Item Levels

[Camate]

Greetings,

Below is a follow-up from Producer Akihiko Matsui.

Hello, Matsui here.

Thank you for all of the replies.

I'm not quite sure if I will be able to explain this properly by writing it, but I would like to make a follow-up post to my previous comment.

Many of you that continue to play and enjoy FINAL FANTASY XI have at some point in time cast off your shyness and became players who made a breakthrough by forming parties and participating in pick-up groups.
　
At the current point in time, Delve is the highest level content (from both a difficulty and reward standpoint, as well as a cost perspective), but whether we should make this content something that needs an alliance is definitely something that has been discussed within the team.　

Players feel like the threshold for entry is set quite high when taking into consideration the current trend of how people play now. However, since there were suggestions to make content similar to Dynamis, we ultimately decided to proceed by making alliance-based content.

Of course, with recent MMOs, it's possible to reach high levels while playing solo and players aren't spending a lot of time making parties because of the ability to auto-group up for large battles. While it definitely makes it easy to play, we are lacking too many things to be able to reach that point.

We have two goals in mind:
Create content that will excite players enough to join up with others again.
Create content that lets you discover the fun aspects because others are with you.
From the beginning, and with these goals in mind, the staff strove to make Delve into this type of content.

With that said, in regards to Delve, there is no need for all players to be able to clear it at the same exact time. Once the top players have played through it, the staff would like to make it so a larger number of players are able to complete it as well.　
　
On the other hand, we feel it's necessary to increase the amount of content for solo and low-man groups immediately, as well as supplement them with equipment that is not exactly on par with Delve but is of a significant content level.

The gap between players that have been playing this content and those who are trying to catch up is increasingly widening.

With that said, instead of rushing to add on to Delve, our highest priority is to spend that time to create other variations of content to supplement the content (item) levels (similar to how there was a variety of content at level 75 and 99 in the past). Also, we feel the need to first create content to revamp (enhance) relics, mythics, empryeans, and job-specific armor.

While I'm repeating myself, we would like to fill in the gaps that have been created by adding content where you can achieve your goals by putting your time in, and adding content choices so you can progress with the play style that suits you (for example, skipping content that you're not interested in).

While it's important to proceed with the original plans, I feel it's also extremely important to prioritize implementation based on the feedback of those that are playing right now, so please let us know what content you would like to play solo or low-man and other feedback as well.　

We really look forward to reading your sincere opinions.

[Zhronne]

With that said, instead of rushing to add on to Delve, our highest priority is to spend that time to create other variations of content to supplement the content (item) levels (similar to how there was a variety of content at level 75 and 99 in the past). Also, we feel the need to first create content to revamp (enhance) relics, mythics, empryeans, and job-specific armor.

Didn't you say in the past that RME would have been automatically updated? Now you're talking about specific content to revamp it?
Need something to keep player "busy" right, otherwise they'll complain about the lack of content and you'll be under pressure to develop it.
While releasing more things that, while not being trial of the magian, have similarly retarded conditions is very fast for you to develop.
Smart!
Sarcasm aside, I'm at least glad to learn that you guys are appearently working on revamping job specific gear. Altough your post is so generic I don't want to get my hopes too high yet.

But aside from that, what does all of this post have to do with the constructive criticism you've been receiving over this thread? It's almost as if you didn't read it at all.
Not that I was hoping for some surprising reply, after all things have gone too far already with the mistake you and your development team did and that you perfectly expressed in your previous post (excessive vertical itemization, versus the previous model that worked very well for FFXI for over 11 years).

[Rwolf]

Greetings,

Below is a follow-up from Producer Akihiko Matsui.

.....

While it's important to proceed with the original plans, I feel it's also extremely important to prioritize implementation based on the feedback of those that are playing right now, so please let us know what content you would like to play solo or low-man and other feedback as well.

Things I would personally like to see become completely 6man, low-man and solo (completely underlined because some parts of the following I am aware are already.)

