New Vanafest incoming.

[NynJa]

Tanaka 2003-2009: grindfest where you're entirely reliant on luck of shittastic drop rates and claimbots all over (kings, salvage, ebisu)
Matsui 2010-2011: abyssea, content that started as a challenge (80 cap, 85 cap), but did become a slight chore and bore when 90 came around and you could sleep through all of the main content at the time (abyssea) due to atma buffs and level differences (lv 90-95 fighting content designed for lv 80/85). It should be also noted that jobs were actually given worthwhile buffs, and feedback was actually taken in regards to these buffs (thf Bully started as just a useless intimidation JA...eventually got bumped to ability to SA from any direction).
Tanaka 2012: Voidwatch is a "popular event"...ONLY because we are back to garbage drop rates, on top of the fact that there are now personalized chests so people will get loot they may not need. Most VW atmas range from absolute uselessness to pretty weak. Feedback was given from the start of day one to please let us put rare shit in the treasure pool so they dont get rotted...denied due to "balance". In light of this balance, numerous buffs that were given in the Matsui era are nerfed, as well as certain weapon skills. Neo-Nyzul was also created, generating a bunch of shitty sidegrade/downgrade gear, and 3 sets of really amazing gear in an event that is so poorly designed that the only way to MAYBE succeed at it is to use cheats and go with a set party of 4 heavy DD's and 2 SCH's using Embrava. Feedback was offered as very simple means to make an event go from cheaters paradise to an actual event with very small changes (remove lamp floors / add an extra 5-10 minutes / make lobby room free time), but denied due to BALANCE. Lv 95 magian trials are added: 1500 HMP's. The playerbase, either thinking this is a dummy value to be adjusted or will be an item commonly available, keeps hush hush on the absurd number, only to find out its the intended number, and the drop rate on the plates isnt good at all. The 99 trials come out, with equally absurd trials, and this time the playerbase revolts. The required drop number is steadily reduced, very very slowly, at numbers that are still relatively high, considering the previous relic/mythic trials were soloable or done in groups due to the nature of kills/killshots.


Say what you want, when Tanaka's first era was coming to an end, people were getting bored and fed up and leaving the game. Lots of people came back for Abyssea, and have left again in the VW era. Say what you want about the grind that was abyssea, atleast I know I have to kill Glavoid ~37 times to complete his trial instead of killing it over and over hoping for a .5% drop.

[Tsuneo]

Did Matsui ever have Tanaka's position? I can only find that Matsui was director in 2010, but I see no mention of him ever being producer.

[Gokulo]

He was when Tanaka was working on XIV.

[Lordender]

As much as I dislike Tanaka's design choices, wish him the best IRL, he probably has some serious health issues, he looked terrible on the stream last night.

[Chamaan]

Tanaka leaving? Mother of God. This is wonderful news.

Did they actually say what was his health concern? Like it was said earlier: hate the man's design philosophy, don't want him to suffer any kind of illness. Or maybe "for health concerns" is just the way of him saving face because he started drinking hard after getting kicked off FFXIV. Booze seppuku! Who knows. Hope he's not actually sick at least.

[Gokulo]

I maybe be a bad person, but when I read it first time I just thought that its an excuse

[Guitarman]

Yeah he looked really bad. I hated him as producer but wish him better health. Wasn't a bad guy, was just bad for the game.

[Apelila]

To add on Nynja's post: Pre Abyssea the only time something got fixed from player input was when we found something absolutely broken in the game or by a media shitstorm. Many of the fixes made in Abyssea were years overdue, and they fixed bottlenecks in Abyssea within 1 patch.

I know people who've been fighting the same VW mobs since they came out because their body wont drop, but see scrubs running around in stuff that they got less than 1/10. That's not a lot of incentive to do VW if you hate RNG's. Abyssea had RNG's but you could still progress. VW was a return to what made a lot of people quit before abyssea and drove them all away again.

[Damane]

Tanaka is retiring due to health issues. Matsui is returning to be producer.

Best. News. Ever.

best news ever! omg I so hope matsui will push VW and legion into the right direction

[Spira]

damn i missed that announcement when i was taking a nap

[Tonko]

Septimus is going to explode into rainbows and glitter when he hears Tanaka is no more.

[Fereydoon]

He already did!

[Sho]

So we blame Matsui when the game still takes on shitty drops? Tanaka leaving will change nothing.

Buhaha. >_>

[Guitarman]

So we blame Matsui when the game still takes on shitty drops? Tanaka leaving will change nothing.

Buhaha. >_>

Abyssea came completely out of left field and saved FFXI. Masui has earned a little faith from me.

[Churchill]

That news may cause me to not actually quit.

As far as content, you just need to do what every other game does.

Progressive raids -> Raid1 gear required to beat Raid2 (gear) required to beat Raid3 etc. Continue releasing better gear and harder mobs, make it a 6 person limit, no 2hours, fix enmity system, dated game becomes relevant.

[Spira]

well Tanaka's reign of balance may not be popular, but I'm pretty sure there have been a lot of things in FFXI that were greenlighted by him and other things unmentioned that we have to thank him for.

No matter how we look at it, FFXI, essentially his baby, is a runaway success for Square Enix and as an MMORPG. 10 years isn't that long by flagship MMO standards, but it isn't easy either.
Considering how fickle the MMO market is today, I'd say he should count himself lucky to be able to leave behind a game which is still successful.

Here's wishing him the best of health, and ushering in a new era of FFXI.

[Croy]

well Tanaka's reign of balance may not be popular, but I'm pretty sure there have been a lot of things in FFXI that were greenlighted by him and other things unmentioned that we have to thank him for.

No matter how we look at it, FFXI, essentially his baby, is a runaway success for Square Enix and as an MMORPG. 10 years isn't that long by flagship MMO standards, but it isn't easy either.
Considering how fickle the MMO market is today, I'd say he should count himself lucky to be able to leave behind a game which is still successful.

Here's wishing him the best of health, and ushering in a new era of FFXI.

He should have retired earlier, but I really don't have nearly as much ill for him as a lot of people do here since for all his problems, he still created the game itself and took it through almost its entire life. I actually find it sad to see him go on the circumstances, it sounds like he has eye cancer .

[Alkar]

Tanaka's gone? Brb, resubscribing asap....
I wish him the best for his health issues but I'm honestly glad that he's getting replaced... maybe now we can get worthwhile job adjustments like in the Abyssea phase.

[TheDangerousDave]

Tanaka leaving seals the deal for me lol

[Lordender]

They probably didn't want Tanaka to bring BARANACE to Adoulin. I think sub numbers took a massive plummet because of voidwatch, trying to return the game to days only a very select few wanted. Most players from the 03 release are damn close to 30 if not over 30 now and can't be chasing shit that needs 100+ runs to get the items they want.

Either he does have really bad health(he looked like shit last night) or he's being replaced and is allowed to walk into the sunset after being with the company for so long.