Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Population continues to fall with time extention
This discussion has been closed.
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Comments
Lots of interesting views on the chart and some people just angry because someone posted a chart,that part is laughable,how anyone can get angry by a chart being postd is truly amazing.
As for accuracy of numbers,i agree numbers can mean very little,but at the same time ,i am sure SE expected 500k+ nothing closer to the 100k numbers.Even still i play games based on quality not on numbers,otherwise we should all be playing Farmville or Wow,good thing most of us can think for ourselves and not follow numbers.
As for the chart,i would think it might head back up on PS3 release,but the game imo will never be of the same quality as FFXI.As for someone mentioning thta FFXI was a trainwreck,that is a personal opinion because FFXi was thre reason i maintained a steady sub in the MMORPG genre,i was having a lot of fun at the time playing UnrealTournament/COD/Quake/HalfLife online and didn't really care for MMORPG's.I also had a sort of hard time staying with EQ/EQ2 and even tried Wow only to quit about 2-3 weeks later.FFXI was the game that really caught my attention and that is many months before i even fully understood the game.Most if not all other games i have tried ,there is nothing to understand they are played in such a one dimensional fashion it is pathetic.
The reason FFXIV fails is becuase instead of improving on what FFXI established as a great starting game,it took the most important things and made them worse or just outright lame.They rehashed most of the ffxi data and just renamed classes and spells/abilities,i think a FFXI fan expected some of the same but we also expected a NEW game with new classes and abilites.Releasing the game with the bare minimum of races,told me right away that SE was going to try and pull a fast on it's subscribers by saving anything new to sell us in xpacs.I find that cheap and lame,i expected new ideas/races/content right away,i am not into paying for it down the line,otherwise i could just play a better FFXI,if i waned to play the exact same game.
Before i close this out,a perfect example of what i expected from FFXIV was in fishing.NO i did not want more menus to fish,it was already boring and slow enough,i expected SE to spend some time and give us better animations and maybe even see an actual fish,geesh that is not asking too much.Of course it is my own personal opinion but that chart is a good indication of how i feel the quality or lack of went into this game.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
They can give an idea of trends when used in the correct manner, but overall there are just too many matters of contention to explain charts like that just simply don't, nor do they account for (at least on a normal basis).
Numbers can vary any given day of the week or month, especially on international servers. Which is the case for FFXIV isn't it?
I'm looking at FFXIV like this, especially now after what you said above, a possible third free month. The longer they offer free time, the worse off the product is. Of course at some point they have to start charging, whats that gonna be like 4 months free, possibly more?
Four months of no returns is definitely unheard of, and dangerous I'd assume. I don't expect it to turn around for them either simply because it never did for others in the last few years.
PS3 might bring in some revenue, but that's a long way's off. I guess for their sake they're lucky they are who they are. Dues Ex, FFXIII versus and the other side project of FFXIII, as well as many other titles are on their way from them. If this were anyone else they'd be sinking faster than the Hindenburg went up in flames.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
I've pretty much stopped wasting my time discussing this game, but this has to be the most falsely representative posts I've seen made.
The game has next to no content, and it only becomes worse. Something SE even admit themselves. Don't mistake time wasting, chatting, etc for content.
One of the reasons FF XIV is in the state it is, is due to posts like these that were made during beta, and SE's selective "listening". Sometimes fanboi'ism just goes to far.
The population is falling for a reason. Most know why, as do SE.
No offense, but seeing posts like these a reality check is needed.
Not sure why you have to go and say this persons post is false. I never have enough play time to get everything done I want in FFXIV either. Does that make me a liar too in your eyes? Just because you dont enjoy the game doesn't mean what we experience is false. There is plenty to do in FFXIV, especially if your into crafting and gathering. If your play style doesn't fit into what is in the game, doesn't mean it isnt there. Please refrain from calling people liars just because you yourself do not see things as they do. What we call content may not be what you look for as content granted, but it doesn't invalidate the claim either way. Content for us appearantly is something you just can't see or refuse to see because its not interesting enough for you. It doesn't mean there is none there, just that you dont see what is there 'as' content. There are some of us who see it differently.
