FFXIV was made for ME!...and that's what is wrong with it.

[Naqaj]

I'd want to mention that being on this forum making such an extensive post already takes you out of the casual player demographic.
Other than that, good post!

[Nakiamiie]

I, too, am a casual gamer, but I am not entirely for your suggestions. Mainly, because I read others in other threads that seemed more appealing. However, I have to agree there is something missing in the game about the feeling of attachment. I believe Yoshi P. is working on it, should be working on it if they truly read all the threads. Let's have faith in them and continue posting our feelings so they can build the game better!

[Mega]

I'd want to mention that being on this forum making such an extensive post already takes you out of the casual player demographic.

No it does not. You are wrong.

[Kirith]

OP is brilliant, can't deny that:

1.Dump SP and replace with GP

I like it, i think it's an improvement, but it forces you to run to the guild every time you level up. To make this viable:
- you need a guild member at aetherite camps to teach you skills. (defeats the purpose a little)
OR
- you learn some basic moves automatically (take a stick, start waving it around all day long. After a week you'll invent your own tricks and moves with it)

2a.Start every Class in the respective City for each Guild.

It's interesting as it will limit and specialize city markets in items for certain classes, among other things.

2b. Move the majority of the GuildLeves to the Guilds.

At first i thought i'd disagree, but i realized that coupled with 2a you'll be forced to go back to your starting city for the crafting guilds, certain classes' guilds and to actually buy gear, instead of finding and doing everything in ul'dah. It will be quite hard to see depopulated cities then!

3. Split GuildLeves into 3 seperate catagories: Solo, Small Group, Large Group.

I also like this suggestion a lot. The intercity guildleves are especially appealing:

"The pugilists of ul'dah failed at defending their city again. Take these CHOCOBOS and reach the city, break (or sneak) through the (aggroing) enemy formations and team up with the PUGs to defeat the impending threat!"

Sounds quite fun to me, and it could have different or simpler dynamics from this example... In any case it would feel like going to war, even if they are just the usual coblyns, as long as there is a challenge to it.

4.Auto-Party

A useful feature.

Overall

I agree 100% with the OP. SE do this!

[Lamhirh]

<some cutting>
Remember Remember the 19th of April,
Gunpowder, Treason and Plot;
I see no reason why gunpowder, treason
Should ever... be... forgot...

BR's ultimate fate will align with V's. Come April 19, BR will be leaving this place.

Ill buy champagne, and some vodka to cellabrate.

Now on topic i disagree player should be forced to start withing Guild-city. Youshould be able to start wherewer you want, and do whatever yuo want. Thats what good games are all about. You still wouldnt have better market by rforcing people to start in guildtows, all you get would be some low lewe itm from craftguilds from that one, and that is not granted, as items require lot of cross-cklass items ( like bow need string , and string is made by weaver. in EVERY game, where market is not available everywhere, where is region locked, players will crete 'trade hub' and converge in one place which will be most convinient. RIght now its uldah. Becouse most of staryline quests require you to go there, and becouse it lies between Limsa an grindania. No matter what you do people wil do that. that is in human nature.

[Renshi]

BR's ultimate fate will align with V's. Come April 19, BR will be leaving this place.

You are waiting badly for that too, huh? I can't wait too! April, the 19th, Bycicle Day b*tches!

Anyway, if you go to Behests, you have to be a good teamworker (or not), and if you party with your leves, you'll have chance to perform badass-like Leve-Links, which will boost your experience points and skill points like crazy!
I'd suggest to play the game with a group. Being a casual player doesn't mean that you have to solo play, since I'm a casual player too =D

I've done a lot of accomplishments in this game. Most are referred to reaching some points in the game (in the means of AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADVENTURE!), but also killing some NMs or surviving hordes of monsters, surviving with 1HP left and whatsoever.
The game is fun if you want it to be!

See ya!

[ambrosia]

I played RDM too and I didn't mind the whole refresh routine at all, it felt like playing Diner Dash... Outside of exp parties, doing crowd control during Dynamis or low-manning Gods was very satisfying and challenging, but enough about that now.

On the spending SP thing, the direction is quite good I think. SE could learn something from Dragon Age 2, where everytime you level up, you could pick a new skill to learn and these skills are grouped by specializations.

However I think centering the game around Guildleves was wrong to begin with. This puts LIMITS on the variety of missions you get, the kind and number of mobs you kill on these missions, the kind of rewards you get, and even the amount of play time available. And when you limit what a player can do in a game, it will suck. I really think SE should take a step away from developing on the Guildleve idea.

[Kirith]

Now on topic i disagree player should be forced to start withing Guild-city. Youshould be able to start wherewer you want, and do whatever yuo want. Thats what good games are all about.

That statement means nothing. Can't be more ambiguous than that.
I'll give you a hint: it's a matter of balance.

You still wouldnt have better market by rforcing people to start in guildtows, all you get would be some low lewe itm from craftguilds from that one, and that is not granted, as items require lot of cross-cklass items ( like bow need string , and string is made by weaver. in EVERY game, where market is not available everywhere, where is region locked, players will crete 'trade hub' and converge in one place which will be most convinient. RIght now its uldah. Becouse most of staryline quests require you to go there, and becouse it lies between Limsa an grindania. No matter what you do people wil do that. that is in human nature.

Obviously, but there would be more incentive than at this moment. Plus you fail to see OP's bigger picture: with lancers having to do guildleves in the gridania's lancers' guild and having to go to gridania every time they need to learn a batch of new skills it would keep the city more populated.

If you want to do leves with other classes you take the "intercity leves" OP proposed, which then warp you back home.

With the current limited anima or another future transportation method lancers would therefore be hard pressed to find items in the local wards. Conversely crafters would put lancer items for sale there, where the market for them obviously lies.

Right now ul'dah is the hub because of low population and the fact that you can do everything in it, from leves to a third of all the crafting in the game.

People warp to other cities for their guilds already. Op's proposal just increases this tendency and discourages just idling in ul'dah.

Furthermore, if you remove the anima madness and add the chocobos travelling becomes more realistic, which is an even better incentive.

The more i think about it the more i see how excellent this proposal is...!

[Elkwood]

You know how at the end of V for Vendetta, thousands of citizens finally snapped into reality, put on their V masks, and stood up to the government and its army at the end?

Just replace V for BR and Government for SE. That's pretty much what's going on here.

Remember Remember the 19th of April,
Gunpowder, Treason and Plot;
I see no reason why gunpowder, treason
Should ever... be... forgot...

BR's ultimate fate will align with V's. Come April 19, BR will be leaving this place.

We know Mortal Kombat comes out April 19 but shut up about it already

[Jinko]

Every nice OP, I agree with pretty much all you said.