I'm not saying 220k isnt huge because it is. But I think there are positives in the change as well as negatives.
Basically SE knows that this game is old. The amount of 'new' players, fresh newbs, is not high and won't be ever again. So they have to keep their current playerbase and also try to attract those who have quit for one reason or another. This change benifits the ones who quit (along with the return to vanadiel program) and gives incentive to come back obviously because they lessened one of the reasons many ppl quit.
However I think it benifits the older players trying to level a second/third/fourth etc job as well since it will be faster too. I don't think it was necessary (at least to this extent), but it does have benifits.
I also think that they aren't trying to cater to the "I have 5 jobs at 75" crowd because they have those people so tightly they can do almost anything to you and you will keep playing and they know that. They are focusing on the ones on the fence, and with WoW and EQ2 knocking on the customer's doors they have to.
Basically SE knows that this game is old. The amount of 'new' players, fresh newbs, is not high and won't be ever again. So they have to keep their current playerbase and also try to attract those who have quit for one reason or another. This change benifits the ones who quit (along with the return to vanadiel program) and gives incentive to come back obviously because they lessened one of the reasons many ppl quit.
However I think it benifits the older players trying to level a second/third/fourth etc job as well since it will be faster too. I don't think it was necessary (at least to this extent), but it does have benifits.
I also think that they aren't trying to cater to the "I have 5 jobs at 75" crowd because they have those people so tightly they can do almost anything to you and you will keep playing and they know that. They are focusing on the ones on the fence, and with WoW and EQ2 knocking on the customer's doors they have to.