It will be interesting to see how this plays out. I expected something more like a GW style buy to play conversion as a way to salvage the investment and save reputation. If subscription goes live and playerbase severely drops, I wonder what options they have left.
That would be my guess too as their last option, BtP or just close it all together if its that bad, but they could just go on like some games ( darkfall) and just turn a blind eye to it all and keep drudging on , promising bigger better things .
Although I want to wish the best for XIV and thank them for all the free time they gave me, I am not about to spend ANY more money on this game as it stands now. Don't get me wrong, the game has come a long ways--but it's no where close to where it needs to be to start charging. Maybe I've just been spoiled too long and this is a reality shock, but if people think like I do I believe this was a really bad decision on SE's part. They're going to see a rapid decrease in subs rather than an increase. I guess this is where me and FFXIV part, it's a shame. Maybe I'll come back to it in a few years, if it is still up and running--but as for now, it's bye bye for me.
I just keep scratching my head at this game considering how many YEARS we've (the FFXI fans) waited for this game. I remember seeing those vids of "Rapture" and thinking that XIV would probably be the last mmo I'd ever play.
So what happened? The game's producer, Hiromichi Tanaka, has told Famitsu it's all down to his team's "inexperience" with PC development. Eh?
Despite this complete debacle, Tanaka insists things are "going smoothly enough". Wait, what?
"Compared to how things were at the start of FFXI, it was a very quiet launch overall," he said. "If I had to say anything, I'd say it's going smoothly enough."
Given that now we actually know how bad things were when he claimed things were actually going "smoothly enough", I'm not sure what to think anymore given the new news about 2.0 and the new vision.
Personally, I think as a former FFXI player for almost four years, a FFXIV CE purchaser at launch and someone who played XIV off/on until now, it's time give Square Enix some "tough love". I don't want to spank you, but it's for your own good so that you'll remember not to do it again since talking doesn't work.
Let me know when you call 2.0 "finished" and perhaps I'll come back; in the meantime there are other mmos I'm ready to try now. You've exhausted my patience and goodwill.
Please do not call me until then so that I can sub on "good faith" and promising outlooks; I've already given you enough of that already.
2.0 looks more like how FFXIV should although I'm not going to be paying to play a game that is due out December 2012 when I have no idea what will happen to my character.
They have made improvments, however, I def would not be playing this game if I had to pay a monthly sub. So I guess the condition it is in is close to what they plan on the game being, so it is not for me I guess. I still hope FFXIV does find some success though.
2.0 looks more like how FFXIV should although I'm not going to be paying to play a game that is due out December 2012 when I have no idea what will happen to my character.
Yoshi-P has already said there will not be any character wipes... ever.
For all the people commenting on the game , how it was , how they remember it or think it still is , if you havent played it since 1.18 and 1.19 then you really have no idea how the game is now (which is drasticly different ) so anything at all said about the game's release or the year after that means nothing to the game as it is today .
I played it again the other day, and have been playing it after each patch and it's still boring as snot drying on a tissue. Yes, I used a disgusting metaphor because I'm a bit disgusted with this whole issue. I'm a MONSTER FF fan and these last 2 games have just pissed me off to the point I'm about to put Square on my blacklist. As Sheldon Cooper would say, they are now on my list of Mortal Enemies.
Same here. I have had the chance to check the game out after each patch thanks to a friend who doesn't play it much but keeps it on his comp to see if it ever really gets better. It has not fundamentally changed aside from more boring repetitive content and little changes here and there. It is still one of the most (if not the most) boring game (not just MMO) I have ever played. Once they reinstate the sub fees, see how long it takes this game to go F2P. Not long I'm guessing.
I have been playing since the first day of alpha testing (which consisted of nothing but a bugged login and getting dced after being ingame for 3 minutes each time).
I have been protecting the game all the time, having fun no matter how much people criticized it.
Now all I say is I will not pay for the plevel shit which 1.19 brought upon us.
Random noobs telling me they were leveled from 1-36 within a few hours because someone paid for it.
Even the head dev Yoshi said "this might attract RMT" and "there are ways to counter RMT activity but all those methods have their flaws" which is Japanese for 'we will not do anything about it'.
Yoshi I loved your visions for the game - but in the end it shows that you have no idea on how to encourage teamplay which is what mmorpgs are all about.
I have been playing since the first day of alpha testing (which consisted of nothing but a bugged login and getting dced after being ingame for 3 minutes each time).
I have been protecting the game all the time, having fun no matter how much people criticized it.
Now all I say is I will not pay for the plevel shit which 1.19 brought upon us.
Random noobs telling me they were leveled from 1-36 within a few hours because someone paid for it.
Even the head dev Yoshi said "this might attract RMT" and "there are ways to counter RMT activity but all those methods have their flaws" which is Japanese for 'we will not do anything about it'.
Yoshi I loved your visions for the game - but in the end it shows that you have no idea on how to encourage teamplay which is what mmorpgs are all about.