Zeni Notorious Monsters
Sealed Container Notorious Monsters
Moblin Maze Mongers
Campaign Ops Battlefields (Cracking Shells, Splitting Heirs, Plucking Wings, Fiat Lux)
Voidwatch
Assault
Nyzul Isle Investigation
Original Salvage
Legion

[Nebo]

Many of you that continue to play and enjoy FINAL FANTASY XI have at some point in time cast off your shyness and became players who made a breakthrough by forming parties and participating in pick-up groups......

Of course, with recent MMOs, it's possible to reach high levels while playing solo and players aren't spending a lot of time making parties because of the ability to auto-group up for large battles. While it definitely makes it easy to play, we are lacking too many things to be able to reach that point.

A couple of comments regarding group forming:

Leaders

FFXI is a complex game with a lot of depth and a large learning curve. Because the game does not help you to form groups in any way (and in fact hinders you in many ways), the system fundamentally depends on group leaders.

FFXI needs group leaders to function. Without them, everything comes to a grinding halt....endgame....casual play...the economy....everything.

(That would be bad for business)

The overwhelming majority of the player base does not read forums or web sites to research information about FFXI. Most of us don't even have a solid, basic understanding of fundamental game mechanics.

Leading groups is the single most difficult task in all of Vana'diel...and the single greatest reason people sit around town afk just waiting for shouts, doing nothing. For most of us, is much too daunting a task. Most of FFXI players lack the skills, knowledge, or confidence needed to form a 6 man Party for en event....let alone putting the right 18 jobs and the right 18 people together, point them towards an event and lead the charge.

And in FFXI, we ask a LOT of our leaders. There are so many things a leader has to have expertise with and put up with (it is simply overwhelming to your average gamer):

• Battle Strategies
• All Alliance Job Roles
• Human Resources Management
• Loot Distribution
• Conflict resolution
• Scheduling
• Organizing
• Patience
• Willingness to /shout or /yell for multiple hours upon hours just to get ONE alliance to do ONE event - This is a big one
• Dealing with stress and pressure of alliance members expectations resting solely on YOUR shoulders.

The list goes on.

Here's the thing about these leaders...the people that Square Enix NEEDS to keep or this game will surely fall apart completely:

They are R/E/M holders.

And most put a lot of work into completing them...Cue SoA release and your new Dev team just "decided" to make NM drop weapons that surpass R/E/Ms in the name of "vertical progression."

If you do not correct this mistake...I suspect most of those group leaders will eventually quit. Because for years and years they did their job for you. Over and over and over and over. They overcame your game's group building design flaws, lead countless groups/linkshells and events while accomplishing those 99 R/E/Ms.

TLDR: R/E/M Holders need their shinnies to stay shiny and we need them to lead our groups. If you make them leave...FFXI dies. No question.

And did I read that right? You are thinking of developing new content to add ADDITIONAL TRIALS to upgrade REM weapons?

Seriously!? NO!

Job Adjustments

The other issue is job adjustments. Another major factor contributing to the difficulty of forming and finding groups for content is this: many people are passionate about playing and gearing jobs that aren't valuable in endgame content...only a handful of current jobs are worth an alliance slot in endgame events.

I am a Thief main. I do not enjoy playing on Bard at all. Guess what job I've been stuck on since Delve came out?...Mostly Bard.

^ This is what happens to people. They get stuck on jobs they DON'T want to play to get gear for the jobs they DO want to play...only they never get to PLAY the jobs they love and they get burnt out...eventually quitting.

A wider variety of jobs needs to be made viable in endgame content. Based on your stated goals, this should be priority number 1.

Making it easier for people to participate on the jobs that they love will invariably make them more motivated to form (and join) groups by virtue of being able to play the jobs that they love in endgame content...something they cannot do now.

If you can correct this (MAJOR, FUNDAMENTAL) design flaw, you will accomplish your goals just doing that alone.

[Duelle]

Job Adjustments

The other issue is job adjustments. Another major factor contributing to the difficulty of forming and finding groups for content is this: many people are passionate about playing and gearing jobs that aren't valuable in endgame content...only a handful of current jobs are worth an alliance slot in endgame events.

