FFXIV Hot Read Thursday
Check out the hottest topics from the past week of the FFXIV general forum.
It's been a somewhat dreary week in the FFXIV General Forum, with mixed reactions over the implementation of Patch 1.16. The patch brought some needed changes to the game, such as the implementation of quests and the streamlining of crafting leves. It also introduced some questionable changes, such as the resizing of monsters (hello, dodozilla) and the addition of annoyingly red icons next to aggressive monsters. Toward the later part of the past week, however, the launch of Square Enix's official FFXIV forums sparked some interesting discussions. This week's Hot Read Thursday covers a few threads from both ends of the spectrum.
Now, on with the links!
Title: 31k player base... over or under
Interesting thread, regardless of your feelings about the state of FFXIV. A few weeks ago, I would have thought this number to be exceptionally low. Now, I think it might be just about right, and maybe even a little high. The playerbase seemed very discouraged by Patch 1.15b, which was basically a skill points nerf for parties of more than eight people. I don't think tons of people gave up on the game over that patch, but I think a lot of people realized how long it would take for this game to be filled out with content. Even if you enjoy playing the game as it stands, there's simply not enough content to keep you engaged for long periods of time.
Title: Would you blame SE if they scrapped FFXIV?
Short answer? Yes. I know far more people who are simply waiting for the game to get better than I do people who have no plans to ever play again. And while some FFXIV have moved onto other games, I'm also confident a large number of players have simply returned to Vana'diel until Eorzea becomes more worthy of their free time. Anyone who honestly believes that SE should scrap this game entirely and start over is either a hardcore troll or completely delusional. That's not saying SE won't pull the plug someday, but that will only happen if the PS3 release absolutely tanks -- and yes, there will be a PS3 release.
Title: Yoshi-P begins posting on official forum
Finally, some good news! One of the things I like most about Yoshi-P is that when he opens his mouth, he almost always reveals something with substance. So far, his writings on the official FFXIV forums are no different. Among the tidbits he's already posted is that maps are being redesigned, including the maze-like Black Shroud. He also soothed many fears by letting us know that the jump feature being considered may be for automatically leaping over small ledges and obstacles, and that he's aware of the dislike for WoW-style bunny-hopping. These official forums could be an excellent tool to further improve communication between players and developers, and Yoshi-P chatting directly with players is just icing on the cake.