Did you not see they adjusted this within a week of 1.19 in 1/.19a. The power leveling in FFXIV is just like it was in FFXI, NOW. If there is someone in your group who is 10 levels above the other group members, you get ZERO (0) xp.
Are the Three Stooges running this show or what? Starting to charge a sub fee during the same month of SWTOR's release? Seriously? I think even my toddler grandson could understand what might be less than ideal about THAT. He understands when he has a choice between two cookies and he picks the biggest most delicious looking one.......
Here's my question from someone who hasn't invested much time in the game but does own it:
Do any of you feel like by charing before 2.0 comes out that we're being asked to pay 15 dollars a month for a beta game?
I will be happily paying for this game in November/December.. and this is why:
(1) Yoshi P has done a miracle job in terms of changing the development culture of FFXIV. We went from no communication with Tanaka to full blown monthly letters, a forums where are suggestions are read/considered/implemented, etc.
(2) The last two patches (1.18 and 1.19) show me Yoshi and his team know what they're doing. In 1.18 some people could not log on for hours after the patch was released. In 1.19, I don't know of anyone in our shell that had an issue. Servers were stable and content was ready to go. They learned from their mistakes from the previous patch and provided flawless implementation of the next one.
(3) It is unreasonably for people to think a game that is made on a pay to play model, with 250 development team members to operate at a negative financial (loss) for 2 years. We've had the game for free (monhtly sub at least) for an entire year. Now that I see what has been done, and what they plan on doing, I am HAPPY to pay the sub at this point. I want to financially contribute to make this game exactly what they have laid out in today's announcements. It's like buying stock in a company that you believe in. If 1.18 and 1.19 were good faith down payments by Yoshi-P to regain our trust, then let me return the favor by paying a monthly fee. And this isn't some vague plan, i've never seen this amount of detail on WHAT is coming and WHEN it's coming.
(4) Why is it worth to pay at this point instead of waiting for 2.0? After all, we're all just "glorified beta testers" right? am i right? Wrong! I am having a BLAST in game. There is always something to do (ifrit, spiritbinding gear for better materia, new company quests, more story development, etc etc.) Knowing that the advanced classes will be story based progression (quest rewards rather than xp), by having multiple R50s by the time 1.21 and 2.0 role out, I will have access to a huge variety of content. Each class has its own multiple quests and rewards to get, just like FFXI (I loved AF armor and the quests that went along with it).
Those are just my personal reasons why I have no problem paying the fee. It also has to do with the fact that I got more excitement from reading the new vision of the game and seeing the revamped screenshots then I did beta testing SWTOR. Let's just say an hours worth of SWTOR failed to "capture my attention" for more than that amount of time.
Here's my question from someone who hasn't invested much time in the game but does own it:
Do any of you feel like by charing before 2.0 comes out that we're being asked to pay 15 dollars a month for a beta game?
I will be happily paying for this game in November/December.. and this is why:
(1) Yoshi P has done a miracle job in terms of changing the development culture of FFXIV. We went from no communication with Tanaka to full blown monthly letters, a forums where are suggestions are read/considered/implemented, etc.
(2) The last two patches (1.18 and 1.19) show me Yoshi and his team know what they're doing. In 1.18 some people could not log on for hours after the patch was released. In 1.19, I don't know of anyone in our shell that had an issue. Servers were stable and content was ready to go. They learned from their mistakes from the previous patch and provided flawless implementation of the next one.
(3) It is unreasonably for people to think a game that is made on a pay to play model, with 250 development team members to operate at a negative financial (loss) for 2 years. We've had the game for free (monhtly sub at least) for an entire year. Now that I see what has been done, and what they plan on doing, I am HAPPY to pay the sub at this point. I want to financially contribute to make this game exactly what they have laid out in today's announcements. It's like buying stock in a company that you believe in. If 1.18 and 1.19 were good faith down payments by Yoshi-P to regain our trust, then let me return the favor by paying a monthly fee. And this isn't some vague plan, i've never seen this amount of detail on WHAT is coming and WHEN it's coming.
(4) Why is it worth to pay at this point instead of waiting for 2.0? After all, we're all just "glorified beta testers" right? am i right? Wrong! I am having a BLAST in game. There is always something to do (ifrit, spiritbinding gear for better materia, new company quests, more story development, etc etc.) Knowing that the advanced classes will be story based progression (quest rewards rather than xp), by having multiple R50s by the time 1.21 and 2.0 role out, I will have access to a huge variety of content. Each class has its own multiple quests and rewards to get, just like FFXI (I loved AF armor and the quests that went along with it).
Those are just my personal reasons why I have no problem paying the fee. It also has to do with the fact that I got more excitement from reading the new vision of the game and seeing the revamped screenshots then I did beta testing SWTOR. Let's just say an hours worth of SWTOR failed to "capture my attention" for more than that amount of time.