Most of my time in any MMORPG is spent hunting, gathering, crafting , and marketing. And in those areas there are plenty of things to keep you busy in FFXIV. You probably have a different play style, so these things may not interest you at all, thereby giving you the impression there isn't anything to do in FFXIV. The fact is, that is true, but only for people with your play style. Quests and gear farming from dungeons and raids hold little value in my game enjoyment factor. If they did I would probably agree with you on the content issue. But since they dont, my view of content obviously differs from yours. What you call 'time wasting' some of us call content because we like doing that stuff which you obviously do not.
It would be nice if you and others would try and see things from a different perspective once in a while, instead of trying to force your view on everyone else without considering that there may actually be others out there that do not play games exactly the same way you do.
You would remove my one joy in life at the moment? Remove fact finding? It's just information. If you guys like the game so much, poll SE for a census. Call it "Iron-man (taken from the hard core event, not the comic character) FFXIV 2010". You could even have shirts "I survived the underwear repair 2010" or "Who needs a keyboard/mouse UI 2010" or "You're only hardcore if you ignore Guild Leves to level" or "My other toon is an AFK market seller" or "Yes, I'm a sadistic masochist, I love FFXIV".
:-P
In case people don't know about population numbers....
When you do a population search and see 1,000 people it's not really 1,000 people playing. That's the dirty secret no one knows (or wants to know at this point).
See, there are these things in game called "retainers" that sell stuff since there is no Auction House. So if you want to sell something or buy something (which probably 85% of people do daily), they set out their retainers when they log in for business. Then they go level or craft.
SE takes a picture at every actual "toon" in the game, and this INCLUDES retainers.
So if you see your server at 900, better guess that it's really only about 450 people playing in reality. All games do tricks with "active subs" and such so this isn't a surprise.
It is however, a real wakeup call more than people realize.
Can this be overcome? Perhaps.
Anyone not realizing that the game's future is totally dependant of PS3 players right now is kidding themselves, which is why SE is going to implement leveling for 1-20 EXTREMELY easy in late December.
"TO MICHAEL!"
I can agree on that statement. Going by that logic of that statement, due to the fact there are people playing (which goes by the assumption they want to play), that FFXIV must not be an empty game.
You're welcome. It was my pleasure.
"I'm not cheap I'm incredibly subconsciously financially optimized"
"The worst part of censorship is ------------------"
I don't see how anyone could really take a PS3 release seriously after all the information released about SE and the game. There is a ton of games to play on the PS3 and everyone and their grandmother is going to want to own the PS3 move and the games that get released for it throughout the holidays.
I am not going to say they won't get a release out (because I don't understand the other decisions they've made either) but I will predict that it will get a similar reception as the PC release. We will have to wait and see.
"I'm not cheap I'm incredibly subconsciously financially optimized"
"The worst part of censorship is ------------------"
Wow! You are telling me that retainers show up in the party search? I don't know why i even bother to proove you wrong since obviously you have no clue about the game.
If you open the Party search it shows you 2 things:
Players logged in and Players around you.
Retainers are in seperate instances. If i go to one of those instances and there is no other player in that area it should by your definition show all the retainers, correct? Say a busy ward should show 30 players around you, correct?
Unfortunately it does not.
What a sad try to make the game and SE look bad. That totally backfired on you too, that must hurt!
Wow! You are telling me that retainers show up in the party search? I don't know why i even bother to proove you wrong since obviously you have no clue about the game.
If you open the Party search it shows you 2 things:
Players logged in and Players around you.
Retainers are in seperate instances. If i go to one of those instances and there is no other player in that area it should by your definition show all the retainers, correct? Say a busy ward should show 30 players around you, correct?
Unfortunately it does not.
What a sad try to make the game and SE look bad. That totally backfired on you too, that must hurt!
Yeah, that 'hurt'.
The game is fine.
"TO MICHAEL!"
I predict a Mortal Online approach. I.E we'll stick to our guns and make a profit even if we have to do it at everyone's expense. So I expect them to make a PS3 version.
