Regarding the 90-Day Subscription Option (06/15/2012) Follow

So SE has until June 30th to convince me to pay up.

The timing of this change is very suspect for me, this is coming basically 2 months (most would be paying for 2nd month this month) after a portion of their playerbase has returned and most returned on 30 day subscriptions on the understanding that as long as they had started paying before the end of last month they'd be set on getting legacy campaign. Now the fact that most of them already paid for last month via a single month subscription they're forced to get a 90 day subscription with very little warning. That basically forces them to pay for 4 months to get legacy campaign. If they'd said last month that you'd end up having to pay for a 90 day sub or else I'm sure most people would have just went with a 90 day sub or not at all.

Edited, Jun 15th 2012 1:10pm by TheFrozenKing

It's not hard to see. The majority of people who bought this game either dislike it in its current incarnation (like I do), or they were so put off by how insultingly awful it was at launch that they've never touched it again. And screenshots do not a good game make (regarding 2.0), so people are likely being very gunshy about giving SE money for the promise of a better game later.

Show me the goods, and I'll pay if I like it. Don't give me vaporware and expect money.

Edited, Jun 15th 2012 1:56pm by hexaemeron

Edited, Jun 15th 2012 1:59pm by hexaemeron

The thing is the message itself isn't specific enough, becaue the message in it only addresses people that a.) are brand new players, b.) players that have already paid for legacy campain, c.) returning players, but it doesn't address what time period returning players encompasses. If it means people that have returned for a few months that haven't quite hit legacy status or if it means people that are in the process of returning this month. It doesn't mention at all what those players that have already begun playing are supposed to do, if they're still on track to getting legacy campaign or if you have to have paid for 90 days by the end of the month. I've personally already paid for the 90 days last month, but a friend of mine was going to pay in 30 day payments.

The thing is this message can be taken either way. It could either mean that it just applies to people that have yet to start paying or it could apply to everyone that has yet to reach legacy status.

This concerns me because I just returned last week and assumed i didn't need to pay the 90 day sub to get legacy. I would have no problem either way, but I picked month to month out of habit.

June to July
July to August
August to September

I should be ok right?

The thing is it doesn't mention that in the message at all. I hope that's how it works I really do, but I'm not just going to assume it'll all work out, espically when it's some one else's time and money on the line. They really should have covered all thier bases in the message, just a simple "If you've already started paying as of: <insert date> via 30 day subscriptions, you should still be on the track to Legacy status". A definitive pay-by line would be much better than oh as long as you've paid 90 days before beta (which we don't have a date for) but it must be 90 day subcription as of June 30, 2012 since we're getting rid of 90 day payment plans.

Edited, Jun 15th 2012 3:00pm by TheFrozenKing

I don't want to give you any false hopes or sugarcoat anything, honestly you might want to pay for the 90 days before the end of the month to absolutely make sure you make legacy. There is/was obviously some date that you need/needed to start making 30 day payments by and we (and probably even SE) don't know what that date is/was. If there wasn't a point when 30 day subscriptions wouldn't cut it why force people to pay for 90 days before the end of this month. This is why an absolute target day instead of just a "have 90 days paid by a date we don't know and aren't willing to estimate."

I would suggest contacting SE, but so far pretty much every response I've heard has been, "as long as you have paid for 90 days before beta starts". And if you ask when beta starts you usually just get a "We have not released a date when beta will start".

If you started making payments on let's say the 8th, and beta starts on like the 6th of that month you'd be screwed, with no way of knowing till it was already too late.

I know it's 3 months paid, but paid by when? Before beta starts, when's that? No one knows...

/sigh I see you guys aren't getting what I'm saying. I'm not trying to be difficult or obtuse. This shouldn't be something you have to "figure out" it should be something stated in black and white. I'm just trying to make sure everyone that wants legacy campaign, gets their legacy campaign. If someone started making payments today the 15th of the month, and then they make a 30 day payment for the next month, and beta somehow starts before they get that 3rd month in, they get screwed outta legacy. There is/was obviously some point that 30 day subscriptions aren't going to get you legacy status. If you could just keep paying in 30-day payments at any random point before June 30th why make it so you have to have a 90 day payment set-up by June 30th. Could you start paying 30 day payments today and get legacy campaign, no one knows for certian, go back a week, same deal...