I know there are some people like you that actually do enjoy the game. I didn't have too bad a time in this game, at least for a while until I felt I ran out of content. The game is better now than it was, there's no doubting that. Unfortunately, you are definitely in the minority here. There are very few people who would pay a sub to this game, especially in the same month that TOR is coming out. I for one always only have 1 sub active at a time, and SWTOR is going to be it for a while I imagine.
I do have room for other games. I will keep playing LOTRO as it's FTP. And I also can't wait for GW2. But if FFIV charges a sub, I'm out. I'm pretty sure that I'm in the majority too.
Now, the question is: how big is the minority. If it's big enough to support the game, then I'm happy for you. Seeing games fail is never a good thing, especially when they're trying very hard to fix the problems. I still question the timing with charging subs so soon, and so close to SWTOR though.
If I cast everything else aside and focus solely on my current experience in the game, it's worth a sub to me.
However, I just spent 1/2 hour reading the nitty gritty of the upcoming changes and some of it has me truly afraid of what's to come.
This game has things that i absolutely love about it. Things like the weather system. The day/night cycle. The way foot falls not only change on everything but change in certain weather etc.., I love the way my character looks, the way the world feels, the vastness.. the atmosphere... the way the torches and fires are lit at night and go out during the day, the moon phases, etc...
But I see a new engine is incoming, and they are "abolishing the seamless maps", I also see that characters will change appearance and so they will offer people a chance to recustomize their race/gender/appearance, etc..
There's things I know must be sacrificed in order to fix other things, and I appreciate that. But I just hope the "feel" of the world does not take too much of a hit to get there.
Here's my question from someone who hasn't invested much time in the game but does own it:
Do any of you feel like by charing before 2.0 comes out that we're being asked to pay 15 dollars a month for a beta game?
I will be happily paying for this game in November/December.. and this is why:
(1) Yoshi P has done a miracle job in terms of changing the development culture of FFXIV. We went from no communication with Tanaka to full blown monthly letters, a forums where are suggestions are read/considered/implemented, etc.
(2) The last two patches (1.18 and 1.19) show me Yoshi and his team know what they're doing. In 1.18 some people could not log on for hours after the patch was released. In 1.19, I don't know of anyone in our shell that had an issue. Servers were stable and content was ready to go. They learned from their mistakes from the previous patch and provided flawless implementation of the next one.
(3) It is unreasonably for people to think a game that is made on a pay to play model, with 250 development team members to operate at a negative financial (loss) for 2 years. We've had the game for free (monhtly sub at least) for an entire year. Now that I see what has been done, and what they plan on doing, I am HAPPY to pay the sub at this point. I want to financially contribute to make this game exactly what they have laid out in today's announcements. It's like buying stock in a company that you believe in. If 1.18 and 1.19 were good faith down payments by Yoshi-P to regain our trust, then let me return the favor by paying a monthly fee. And this isn't some vague plan, i've never seen this amount of detail on WHAT is coming and WHEN it's coming.
(4) Why is it worth to pay at this point instead of waiting for 2.0? After all, we're all just "glorified beta testers" right? am i right? Wrong! I am having a BLAST in game. There is always something to do (ifrit, spiritbinding gear for better materia, new company quests, more story development, etc etc.) Knowing that the advanced classes will be story based progression (quest rewards rather than xp), by having multiple R50s by the time 1.21 and 2.0 role out, I will have access to a huge variety of content. Each class has its own multiple quests and rewards to get, just like FFXI (I loved AF armor and the quests that went along with it).
Those are just my personal reasons why I have no problem paying the fee. It also has to do with the fact that I got more excitement from reading the new vision of the game and seeing the revamped screenshots then I did beta testing SWTOR. Let's just say an hours worth of SWTOR failed to "capture my attention" for more than that amount of time.
I know there are some people like you that actually do enjoy the game. I didn't have too bad a time in this game, at least for a while until I felt I ran out of content. The game is better now than it was, there's no doubting that. Unfortunately, you are definitely in the minority here. There are very few people who would pay a sub to this game, especially in the same month that TOR is coming out. I for one always only have 1 sub active at a time, and SWTOR is going to be it for a while I imagine.
I do have room for other games. I will keep playing LOTRO as it's FTP. And I also can't wait for GW2. But if FFIV charges a sub, I'm out. I'm pretty sure that I'm in the majority too.
Now, the question is: how big is the minority. If it's big enough to support the game, then I'm happy for you. Seeing games fail is never a good thing, especially when they're trying very hard to fix the problems. I still question the timing with charging subs so soon, and so close to SWTOR though.
There's two different things going on at the same time. The question is whether the current player base will pay the fee versus whether someone who intends on coming back will pay the fee.
New players likely won't join until 2.0. SE already knows this but they also know they need money to make this vision possible. So the second question is, will the current player base pay the monthly sub? You said i'm in the minority... but based on an informal poll on the official website.... as of now....
Yes I will pay - 69% (269)
No I won't pay - 31% (120)
Maybe only hardcore players visit the forums, maybe not. REgardless, an overwhelming majority say they will pay. I also asked old and new linkshell members. An over whelming majority said they're going to pay.
