Square-Enix Extends FF14 Free Trial Yet Again

[John Funk]

Square-Enix Extends FF14 Free Trial Yet Again

Players can freely adventure through the world of Eorzea for another 30 days as the floundering Final Fantasy XIV extends its free trial period for the second time.

It's safe to say that no matter how pretty Final Fantasy XIV may look, Square-Enix's new MMO hasn't been doing so hot. After a work to regain gamers' trust [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/103215-Square-Enix-Restricts-Final-Fantasy-XIV-Open-Beta].

It looks like that trust hasn't been earned back just yet: In an announcement on the FF14 blog [http://lodestone.finalfantasyxiv.com/pl/news/detail?newsId=3e3e51c5a9f3e13517d07d30b42116f967208a00], Square-Enix revealed that the free trial period would be extended by another 30 days - meaning that players will have been able to play the MMO for 90 days without ever paying a cent beyond the cost of the game itself.

The blog post also reveals that the first of two "large-scale version updates" designed to bring about "significant improvement to the FF14 experience will be hitting in late November - tentatively dated for the 25th - with the second scheduled for mid-December.

MMOs are expensive to develop and run, and three months of letting players play for free - while paying the dev team to work on improving the game's missteps - can't have been easy on Square-Enix's pocketbook. Hey guys? Maybe next time you should think about releasing a game that isn't broken.

Just a thought.

(Final Fantasy XIV [http://lodestone.finalfantasyxiv.com/pl/news/detail?newsId=3e3e51c5a9f3e13517d07d30b42116f967208a00])

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[Sephiwind]

Yikes. Seriously what the hell is Square doing? There wasn't this many problems with 11. Is the game that differant from the first one that it's pretty much a scratch game?

 

[Clash_Action]

What's sad is that I really got excited for this, and I love the graphics. However, after seeing all it's glaring flaws and all, I am more than happy to wait and see how Guild Wars 2 turns out.

 

[TitanAtlas]

ouch 90 days!? Well if this continues theres 2 options....

They could become free, with purchaseble items within the games (certains items or costumes to make your character stronger and prettier), because there are loads of games that can run themselfs sucessfully using that method (A.K.A. Guild Wars, Flyff and many others)...

Or we might be seeying yet another A.P.B. All Points Bulletin....

I would go with method number one, make the monthly fee free, with items in wich people had to use theyre real money.... this way they would attract more people into the game at first, and slowly showing them awsome items to tempt the players into buying those items xD

 

[boholikeu]

Have they announced what kind of changes are actually coming in these "fixes"? From what I understood the problems were a lot deeper than something that could be addressed in two patches.

What a hilarious disaster this is. And of course the people who let it happen deserve no sympathey so laugh away, all!

Why, I think I will, HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

 

[JediMB]

Yikes. Seriously what the hell is Square doing? There wasn't this many problems with 11. Is the game that differant from the first one that it's pretty much a scratch game?

When they made 14, they took all the things they learned from 11 and threw them away.

 

[Xiorell]

Hmm, and here I was considering giving this game a go.
I've not read any write-ups on it yet, just had a look at it on the shelves at work and thought I might give it some time.
Might think again, since the last MMO I gave the time of day (Aion) just made me think "eh, I'll just go play WoW again", typical response I know but there it is. If this aint up to scratch it'd be a rather expensive "go back to what you know" memo.

 

[sgwee]

I can't laugh... not yet... Just like M. Shayamalangadingdong... first I mourn... saddened... just saddened... sigh

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...

...

nope still don't feel like laughing at square yet. I'm still hopeful. damn my weak fanboy heart. why did my first game to truly get into have to be final fantasy 7!! now I'm doomed to always be hopeful to our brothers. please. please. pleeeease square-enix. be a prodigal son and stop your foolish drunken madness!

 

[Warrior Irme]

I absolutely loved XI while I played it, so I am incredibly disappointed that XIV is so terrible.

 

[Lord Honk]

APB much?

All seriousness aside, I haven't really played any FF games since 3 (or 6, however you want to count), so I fear that by the time that I catch up with it, FF14 will be long gone.

Then again, I don't really enjoy MMOs, so I don't think I'll be missing out on anything.

 

[Vaccine]

Broken promises and flawed gameplay, just like every other MMO that comes onto the market.

I'm wondering what KOTOR and Guild Wars 2 will do.

 

[The Great JT]

I'm calling it, this one's dead.

Sorry Squeenix, it just couldn't stand.

 

[Sephiwind]

Yikes. Seriously what the hell is Square doing? There wasn't this many problems with 11. Is the game that differant from the first one that it's pretty much a scratch game?

When they made 14, they took all the things they learned from 11 and threw them away.

It's very sad. I was looking forward to 14 since it pretty much did away with the forced party system that was such a turn off for me. I got so sick of searching for parties in the level 50+ area of 11 that I just gave up on the game. Such a shame that what ever they did in 14 is so broken.

 

[Gamegodtre]

good news for me i guess

 

[JediMB]

Yikes. Seriously what the hell is Square doing? There wasn't this many problems with 11. Is the game that differant from the first one that it's pretty much a scratch game?

When they made 14, they took all the things they learned from 11 and threw them away.

It's very sad. I was looking forward to 14 since it pretty much did away with the forced party system that was such a turn off for me. I got so sick of searching for parties in the level 50+ area of 11 that I just gave up on the game. Such a shame that what ever they did in 14 is so broken.

Yeah, I'd rather just get back into 11 and try to get my Red Mage job from 72 to 100 than touch 14 again. I really don't mind heavy party focus, but I miss having friends in the game to play with. When my friends stopped playing 11, it was only a matter of time until my interest in the game dwindled.

I loved being a Red Mage, though. <3

 

[Ashoten]

So I don't want to start a fight or anything but as someone that was bored to tears by FF-13 I didn't even bother to look into 14 beyond a passing glance. Especially when I heard about the exp. penalty system they were so proud of. I was done w/it before I got started.

 

[Ralen-Sharr]

how many MMO's are going to end up DOA? This one sure is taking a bad turn...