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  1. #1
    Player
    zzen's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Posts
    14
    Character
    Aeriys Kittyhawk
    World
    Masamune
    Main Class
    Marauder Lv 23

    A few things need to fix for FF14 to be more enjoyable

    FF14 fails for MMORPG.

    It’s not about how good the graphic looks, how detail the environment looks, BUT the game play, socializing, character progression, involvement and development.
    Players would like to feel they are involved in game world, they want to feel being important and part of the story.
    It’s sad that to begin with, FF14 failed at the story head on. I didn’t get the story nor have I the time to read all the text displayed at start. The main story line if there is one stopped at very beginning stage. There is no indication of events of what should happen next, neither a guide for players to the next point through quests, to me the story somehow ended before I set out for the world.

    Then comes combat, it is more linear and boring combat system I have seen in all MMORPG. I don’t have to mention graphical effects; just targeting system itself can prove much of a drag. And I can't seen my action bar, I cant track down what skills I have readied.

    FF14 is not an UI friendly game just like FF11. So many hot keys and graphical icons needed for this game. FF14 purely is just text.

    Interact with environment (PvE) is time consuming and seems take days to do almost everything in this game. For example, you chop a tree to get logs. You will find out it’s a mini game before you get some decent grinds. SE puts a challenge where it should be simplified. This is the reason why craftings are so time consuming but not fun.

    Class such as carpenter, alchemist, and weaver…etc should be a crafting skills rather than a class. And too many craft skills can be learned and explore, that FF14 does not have a focus on class orientation. It seems flexible to have many choices, but you will lose your way.

    There is a limit needs to be set for players’ choice of class and progression, so a character can have “path” to be this or that with enhancement from crafting skills. With FF14, there is no such boundary; you can be anyone any class, without a focus. Sometimes too many choices result you don’t know what to choose.

    Where things should be simple, like main cities, (they are too big and too complicated) there is none. Cities are lacking directory like NPCs for players to find places. (If I want to find a blacksmith, NPC will mark it on my map) Exploring FF14 takes hours of running on foot and map compass is too small to reveal the path ahead. I have to open map frequently to see the road ahead. Travel between major cities also not indicated. A simple quest ask player to take a letter to a city on chocobo ride will demonstrate that.

    The only good thing about FF14 is character models, graphic details of environment.

    Sums up: FF14 failed at major concerns in MMORPG: battle system, questing/story/lore, less grind more action, levelling and socialising. FF 14 prevailed at environment details and graphics which is secondary concern. If game play sucks who cares about cool looking environment?

    Below are detailed points of what I found out in this game:

    Combat system in FF14
    1. Combat is very linear, static not much of challenge or interest. (Basically just kill mob or grind) Targeting system is a disappointment. (You have to click a spell or skill then CLICK back on the mob, not to mention you miss clicked)

    Action bar is too small, won't reveal itself unless you double click a target. Spell or skill graphic icon is too small as well.

    Description of spell or skill is lacking proper definition of numbers. (eg. Fire spell, it should have a number tells how much damage it does and increase by how much depends on magic potency.)

    2. There is no intencity during the fight, mobs look scary but doesn't do much "scary" things.

    3. Spell/skill effect is lack of imagination. They are too complicated when all appear on screen at once.

    Guildleves: (Quest)
    1. There's no quest relate to explore the game content and leads player in progress of story. And worst of all, there is a cool down, 48 hours before you can do more quests. This will limit enjoyable time if there is any.

    2. Quest lack of proper set out, a journal screen displays quest information, but "too many words" and you have to ready them all before you get to the objectives.

    3. The introduction quest happens at beginning stage of play some how "stopped'. There is no lead afterwards. It doesn't take you elsewhere to dig deeper into the story/lore.
    It seems more like an event rather than story. Does any one read that story word by word to get what it is all about? (Too much texts on screen, lacking voice over)

    4. No group quest I have seen so far, everyone just mind their own businesses.

    5. If you d/c or logged out during activation of Guildleves, you failed the quest. And this setting sucks.

    Interactivity:
    1. There is not much interactivity between environment and players. It’s a beautiful looking world, but does not offer any attraction or point of interest you can interact with. (eg. Mining, logging points are too less, lack of easy tracking system)
    2. Mining, logging, harvesting…etc are like a mini game themselves. In world of warcraft style: a lumberjack profession simply equips an axe and chops a tree, after a cast bar depletes, you get the loot. Simple and easy, not time consuming. This puts less stress on grind.
    3. Profession has limited utility in this game. Not to mention the impact a profession relate to a certain class. (For example: A robe for Conjurer with Lv5 Weaving is helpful to players and makes them want to get ingredients to craft.) The end product must have certain utility to prove worthwhile. A bad example from FF14 is, Carpentry: you get a maple log, cut it into planks, then what do you do with it? Gils you made from selling planks hardly cover the log it self. (Flour is expensive than bread) And there is no available recipe for planks to be craft into attainable items. If there is, I can’t see them available by trainer. This makes crafting harder and boring.
    4. Switching between professions needs a related tool to be equipped. This is time consuming and repeated work.

