Over 9000... er... ok, Over level 75 - New cap 99 o.o

[Mhurron]

Re: Over 9000... er... ok, Over level 75 - New cap 99 o.o

I'll ask you this, with the population scaling down like it has and the increasing difficulty of keeping many events such as Dynamis sustainable what other course of action is there

OOOO looky here, a move to deal with the population that doesn't involve completely destroying the games balance.

FINAL FANTASY XI Official Web Site

how can you prove this wasn't on the books for years?

Unless SE's right hand doesn't talk to the left, which is very possible, they have stated several times before they had no intention of raising the level cap because it would destroy the games balance. Now they have a new MMO coming out and they make huge game breaking changes. No, this shouldn't be looked at as suspect at all.

(Solo charby, no problem, lowman Timiat, Divine Might, lets do it, you're still wearing Goliard? Jesus man, upgrade your gear.)

Second, it appears that the way to level to 99 is going to require the new addons, which were an experiment last year to see how well they did. So even if there was a little bit of forethought put here, you are talking at most 6-9 months working on this, by a team that appears to have been picked clean of all but the very minimum to keep XI going, after they could gauge the sales for the previous three addons.

The same thing you just said here could be said of any job in any MMO by any developer.

Oh very good, which is the whole point. SE saying it won't screw everything up means nothing.

And people have complained the game has been on Easy Mode since ToA, many people are leaving the game because they feel there is nothing left to look forward to except the same old endgame grind. What is the way you combat that?

Doing the exact thing that people are complaining about and leaving because of isn't the way.

[Durahansolo]

Re: Over 9000... er... ok, Over level 75 - New cap 99 o.o

If they're merging Remora server with Leviathan server... ugh. There's apparently a Tuatha there already, and that person hasn't played since 2008. Excuse me while I go drown myself in my MH fountain, now. ._.

Dang, I wondered about something like that.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Over 9000... er... ok, Over level 75 - New cap 99 o.o

OOOO looky here, a move to deal with the population that doesn't involve completely destroying the games balance.

FINAL FANTASY XI Official Web Site

I'm going to start tacking on addendums when talking to you, such as "Can you answer this without sounding like a total prick?"

Yes, THANK YOU, Mhurron. Not only does this not answer my question in full, it tells me shit I already knew. SERVER CONSOLIDATION IS THE ANSWER. I was there all last night listening to this stuff, I didn't miss the memo on server consolodation Consolidating servers does not mean issues with disinterest in the present endgame are addressed in any palpable way. You have more people with their own personal agenda, not more people with common goals.

Additionally, I should point out the consolidation changes nothing for the servers it doesn't affect.

So, I'll ask again this time and I'll ask you not to bullshit - how do you address the issue? Odin and Bahamut are apparently populated enough to not be merged, but endgame attendance is still low there these days, too.

Here's a hint: Its not adding more people with different agendas, but creating a new agenda so people start having more goals in common again. FFXI is getting exactly what FFXI needed - a change of venue.

Is it going to piss off people that cherish their status as a high level player? Perhaps, but a lot of players have felt like they have no room left to grow and no new challenges to face. The solution is not to maintain the corner we've been painted into and paint ourselves further into it, no, that's what's suffocating players and forcing them to lose interest now.

Keeping FFXI the way it is now would be the best way to choke FFXI out as FFXIV comes out, but what they're doing is keeping FFXI vital so things don't have to end that way.

[Aksannyi]

Re: Over 9000... er... ok, Over level 75 - New cap 99 o.o

My question is, 'What's the point?' They've got a brand new MMO coming soon and they already know a lot of the players of XI are going to shift to XIV, so why? Why do this? I realize XI needed something new to keep people interested but adding 24 levels is really kind of drastic.

[Neverslip]

Re: Over 9000... er... ok, Over level 75 - New cap 99 o.o

My question is, 'What's the point?' They've got a brand new MMO coming soon and they already know a lot of the players of XI are going to shift to XIV, so why? Why do this? I realize XI needed something new to keep people interested but adding 24 levels is really kind of drastic.

$$$ ... ching cha ching... $$$ ... ching cha ching ... $$$

You know you can get someone to pay for both.

[Grizzlebeard]

Re: Over 9000... er... ok, Over level 75 - New cap 99 o.o

This has not only killed most of my remaining interest in FFXI but also FFXIV to be honest. A company that can extend the life of its product via additional timesinks in order to blatantly squeeze every last remaining penny out of its customers while destroying everything that made the game great really isn't a company I want to be buying in to for the next 3-4 years of my gaming.

I've tried to see the positive implications of these announcements today despite my head spinning but the more I think about it the worse the future appears for my enjoyment of FFXI.

[DakAttack]

Re: Over 9000... er... ok, Over level 75 - New cap 99 o.o

This has not only killed most of my remaining interest in FFXI but also FFXIV to be honest. A company that can extend the life of its product via additional timesinks in order to blatantly squeeze every last remaining penny out of its customers while destroying everything that made the game great really isn't a company I want to be buying in to for the next 3-4 years of my gaming.

I've tried to see the positive implications of these announcements today despite my head spinning but the more I think about it the worse the future appears for my enjoyment of FFXI.

What's overreacting like?

[Kailea]

Re: Over 9000... er... ok, Over level 75 - New cap 99 o.o

as always people over react and judge something way before they should be, how about seeing how its handled before going all crazy.

if the change sucks I will move to XIV, if XIV sucks I will then just move on to something else, its not that hard.

