Yes I will agree with certain posters that money making is annoying and time consuming. And I agree that this is a game design "flaw" in someways. In some ways, I am tempted to play WoW (which the game easier and less time consuming) for that reason, but my work kind of limit me to few choices of hobbies.
I do still stress skill/behavior > gear. If you have to spend real money to make your precieved "skill" better, then you are cheating yourself. And I do believe there are better way to spend real money than making them into virtual currency and messes up other players who make money in the way that game is designed. A lot of those FlyingLS threads may disappear, if people do not buy less gil. And I prefer seeing less homeless people or having a new car over a virtual item.
You can be great and respected without the best gear in the game. Haha I got to see how our favorite Elathia in action as White Mage recently, and he is really good (better than me XD) without having leet stuff like Vermillion Cloak or a Serkit Ring or other stuff. I myself logged over 200 days (/blush), and never have a Noble Tunic. Like in RL, it is what one does that earns respect.
____________________________
Amanada (Cerberus-Retired) (aka MaiNoKen/Steven)
-- Thank you for the fun times in Vana'diel
Art for the sake of art itself is an idle sentence.
Art for the sake of truth, for the sake of what is
beautiful and good — that is the creed I seek.
- George Sand
A designer knows he has achieved perfection,
not when there is nothing left to add,
but when there is nothing left to take away.
- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry