Follow-Up Answers from the interview with FFXIV Producer Hiromichi Tanaka

[hagun]

The amount of people who still enjoy FFXI far exceeds those who dislike FFXI. SE has to be doing many things correctly. Additionly, the amount of people dissatisfied with FFXI is so small, it's practically insignificant. The bottom line: FFXI may need a fix, but that fix is in no way vital.

Stop the bitching.

If FFXI is shit to you, you walk away and try something else. Not everything is meant for you, your grace. Sorry. That's what we like to call reality.

Breathe.

Commence the bitchfest.

[Correction]

EDIT: Also, to what Celeras says about "1, 2, 3" blends of games (1=timesink, 2=elite, 3=casual), I think that you are both right, and wrong. You can have a timesink that is made up of "elite challenges". Just because it's a timesink doesn't mean it has to be boring.

I think you might be misreading what is meant by 'timesink.' To me, stuff like gathering consumables is a timesink. Grinding out a tradeskill is a timesink. Travel time is a timesink. Levelling, for all intents and purposes, is a timesink. If there is some way to make this 'elite' then yeah it'd be kind of new and interesting but I doubt you can erect too many barriers to getting from one place to another or making sure you have poison pots to avoid sleep without frustrating players trying to accomplish something simple but time-consuming.

[aru]

The amount of people who still enjoy FFXI far exceeds those who dislike FFXI.

Who? The people still playing or the other 99.9% of the population that is doing other things?

[Kawfee]

I think you might be misreading what is meant by 'timesink.' To me, stuff like gathering consumables is a timesink. Grinding out a tradeskill is a timesink. Travel time is a timesink. Levelling, for all intents and purposes, is a timesink. If there is some way to make this 'elite' then yeah it'd be kind of new and interesting but I doubt you can erect too many barriers to getting from one place to another or making sure you have poison pots to avoid sleep without frustrating players trying to accomplish something simple but time-consuming.

I understand what you're saying. I was thinking things like leveling in FFXI, getting relics, farming, as timesinks. Crafting is a good example, too.

I'm not a dev so I don't have the solution. Maybe the guildleve system contains within it some help. Say, instead of just farming for mats for a tradeskill item, you instead do guildleves that are fun even when repeated, that reward you with the mats you need. Stuff like that is what I'd prefer to see rather than, say, sitting somewhere camping mining point respawns.

[MF Perm tha Fineass]

The amount of people who still enjoy FFXI far exceeds those who dislike FFXI. SE has to be doing many things correctly. Additionly, the amount of people dissatisfied with FFXI is so small, it's practically insignificant. The bottom line: FFXI may need a fix, but that fix is in no way vital.

Stop the bitching.

If FFXI is shit to you, you walk away and try something else. Not everything is meant for you, your grace. Sorry. That's what we like to call reality.

Breathe.

Commence the bitchfest.

No one was bitching about FFXI, so sorry your little weeaboo feelings got hurt for being a diehard.

People were just making contrasts and lessons to be learned from the failures and successes of XI.

[McGoonagle]

Who? The people still playing or the other 99.9% of the population that is doing other things?

Take away the 99.89% of the population that has never played it.

[Kaluuki]

The amount of people who still enjoy FFXI far exceeds those who dislike FFXI. SE has to be doing many things correctly. Additionly, the amount of people dissatisfied with FFXI is so small, it's practically insignificant. The bottom line: FFXI may need a fix, but that fix is in no way vital.

Stop the bitching.

If FFXI is shit to you, you walk away and try something else. Not everything is meant for you, your grace. Sorry. That's what we like to call reality.

Breathe.

Commence the bitchfest.

Um, not really. Just because you looooooooove SE, doesn't mean they're doing things correctly, brah.

I still play FFXI, but I think it has a shit ton of flaws. Being a college student, there's hardly any leveling content that doesn't entirely consume my time... and it's difficult to play in that regard. The majority of the people I've talked to on FFXI and on forums agree that there's a lot to be desired...Specifically when it comes to drop rates, HNMS, etc. It's a rather large understatement to call the population that doesn't like FFXI insignificant. lol

If anything, you're the one bitching. We're just contrasting opinions and such, no need to put your fanboy rage on us. Eat some pocky and chill the fuck out.

[Kawfee]

There'd be a lot less vitriol if people stopped using the language of "the population that doesn't like FFXI". Obviously anyone participating in this discussion or who still plays FFXI likes the game (or is a waste-of-space troll). There's a difference between actively disliking FFXI, and enjoying the game & community, but wanting its many flaws to be corrected in the next iteration.

[Kaluuki]

There'd be a lot less vitriol if people stopped using the language of "the population that doesn't like FFXI". Obviously anyone participating in this discussion or who still plays FFXI likes the game (or is a waste-of-space troll). There's a difference between actively disliking FFXI, and enjoying the game & community, but wanting its many flaws to be corrected in the next iteration.

Yeah, and that's what I said. I LIKE the game and still play it, but there's a lot of people (including me) who think it has flaws more than the ones that don't. I was just pointing out shit, because the OP was raging about how SE is doing things right... when they really just aren't entirely.

[Hyan]

Um, not really. Just because you looooooooove SE, doesn't mean they're doing things correctly, brah.

I still play FFXI, but I think it has a shit ton of flaws. Being a college student, there's hardly any leveling content that doesn't entirely consume my time... and it's difficult to play in that regard. The majority of the people I've talked to on FFXI and on forums agree that there's a lot to be desired...Specifically when it comes to drop rates, HNMS, etc. It's a rather large understatement to call the population that doesn't like FFXI insignificant. lol

If anything, you're the one bitching. We're just contrasting opinions and such, no need to put your fanboy rage on us. Eat some pocky and chill the fuck out.

Imo, even though the game has flaws doesn't mean that SE isn't doing things 'correctly'.

What it can tell us is that while SE may be doing things correctly right now, it hasn't been always the case.

I don't think it's even relevant anyway- only the present should matter in the first place. Of course it would be only logical to expect SE to do things in XIV like they do now in XI rather than how they did things 5 years ago. Only this time without the problems of low budget and small dev team, limitations of the console, and the spaghetti code making tons of random shit break, as well as poor choices from the early development that still affect the game in a more or less negative way no matter what fix SE could implement to the game at this point.

[Kaluuki]

Yeah. I absolutely agree SE is doing better recently than 5 years ago. It's a shame though, they should've added trivial things like level sync and Field Guide quests at launch. At least we know FFXIV will start out well.