FFXIV Under New Managment?

Sorry for the long block-text quote here, but Jaerik has an outstanding point. Here is the thing, though: SE has enough weight to entice (almost force) a new review when the PS3 launches.

Also, Jaerik's comment about "cultural pressures" is, I feel, spot-on. This launch is the child of a company becoming more profit-driven - a departure from the mentality of "quality will produce results." I think we can all agree that even looking back to the SNES days of FFIII (VI in JP) and other games like Chrono Trigger (one of the finest games ever created) that Squaresoft was almost autistic in their quest for a high-quality product. They were the Buckethead of the gaming industry. They tried new ideas and put the emphasis on making them as good as possible, despite being entirely foreign concepts. There is a reason that Squaresoft garnered critical acclaim for so many different projects. But with such regard comes higher expectations for both product and profit. Coupled with the merger/acquisition of Enix, the company turned a corner that appears to have sent it in an awkward direction.

Now with all that said, a massive disaster like this can end up being a GOOD thing. Even the greatest of people make mistakes, but it is the truly great ones that learn from them and do their best to fix things. What we possibly have on our hands here is a good example of redemption. Personally, I think its really fun to be part of something as that occurs. Those who are patient will likely get the chance to watch a fledgling product grow and become a living, breathing entity - much like FFXI. Remember, it was the growth and discovery of Vanadiel that kept so many of us drawn in and coming back for more.

To put it simply, it is the journey that is the great experience - not the reward.

I don't think we'll know what is in store until we get more info. This could be a good thing, I know I am hoping for alot of new content, a good verity of quests. you know, something besides griding.

This email scared me this morning lol... I started to read the first two sentences and I thought the letter was going to be about closing down the servers.

Thank goodness this wasn't the case!

I thought that too, but it looks like they moved most of the XI staff onto XIV.

Cool, maybe SE can make a product half as good as Blizzard now.

Not holding my breath though ...

If they want to do that then give us reson to encurage people to join. Give us a free motnh for getting someone new to play the game. Dont charge us for extra characters. Do stuff like cross server chat and between other square enix games. Do liek bizzard and support most but not all 3rd party programs.

I for one am boycotting until they provide a patch that gives Miqote stiff nipples in cold weather.






Ok, I'm not. I just wanted to post something involving the word "nipples."

As you were.

dude just cold weather? this is 2010 so why not get all-weather nipples?

Because hot-weather nipples get chapped. Ain't no playas wanna suck on some blistex covered titties!

WoW sucks. lol

I get into discussions with a friend about 14 vs WoW all the time. He calls me a FF fan boy, which I'm not (I used to be with 11 :) ).He never talks about what he likes about WoW, but only the fact that it has 12M players, blah blah blah. When he asks me why I like 14, I tell him how it's a laid back game that allows me to casually play maybe 6hrs/week. I'm level 23, Rank 21 Archer, with a few other jobs floating around 10. I'm not hard core or strive to have the coolest looking gear. I play to enjoy the experience, and guess what, I enjoy it! My few complaints that I hope they fix:

1) Add additional content, maybe free form quests. I miss doing, what seemed like random and useless quests, that actually gave some extra fluff to the main story line. It is what allows MMOs to become more than just a game. The story and lore is what brings you into a personal experience with the game play.

2) The market wards....I like the idea, and it works...kind of. I can see them shying away from the whole auction house ordeal, but if they added an AH system FOR the market wards where you could search the wards like you did the AH in FFXI, only with the 14 search you could buy the items via the search platform instead if having to actually go to the wards to search through bazaars. That way the wards would only be a place to set up your retainer. Just a thought to make the ward system for user friendly.

3)Travel...get those darn chocobos out of the stables! lol Let's see some air ships too.

4) One complaint I've heard is the lack of actual zones. I don't get around much to see. As far as I know, besides caves in the 3 main areas, there are only like 5 actual zones.

There's my two cents that I hope they deal with with this new overhaul in personnel. I really hope they don't change or steer the game in a direction that makes it so that if you smash your face on the keyboard you can be successful (like WoW).

Wada needs to quit. This news mean nothing

Qft.

I posted on the front page thread on the Core(and await being flamed/mod edit because it sounds negative toward XIV), but as they say in rehab, the first step is admitting you have a problem. In this case, the first step is SE admitting their game sucked.