SE knows they will take a hit, but their gambling on getting a lot of people coming back for 2.0. What's better for SE, 50k people playing paying $0 or getting a monthly income or getting some money along the way to 2.0.
Using the numbers above, 69% of 50,000 = 34500.
34500 x $15 = $517,500 (revenue)
Assuming 2.0 comes out in 12 months = $6,210,000.
It's a calculated risk. I, for one, don't mind the $15 bucks a month to help them get there.
Are the Three Stooges running this show or what? Starting to charge a sub fee during the same month of SWTOR's release? Seriously? I think even my toddler grandson could understand what might be less than ideal about THAT. He understands when he has a choice between two cookies and he picks the biggest most delicious looking one.......
Well i for one am not a sci fi fan what so ever,i can handle the movies but for gaming .no fun.I tried the Star Wars games years ago and never could handle playing them for any length of time.
In saying this ,it should be obvious that certain games for certain people is all that matters.
I choose and play a game because it is what i like not because others are playing it or because it is a brand new release.If FFXIV was competing head on with say another fantasy based game,then maybe it might matter,but SWTOR and FFXIV have ZERO in common,they are in no competition what so ever.
My opinion is that this game will never change to where i like it and would play it,so i feel they should have been charging a sub already as it is what it is.The little nuances people complain about are not really "the game"they are menus,cliks,UI ect ect.
If we compare FFXIV and WOW the biggest numbers game,really what do they have that is any different?Wow's UI is crap otherwise people wouldn't be using add ons would they?All players do is wander from quest to quest to level up a virtual number,well this is what you do in FXIV as well,no difference at all.You can do dailies or Leves ,what's the difference.
The real differences are in class design and sub class,Wow doesn't have it and is imo a weaker game for it,so you get the same old with BETTER graphics in FFXIV and an arguable better class/sub class system.So how is Wow worth anymore than FFXIV?Answer is it is not.pvp alone is not a rpg, that is a separate entity games use to sell more copies of the game.PVE even on release FFXIV is a better game than Wow,so sub fee then or now ,doesn't really matter.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
This game isn't worth a monthly sub. It sure won't be worth it come November/December. Ah well, time to uninstall and never look back.
Quoted for truth.
The game is not ready to go live and it is certinly not worth the cost of a sub. I am sure fan's will disagree with me, but my wife (who is still a fan of the FF series but thinks this game sucks) doesn't which is what counts.
Are the Three Stooges running this show or what? Starting to charge a sub fee during the same month of SWTOR's release? Seriously? I think even my toddler grandson could understand what might be less than ideal about THAT. He understands when he has a choice between two cookies and he picks the biggest most delicious looking one.......
Well i for one am not a sci fi fan what so ever,i can handle the movies but for gaming .no fun.I tried the Star Wars games years ago and never could handle playing them for any length of time.
In saying this ,it should be obvious that certain games for certain people is all that matters.
I choose and play a game because it is what i like not because others are playing it or because it is a brand new release.If FFXIV was competing head on with say another fantasy based game,then maybe it might matter,but SWTOR and FFXIV have ZERO in common,they are in no competition what so ever.
My opinion is that this game will never change to where i like it and would play it,so i feel they should have been charging a sub already as it is what it is.The little nuances people complain about are not really "the game"they are menus,cliks,UI ect ect.
If we compare FFXIV and WOW the biggest numbers game,really what do they have that is any different?Wow's UI is crap otherwise people wouldn't be using add ons would they?All players do is wander from quest to quest to level up a virtual number,well this is what you do in FXIV as well,no difference at all.You can do dailies or Leves ,what's the difference.
The real differences are in class design and sub class,Wow doesn't have it and is imo a weaker game for it,so you get the same old with BETTER graphics in FFXIV and an arguable better class/sub class system.So how is Wow worth anymore than FFXIV?Answer is it is not.pvp alone is not a rpg, that is a separate entity games use to sell more copies of the game.PVE even on release FFXIV is a better game than Wow,so sub fee then or now ,doesn't really matter.
The whole FF series hasn't exactly been pure fantasy. You'd be suprised how many FF fans are also scifi fans. TOR is going to have an impact of FFXIV, like it or not it will. Also others have been discussing coming back to FFXI when FFXIV starts charging again. Worse yet will been when GW2 launches. While I personally don't feel GW2 will have an impact on many MMO's since it has no sub fee, it will effect games like FFXIV.
FFXIV charging before it's ready to charge is a bad move. 2.0 would have been a safer bet. You can say what you will and sure compare it to WoW if you like. The problem is, even being f2p FFXIV hasn't been doing to well. Charging is going to cost a lot of players because other games will be out that are worth paying for, the general feeling seems to be FFXIV is not on that list.
Ah, forget it not wasting my breath any more lol.
You can clearly see wherever you go that most seem to agree this is a bad move, there was a poll on the forums that said otherwise but only the diehards have been visiting the forums.
