Player Run Companies: a Rallying Cry

[Caidryn]

Ages ago, under the prior development team, we heard repeated whispers that there would be something greater than linkshells implemented in this game. In fact, at the time, we were told to think of them as groups of linkshells. A great many players gathered together in a single place for a common goal, complete with the standard trappings of a normal guild in any other MMO.

It has been a little over 7 months since the Collector's edition of the game launched. During this time, I have eagerly awaited these changes, or at least information regarding the plans being abandoned if such were to happen. I have been telling the linkshell I have led since the closed beta (Actually prior, if one counts the fact we formed long before the game's release) to hold on for just a bit longer the entire time, completely faithful that change would come soon.

At first I had hoped to see them in the first large content patch, three months after the game began. When those hopes failed, I turned to the march update, as it had been the time the PS3 version was originally scheduled to launch. My optimism waned a bit when they still had not shown, but perked up once more when I saw the statements concerning 'Public Companies' (Now called Grand Companies) surface in the letters from the producer. Now, however, I can see they are not what I had been hoping for at all.

With no more optimism left in my reserves, I have come here to ask the dev team. When will we have solid info on player run companies? Are they even still planned to launch?


I lead one of the bigger and more influential English Linkshells on Mysidia, and as such, I believe I can say I have a somewhat adequate feel for a linkshell's workings. However, in their current state, they are little more than a chatroom, with many simple and vital features not yet present. Many of my members have now hit 50 on multiple classes, and have embraced what endgame they can by downing the roaming NM's three times per week. However, they are quickly losing interest in this and desire things to do with the entire linkshell. I, myself, also desire a greater purpose for our linkshells than simply serving as a communication line. I have told myself this entire time such issues would be settled by player run companies, but with no info upon the matter, I am concerned I may have been deluding myself as well as my members.

Were player companies to be implemented, I hope to see the staples of guilds in other games make their way in to settle the lack of purpose linkshells have at the moment. Rather than what they were in XI, Status symbols or tools through which to experience endgame, I'd like to see them be a deeper sort of bond, likely fueled through a company level system, company owned housing, and content centered around the large amounts of people gathered in a single company all having to work together in large scale fights.

So here is my humble request as one whom has kept faith in the game and has been playing since beta. Please, at last, give us some shred of info on player run companies, even if only to tell me they're no longer planned.

To all of you that aren't devs reading this, I ask that you speak up if you'd like to know as well. In the game's current state, the community is not yet rich as it was in XI. I wholeheartedly believe that companies would serve to solve that problem, and ask your help in getting info on this matter.

May we meet once more in Eorzea, next time under a more united banner.

[Eldaena]

I agree that I would like something more too.

[Kilta_Firelotus]

Must not have played ff11 then. LS as they are the same as LS's are in 11. I think public companies were craped because it was hard to implement them on top of LS's. So they went with grand companies instead.

[darkstarpoet1]

i know many people that have left the game and said they would return once these were implemented along with content ads. we have added much content, but at this point the companies/lack thereof could bring alot of people back. i just feel as though these should be more of a focus by the development team to bring in the player run companies, linkshell housing, community events. this is the type of content alot of players that left the game are waiting to be implemented before they will return.

[Evangela]

I rather have new battle system and new job system before talking about companies

no matter how much contents they implement to the game, if we have to play it with current battle and job system.... it's still SUCKS!

[Azurymber]

I fully agree. I think the ideas that the original devs had announced had a lot of potential, and I feel like this dev team has gone in the wrong direction. Companies -seem- to just be part of the quest line now and i have a strong feeling they will just end up as FFXIV's "fame" system. I really hope I am wrong. However with the announcement of company leaders for each nation it seems almost certain they will no longer be player run.

Also whatever happened to battles in the villages. They were supposed to be implemented in the january patch and I haven't heard anything about them since the new team took over.

[Vackashken]

I rather have new battle system and new job system before talking about companies

I agree emphatically.

[Caidryn]

Must not have played ff11 then. LS as they are the same as LS's are in 11. I think public companies were craped because it was hard to implement them on top of LS's. So they went with grand companies instead.

I played XI for 6 years or so. I recall exactly what linkshells were and weren't, and the system left me hungry for something more. This is XIV, and with that extra V tacked on the end, a great deal of changes have come. Upon hearing information on this close to the game's launch, I hoped that this would be among the improvements this game sought to make over XI.

I, for one, will not be satisfied if linkshells stay in their current state. With the current lull in the community (as I don't see nearly as tight knit a front as was given in XI, nor thousands of random pick up groups formed each week) People don't seem to be getting to know one another as well as they should unless they share a linkshell. Even then, with your linkshell, all you can really do at the moment is party or down NM's. I made this thread because I desire something more.

[Eldaena]

I don't think the battle system and class system suck, but I do agree improvements should be made to the assets that hold the most water first. They need to get all this groundwork figured out, then layer the goodies on top of it. That does include player run companies. Just because there are more pressing issues ahead of some, doesn't mean I still don't think this is an important feature that does need to be looked further into/explained better, etc. Even if they are no longer being worked on or completely scrapped, I'd like to at least know that. It was and is still a good idea considering some of the best content in this game, at the moment, is based off the players themselves.

[darkstarpoet1]

I rather have new battle system and new job system before talking about companies

no matter how much contents they implement to the game, if we have to play it with current battle and job system.... it's still SUCKS!

yeah i so much like the idea of running up to a mob and letting auto attack kill it for me while i eat dinner much more important than something we can enjoy as a group.