As I see it, this is XIV's "last chance" to come through. If, after a complete team overhaul, with some of XI's amazing talent joining them, they can't get XIV turned around and made into something people want to pay to play.. safe to say it will be the end.

ya blaming someone else and making them leave mean jack. He hurry up the game to be release for 2010 he just don't give a *** -.-.

If only i was rich to buy out SE.

They have their work cut out for them...I just hope they make whatever changes they plan to make fast...:(

With all the staff bashing there's been, I have to ask: How does everyone know what parts of XI and XIV each person is responsible? How do you specifically know that Tanaka, for example, 'ruined FFXI' and was behind all the bad things of XIV? Is there some master IP vs author list that references what ideas came from what director/designer/etc? I know that we see who goes to the interviews and tells the media about the new features, but that doesn't mean they are the ones responsible.

i hope they will not make it another WoW, FF11 was a perfect MMO for me

^ I agree.

WoW is too easy for me >_< I get bored quickly...

Also, does anyone know if the free trial periods also mean you can start additional characters without paying *anything*, at least until the fees are reinstated?

yes you can make all 8 without problem too you have to pay.

Profound disappointment and deep-seated anger at SE's evident betrayal of its long-term fans for short-term gain will do that.

To imply that quitting somehow invalidates the observation that this clusterfuck may have done irreparable damage to a cherished franchise is pretty insulting.

The most upsetting thing to me is losing Mr. Matsui from FFXI. I don't know how much of the change in FFXI is directly his doing but I feel like the new XI team revitalized the game and made it worth playing and worth returning to for those who quit. I haven't enjoyed FFXIV, it's far less group oriented and the levequest system is not really my thing. I'm not cancelling my XIV account yet but I haven't logged in since mid-November... too much abyssea to do :x

O.O!
Jaerik swore!!

I have to agree on the free month(s) extension for current players because at the end of the day, myself an others are putting their weekly 10,15,20+ hours of play (I MEAN WORK) on this game not knowing if it will continue or be cancelled. And time is more valuable than their free or monthly to be subscription.

But i like what I see, getting some of the ff11 staff to address current battle system issues, etc.

I am staying on this game for the moment and I am the VOICE along with the others whom have opted to stay whom will recommend this game onto others. So we hang on and wait on S.E. to turn this ship around, and not upside down.

I WANT AN AUCTION HOUSE FOR XMAS!!
I hope they get rid of all this retainer crap.

PWR!

Power Nexus - Figaro
Nexus Power - Figaro

First off, I'll say that I still have my FFXIV subscription active, if not only to benefit from the perks of a half price FFXI subscription. I played (or should I say tested) the game since closed Alpha. I played the retail release and was appauled with it, and the latest "XIV saving update," while a step in the right direction, completely failed to hold my interest for more than 3 hours. The only good part of this game is currently on my iPod, so I'm not missing anything.

This news was the best thing to come out of the game yet though. Since Alpha testing it's been painfully apparent that two things happened:

1) SE executives wanted the game rushed out before Cataclysm hit in order to compete over the holiday season.
2) Tanaka and the rest of the development team spent much of alpha and closed beta in their office pretending to work and not listening to a word of feedback from players, and falling into the same traps that made pre-Abyssea FFXI the chore that it was. Once they realized they actually had to make a game before October, well, yeah, the rest is history.

My biggest upset and reason I won't be going back to XIV anytime soon is this: after testing and submitting feedback for so long, why did the product I paid £50 for essentially become an unplayable mess? The feedback was there. The players told them for nigh on six months what was needed. The standard for MMOs has already been set by games like Aion and WoW, but for some reason the developers made some frankly insane and amateurish design decisions. The Market Wards are a core example of this - why on Earth did it take until one update AFTER RELEASE to do something as simple as organize the wards when the suggestion had been made by hundreds of people during BETA TESTING? Why are we still waiting for a search function to this day, and honest question here, who on the development team thought it would be a great idea to omit this feature in the first draft? Did someone honestly think it would be fun and engaging to walk around 10-20+ Upper Jeunos and examine them all at once in a lag filled nightmare?

I think Jaerik is right on the money here. This message is probably an absolute disaster for PR right now. They've essentially told the playerbase the game is free to play, and unless the re-release come PS3 launch (if that even happens) is nothing short of phenomonal success, I doubt anyone (myself included) is even going to consider giving them anything subscription wise.

That being said, overhauling the development team will certainly be interesting, and I do hope some of the magic they've put into XI will shine through into XIV. At this point though, nothing short of an entirely new game is going to make me think otherwise.

