Dev Tracker

[Draylo]

Ugh I would hate if it went F2P, I could live with a price reduction though.

[DragonCloud64]

Lol, ok.

SMN "soloing" is already trash compared to other jobs. And this would have no fucking impact on anything that actually matters. (aka: not soloing)

What's next, are you going to complain that you never want to have to cast a cure spell, and that you wish you were the best dd in the game?

I guess I should have said SMN's soloing excels in comparison to the other roles it fills, not like Im gonna claim that SMN is the best solo job ever. And seriously noone solos shit with carbuncle for 2 hours, really. This isn't 2004 when abyssea never existed.

And anyway, I'm glad they are finally putting a new avatar on the roadmap, so people can stop asking "where are the new avatars you promised?" and SE can't reply "oh sorry next year," still under consideration(or other placeholder excuse).

[NynJa]

Theyre due for a price reduction...cut servers, axe dev team...pay the same?

[Prothescar]

Axe the Dev Team to what, a two man Indie studio? Just cut some servers and cut our subscription fee. $12.95 for what we're getting is pushing the envelope on borderline thievery.

[Tagus]

F2P is a big risk that I can't really see them doing, unless they're losing alot of subs. Server population does seem low lately, and it also feels like the game is empty outside of the high-traffic areas... but idk. That being said, it would be scary how it would change the game, but there's definitely some shit that I would pay to not do, like weather trials, empy upgrades, etc.

[Apelila]

If they put in a "Give the Magian moogle 5$, get weapon" option I think I'd do that trial.

[Burningthought]

Always seems like when F2P comes up, the main complaint usually boils down to, "Waaaaah, the WoW kiddiez I'd never play with anyway because I roll with my clique are gonna come and ruin my game!" when, if the core game itself is relatively left untouched, the only real issue in FFXI's case would be zone congestion. If anything, FFXI has the "benefit" of lacking global channels to curb the typical idiocy associated with such plebians that dare partake of free entertainment.

Being hypothetical, how could XI adapt a cash shop model?
- Items that enhance EXP/Skill/Region Currency/Crafting gains for an hour or two.
- Additional Voidstones/Assault Tags/Voiddust/Petrifacts.
- Cooldown resets for Dynamis/Limbus/Salvage/Einherjar.
- Specific BC orbs.
- Mog Sack without ties to the Security Token.
- Gobbiebag quests in general.
- Any kind of fluff/holiday item like the Bonanza statues or pending AA weapons.
- Unlock subjob.
- Unlock a job regardless of meeting minimum requirements.
- Limit Break quests cleared.
- Packages pertaining to teleport crystal KIs or even Outpost Warps.
- The ability to gift any of the above to a fellow player.

I'm sure the list can be expanded upon, but ultimately, the ancillary fear of "hand outs" or catastrophic "pay to win" scenarios aren't present. Anything that involves an event still requires actual event participation, Limit BCs aside. There are some small quality of life improvements that players could otherwise obtain normally, and may even have difficulty soloing at present, but someone starting a fresh/mule account might be willing to splurge on to save some time. Coincidentally, things like the Limit Break could also be the most expensive of the bunch because of what it does.

Edit: I should say I don't expect the game to go F2P, but at the very least am of the mind a price reduction is in order if the past year and the current road map is any indication of future service quality. The "just quit if you don't like it!" SE apologists have yet to really bring any good counterargument to the table in the few locations I've seen the matter come up.

With all the QoL adjustments I could kinda see them announcing buy to play with cash shop at Vana'fest. I'd rather put all my money into the expansion i'm never going to get, and the vita port that is never coming.

[Prothescar]

If they make FFXI pay-to-win, all the more reason to stop playing. There are ways to do cash shops without that sort of model, but in FFXI's case it would be very difficult.

[NynJa]

Axe the Dev Team to what, a two man Indie studio? Just cut some servers and cut our subscription fee. $12.95 for what we're getting is pushing the envelope on borderline thievery.

Sorry, I meant thats what they've done. They've already cut servers, they've axed majority of the dev team...yet we pay the same.

[Prothescar]

Ah apologies then, I read it wrong.

[NynJa]

I wrote it quickly on my phone, OT was starting (or 3rd period, not sure)

[machiko]

At least you'll know the level 99 stage 2 r/e/m glowing weapons will be owned by UAE instead of no lifer LS leaders if they do.

I can so see this being the future of FFXIV too if they do it for XI and it works out well, free to play at it's worst works well with very low playerbase games and that fits with 14, even after v2.

[jimbobsonofgod]

Being hypothetical, how could XI adapt a cash shop model?
- Additional Voidstones/Assault Tags/Voiddust/Petrifacts.
- Cooldown resets for Dynamis/Limbus/Salvage/Einherjar.

Would cash in all my bar mitzvah bonds and i'm not even jewish.
(no seriously would spend money on that shit)

[arus2001]

And I suspect plenty would do the same. Some may piss and moan someone could go 15/15 on the Neo Nyzul gear in a day, but who fucking really cares? In an ideal world, the cooldowns wouldn't exist, but SE loves to bottleneck.

