Free hand-outs?

[Angemon]

Anyone else thinking they giving out too many free hand outs these days? A free coffer from the wanted dial that pops out equipment for 0 effort. Just feels like it lowers content life expectancy, creates a lack of incentive to do anything and makes people quit that much faster. Or is it a good thing? Just my opinion.

[Pixela]

Anyone else thinking they giving out too many free hand outs these days? A free coffer from the wanted dial that pops out equipment for 0 effort. Just feels like it lowers content life expectancy, creates a lack of incentive to do anything and makes people quit that much faster. Or is it a good thing? Just my opinion.

It's being done is to increase profitability of ffxi.

It won't hurt the game at all, in-fact quite the opposite. Most players would never get this gear at all if not for these log-in event.s

[Stompa]

I can confirm that I have not received a single piece of gear from the UNM dial. Spinning that dial every day on two characters, getting bits of dead mob and various junk scrolls and rocks etc.

I don't think the UNM dial is going to break anything really, I think it is intended as a fun bonus chance at a rare boss coffer that a person might never be able to defeat with a small LS on a quiet server. Added to the fact that gear is a low % chance, I don't really see it as replacing any kind of farming effort.

Many players will literally never fight any of the higher level UNM or other hard content. If you are on a small LS on a quiet server, a large part of the higher level content is a closed book to you. Shouts are very rare, pickups from shouts are very slow, and if you're fighting a lvl 130+ UNM then the PUG factor is strong in this one.

I think if you are on a busy server, with a good LS, it may be easy to forget how different the game is for casual players who can only log-in after work, and can't really keep up with busy LS activities.

I think it is nice that there are lots of different events and special bonus things, people can have a bit of extra fun spinning dials, or higher chances of farming items and gear that they normally wouldn't ever get to see.

[AoiX]

This might also be a way to attract more casual players. I've seen a good share of those recently. I think it makes it more attractive for people who don't have the time to play hardcore anymore.

[Diavolo]

Anyone else thinking they giving out too many free hand outs these days? A free coffer from the wanted dial that pops out equipment for 0 effort. Just feels like it lowers content life expectancy, creates a lack of incentive to do anything and makes people quit that much faster. Or is it a good thing? Just my opinion.

I agree. Login -> profit -> logout. It brings nothing to the community. In fact, any gear obtained by those goblins or even items obtained via login points detracts from the game because it means you aren't taking part in the content required to obtain it in the first place. I understand the idea behind it, but they took it way too far. There's no reason to be handing out end game gear just for logging in.

It's being done is to increase profitability of ffxi.

It won't hurt the game at all, in-fact quite the opposite. Most players would never get this gear at all if not for these log-in event.s

Not with that attitude they wouldn't. The game is easier than ever and asking people to join a linkshell or to group up with a few people attempting to tackle the same content they want should never be discouraged, but that's exactly what all this free stuff does. Why would someone bother improving their character and later helping a group tackle Tumult Curator, for example, if they got the drop they wanted from him in a goblin chest? Most people wouldn't and whether you see it or not it does indeed damage the game. That group looking for a WHM, PLD or what-have-you that was 1 player short of a UNM clear now goes without the experience because you already got what you wanted without putting forth any effort whatsoever. Now picture this happening hundreds of times each day across all servers and you start to see the toll it takes on the community.

This might also be a way to attract more casual players. I've seen a good share of those recently. I think it makes it more attractive for people who don't have the time to play hardcore anymore.

You could probably count the number of casual players it has attracted on one hand... with a severed finger. The game is just far more accessible today than it was years ago, that's the reason casual players decide to give the game a shot.

[Pixela]

I agree. Login -> profit -> logout. It brings nothing to the community. In fact, any gear obtained by those goblins or even items obtained via login points detracts from the game because it means you aren't taking part in the content required to obtain it in the first place. I understand the idea behind it, but they took it way too far. There's no reason to be handing out end game gear just for logging in.