[jigzaw]

Re: Over 9000... er... ok, Over level 75 - New cap 99 o.o

i agree, i think that all of you guys are just over reacting. Hell, these updates might just be the thing that keeps ffxi going for a few more years. I personally look forward to it because it will be something unique which in my opinion, it is what this game needs after years of having to do the same things over and over

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Over 9000... er... ok, Over level 75 - New cap 99 o.o

My question is, 'What's the point?' They've got a brand new MMO coming soon and they already know a lot of the players of XI are going to shift to XIV, so why? Why do this? I realize XI needed something new to keep people interested but adding 24 levels is really kind of drastic.

Treating FFXIV as a replacement for FFXI is also a bit drastic.

How is WoW's Cataclysm not drastic? Retooling the entire world and its story so newer players can never experience the way the world was? Obsoleting the latest endgame with every expansion isn't drastic?

MMOs are not constants, they were built to change as the community would change. Everquest is still around adding new zones, creating new situations and job balaning. People still play it.

FFXI and WoW are now getting to the place where Everquest and Lineage were when FFXI and WoW came along. Blizzard, too, has another MMO in the works. They're not going to drop WoW so long as it keeps people feeding them money though.

Even at the subscriber level FFXI is at now, its still bringing in money. If you were running a business, do you just abandon the old thing for the new thing when the old thing still works? Just because you have a new sandwich doesn't mean people stop wanting burgers.

[Mhurron]

Re: Over 9000... er... ok, Over level 75 - New cap 99 o.o

I'm going to start tacking on addendums when talking to you, such as "Can you answer this without sounding like a total prick?"

I treat, and will continue to treat, you the same way you treat everyone else you deem inferior.

Yes, THANK YOU, Mhurron. Not only does this not answer my question in full, it tells me shit I already knew. SERVER CONSOLIDATION IS THE ANSWER. I was there all last night listening to this stuff, I didn't miss the memo on server consolodation Consolidating servers does not mean issues with disinterest in the present endgame are addressed in any palpable way. You have more people with their own personal agenda, not more people with common goals.

Additionally, I should point out the consolidation changes nothing for the servers it doesn't affect.

So, I'll ask again this time and I'll ask you not to bullshit - how do you address the issue? Odin and Bahamut are apparently populated enough to not be merged, but endgame attendance is still low there these days, too.

Server consolidation is by far the safer way to do it, even if it was just a first step. Having problems finding people? Well here is a larger pool of people to pull from. Having problems selling items to purchase that gear you need, here's a bunch more perspective buyers.

To keep these event's sustainable, you need either a constant influx of people still willing to do it or keep adding new reasons to do it. Some people are just finished with Dynamis and what not, they have what they want out of it. These people need replacing in, since we're focusing on Dynamis, Dynamis shells. Put two servers together and I'll bet you can get a couple of well manned Dynamis shells.

This update is adding no extra reasons to do current events, so breaking the game did nothing for keeping existing people who have quit dynamis and whatnot from leaving.

They appear to be consolidating the lowest population servers first, this isn't going to be the last. Neither Odin or Bahamut will be left alone as they are for long.

Here's a hint: Its not adding more people with different agendas, but creating a new agenda so people start having more goals in common again. FFXI is getting exactly what FFXI needed - a change of venue.

SE can't change the player base. This does nothing to 'create a new agenda,' by which I assume you actually mean make more people available to do what the proverbial you wants to do.

These changes add nothing to someone who has lost interest in FFXI because they've played enough of it. These changes add nothing positive to those that are playing who have limited time to play. These changes add nothing for the people who are getting sick of SE constantly removing all challenge from everything in the game.

They broke the game for those who are too stupid to realize this is no different then giving a child a cookie an hour before dinner so they don't run off looking for something to do.

There isn't more incentive to work together, there is less. You don't need alliances anymore, a handful of 99's can do it. There is pretty much nothing currently in the game you will really need more people for, unless you're in a LS of 1. Common goals and working together just went out the window completely.

[Malacite]

Re: Over 9000... er... ok, Over level 75 - New cap 99 o.o

SE has nerfed a few things here and there, but never NIN tanking, manaburns or TP burns.

Um excuse me? Shadows used to absorb AoE magic and only take away 1 shadow, and you didn't lose any enmity when a shadow was lost.

And didn't nerf manaburn? You obviously never saw the 50k/hour manaburns in sea.

[Ufgt]

Re: Over 9000... er... ok, Over level 75 - New cap 99 o.o

I am so looking forward to this. It's gonna be hilarious what kind of crazy things people come up with. The only thing I'm not down with is the power creep. I hated the power creep in WoW and now it's happening here =(.

[Takelli]

Re: Over 9000... er... ok, Over level 75 - New cap 99 o.o

I am so looking forward to this. It's gonna be hilarious what kind of crazy things people come up with. The only thing I'm not down with is the power creep. I hated the power creep in WoW and now it's happening here =(.

Well... I hope it doesn't get as bad as WoW. I just hope they make it easier to solo with the new level cap. And hope they make it so you don't need to pay 30$ to get the extra 24 levels... Just hope this doesn't fuck up the game.

[Kailea]

Re: Over 9000... er... ok, Over level 75 - New cap 99 o.o

I do hope they do something about the EXP per mob, as much as I love camping in the same spot forever, 200-400 EXP per mob to level to 99 is....well... not sure about how I feel ;p

but as I said, I will hold my WTFs and OMGs until we start getting some of these updates.