You believe what you wish, it's your right.
On a side note....... anyone else feel like this is launch day for FFXIV again lol. People yelling it's not ready, few saying it is...... we know how that turned out last time :P
There's two different things going on at the same time. The question is whether the current player base will pay the fee versus whether someone who intends on coming back will pay the fee.
New players likely won't join until 2.0. SE already knows this but they also know they need money to make this vision possible. So the second question is, will the current player base pay the monthly sub? You said i'm in the minority... but based on an informal poll on the official website.... as of now....
Yes I will pay - 69% (269)
No I won't pay - 31% (120)
Maybe only hardcore players visit the forums, maybe not. REgardless, an overwhelming majority say they will pay. I also asked old and new linkshell members. An over whelming majority said they're going to pay.
SE knows they will take a hit, but their gambling on getting a lot of people coming back for 2.0. What's better for SE, 50k people playing paying $0 or getting a monthly income or getting some money along the way to 2.0.
Using the numbers above, 69% of 50,000 = 34500.
34500 x $15 = $517,500 (revenue)
Assuming 2.0 comes out in 12 months = $6,210,000.
It's a calculated risk. I, for one, don't mind the $15 bucks a month to help them get there.
Sorry, I probably wasn't clear. When I said you're in a minority, I meant as a MMO gamer as a whole, not just inside the FFIV community who are currently playing. When you said "someone who intends on coming back", that's the people that I meant are in the majority.
I also agree with you that probably most people who are currently playing will be staying and paying. There are obviously some people who are enjoying it. In my opinion, it will probably be enough to sustain the game. I think I mentioned that in my OP.
There's two different things going on at the same time. The question is whether the current player base will pay the fee versus whether someone who intends on coming back will pay the fee.
New players likely won't join until 2.0. SE already knows this but they also know they need money to make this vision possible. So the second question is, will the current player base pay the monthly sub? You said i'm in the minority... but based on an informal poll on the official website.... as of now....
Yes I will pay - 69% (269)
No I won't pay - 31% (120)
Maybe only hardcore players visit the forums, maybe not. REgardless, an overwhelming majority say they will pay. I also asked old and new linkshell members. An over whelming majority said they're going to pay.
SE knows they will take a hit, but their gambling on getting a lot of people coming back for 2.0. What's better for SE, 50k people playing paying $0 or getting a monthly income or getting some money along the way to 2.0.
Using the numbers above, 69% of 50,000 = 34500.
34500 x $15 = $517,500 (revenue)
Assuming 2.0 comes out in 12 months = $6,210,000.
It's a calculated risk. I, for one, don't mind the $15 bucks a month to help them get there.
Sorry, I probably wasn't clear. When I said you're in a minority, I meant as a MMO gamer as a whole, not just inside the FFIV community who are currently playing. When you said "someone who intends on coming back", that's the people that I meant are in the majority.
I also agree with you that probably most people who are currently playing will be staying and paying. There are obviously some people who are enjoying it. In my opinion, it will probably be enough to sustain the game. I think I mentioned that in my OP.
I don't think SE is being "greedy" by charging money at this point. AFter all, there was no monthly fee for 14 months. If they want to make this game into what they've laid out, they have to charge money.
It's not a difference of pennies.....it's actually $0 vs. Millions of dollars. As a company, if I was realistic of making this game great, I would charge money knowing fully well it's only half done. To not charge anyone money at all is doom the game to failure. The stockholders might not go along with this plan if its operating at a complete lost for another year. By charging now, they give themselves time to make it happen.
I think it's incredibly arrogant of them to charge people for a game based on an outline for the future. "If you pay us now, we promise it will get better and here's how." I'm sorry, but I'm a bit skeptical when this game is still developing things that are fundamental to an MMO of it's type i.e. XP, combat, class system, questing structure, crafting, LFG tool, LS management, world design, server structure, game engine, UI etc. Yes, all of that is in the works, but I'm not going to pay them before it is implemented.
They're asking for a lot of faith, and that's a resource that they've used up.
This is a myth that's being passed around irresponsibly by some.
They're not charging subs based on how it will be months down the road... although it's funny how many people are trying to spin it that way anyway.
They're setting up subs based on the status of the game as it is now, which is exactly what they said they were waiting on months ago when Yoshi-P first took on the Producer role. Look back to the statements released around that time and you'll see it for yourself.
They feel the game has turned around and progressed far enough to date to warrant a sub, so they're re-activating them.
If people don't feel it's ready for subs yet, then they can do exactly what they'd have done from the start, or would do with any other sub-based MMO out there: don't sub and don't play.
It's really not this "monumental show of disapproval" for people to decide it's not worth the sub. It's simply individuals doing exactly what anyone would reasonably expect them to do. It's just people doing exactly what millions of people do every day all around the world... making a decision to pay for something or not based on its perceived value to them.