[Xantavia]

Theyre due for a price reduction...cut servers, axe dev team...pay the same?

But at the same time, its been the same price for 10 years. Think of the price you pay as a reduction from what an inflated number would be.

[Jem]

Honestly the price doesn't bother me in the slightest. Sure content has dried up a bit recently but the way I look at it is this. Is there anything else I could have spent the subscription fee on that would have provided me with better entertainment / social interaction for the same amount of hours? Nothing comes remotely close for me personally.

The amount of money XI has saved me over the years is astronomical. Before I started playing XI hardcore I was out drinking most nights of the week and when I wasn't I was playing sports or playing brand new games or something similar that was pricey.

[arus2001]

But at the same time, its been the same price for 10 years. Think of the price you pay as a reduction from what an inflated number would be.

And would you pay 15k for a 10 year old car that's had some work done on it here and there? It's not like there aren't new models with better features available.

Somewhere along the way, MMO companies have successfully brainwashed their customer base into believing that if they don't like something, the ultimate solution is to quit. Anyone who dares to imply otherwise is seeking entitlement, no matter how reasonable and sensible their request. At the end of the day, SE is nothing without the money we've offered them in exchange for a product. MMOs are not a rigid item like a pound of meat at the deli. They are fluid, evolving, meant to change and improve. Principally, stagnation is the death of evolution. How the game should evolve may certainly be a hot topic amongst its players, but when its developer lets the proverbial rust grow, allows the tires to go bald, and stops checking the engine even though that light keeps shining on the dashboard... that 10 year old car starts looking less and less appealing despite all the travel it's offered. Right now, SE is barely gassing the tank and occasionally changing the oil.

We may still like the car, but in the shape its in, its not worth its original price. We can only say it so many ways before suddenly there's another round of server merges, then maybe another, and possible even a cessation of service altogether. So many businesses would love to be in the position SE's in here with people so willingly throwing their money at them hoping that maybe the next patch will be the one, the one that rekindles that spark, reminds someone of the old days, separates the men from the boys, or whatever waxing of ideal outcome. Restaurants don't tell people to GTFO and come back x months later. They want you back as often as possible. Mechanics strive to do good work so you'll tell your friends and so you'll come back the next time your car needs some work. I think the only other business that hands MMO developers their ass when it comes to getting their customers to eat shit and like it is Apple.

FFXI could be better. To some degree, it's our fault it's not.

[Jem]

Yes FFXI could be better. But the other way of looking at it is this. Are you getting $12.95 (or whatever your subscription is) worth of enjoyment/playtime/whatever out of FFXI? If the answer is yes then regardless of how shit XI is in comparison to the past, you can't really complain. Anything past your moneys worth is a bonus.

All it means is that in the past you got way more than your moneys worth. What we're currently getting has declined from that but for the vast majority of people they are still getting their moneys worth. And if that stops then yes, people quit. Just the same people quit the gym or cancel their subscription to x, y or z because they no longer feel it is worth the money.

[Shenrien]

unsubscribe for a month and find something worth 12.95 that you can purchase that would entertain you for a solid month, if you can't find something then the price fits.

[Spira]

And would you pay 15k for a 10 year old car that's had some work done on it here and there? It's not like there aren't new models with better features available.

Somewhere along the way, MMO companies have successfully brainwashed their customer base into believing that if they don't like something, the ultimate solution is to quit. Anyone who dares to imply otherwise is seeking entitlement, no matter how reasonable and sensible their request. At the end of the day, SE is nothing without the money we've offered them in exchange for a product. MMOs are not a rigid item like a pound of meat at the deli. They are fluid, evolving, meant to change and improve. Principally, stagnation is the death of evolution. How the game should evolve may certainly be a hot topic amongst its players, but when its developer lets the proverbial rust grow, allows the tires to go bald, and stops checking the engine even though that light keeps shining on the dashboard... that 10 year old car starts looking less and less appealing despite all the travel it's offered. Right now, SE is barely gassing the tank and occasionally changing the oil.

We may still like the car, but in the shape its in, its not worth its original price. We can only say it so many ways before suddenly there's another round of server merges, then maybe another, and possible even a cessation of service altogether. So many businesses would love to be in the position SE's in here with people so willingly throwing their money at them hoping that maybe the next patch will be the one, the one that rekindles that spark, reminds someone of the old days, separates the men from the boys, or whatever waxing of ideal outcome. Restaurants don't tell people to GTFO and come back x months later. They want you back as often as possible. Mechanics strive to do good work so you'll tell your friends and so you'll come back the next time your car needs some work. I think the only other business that hands MMO developers their ass when it comes to getting their customers to eat shit and like it is Apple.

FFXI could be better. To some degree, it's our fault it's not.

didn't read the whole thing but overall its a bad analogy. whats really happening is you're paying the same price to use the same car again and again. more like a rental fee really. may not give you the best mileage but hey if it doesn't break down and gets you where you need to go safely its good enough for some people.