You are all just reaffirming what I've said all along. You all talk about how you want innovation and how much you hate the WoW formula and every new MMO is crap because it's just another clone and so on, and then a game comes out that offers next to nothing new or innovative whatsoever and you like it anyway. Those other games weren't bad because they lacked innovation and copied WoW too closely - those games were bad because they were bad games.
People don't want new, they want familiar. The most popular FPS on PC is STILL Counter Strike, 14 fucking years later. Call of Duty shits out a new clone twice a year and each iteration outsells the last.
FF14's main innovation is taking a giant step backwards in customization choices you have to make. No talent trees, no skill points, not alt advancement. Were those things ever even fun, or were they just an annoying system of tradeoffs? X skill is more fun and versatile, but I need Y to defeat this specific encounter. Does this game lose anything by getting rid of that shit? I've found them to be nothing more than a hindrance from the start. Maybe not having to pigeon hole yourself into a handful of catch-all talent builds is exactly what helps this stale retread of the tried and true seem fresh and fun.
Or maybe you're all just raging weaboos. It's hard enough finding an honest opinion when so many nerds get moist just hearing the FF title music.
Woah there Kreugen. You're getting out of this boards comfort zone bringing up potentially valid discussion points that could lead to relevant posts with actual content. Watch yourself.
That said for me:
1.)
Character development. Talents etc. I've never been a fan. Outside of the bad players nearly everyone picks the same cookie cutter shit. Just design the class good in the first place. This type of customization (so far) is just a myth. Even wow's more streamlined version there is a better choice always. Rift was a fantastic example of a bloated system that didn't need to exist in the first place and hopefully the last of that type of system we see. As excited as I was for GW2. I didn't enjoy the easy unlocking of abilities, trait system, or lack of real class roles at all. Just my opinion.
2.)
Job system.I played XI and I loved it there. Much like Vorph I fucking hate alts yet somehow end up with them. Sometimes you get bored and want to try another class though and its nice to not lose all your progress (bag space, teleport locations, achievements, whatever, making a brand new character and starting from scratch. With a new name as well.
3.)
Graphics. They are fantastic and it runs incredibly well. They really have grown on me. I don't watch any anime or read mangas. I have not played any of the Final Fantasy games except the MMOs. When I played FFXI I nearly quit 5 minutes after I equipped a subligar. The first 20 minutes in the game felt like a gay fetish parade. While I am not a fan of the subligars to this day they don't bother me and neither to the lalafeel/tarutarus. They're just there and I really like the armor style and world design.
4.)
Story. I am really digging it, including the fact I'm a generic adventurer and not some NUMBER ONE HERO!!! There is a bit of ambiguity to the quest dialogue and thats cool, as well as a bit of connections between areas. I see NPCS I interacted with in a cut scene somewhere within the vicinity (like a near by town) but not at the quest location. I really enjoy the story telling and lore. Not to the extent that SWTOR did it - which was over the top, but also not the complete lack of depth that Tera had. I feel like FF strikes a great balance between the two and again. I'm not a fan of the regular FF games or anime at all.
5.)
Gamepad. This is a big one for me. I like that I can play on my PS3 (which I'll be honest it kind of looks like ass even if it runs good) or my PC which is a beast. With the same account depending on how lazy my ass/back is feeling. Even on the PC I use the gamepad. I did it in XI and if you get good it doesn't hold you back especially with all the customization FFXIV gives you. Plus lets face it - this is yet another hot bar spam MMO. Playing with the gamepad makes it feel refreshing compared to hitting 1-6 + additional 30 keybinds again. Very refreshing.
6.)
FFXI. I played XI longer than any MMO but EQ. It just became too time consuming and eventually I jumped ship for WOW. I never did HNM/raiding in FFXI and I still consider it my favorite MMO so for me there is of course some nostalgia. Hell I didn't even buy the game my friend had to get it for me because I wouldn't touch "that anime crap."
All that said I really hope the complete lack of communication during the 3102 errors didn't take away a signifigant chunk of their potential sales. I think they have a winner on their hands at least if they can keep the content up. Even if its not super hardcore mode raiding crap which I don't think will be their niche anyway. Only time will tell.
EDIT: How could I forget the music. It is all incredible and memorable.