather than one who cares about the end product.

[supert123]

While I am a believer that A Real Reborn will do as well as all the posters in this thread believe (again myself included), my question to the community is: does the f2p model mean failure? I'm not pro or con, I'm playing either way. I've seen good and bad models. My point is, if it did go f2p I don't think any US would stop playing and consider it a failure, would we?

[Zenaku]

While I am a believer that A Real Reborn will do as well as all the posters in this thread believe (again myself included), my question to the community is: does the f2p model mean failure? I'm not pro or con, I'm playing either way. I've seen good and bad models. My point is, if it did go f2p I don't think any US would stop playing and consider it a failure, would we?

They can have a F2P Model top of the P2P i don't see why not look at RS it does it lol sure it's a cheap game but still. They could have F2P worlds that limit you in a lot of things but keep you hook and you can pay to unlock things just like a normal F2P game or buy the game and upgrade to p2p and you allow to switch your char to a P2P if you stop paying you can return it back to a F2P game.

But if FFXIV goes 100% f2p in 1year or so then for me yes that a big failure to me i can't stand playing a F2P game because i know to do stuff i have to pay more then i should.

[AmandaHuggenkiss]

In my eyes, going f2p is a sign of failure.

[Aela]

In my eyes, going f2p is a sign of failure.

The entire F2P thing is really messy. Unfortunately, in the western market, we have all decided F2P is a sign of failure. Currently I am playing TSW (The Secret World), and there had been a lot of discussion about TSW and the possibility of it going F2P. The sales just weren't great, and in the end the game has had some SERIOUS issues with population. It is my opinion the biggest issue with TSW was the fact is released so close to GW2, and there was so much buzz over GW2 no one even noticed TSW. (my husband and I had been big fans of AO, and really had a lot of hope for TSW, so we went all in, we even started a website for it -- our first attempt at a website). When it was clear there was a \really big problem\ with the population in TSW, Ryahl started doing a lot of writing on the topic on our fansite. The end result was a series of editorials that made there way up the ladder into both the Funcom investor relations private communities as well as the development team of TSW. When the game did finally go "Buy 2 Play" (B2P) they ended up using a model that so closely resembled our Box+ model that it couldn't be a coincidence (it was later confirmed by their lead developer that Ryahl's article was critical in the creation of the entire model).

Long story short, there is a way to get a "F2P" (or better B2P) model for the game and it be a success. The problem is, it really needs to be done from the GET GO, not a "well we failed, I guess we'll go F2P now /shrug". The entire player base views that at a failure. And, that isn't good.

I remember the morning that TSW went B2P, I told Ryahl about it during breakfast, and he said.. "oh well, I guess TSW finally officially failed". And, this is from someone that WANTED to see the game go "B2P" and felt like it was necessary in the end. The entire problem is one were the player base has a perception of failure that is created due to the change from subscription to B2P.

Link to the Box+ Model Editorial

[AmandaHuggenkiss]

Long story short, there is a way to get a "F2P" (or better B2P) model for the game and it be a success. The problem is, it really needs to be done from the GET GO, not a "well we failed, I guess we'll go F2P now /shrug". The entire player base views that at a failure. And, that isn't good.

I agree.
I have played many f2p games that were great, but they all started that way.

[Millerna]

f2p more often than not attracts all the idiots that just play to annoy others. If they really need to go f2p (which I don't think they will anytime soon), they should probably just have subscription servers and completely separate f2p servers.

A good community means a lot to me in an MMO, otherwise I'd just play a single player FF every day


Back on topic, Yoshi-P and his team have done an amazing job so far with ARR, and I'm definitely looking forward to playing it

[hikoneko]

f2p more often than not attracts all the idiots that just play to annoy others. If they really need to go f2p (which I don't think they will anytime soon), they should probably just have subscription servers and completely separate f2p servers.

A good community means a lot to me in an MMO, otherwise I'd just play a single player FF every day


Back on topic, Yoshi-P and his team have done an amazing job so far with ARR, and I'm definitely looking forward to playing it

Yeah, i totally agree with your point about how important a good community of a mmo is, it does mean ALOT, that's the main reason i quit my last mmo, everyday u logged in and look at these idiots chatting in world chat(cursing out, topics about sex explicitly, arguments, etc.) When you're in such community, it totally destroy the mood to play. I'd rather quit.

Yoshi is just amazing! I'm one of the FFXIV 1.0 quitters and when I take a look at how things change over time recently, it's attracting me again, now I just can't wait to try out the beta and I believe this team is going to make FFXIV better and better. Thanks for this positive thread OP

[Ramesses]

Definitely a +1 for Mizore for establishing several positive criteria for why ARR will be a success... honestly wished that more threads like these were on the forums. For anyone who has followed this game since the beta of 2010 up to its Alpha build last month, they will know that SE have put their all into this.

Best regards as well to everyone on this thread who actually appreciates hard work from anywhere in the world, knows how to give constructive criticism, and understands that Yoshi and his team have thrown a ridiculous amount of sheer ambition into this massive project.

I think its spectacular that there were so many optimistic comments on here (exhibiting excellent cognitive thought) and I'm glad to be part of everyone who is cheering them on. Be well, everyone.