I think I would ramble on way too long if I talked about what FF means to me as a whole. The story of what Eorzea means to me is long enough.
Back in 2010 I built a new computer just to play FF XIV 1.0. And it was such a letdown on almost every conceivable level. I felt like the extra money I shelled out for the Collector's Edition was a complete waste. Bitterly, I eventually told myself I was glad to have spent the money to be able to experience first-hand such a failure, such a blemish on the Final Fantasy legacy.
But it was FF14's abysmal launch that took me back to Vana'diel, the world of FFXI. I had always loved FFXI a lot, but the game's soul-crushing difficulty, obtuse objectives, and countless hurdles and roadblocks always kept me from enjoying it like I wanted. Well .. hah .. FFXI is still quite hard, even though I consider myself rather hardcore. But by this time, a lot of things had been put in place to make the game more solo-friendly and easier over all. I started a new account because the account I made at FFXI's launch many years ago was long gone. I bought the Ultimate Edition and started all over on a new server.
With things like the Fields of Valor, I was able to make progress in Vana'diel at an even clip and explore the world and the story like I had always wanted to. It was a great time. *engaging sappy mode* And it was here that I met my current girlfriend, who I've known for about three years and have been with for two. If FF14 had not been so terrible the first time around, I never would've met her nor would I have explored Vana'diel and taken a lot of the story campaigns to completion.
I never thought FF14 would amount to anything. I never thought SE would be able to salvage Eorzea. I never thought, with SWTOR and GW2 around the corner, that the community would survive. But Yoshi-P and his dev team, and the fans that supported FF14 since the beginning, have accomplished the impossible. It's been so fascinating to watch ARR's development--the level of transparency has blown me away. In a way I'm humbled by the dedication the 1.0 players showed, because now Eorzea is a place I will be proud to call home for a long time to come. That 1.0 CE purchase was money well-spent.
Back in 2010 I built a new computer just to play FF XIV 1.0. And it was such a letdown on almost every conceivable level. I felt like the extra money I shelled out for the Collector's Edition was a complete waste. Bitterly, I eventually told myself I was glad to have spent the money to be able to experience first-hand such a failure, such a blemish on the Final Fantasy legacy.
But it was FF14's abysmal launch that took me back to Vana'diel, the world of FFXI. I had always loved FFXI a lot, but the game's soul-crushing difficulty, obtuse objectives, and countless hurdles and roadblocks always kept me from enjoying it like I wanted. Well .. hah .. FFXI is still quite hard, even though I consider myself rather hardcore. But by this time, a lot of things had been put in place to make the game more solo-friendly and easier over all. I started a new account because the account I made at FFXI's launch many years ago was long gone. I bought the Ultimate Edition and started all over on a new server.
With things like the Fields of Valor, I was able to make progress in Vana'diel at an even clip and explore the world and the story like I had always wanted to. It was a great time. *engaging sappy mode* And it was here that I met my current girlfriend, who I've known for about three years and have been with for two. If FF14 had not been so terrible the first time around, I never would've met her nor would I have explored Vana'diel and taken a lot of the story campaigns to completion.
I never thought FF14 would amount to anything. I never thought SE would be able to salvage Eorzea. I never thought, with SWTOR and GW2 around the corner, that the community would survive. But Yoshi-P and his dev team, and the fans that supported FF14 since the beginning, have accomplished the impossible. It's been so fascinating to watch ARR's development--the level of transparency has blown me away. In a way I'm humbled by the dedication the 1.0 players showed, because now Eorzea is a place I will be proud to call home for a long time to come. That 1.0 CE purchase was money well-spent.
