FFXIV Hot Read Thursday

Check out the hottest discussions from the previous week in the FFXIV General Forum.

As we near the arrival of the long-awaited battle system patch, we've needed few reminders of just how important this update could be for the long-term future of the game. Many (former) FFXIV players on this forum and others have indicated they plan on returning to Eorzea depending on the promise they see from the battle system revision and other large-scale changes to the game. So, if this update impresses, a surge of people may return to give the game a second chance -- and that could be just what the game needs to begin making a comeback.

On the other hand, a lackluster patch -- or a patch riddled with errors, glitches and frustration -- could be the straw that breaks the non-existant chocobo's back.

Three of the past week's most interesting threads highlight the angst felt by those left in the game. And make no mistake, I'm not making light of anyone's mood. The longer the game goes without being fixed, the more of a chance the game has of failing. Let's hope the real fixes aren't already too late.

On with the links:

Title: Plea for Hospitality

Not only is being a FFXIV player rough in the game, but it's not easy on our own fan forums, either. Hurting the cause is the fact that when new players post on the forums, it can be difficult to determine whether they are actually new, or bitter FFXIV veterans (or WoW players) just looking to cause some grief. You know things are bad when we have to plead on the forums for the masses to not act horribly toward new players. I still believe the heavy trolling of this game is partially due to the decision to make it temporarily free to play; but knowing now how long SE has needed to get its ducks in a row, free play was the only real option.

Title: Why it won't work no matter what

With the game on the cusp of some big-time improvements, the OP of this thread writes that even a Golden Patch can't save the game now. The OP's main concern is that too many people have simply stopped caring about their characters. Why log in to test out the new update if you don't even care to begin with? The OP brings up a very good point -- in fact, it was not caring anymore that caused me to temporarily leave FFXI when FFXIV launchyed. Then, in a strange twist of irony, it was the dismal state of FFXIV that eventually caused me to start caring about FFXI again. So just because people stop caring about FFXIV now doesn't have to mean the game is doomed, but a widespread lack of interest definitely won't make a comeback any easier.

Title: Sadly, I'm done (for now).

Of all the "I quit" threads I've ever read, this one is right up there with the best. Hopefully the development team realizes that many of us who are still playing want this game to survive, and we want to be able to immerse ourselves in Eorzea -- but even we have breaking points. Again, that's why the upcoming patch is so important. It's time for SE to put up or shut up.

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Re
# Jun 20 2011 at 2:28 PM Rating: Decent
You can't forget that the version of XI that we in the west started out with already had a year of updates and an expansion under it's belt over in Japan before we got it. The original, launch day version of XI was pretty similar to XIV in content scope.
Patience
# Jun 18 2011 at 11:36 AM Rating: Default
unfortunately I doubt this patch is going to be the make or break scenario for this game. It took almost two years for FFXI to be updated enough to consider the game playable. I expect the same concept with FFXIV. This patch will indeed add some content for us yet were simply going to have to be patient ( my estimation about a year from now ) for this game to be fully updated and relevant. One patch alone wont fix a game.
Patience
# Jun 20 2011 at 2:40 AM Rating: Decent
**
826 posts
That is so wrong Kairith. XI wasn't perfect, but it was ten times more polished out-of-the-box than XIV dreamed of being. I was there, and you claim to be, yet do you not recall that even basic functions such as targeting, which still are horrible in XIV, were 99% functional in XI from the start? And this is just one example of a fundamental aspect of gameplay that is still the night-and-day difference between the two.

All that SE did for the first year or so was revise in XI. And there's a difference between revising and restoring, which is what's happening to XIV.
Patience
# Jun 26 2011 at 6:09 AM Rating: Decent
so dunes was designed right when FF11 was released? I know your just supporting your game that you play but nothing I said was false. I simply was emphasizing the point that people needed to be patient for FFXIV to be playable. I keep reading people building up this patch as if its going to be a make or break scenario for the game and I refuse to believe such a illogical idea. It takes time to develop MMOs~ Just as FFXI fans like yourself had to be patient for the game to be playable. You didn't even see FFXI when it was first designed~ it was released only for Japanese players for roughly 18 months before they bothered releasing it elsewhere. I'm just asking FFXIV fans to be patient and play it casually for the time being because one patch wont fix a game.
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