I don't know what to do. Here are some points I thought I'd jot down here:
1. The Chicken or The Egg
Well guys, FFXI came first, I'm sorry to say. And they did a damn fine job. The PS2 was the master system at the time, and with PC players on the same server one year later it seemed as though FFXI was going to be set for life. So far that hasn't failed yet. WOW came out after FFXI and stuck to the dying Blizzards PC and MAC mentality, probably created due to the fact that MMOs can generate money for people who need it without doing much (OMG a monthly fee for a game you play online!). I'm pretty sure Blizzard didn't know it was going to be a hit, but now Blizzard is regarded as #1 in the MMO world... for a mistake (that made them lots of moneys). I can't help but think that people at Blizzard are laughing at people who play WOW. I just feel that the people who created FFXI really tried hard to make something that worked and that would survive for a long time.
2. As the years went by...
So after a few years FFXI population went down as WOW population increased. Expansions came out, bugs were fixed, etc. Then a couple of things happened. WOW, as many people discovered, had much more content updates and versatility than most other MMOs out there (considering the money it was making I don't think this is even close to what they could be doing). The fact that the game is PC based rather than Platform (or cross platform like FFXI) made technical restrictions such as memory a thing of the past (literally). Players ask for more bag space, they get it, they want bigger instances, they get it, they want a pony transfered via internet, they better f-ing get it! FFXI is unfortunately held back by the very thing that it was popular for back when it was released: PS2 compatibility. With the memory of the PS2 already pushed to the limits with the new expansions and new content and the seemingly limitless things to do, when the players ask for something, for example as described above: baggage space increase. This was nearly impossible for the PS2 to handle and required a lot of time and effort on SqareEnix's part to incorperate it probably costing them lost of money. And when they charge 9.99 for a 80 slot bag that works anywhere people go ape shit. It kinda makes me sad. Imagine someone saying "Draw me a picture with pretty colors" and the person only has a pencil so they go out and buy crayons. Wouldn't it be nice to chip in for that? We are all in this together (especially in this economy).
3. Alone
When I play FFXI... I sometimes feel alone. Yes, I recently found a group of six or so ppl who regular at my schedule and who know and respect me... but that doesn't mean shit. It isn't quite as fun when you can sit down at dinner and talk about your recent monster hunting party, knowing the person there, physically there, is understanding of what you have accomplished and gained. No to mention the offline chatting makes the text based chat seem like a toy. You can laugh at the same stupid crap people do when playing together or share an important moment if they are nearby. But now I am alone. There is no one in my "group" who would rather switch WOW for FFXI (most of the time I get a grimace or a chuckle and a snarky remark about the inferiority of FFXI and the superiority of WOW...) which leads me to trail back to the game... reluctantly... about once or twice a month so I can actually do something meaningful for someone else.
That's sad. And I'm not blaming them for NOT leaving WOW. Hell I wouldn't leave if I loved it as much as I love FFXI and I understand that the security of WOW brings them. But I can't help but wonder what would happen if WOW suddenly just dropped from the face of the earth. I'm guessing most people would just start playing on private servers...
/sigh
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