~Miles "Tails" Prower out! Catch me if you can!
Come Join us at www.globalequestria.com - Meet other fans of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic!
Seems to be their business tactic lately I agree.
"I'm not cheap I'm incredibly subconsciously financially optimized"
"The worst part of censorship is ------------------"
Are you trying to be sarcastic or just wrong? How when they just extended the free month again so people could play the upcoming patches is it their business tactic to "stick to our guns" regarding the complaings people have over the game (have you even read the patch notes I know if I look up your posts every single one of the issues they have listed you and others have complained about at least once).
Or are you talking about "sticking to our guns" as in not simply shutting down the game as you want? Yeah wow they are so stubborn they clearly don't care about anything!
http://xivpads.com/?1595680
http://guildwork.com/users/murugan
Now you're 1.) Putting words in my mouth and 2.) reading FAR to into what I said >.<. Deep breaths, friend.
~Miles "Tails" Prower out! Catch me if you can!
Come Join us at www.globalequestria.com - Meet other fans of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic!
I'm talking about Chouji (who I quoted) who I know hangs on every development for the game (which is why his statement that it is their tactic lately is ridiculous), I wasn't going to assume the same of you since I haven't even seen you on this forum for months.
Basically I wasn't reading anything to what you said, that's your opinion and while I think the game will make SE lots of money and not shut down for many years I'm not going to argue over that since no matter what happens with the game and its subscriber numbers it is far too early for me to get riled up about it one way or another. Chouji on the other hand implying that Square Enix simply "sticks to their guns" and doesn't address the concerns of players who are unhappy however is just ridiculous considering the slew of changes announced, and the free month extensions.
http://xivpads.com/?1595680
http://guildwork.com/users/murugan
Ok crafting and gathering is minimal in the way of content. It's boring and annoyingly time consuming, especially when consider the fact that most of the materials you end up with are not what you were looking for. Add that to the fact that when you're crafting odds are...you're gonna fail and loose everything you just spent hours collecting.
By content, most players are refering to storyline and events. Something intriguing to keep our attention. So far you get a short glimpse of the main storline every 10 levels. That's a long time to wait. SE makes leveling hard enough by placing a limit on guildleves as well as the amount of exp you can earn a day. They have pretty much forced soloing on people since if you do a leve as a group then you may get 100exp while the quest holder gets the full reward and then you can't do that leve for yourself for another 36hours.
Overall the gameplay itself is incredibly boring. Crafting you sit and basically pray it works while you wait for the little bar to fill up without breaking your items, and repeat. This process alone takes about 1-2 min per item you attempt to craft. Gathering is basically the same. You run across an area trying to find a node, spend you're time trying to stop the dot in the right place and hoping you actually get the materials you need without filling up your bag with useless crap, and repeat. Questing and grinding are the same things. Go to X to kill Y amount of monsters and move on to a new area while hoping you don't get killed by some random overpowered level 25 mob that's in a level 5 area.
SE used to be known for their storylines. It used to be that you could get sucked into the game and you really got wrapped up in it, even the side quests were interesting. But now its all about graphics. Being pretty is useless if there's nothing entertaining to keep you coming back for more.
Looks to me like your agreeing with Scrib there. You both have different ideas about what is enjoyable in a game. What he finds enjoyable, he has in FFXIV and he is enjoying it. What you find enjoyable in a game is not there so your not enjoying the game. Looks pretty simple to me. Shame they dont have enough for both in there right now, but you have to admit, there is enough for the people who actually like to gather and craft.
Oh and the gathering of materials, from nodes and mobs isnt half as bad as you make it out to be. Thats just how you percieve it, not how everyone does. Your opinion, and your welcome to it just like those here that see it the other way around. And your also welcome to use the term most if you like, just dont come in here like some have already in this thread and say everyone, because thats just not true and will get you nothing but return comments telling you your wrong.