Not with that attitude they wouldn't. The game is easier than ever and asking people to join a linkshell or to group up with a few people attempting to tackle the same content they want should never be discouraged, but that's exactly what all this free stuff does. Why would someone bother improving their character and later helping a group tackle Tumult Curator, for example, if they got the drop they wanted from him in a goblin chest? Most people wouldn't and whether you see it or not it does indeed damage the game. That group looking for a WHM, PLD or what-have-you that was 1 player short of a UNM clear now goes without the experience because you already got what you wanted without putting forth any effort whatsoever. Now picture this happening hundreds of times each day across all servers and you start to see the toll it takes on the community.

You could probably count the number of casual players it has attracted on one hand... with a severed finger. The game is just far more accessible today than it was years ago, that's the reason casual players decide to give the game a shot.

I'll talk about this from my perspective, I don't have a shell and I play mostly solo with trusts or with one other friend now. I used to be incredibly hardcore into this game and did every single event this game had to offer in my hardcore endgame shell, then I quit to play other games and returned to have fun in XI a few years later. These days I just play casually to have fun, I've been playing now about 6 months since my return and I've had more fun playing like this than I ever did camping hnm, doing dynamis in alliances twice a week, doing limbus on cooldown, doing legion at 3 in the morning etc. The more casual and solo/duo friendly nature of the game made it fun instead of a chore all about grinding myself to death to get a .01% drop item, the login events are nice and give me a reason to login every single day even if I only have 2-3 hours to play.

I have 3 accounts, 2 of which have maxed out character slots purely for login events. I enjoy and look forward to these events because it gives me items I would normally not be able to get. Me getting these items has zero impact on you because I will never play with you or anyone like you, also if not for them I would cancel all my extra characters and possibly go play another mmo. If you think I'm alone in this then I invite you to stand next to the goblin npc and see just how many people check that goblin every day, they enjoy it.

Also having obtained some items from the boxes it encouraged me to actually try solo some of these monsters for other items and I've been killing them, the event not only gave me some freebies and lots of upgrade materials but also the push to try something I thought I could not do before.

The truth is that for serious players these free gifts are mostly useless, they already have all the items they want anyway. For everyone else it's an exciting gift they can get that makes them a little stronger and possibly less likely to be sneered at by other players if they want to join their groups (because the top players of this game are nowhere near as nice as some make them out to be, try join a VD ambuscade group and see how many laugh at you if your gear isn't amazing), also it encourages players to level other jobs if they get an awesome weapon / armor for a job they don't currently have.

In short, the developers know better than you do, they have the details of how many players did content before and after these events and how many check that goblin. If you don't like it then don't do it, the idea that if not for these freebies all the players would be doing these fights is laughable and shows how little you understand the playerbase of this game. Compare the unity pop areas months ago to now and you'll see no difference, same for escha areas. If you can do the endgame content you will do it because fighting the monsters > rolling a hundred faced dice to get the item you can use from a random event.

If you can do this content then you're going to do it irregardless of getting a few random freebies. I don't think you actually understand just how random these giveaways are, you are under the impression that you are guaranteed the drops you want or something. You have low chance of getting any good item at all, and even lower chance of it being one you can use and a hilariously small one of it being the exact one you need. You act like it's a given people are going to get the items they want.

[Kincard]

The odds of you getting the chest you want, let alone a piece of armor you want (in some cases almost impossible to +1 through AH alone, since the assumption here is that you have no clear and thus can't just buy mats with Accolades) are pretty dismal. For players who actually do the content it's arguably not even worth the time to walk over to the Goblin and watch that annoying animation play out.

[Diavolo]

The more casual and solo/duo friendly nature of the game made it fun instead of a chore all about grinding myself to death to get a .01% drop item, the login events are nice and give me a reason to login every single day even if I only have 2-3 hours to play.

The casual and solo/duo friendly nature of the game, by your own admission, is all the reason you need to login and play. If you need free stuff thrown at you to keep you logging in then the argument can be made the game isn't as fun as you make it out to be. It's all about the journey, not the goal, and that journey is completely removed when the goal is handed out simply for logging in.

I have 3 accounts, 2 of which have maxed out character slots purely for login events. I enjoy and look forward to these events because it gives me items I would normally not be able to get. Me getting these items has zero impact on you because I will never play with you or anyone like you,

1. That's a selfish view of the game. If you want an item and I am selling said item your being granted that item by a goblin chest does indeed have an impact on me. That's just basic supply and demand. We're playing on servers/worlds with thousands of other people, everything we do has an impact of some sort on the world around us and just because you can't see it doesn't mean it isn't there.

