>>12
You mean MMORPGs sucks balls period.
Because when you're serving 600,000 (XI) to 6,000,000 (WoW), there's no fucking way you can keep everyone happy. It just isn't possible, and you'd know that if you've ever had to deal with any number of customers at all.
So, companies that runs them picks the path that'd result in the least amount of bitching from its player base. If that happens to be not in your favor... tough shit? You aren't seriously expecting them to totally revamp the game becauase your friends can't claim a NM or can't win a particular fight, are you?
"Learning from their mistakes" would only apply to the next MMO they create, not XI. Tweaks and adjustments can only do so much. The basic framework is not going to be changed, or they'd die a horrorible flaming death like the dumbasses who revamped "City of Heros" ... losing 60% of your playerbase overnight after a patch is bad for business.
The only major gripe I have against XI is the forced-team play aspect of it.