The truth is they promise a typical mmo with 2.0. Just with final fantasy feel. Sure it will do well in Japan but I doubt ppl in the west want another everquest like mmo.
Well count me as one of the people who want an EQ/FFXI mmo here in the west and one less SWTOR/WOW mmo (the first FFXIV iteration and SWTOR were both piles of garbage). That being said I am unsubscribed from TOR and have now gone back to see the changes in FFXIV and I'm having more fun here ^^
I honestly think there is a fairly large potential subscriber base if SE plays their cards right. So many people I have seen on TOR and elsewhere that want leveling to matter more, want better world immersion, crafting to matter, etc. etc. FFXIV has all this, it just needs some better shaping up. I think as long as they don't go the route of making another WoW clone, and continue to make the expansive, immersive, interactive world the series is known for, they can do very well.
I really think it was the UI that threw potential players more than anything else. It was/is fairly confusing to use as a new player. But I don't think it's quite as bad as some think. The first time I played WoW, I stressed out the player helping me because I was so confused. People are just used to certain types of UI, and it's hard to change. Now that I am used to FFXIV's UI, I really like it. But I accept that they will have to change it to attract new players, which will be done with the release of 2.0.
I played the head start of this and for a few months after. Also a long time FFXI player (now Rift and SWtOR). I checked in to re-try every few months until the sub fee a few weeks back. The original version of this game was very pretty but didn't offer much else. The economy was terrible with the bazaar system, necessity of party play was lacking, the UI was very slow response wise, quests were lackluster, and the jobs were muddled. To their credit, the gathering and crafting was done very well. The soundtrack had some very good selections at points but it wasn't memorable overall. You would also find repetitive background graphics around Gridania that looked like it was rushed. The high system requirements (at the time of release) also kept several people that used to be in my linkshell from playing it.
It looks to me like the new team is trying to make XIV more like XI on steroids. Not a bad thing. Auto-attack, reworking of the job system, prime fights. Honestly, it appears to be heading in the right direction. However, considering how long it's taken to just get to this point (16 months after release), I have reservations that the team will be able to deliver by the holiday season as they have forecasted. I will definitely try it again once the 2.0 is released but I'm definitely skeptical that this game can be salvaged due to it's history to this point in time.
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I honestly think there is a fairly large potential subscriber base if SE plays their cards right. So many people I have seen on TOR and elsewhere that want leveling to matter more, want better world immersion, crafting to matter, etc. etc. FFXIV has all this, it just needs some better shaping up. I think as long as they don't go the route of making another WoW clone, and continue to make the expansive, immersive, interactive world the series is known for, they can do very well.
I really think it was the UI that threw potential players more than anything else. It was/is fairly confusing to use as a new player. But I don't think it's quite as bad as some think. The first time I played WoW, I stressed out the player helping me because I was so confused. People are just used to certain types of UI, and it's hard to change. Now that I am used to FFXIV's UI, I really like it. But I accept that they will have to change it to attract new players, which will be done with the release of 2.0.
I played the head start of this and for a few months after. Also a long time FFXI player (now Rift and SWtOR). I checked in to re-try every few months until the sub fee a few weeks back. The original version of this game was very pretty but didn't offer much else. The economy was terrible with the bazaar system, necessity of party play was lacking, the UI was very slow response wise, quests were lackluster, and the jobs were muddled. To their credit, the gathering and crafting was done very well. The soundtrack had some very good selections at points but it wasn't memorable overall. You would also find repetitive background graphics around Gridania that looked like it was rushed. The high system requirements (at the time of release) also kept several people that used to be in my linkshell from playing it.
It looks to me like the new team is trying to make XIV more like XI on steroids. Not a bad thing. Auto-attack, reworking of the job system, prime fights. Honestly, it appears to be heading in the right direction. However, considering how long it's taken to just get to this point (16 months after release), I have reservations that the team will be able to deliver by the holiday season as they have forecasted. I will definitely try it again once the 2.0 is released but I'm definitely skeptical that this game can be salvaged due to it's history to this point in time.