3 Month's paid before old service (1.xx) closes. Which means, by June 30th you should have STARTED paying.

If you're already paying by now, you're golden, just keep yourself subscribed.

The approximate date for end of service is end of September, so we're right on track.

Of course you do, because you most obviously have not been paying any attention from the start.

*looks at the clock*
I seriously do not have the time to stand here and review the past year and a half for you, so let's truncate it.

The game has been changing since 1.00 - changing dramatically.

Pretty much any content that could be revamped without having to gut the entire server engine and graphics engine has been done.

Combat has been completely overhauled. The Battle Regime system gutted. Attacks now Combo.
Jobs have been releaced.
More Primal battles, each increasingly potent in terms of design.
Hamlet Defence is out.
Dungeon raiding is out.
All but the last piece of the 7th Umbral Era (unique to this transitional change) storyline is out.

The game has not been stagnant in this past time, it has been under constant metamorphosis. But they're pretty much at the extent of what they can do before 2.0

But what 2.0 Changes above what is now, is mainly the graphics engine, and the server engine.

Jobs will remain the same but get new abilities and new content flows in.
The combo system will remain the same but will gain new move and an additional system to replace battle regime
The core mechanics of what makes a combat class/job function as they are, will remain the same.

The world will be different, but a Dragoon isn't going to be playing any differently in 2.0, then they are playing now. Same for every other Deciple of War and Magic. The only changes in that department will be the things related to the engine overhaul.

So you can log in, right now, and get a general feel for how you'll be playing with the game, knowing what content is coming in 2.0 that isn't currently here.

And if you're not sure about that, then you can always look here:
http://gdl.square-enix.com/ffxiv/download/en/FFXIV_2.0_Systems_and_Content_EN.pdf

So yeah. When you get to the core of the game, the combat, you can make your decision now, before 2.0 is released. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to take the improvements made in the past year, and apply them in a better engine environment. They would not have released the Legacy Campaign and the Welcome Back free trial if they did not feel the current content didn't give people a proper taste of what is to come.

And if you don't like the combo system. If you don't like the job system. If you don't like the primal fights or the dungeon crawls or any of the new content and new direction the game has taken since 1.0. I guarantee you will not like 2.0. If you look at the direction the game has been going and say "I like it, but I still don't like x graphical/server/UI problem, then THAT's the stuff you will get addressed in 2.0.

Don't talk common sense, they lack it... 90 days dissapearing because after next month there may not be 90 days and they don't want to charge people that can't play, so they go to 30 day incriments to minimize people being upset... AND... people are upset because they can't pay for 90 days when they may only get 60....

You can still sub for 90 days, 30 at a time... why are you people so negative and bitchy? (especially those of you not even paying currently...)



Um, it pretty much said that in plain English. I got it before the "translation/clarification" no problem, and I'm not the smartest cookie in the box...

Edited, Jun 16th 2012 12:36am by Perrin

Personally, you're not the one my origonal post on this thread was directed at. it was the guy who peeped up and said "Well then SE's got 30 days to convince me to play this game." To which I promptly said. "Decide now, or look the fool one way or another."

If you want to swallow the extra five a month. That's fine. I remember that FFXI was a pretty hard and miserable game (Granted no where near the bad of FFXIV 1.0 launch) a good way at the beginning, but I still got nearly a decade out of it, and enjoyed my experiences there.

But point blank, I believe in Yoshida far more than I ever had faith in Tanaka. And that's where I make my gamble. Not on 'Square Enix'. Square Enix is a publishing/developing company. They represent something far far far more larger and nebulous than FFXIV as a project.

The development team, however, has new staff and a new lead. The previous lead was Tanaka, who, for all his other accomplishments, brought dated concepts to a new game, which was a critical flaw. The other critical flaw was SE's fault in forcing a bad engine on this game, and turning around and shoving a bad timetable on Tanaka's throat for it. Those problems, Square Enix swallows a gigantic amount of both blame and shame for.