I am a Thief main. I do not enjoy playing on Bard at all. Guess what job I've been stuck on since Delve came out?...Mostly Bard.

^ This is what happens to people. They get stuck on jobs they DON'T want to play to get gear for the jobs they DO want to play...only they never get to PLAY the jobs they love and they get burnt out...eventually quitting.

A wider variety of jobs needs to be made viable in endgame content. Based on your stated goals, this should be priority number 1.

Making it easier for people to participate on the jobs that they love will invariably make them more motivated to form (and join) groups by virtue of being able to play the jobs that they love in endgame content...something they cannot do now.

If you can correct this (MAJOR, FUNDAMENTAL) design flaw, you will accomplish your goals just doing that alone.

I'll agree and add my own words as well.

Long Version: As a Red Mage, I've endured not only the identity crisis my job has felt since the first job revamp, but continuing misconceptions perpetuated by the playerbase and the developers doing nothing about it. We sat through the entirey of TAU being a refresh and cure-bot for parties. We spent more of the same during WotG while both camps (pro-caster and pro-melee) tore into each other. Abyssea gave us a reset and a chance to get our purpose in the game fleshed out, and instead we were allowed to fade into obscurity and uselessness. Then Tanaka returned and gave us a mistranslated job manifesto ("adept at self-enhancing through magic" does not translate to "turns their allies to demigods", by the way).

I doubt I'm alone in feeling this, as there are people not only within the RDM community, but with jobs like PUP and BST and SMN and THF that wish more could be done with their jobs to make them relevant and fun while giving room for the varying playstyles in the cases of the more versatile jobs.

In my case, I like swinging my rapier while bringing utility to the fray over standing in the back and spamming spells. I for one would like it to actually be useful to a party instead of being the shameful thing I get to do by myself. You've attempted to give us cheap imitations in the past. Now it's time to fix RDM.

Short version: Focus on fixing jobs. I don't mind the developer team bringing out new content, but with the gross imbalance of participation in events, that should really be priority #1. People do derive more fun when they are playing a class or playstyle they enjoy over being forced to play something they are not interested in.

[ShadePUP]

I'll agree and add my own words as well.

Long Version: As a Red Mage, I've endured not only the identity crisis my job has felt since the first job revamp, but continuing misconceptions perpetuated by the playerbase and the developers doing nothing about it. We sat through the entirey of TAU being a refresh and cure-bot for parties. We spent more of the same during WotG while both camps (pro-caster and pro-melee) tore into each other. Abyssea gave us a reset and a chance to get our purpose in the game fleshed out, and instead we were allowed to fade into obscurity and uselessness. Then Tanaka returned and gave us a mistranslated job manifesto ("adept at self-enhancing through magic" does not translate to "turns their allies to demigods", by the way).

I doubt I'm alone in feeling this, as there are people not only within the RDM community, but with jobs like PUP and BST and SMN and THF that wish more could be done with their jobs to make them relevant and fun while giving room for the varying playstyles in the cases of the more versatile jobs.

In my case, I like swinging my rapier while bringing utility to the fray over standing in the back and spamming spells. I for one would like it to actually be useful to a party instead of being the shameful thing I get to do by myself. You've attempted to give us cheap imitations in the past. Now it's time to fix RDM.

Short version: Focus on fixing jobs. I don't mind the developer team bringing out new content, but with the gross imbalance of participation in events, that should really be priority #1. People do derive more fun when they are playing a class or playstyle they enjoy over being forced to play something they are not interested in.

I agree with you about that a job adjustment is needed. I originally played pup and I was very knowledgeable about it That was before abby came out. After abby came out I became unable to do anything on it so i was forced to play jobs that I did not care for as much as pup. And now I got 12 99s at least 10 of which i do not enjoy playing 100% of the time. I have tried to adjust with the demands of the game then i just get laughed at by ppls that have all this shiney junk. I have been laughed at since 75 as pup back then i accepted it but at same time i was holding my own in end game content. This was back when you could enter Dynamis with only reservations. And all HNMs were still time window spawns.