    UI
    1. Lack of hot keys for Character screen, quest/Guildleves, Attributes/status…etc.
    2. Lack of chat channels in general where I cannot see verbal communication in FF14 world. A linkshell maybe their new idea, but I don’t know how to make it work, at least it should be simple form like a chart channel. I haven’t talked to any one or heard anyone typing a lot in FF14.
    3. FF14 needs more graphic display icons rather than texts.
    4. Camera movement is not flexible; you can’t run forward while looking at back. No free look around while a character is walking/running. If this function is available, please make it obvious without toggle on. (eg. hold mouse right click and turn camera around as default setting)

    Reward and Loot, Inventory management
    1. Drops from mob is messy, it does not have classification of trash items or ingredients for crafting. I run out of space in inventory so fast because I don’t know which one I should sell.
    2. Quest/Guildleves offers rewards lacks gear that can improve a character attributes and looking.(that’s most players would want, a cool looking weapon does nasty damage or an armor piece enhance your looking)
    3. Inventory item looked too small in graphic icons, and again too many texts.

    Socialising:
    1. No chart activities seen in chart box. The world literally is in silence.
    2. Haven’t found any indication about guild/company, how to form up or how to join.
    3. There is no group quest or dungeon that will force people to come together to explore.
    (5)

  2. #2
    Player
    zzen's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Posts
    14
    Character
    Aeriys Kittyhawk
    World
    Masamune
    Main Class
    Marauder Lv 23
    The first online MMORPG I played was FF11, and it sucks. Seems FF14 shares similar experiences. Does SE ever learn from players all around the world?
    (1)

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by zzen View Post
    The first online MMORPG I played was FF11, and it sucks. Seems FF14 shares similar experiences. Does SE ever learn from players all around the world?
    It doesn't matter. If XI sucked it would have ended service especially in this day and age. MMOs that suck, even back in the day, didn't run for 9 years.

    How to make XIV more enjoyable?

    Return the basic systems from XI
    Add content

    That's about it, a lot of what you want is stuff that makes other MMOs feel generic because they all do it. Why do I need to see 10 rows of spell and abilities? Oh and no, I don't need the game telling me the exact damage ability and spells will do, no real RPG does, at the most it will tell you a damage cap.
    (2)

  4. #4
    Player
    Gramul's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Ul'dah
    Posts
    5,203
    Character
    Eisen Gramul
    World
    Hyperion
    Main Class
    Blacksmith Lv 90
    You need to keep up with the updates and Letters from the Producer.
    (0)

  5. #5
    Player
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
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    3,208
    There is lore your just not reading it. Combat is getting fixed. An most mmo do require click skill then mob, this allows fore off target targeting. There isn't a general chat in ffxiv, and there is Linkshell npc who are marked.... to start a LS which is where most of the socializing takes place.
    (2)
    Last edited by Kilta_Firelotus; 05-02-2011 at 01:25 PM.

  6. #6
    Player
    Cairdeas's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Limsa Lominsa
    Posts
    2,759
    Character
    Julie Nymphiel
    World
    Balmung
    Main Class
    Marauder Lv 60
    I'm just going to bullet point my counter arguments to most of your arguments instead of just trying to number them like yours.

    Yes The Graphics are Awesome.

    Currently there are no defined roles by Characters because you are supposed to dictate it yourself. Your building a character not a class. Your experiances from everything you do in game are supposed to reflect on how powerful you are. You do not magically forget everything you learned to do with Magic just because you picked up a Sword. Thats ludicrous. I personally love the Armoury System as it is, but see where people are having problems which is why SE is releasing the Job System in the future, to allow a player to dictate easily to others what their role is and to give them a path to follow should they so chose. But it should be the choice of the player to do so, not a forced limitation by the game.

    Guild Leves are not the only Quests in the game right now. We have Local Leves (Crafting), Regional Leves (Combat), Regional Leves (Gathering), Faction Leves (NM's), Story Line Quest/Missions, Side-Quests, Behests, Guild Tasks, and soon will have Company and Dungeon Quests.

    The UI is lacking, they have already said they are developing a Keyboard friendly UI and one that more optimized for Gamepads. Right now the one we have is a hybrid. But it leans more to being more useful for Controllers.