Currently on the official forums, of those who've opined either way, it's about 70% in favor of subs. These are the people who will be paying to continue playing it, not random people on a forum who may not have even bought the game in the first place.
"If you just step away for a sec you will clearly see all the pot holes in the road, and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
Are the Three Stooges running this show or what? Starting to charge a sub fee during the same month of SWTOR's release? Seriously? I think even my toddler grandson could understand what might be less than ideal about THAT. He understands when he has a choice between two cookies and he picks the biggest most delicious looking one.......
Just because people decide to not continue playing FFXIV due to subs does not mean they're automatically going to go play ToR.
Not everyone is interested in ToR, difficult as that may be to believe with all the hype around it.
Some are going to ToR regardless.
Some aren't going to ToR regardless.
Some are going to continue playing FFXIV regardless.
Some would have given up on FFXIV regardless.
A few people I've talked to have said they're not going to any other MMO and are going to wait for Skyrim to come out instead.
Never understood why people assume that any one game is going to determine the decisions of so many people. It hasn't happened yet.
"If you just step away for a sec you will clearly see all the pot holes in the road, and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
Comments
That would be my guess too as their last option, BtP or just close it all together if its that bad, but they could just go on like some games ( darkfall) and just turn a blind eye to it all and keep drudging on , promising bigger better things .
Although I want to wish the best for XIV and thank them for all the free time they gave me, I am not about to spend ANY more money on this game as it stands now. Don't get me wrong, the game has come a long ways--but it's no where close to where it needs to be to start charging. Maybe I've just been spoiled too long and this is a reality shock, but if people think like I do I believe this was a really bad decision on SE's part. They're going to see a rapid decrease in subs rather than an increase. I guess this is where me and FFXIV part, it's a shame. Maybe I'll come back to it in a few years, if it is still up and running--but as for now, it's bye bye for me.
I just keep scratching my head at this game considering how many YEARS we've (the FFXI fans) waited for this game. I remember seeing those vids of "Rapture" and thinking that XIV would probably be the last mmo I'd ever play.
Then I remember reading this article around last Novemember with some really 'memorable' quotes:
Given that now we actually know how bad things were when he claimed things were actually going "smoothly enough", I'm not sure what to think anymore given the new news about 2.0 and the new vision.
Personally, I think as a former FFXI player for almost four years, a FFXIV CE purchaser at launch and someone who played XIV off/on until now, it's time give Square Enix some "tough love". I don't want to spank you, but it's for your own good so that you'll remember not to do it again since talking doesn't work.
Let me know when you call 2.0 "finished" and perhaps I'll come back; in the meantime there are other mmos I'm ready to try now. You've exhausted my patience and goodwill.
Please do not call me until then so that I can sub on "good faith" and promising outlooks; I've already given you enough of that already.
"TO MICHAEL!"
2.0 looks more like how FFXIV should although I'm not going to be paying to play a game that is due out December 2012 when I have no idea what will happen to my character.
(\ /) ?
( . .)
c('')('')
They have made improvments, however, I def would not be playing this game if I had to pay a monthly sub. So I guess the condition it is in is close to what they plan on the game being, so it is not for me I guess. I still hope FFXIV does find some success though.
www.90and9.net
www.prophecymma.com
Exactly.
Yoshi-P has already said there will not be any character wipes... ever.
I've been playing the game and although the game is fun and entertaining, I personally wouldn't pay a sub fee...at least until 2.0 comes out.
Same here. I have had the chance to check the game out after each patch thanks to a friend who doesn't play it much but keeps it on his comp to see if it ever really gets better. It has not fundamentally changed aside from more boring repetitive content and little changes here and there. It is still one of the most (if not the most) boring game (not just MMO) I have ever played. Once they reinstate the sub fees, see how long it takes this game to go F2P. Not long I'm guessing.
I have been playing since the first day of alpha testing (which consisted of nothing but a bugged login and getting dced after being ingame for 3 minutes each time).
I have been protecting the game all the time, having fun no matter how much people criticized it.
Now all I say is I will not pay for the plevel shit which 1.19 brought upon us.
Random noobs telling me they were leveled from 1-36 within a few hours because someone paid for it.
Even the head dev Yoshi said "this might attract RMT" and "there are ways to counter RMT activity but all those methods have their flaws" which is Japanese for 'we will not do anything about it'.
Yoshi I loved your visions for the game - but in the end it shows that you have no idea on how to encourage teamplay which is what mmorpgs are all about.
Did you not see they adjusted this within a week of 1.19 in 1/.19a. The power leveling in FFXIV is just like it was in FFXI, NOW. If there is someone in your group who is 10 levels above the other group members, you get ZERO (0) xp.
Here's my question from someone who hasn't invested much time in the game but does own it:
Do any of you feel like by charing before 2.0 comes out that we're being asked to pay 15 dollars a month for a beta game?
Are the Three Stooges running this show or what? Starting to charge a sub fee during the same month of SWTOR's release? Seriously? I think even my toddler grandson could understand what might be less than ideal about THAT. He understands when he has a choice between two cookies and he picks the biggest most delicious looking one.......