But if anyone can convince me that Square Enix received the wake-up call they needed to as a result of FFXIV's initial failure, it's Yoshida. He has not just told, he has shown, that he listens. He has also gone and shared his ideals and his visions with us, has gone as far as to make personal observations and comments with us. And has kept up a flow of communication that is something rather impressive in development companies in general, let alone Asian gaming companies, let alone Square Enix, which has, up until this point, been notoriously tight-lipped.

So no, my money is in support of him, and I have stated such on multiple occasions. I don't need to see the engine in motion to know that a guy who shares many of my views is already overseeing it. I'm not picturing perfection, mind you. Nor am I expecting it. (After all, I frequently caution people to keep their expectations in check. What we are getting is a engine/map update, not an entirely new game. I factor what we receive content wise for FFXIV 2.0 along the lines of an expansion, and still expect normal Square Enix tropes when it comes to releasing content form said expansion.)

What the game currently has - that combat I was talking about earlier? I find it fun and enjoyable. (Granted, I prefer Dragoon's fighting style the most thus far, I hope Red Mage keeps me enthralled as well when it comes out, otherwise 'Hyrist' might not make an appearance!) Enough to get me to subscribe. I play now to carry over the work I do here into 2.0 I want Lin Celistine to arrive in the new Eorza as a level 50 Lancer with as many jobs to support that class as possible. I also want to go and finish the story for the 7th Umbral Era storyline. Witnessing an apocalypse or a near apocalypse in a way that FFXI could never duplicate ("Oh look, the world 'nearly' ended, but nobody knows about it!" happened 4 times... seriously.)

I can't convince you to buy for these things. But I do say you will save much more money in the long run if you do Legacy. Knowing you, I think you're on the fence for more graphical issues, the smooth flow of combat, etc. You want to see that the engine works. And if you're willing to spend $360 more over six years then yeah, that's fine. Just understand that the money you would put down to get legacy campaign pays itself back in one year of subscription, no matter how intermittent that may be. Whether you think it sucks or you think it rocks, this game will not 'fold'. And if it gains any of FFXI's notorious reputation of having players who dip in and out, even you will be subject to that pull.

But speaking personally, it's better for me to bite the bullet and take that 'risk', and pay less over time, no matter how intermittent that time may be. Then to sit and cross my arms and say "No I'm not giving you ANY money until I'm SURE get what I want."

You're free to feel the way you do. Goodness knows I'm not touching BioWare games until I see an improvement in their business practices. Changes that I've seen already from Square Enix, at least as FFXIV is concerned.

I'm with you man, but seeing is believing and I haven't seen enough. This however...

...is flawed logic to people who aren't already playing. Sure it works for you if you were going to play anyway, but if I sit and fold my arms refusing to pay until I've had beta access or my free trial and it bombs again, it cost me nothing. If it bombs on you then you're out the money and the time unless you decide you like it how it is.

If it bombs, I'm sure I won't ever play it again solely on principle. Three strikes and you're out. I think that's more than fair. I'm not really assuming the worst, I'm just not really hopeful. You gotta understand, I was amped for XIV when I first heard about it. I was absolutely stoked when I found out I was accepted to the first wave of closed alpha testing. I was devastated that after all the build up and all the hype that it could be such a miserable failure. Maybe I make it out to be something bigger than it really was, but like you say...



I want the game to do well which is why I've been so critical. It's also the reason why I'm waiting until 2.0 to play again.



I already have considered it. SE punched me in the gut with the alpha test. Granted it was just an alpha, but the core of what the game used to be was all there. Strike one. I was already doubled over, but then they kicked me in the teeth when they lied about their progress after launch. That was strike two. They'll get a third and final chance and I'll give it to them on their own terms. If they can't make the game more appealing than the alternative then they won't have my support or my money.

Here's my vacuum logic: If SE can pull it off then they deserve my extra 5 bucks a month. Call it a tax for not having faith that it could be done. Square business.