And your interprutation of how leves work, not correct either. If you both have the same one, at the end you both get the reward your leve states on it. You only get a reduced reward if you currently do not have that leve in your list. You can always get 8 in 36 hours, and you can always get the reward they list for doing them, either solo or in a group. Your info is just plain false. And those high level mobs in the low level regions, everyone knows where they are that plays the game. The ants split the 3 main towns, and unless someone has trained them onto the paths, they are usually a safe distance to run down the road past them. And really, if your blind to the point you can't see the big dragon in front of you before you run into him, well I think you deserve to get eaten.
SE built FFXIV as an attempt to go sandbox, because so many people said they wanted more sandbox games. They built it without being quest centric, and everyone freaked out because it didnt have a quest centric mechanic to it. We asked for it, we got it, and 90% of you all bitched because we got what we had been asking for. I'm gonna bet every game company out there seen this one, and if they had a plan to try to make a pure sandbox, its now on the floor with "other options" being concidered. The idea of a free, open world, that isnt hand holding or quest focused, where the players create everything and drive the economy, thats what FFXIV is, and what SE is now trying to fix so its NOT that anymore. And why, because nobody can find anything to do without being shown where to go and how to do it. The players weren't ready for a sandbox without limits and restrictions, where they could go from level 1 to cap on just gathering or crafter or hunting. Where they could be any class or all classes at once. Nope, the players dont really want the sandbox they said they wanted, they want it fixed. Well we are going to have it fixed now, to please the 90% who just didn't get it. Oh well, they tried anyway. I like it the way it is, too bad I'm in the minority, I actually like sandbox freedom.
(DISCLAIMER - The use of the word YOU in the above post is not directed at any one person in particular, but towards those who fall into the category itself - there is no personal attack here, neither intentional nor implied.)
The game is horrendous. SE knows it, and has essentially admitted to failure. Most former players know it. The critics know it. I get it; some people like the game. Awesome! I'm glad those people have found a game they like, but to say the game is fine, or even in an acceptable state is doing the rest of the community a diservice. The game needs TONS of work despite your enjoyment. These forums are to discuss the game; negativity is going to happen when the game is in such a sorry state. If you only want positive discussion of the game and for negativity to be moved to "Reviews and Critiques" then go to a fansite.
the reason he is posting this, is because for many of us that paid for this game (Robbed) we feel that watching the "ship go down" does well on our souls. hehe. Keep up the good work. I look forward to celebrating when they shut down FFXIV servers completely. I SE boycott is still fully in effect! =D
Why would you celebrate if the servers went down? People are enjoying it, some (like me) are just waiting to see what comes of the game. Right now it just sits in the corner of my hard drive with a dunce cap on it's head.
Anyways, if you spent $50 on the game, and they shut down the servers, your $50 game is completely useless. If they fix the game, and make it enjoyable, you can still play that $50 game.
I wouldn't celebrate it, but I would lose any sleep over it either. The MMO industry needs a big wake up call to reinforce that people (outside of the diehard fans that will lap up any scraps thrown at them) are getting fed up with companies releasing half-baked products and if it takes a company like Square Enix to be the first big name to fail, then so be it.
Even in a sandbox game its got a rich story backdrop to drive it. They always have sidestories, lore, history, basically little tidbits of a puzzle scattered about to be found that make exploring really interesting and entertaining. FFXIV is lacking in that area. That's my biggest complaint right there. If it was interesting to play I could live with UI, market, crafting, and other busted systems. I love to craft its something to do to take a break from the normal questing and grinding but this system makes it feel like a chore. I shouldn't get so frustrated from crafting that I just want to log off. Nor should I be so bored running around the world or trying to do leves that it makes it feel like its not even worth playing. There are far better things to do with my time than play something that's just gonna be boring. Games are ment to be entertainment. So far I haven't seen anything truly entertaining about this cash dump.
In my opinion, even with the UI fixes and balancing of the other systems, the core of the game (leves) remains unchanged. Run to point A, outgrow point A, run to complete copy point B, outgrow point B, ect... These tiny boring identical camps have replaced creativity (small towns? Selbina, Mhaura?, ect) It just isn't fun.