    A lot of people, including the gaming press actually applaud the interactivity of the Crafting and Gathering Classes. As it means you have more control over the outcome of a event instead of it being completely RNG. There is still RNG in place but you do have some control, even if its illusionary or negligible. A Full blown Recipe book is coming soon for players in game but you will have to have crafted the item yourself once, or an NPC told you it first.

    Most of your complaints about Combat are UI based and as stated they are working on that.

    All items in XIV right now are Craftable if they are tradable. No item is a dedicated "Trash Item" some one some where can use something that drops. Side-Quests do over gear for players to use. But XIV is a craft based game, most of your gear is going to come from crafters not from quests, or drops.

    Linkshells are what you are calling Guilds. Companies are NPC linkshells basically, but they are not fully released yet. If you need a linkshell just shout for one in town someone will offer you one. If your looking to start your own then here. http://ffxiv.gamerescape.com/wiki/Linkshell

    Right now the game is limited to rank 50. the intended final Level is guessed to be around 99. Because theres already monsters in the game that are that high. Theres also gear in the data files that shows gear for those levels.
    (5)
    I have to thank Square-Enix for the amazing job they have done recreating Final Fantasy XIV from Scratch. Especially the inclusion of Missing Genders which we petitioned for in good faith. This was proof to us players that the Developers are truly Sympathetic to our requests and that being honest and vocal can pay off with the amazing characters we have who are Female Roegadyn, Male Miqote, and Female Highlanders. Thank You SE, Thank You Community Team, Thank You Yoshi-P.

  7. #7
    Player
    Joe_Cool's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Posts
    115
    Character
    Jojo Cool
    World
    Hyperion
    Main Class
    Conjurer Lv 15
    Quote Originally Posted by Cairdeas View Post
    You do not magically forget everything you learned to do with Magic just because you picked up a Sword. Thats ludicrous.
    Nicely said and I hope SE keeps the job/class system the same in that regard.
    (1)

  8. #8
    Player
    zzen's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Posts
    14
    Character
    Aeriys Kittyhawk
    World
    Masamune
    Main Class
    Marauder Lv 23
    Thanks for explaining, I'm a new player to FF 14. Just a first hand experience that I get lost very easily in this game. Especially available quests you can do is limited by timer. The progression is slow, and this discourage me from playing FF 14.
    (0)

  9. #9
    Player
    Cairdeas's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Limsa Lominsa
    Posts
    2,759
    Character
    Julie Nymphiel
    World
    Balmung
    Main Class
    Marauder Lv 60
    Quote Originally Posted by zzen View Post
    Thanks for explaining, I'm a new player to FF 14. Just a first hand experience that I get lost very easily in this game. Especially available quests you can do is limited by timer. The progression is slow, and this discourage me from playing FF 14.
    Even that is wrong though.

    Regional and Local Leves *8 Each totalling 16* Get reset every 36 hours (Not 48) So that they alternate for Prime time back and forth between Japan and the US.

    Side Quests are one time quests and have no time resets.

    Story missions are one time quests with no time resets.

    Behests are every 30 minutes at all the camps.

    Company Quests are not released yet just the lore quests to unlock them.

    Dungeon quests are not released yet.

    Guild Tasks reset every day at 6am PST IIRC?
    (2)
    I have to thank Square-Enix for the amazing job they have done recreating Final Fantasy XIV from Scratch. Especially the inclusion of Missing Genders which we petitioned for in good faith. This was proof to us players that the Developers are truly Sympathetic to our requests and that being honest and vocal can pay off with the amazing characters we have who are Female Roegadyn, Male Miqote, and Female Highlanders. Thank You SE, Thank You Community Team, Thank You Yoshi-P.

  10. #10
    Player
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
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    3,208
    To ad there are TONs of markers on the map, if you need repairs look for the digi hammer icon (npc) or just put your stuff up. Its funny that you condradict your self, you want quests/guildleves for exploring... but then do not want to waste time exploring the cities.

    Also i just started but I know some of the story in each of the cities. A game doesn't need VO to be good.

    LL: talks of fishback attacks, The sea monster and possible treason are main keys to the story line. Aswell as you see the rivalry of the muscketeers and pirates.

    Ul'dah: mostly about the goobue attack, why it happen, Other occurances such as a mine cave in.

    Gridania: talks of elementals, moogles, the forest coming alive, and about a festival and rite of clensing.

    Thats what I got so far from each city. Overall the story line is we are adventuers/ mercenaries keeping up our training after the garlean empire only attacked Ala mihgo.
    (1)

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