Just like some of you, I'm hanging on to see what happens. I mean, it's free and I already bought the CE so mine as well, I'm not losing any money. Even if it's 6 months from now when and IF the PS3 version is released, multiply the sub price not being charged, it equals out so, it still hurts sort of but not too bad.

I remember being on here discussing the advent of FFXIV with some fellow XI players and the thread talking about "What you want to see in FFXIV". The ideas were great for the most part and you could feel the excitement for another awesome FF series MMO. It seems with most of the players in XIV now and talking with them that, most really wanted XIV to be XI with better graphics, less grind or at least a better XP/SP allotment. I always thought it sucked putting your neck on the line to battle a T or IT mob to only get the same XP or a tad more than an EM mob. So happy to see it worth it in the new version however, as it's been stated here and else where, the graphics are great but over all there seems to be the missing flavor of XI.

The Nation quests I think is a HUGE part missing not only from the game itself but, the story. That's what made picking or even eventually changing your affiliation with one City-State or another. I'm sure everyone here can remember talking smack with your fellow LS mates or even just random PT members about who was the top Nation in XI. There is nothing like that in XI. I like the LQs only because rather than running all over the damn place doing the mini or local quests I can just go to one spot and do a quick hour or so of leveling and be done. Most people will admit that XI, as epic as I thought it was, was definitely a time sink. Not so much here in XIV which was intended and stated as much prior to release. But, the over all content is ... well, garbage. :(

The news of these changes scared the crap out of me when I read the first 2 sentences as I, like others, Kittie & Akeda lol, thought they were shutting down. O.O But alas, not that drastic, not yet at least.

Crysten, your post was really interesting to read and informative as you were there from the beginning for the most part. Sad to see how they didn't listen to the players then but funny or is it ironic that now they are. Well guess you have to when your new brain child is failing, miserably. I know the reports I read said they had so many technical issues to address before release and that's "why" the other feedback wasn't addressed. But sorry SE, this isn't your first time around the block. You had a great base with XI and others so WTH happend? I find the gear to be a PITA to deal with. It seemed easier and more common sense with XI. You were lvl such and such you can get THIS gear. In XIV, you have so MANY different items to choose from which is a nice way to have choices and choose what works best for your main and sub jobs but at the same time, with those damn Wards, FFS it's just TOO much. I don't want this game to be so simple it's boring but it sucked when you couldn't find an item for sale on the AH but at the same time, I at least knew in a few minutes rather than a hour later or more. -.-

Please SE, read what we are saying. Listen to your fan base even those that have left possibly for good. After all, you did let them and the rest of us down. I don't hate the game but I don't feel as connected with it as I did XI.

Why they made us feedback since alpha if they didn't made 3/4 what we asked for? I asked (and maybe many PPL have did the same) a puking fix to Linkshell, where I couldn't promote or kick players offline or that are pretty far from me? Why took 4 months or more for put a stupid auto-sort inv.? Could go for more, but I don't feel to. I still play, but as my japanese friend said, and I think the same, when I log to FFXIV seem to go at work (ok is easy sp to 30, but after? Unless you are Hardcore you not gonna make much after the rank 30-31, due to shard/material consumption, due to SP party got ruined). Always same thing: log in -> Q: what i do today? -> A: 1) leve 2) craft. Ok game is new, they need time, but all this time since alpha test what the puk they did until now, while who was feedback keep repeat always the same things, and who have play the alpha/beta like me, know how many feedback was in the official site. I still play game, but lately I get very bored doing always same stuff. I guess I'm loggin only for talk with ppl with random craft/leve. Hope this game get better with new team. And possibly before the game die...

Dark I agree. Logging on does seem like work. Level/craft that's it.... zzzZZZzzZZZZzzzz *cry

I'm totally with you guys on this and i still keep saying 8years of practice in ffxi should get this game into a nice level of awesomeness start but to answer your Question about the feedback here is a like i found "which i think is a BS" but look it up http://www.pcgamer.com/2010/11/15/interview-final-fantasy-xiv-developers-apologise-to-unhappy-players/

Oh hell yeah I read that article. That's where I got the info about the reasons "why" they didn't add in the feedback from people like Crysten and looks like Darkpearl as Aplha/Beta testers. Sad sad excuse for not doing it right the first time. Like I said, this wasn't SE's first time at creating a MMO. /sigh