Despite its flaws, FFXI had some awesomeness that I have yet to see replicated well in other MMOs.

The job / subjob system was awesome, not having to reroll 12 characters to experience the different classes. Being able to share sweet gear between said jobs without having to use a shared bank or mail or heavens forbid it's No Trade / Bind on Equip / etc.

The crafting system was brutal, but made it hard to get up there and even when you were, HQing items for profit was a risky business. Farming materials wasn't just running up to a harvest node and clicking. In most cases it involved killing monsters or shops with limited supplies... which the damn gil-sellers monopolized. *shakes fist*

The transportation gave the world a sense of scale. Having to ride chocos around, take airships or get a Tele (and then have to choco from there) made you feel how big the world was. Too many MMOs offer "click this button to be auto-pathed within 50 feet of your destination."

There were so many things I loved about FFXI, but just didn't have the time to turn it into a second job as was required to advance further than I was.

With FFXIV somewhat catering to solo/casual play, I'm hoping they'll pull together what I loved and at least downscale the hated parts.

Their rethinking of the leveling/equipment/class system intrigues me a lot. Is multiclassing gone, or can I equip a fencing sword to get Red Mage-ness and a robe to get White mage-ness, for example? I realize those classes may not exist in XIV, just saying as an example.

Still, whether multiclassing is in or not, it seems they're sticking to the idea that one character can perform multiple roles with a simple change of jobs, or in this case, equipment.

If done right, this game will do very well for them. I know a lot of ex-FFXI players like myself who are drooling over this.