President of The Marvelously Meowhead Fan Club
I will be happily paying for this game in November/December.. and this is why:
(1) Yoshi P has done a miracle job in terms of changing the development culture of FFXIV. We went from no communication with Tanaka to full blown monthly letters, a forums where are suggestions are read/considered/implemented, etc.
(2) The last two patches (1.18 and 1.19) show me Yoshi and his team know what they're doing. In 1.18 some people could not log on for hours after the patch was released. In 1.19, I don't know of anyone in our shell that had an issue. Servers were stable and content was ready to go. They learned from their mistakes from the previous patch and provided flawless implementation of the next one.
(3) It is unreasonably for people to think a game that is made on a pay to play model, with 250 development team members to operate at a negative financial (loss) for 2 years. We've had the game for free (monhtly sub at least) for an entire year. Now that I see what has been done, and what they plan on doing, I am HAPPY to pay the sub at this point. I want to financially contribute to make this game exactly what they have laid out in today's announcements. It's like buying stock in a company that you believe in. If 1.18 and 1.19 were good faith down payments by Yoshi-P to regain our trust, then let me return the favor by paying a monthly fee. And this isn't some vague plan, i've never seen this amount of detail on WHAT is coming and WHEN it's coming.
(4) Why is it worth to pay at this point instead of waiting for 2.0? After all, we're all just "glorified beta testers" right? am i right? Wrong! I am having a BLAST in game. There is always something to do (ifrit, spiritbinding gear for better materia, new company quests, more story development, etc etc.) Knowing that the advanced classes will be story based progression (quest rewards rather than xp), by having multiple R50s by the time 1.21 and 2.0 role out, I will have access to a huge variety of content. Each class has its own multiple quests and rewards to get, just like FFXI (I loved AF armor and the quests that went along with it).
Those are just my personal reasons why I have no problem paying the fee. It also has to do with the fact that I got more excitement from reading the new vision of the game and seeing the revamped screenshots then I did beta testing SWTOR. Let's just say an hours worth of SWTOR failed to "capture my attention" for more than that amount of time.
I know there are some people like you that actually do enjoy the game. I didn't have too bad a time in this game, at least for a while until I felt I ran out of content. The game is better now than it was, there's no doubting that. Unfortunately, you are definitely in the minority here. There are very few people who would pay a sub to this game, especially in the same month that TOR is coming out. I for one always only have 1 sub active at a time, and SWTOR is going to be it for a while I imagine.
I do have room for other games. I will keep playing LOTRO as it's FTP. And I also can't wait for GW2. But if FFIV charges a sub, I'm out. I'm pretty sure that I'm in the majority too.
Now, the question is: how big is the minority. If it's big enough to support the game, then I'm happy for you. Seeing games fail is never a good thing, especially when they're trying very hard to fix the problems. I still question the timing with charging subs so soon, and so close to SWTOR though.
If I cast everything else aside and focus solely on my current experience in the game, it's worth a sub to me.
However, I just spent 1/2 hour reading the nitty gritty of the upcoming changes and some of it has me truly afraid of what's to come.
This game has things that i absolutely love about it. Things like the weather system. The day/night cycle. The way foot falls not only change on everything but change in certain weather etc.., I love the way my character looks, the way the world feels, the vastness.. the atmosphere... the way the torches and fires are lit at night and go out during the day, the moon phases, etc...
But I see a new engine is incoming, and they are "abolishing the seamless maps", I also see that characters will change appearance and so they will offer people a chance to recustomize their race/gender/appearance, etc..
There's things I know must be sacrificed in order to fix other things, and I appreciate that. But I just hope the "feel" of the world does not take too much of a hit to get there.
There's two different things going on at the same time. The question is whether the current player base will pay the fee versus whether someone who intends on coming back will pay the fee.
New players likely won't join until 2.0. SE already knows this but they also know they need money to make this vision possible. So the second question is, will the current player base pay the monthly sub? You said i'm in the minority... but based on an informal poll on the official website.... as of now....
Yes I will pay - 69% (269)
No I won't pay - 31% (120)
Maybe only hardcore players visit the forums, maybe not. REgardless, an overwhelming majority say they will pay. I also asked old and new linkshell members. An over whelming majority said they're going to pay.
SE knows they will take a hit, but their gambling on getting a lot of people coming back for 2.0. What's better for SE, 50k people playing paying $0 or getting a monthly income or getting some money along the way to 2.0.
Using the numbers above, 69% of 50,000 = 34500.
34500 x $15 = $517,500 (revenue)
Assuming 2.0 comes out in 12 months = $6,210,000.
It's a calculated risk. I, for one, don't mind the $15 bucks a month to help them get there.
Well i for one am not a sci fi fan what so ever,i can handle the movies but for gaming .no fun.I tried the Star Wars games years ago and never could handle playing them for any length of time.