2. Why wouldn't you play with me or anyone like me (whatever that means)?

also if not for them I would cancel all my extra characters and possibly go play another mmo. If you think I'm alone in this then I invite you to stand next to the goblin npc and see just how many people check that goblin every day, they enjoy it.

While I am of the opinion that handing out items and gear via the goblin chest has a negative impact on the game that doesn't mean I abstain from receiving my fair share of those rewards. I don't WANT to be given anything for free, I want to earn it, but let's be frank here, I'll spend the 10 seconds or so to check the goblin chest every time I login for my shot at millions of gil or useful piece of gear just like you.

Also having obtained some items from the boxes it encouraged me to actually try solo some of these monsters for other items and I've been killing them, the event not only gave me some freebies and lots of upgrade materials but also the push to try something I thought I could not do before.

That's not so much encouragement as it is a reminder that said content does indeed exist. You need only open up your Records of Eminence quest log for that.

Hypothetically speaking, getting a Jovian abjuration: body from the goblin wouldn't encourage me to go fight the monster that drops it - why spend millions on pop items or hours farming them when I already got what I wanted, so how exactly is my server/world better off in this case?

the idea that if not for these freebies all the players would be doing these fights is laughable and shows how little you understand the playerbase of this game.

The views I expressed in this thread are mine and mine alone, I don't understand why you would think otherwise. Unless I'm mistaken, none of us here are officially representing larger groups of players.

[Crica]

The casual and solo/duo friendly nature of the game, by your own admission, is all the reason you need to login and play. If you need free stuff thrown at you to keep you logging in then the argument can be made the game isn't as fun as you make it out to be. It's all about the journey, not the goal, and that journey is completely removed when the goal is handed out simply for logging in.



1. That's a selfish view of the game. If you want an item and I am selling said item your being granted that item by a goblin chest does indeed have an impact on me. That's just basic supply and demand. We're playing on servers/worlds with thousands of other people, everything we do has an impact of some sort on the world around us and just because you can't see it doesn't mean it isn't there.

2. Why wouldn't you play with me or anyone like me (whatever that means)?



While I am of the opinion that handing out items and gear via the goblin chest has a negative impact on the game that doesn't mean I abstain from receiving my fair share of those rewards. I don't WANT to be given anything for free, I want to earn it, but let's be frank here, I'll spend the 10 seconds or so to check the goblin chest every time I login for my shot at millions of gil or useful piece of gear just like you.



That's not so much encouragement as it is a reminder that said content does indeed exist. You need only open up your Records of Eminence quest log for that.

Hypothetically speaking, getting a Jovian abjuration: body from the goblin wouldn't encourage me to go fight the monster that drops it - why spend millions on pop items or hours farming them when I already got what I wanted, so how exactly is my server/world better off in this case?



The views I expressed in this thread are mine and mine alone, I don't understand why you would think otherwise. Unless I'm mistaken, none of us here are officially representing larger groups of players.

there are many players out there that would never play with you or ppl like you because they are not social players - they are solo players - i am one of those players

i have zero interest in the small talk it takes to even begin playing with social players, let alone the patience it takes to either wait for them to learn what i do or me learn what they do so we can begin playing together

even if the "free handouts" were not a part of the game anymore, solo players would STILL not play with social players, so i don't agree that removing them from the game would do anything other then make sure that solo players have LESS reason to log in

why would they have less reason to log in? because the entire game is NOT solo friendly without a few powerups along the way, powerups that just are not able to be gotten via solo play

and if its hurting social players to have a few items handed to them for free once in a while, then that is their own lack of self control that is the issue, imo

[Diavolo]

why would they have less reason to log in? because the entire game is NOT solo friendly without a few powerups along the way, powerups that just are not able to be gotten via solo play

You consider the goblin chest a "power up"?

The game is solo friendly, no "power ups" needed. I completed Rhapsodies of Vana'diel solo last November with one of my mules using ilevel 118 gear purchased from the AH.

Wouldn't you be more satisfied taking down an NM for your gear rather than having it given to you?