In saying this ,it should be obvious that certain games for certain people is all that matters.
I choose and play a game because it is what i like not because others are playing it or because it is a brand new release.If FFXIV was competing head on with say another fantasy based game,then maybe it might matter,but SWTOR and FFXIV have ZERO in common,they are in no competition what so ever.
My opinion is that this game will never change to where i like it and would play it,so i feel they should have been charging a sub already as it is what it is.The little nuances people complain about are not really "the game"they are menus,cliks,UI ect ect.
If we compare FFXIV and WOW the biggest numbers game,really what do they have that is any different?Wow's UI is crap otherwise people wouldn't be using add ons would they?All players do is wander from quest to quest to level up a virtual number,well this is what you do in FXIV as well,no difference at all.You can do dailies or Leves ,what's the difference.
The real differences are in class design and sub class,Wow doesn't have it and is imo a weaker game for it,so you get the same old with BETTER graphics in FFXIV and an arguable better class/sub class system.So how is Wow worth anymore than FFXIV?Answer is it is not.pvp alone is not a rpg, that is a separate entity games use to sell more copies of the game.PVE even on release FFXIV is a better game than Wow,so sub fee then or now ,doesn't really matter.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
Quoted for truth.
The game is not ready to go live and it is certinly not worth the cost of a sub. I am sure fan's will disagree with me, but my wife (who is still a fan of the FF series but thinks this game sucks) doesn't which is what counts.
The whole FF series hasn't exactly been pure fantasy. You'd be suprised how many FF fans are also scifi fans. TOR is going to have an impact of FFXIV, like it or not it will. Also others have been discussing coming back to FFXI when FFXIV starts charging again. Worse yet will been when GW2 launches. While I personally don't feel GW2 will have an impact on many MMO's since it has no sub fee, it will effect games like FFXIV.
FFXIV charging before it's ready to charge is a bad move. 2.0 would have been a safer bet. You can say what you will and sure compare it to WoW if you like. The problem is, even being f2p FFXIV hasn't been doing to well. Charging is going to cost a lot of players because other games will be out that are worth paying for, the general feeling seems to be FFXIV is not on that list.
Ah, forget it not wasting my breath any more lol.
You can clearly see wherever you go that most seem to agree this is a bad move, there was a poll on the forums that said otherwise but only the diehards have been visiting the forums.
You believe what you wish, it's your right.
On a side note....... anyone else feel like this is launch day for FFXIV again lol. People yelling it's not ready, few saying it is...... we know how that turned out last time :P
Sorry, I probably wasn't clear. When I said you're in a minority, I meant as a MMO gamer as a whole, not just inside the FFIV community who are currently playing. When you said "someone who intends on coming back", that's the people that I meant are in the majority.
I also agree with you that probably most people who are currently playing will be staying and paying. There are obviously some people who are enjoying it. In my opinion, it will probably be enough to sustain the game. I think I mentioned that in my OP.
I don't think SE is being "greedy" by charging money at this point. AFter all, there was no monthly fee for 14 months. If they want to make this game into what they've laid out, they have to charge money.
It's not a difference of pennies.....it's actually $0 vs. Millions of dollars. As a company, if I was realistic of making this game great, I would charge money knowing fully well it's only half done. To not charge anyone money at all is doom the game to failure. The stockholders might not go along with this plan if its operating at a complete lost for another year. By charging now, they give themselves time to make it happen.
This is a myth that's being passed around irresponsibly by some.
They're not charging subs based on how it will be months down the road... although it's funny how many people are trying to spin it that way anyway.
They're setting up subs based on the status of the game as it is now, which is exactly what they said they were waiting on months ago when Yoshi-P first took on the Producer role. Look back to the statements released around that time and you'll see it for yourself.
They feel the game has turned around and progressed far enough to date to warrant a sub, so they're re-activating them.
If people don't feel it's ready for subs yet, then they can do exactly what they'd have done from the start, or would do with any other sub-based MMO out there: don't sub and don't play.
It's really not this "monumental show of disapproval" for people to decide it's not worth the sub. It's simply individuals doing exactly what anyone would reasonably expect them to do. It's just people doing exactly what millions of people do every day all around the world... making a decision to pay for something or not based on its perceived value to them.
Currently on the official forums, of those who've opined either way, it's about 70% in favor of subs. These are the people who will be paying to continue playing it, not random people on a forum who may not have even bought the game in the first place.
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
Just because people decide to not continue playing FFXIV due to subs does not mean they're automatically going to go play ToR.
Not everyone is interested in ToR, difficult as that may be to believe with all the hype around it.
Some are going to ToR regardless.
Some aren't going to ToR regardless.
Some are going to continue playing FFXIV regardless.
Some would have given up on FFXIV regardless.
A few people I've talked to have said they're not going to any other MMO and are going to wait for Skyrim to come out instead.
Never understood why people assume that any one game is going to determine the decisions of so many people. It hasn't happened yet.
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
-Xerek