Seriously devs - the balance

[Kaizersan]

Yea I am sure everyone here has noticed that most of the dev responses we get are just copy and paste translations from JP asked question so really unless you can write japanese and post in the JP section your calls fall on deaf ears.

[Alhanelem]

No, they're not copy and past translations. They're professional translations made by people who understand the language. It's not like they use google trasnlate or something. And they have on a number of occasions, specifically forwarded questions we've made, not just ones that were asked on the jp forum.

[FrankReynolds]

No, they're not copy and past translations. They're professional translations made by people who understand the language. It's not like they use google trasnlate or something. And they have on a number of occasions, specifically forwarded questions we've made, not just ones that were asked on the jp forum.

yeah, once in a while they post a translation of a response to a JP question, and someone in the english forum goes "Hey, did you mean X...?" and the translator comes back a day later with "yes". other than that, I can read all the responses that we get the day before in the JP forums, because they are all direct responses to JP questions. It's actually pretty comedic how they just post the responses in any thread that is even remotely connected on the english side even if it completely derails the original topic..

[Kaizersan]

No, they're not copy and past translations. They're professional translations made by people who understand the language. It's not like they use google trasnlate or something. And they have on a number of occasions, specifically forwarded questions we've made, not just ones that were asked on the jp forum.

The fact remains that 99% of the posted answers come from JP asked questions and answers the questions answered for us generally get vauge responses.

[Babekeke]

No, they're not copy and past translations. They're professional translations made by people who understand the language. It's not like they use google trasnlate or something. And they have on a number of occasions, specifically forwarded questions we've made, not just ones that were asked on the jp forum.

The translators do indeed forward our questions and responses to polls etc. The dev team however, appears to promptly ignore them.

[Molech]

Lol SE doesn't know the first thing about "Balance" thats why I just bust out laughing uncontrollably everytime I see the dev's or community reps use that dreaded word.

Game is about to be 10 years old in japan this may and they still don't know what to do with the jobs as many are still terrible, they still don't take feedback properly(Hi2U bst jug pet debacle). People loved the Abyssea model but heres more tiers of Voidwatch.

[uptempo]

People like that mug Hayward make me sick just because you don't like hnms doesn't mean they shouldn't be in the game for god sake man no one would make you do them. There is no reason not to add new hnms nothing forces anyone to do them all they need to do is make there drops available in some other event like they did back at 75 with einherjar then both sets of people are happy.

I swear people like you make me so sick just because you didn't approve of them means they must be banished for good.

[Buffy]

I really enjoyed Abyssea. Some people will say that is because that was the game in easy mode, and perhaps they are right. However, I played every day for the year or so from when abyssea got rolling (2nd expansion bringing about AF3), tri-boxing and wishing for more. I helped with many empy weapons and countless +2.

Voidwatch is evil. The drop rates and methods of obtaining gear are unkind to put it mildly. This is a return to old-school dynamis, just under the name of something different. Dynamis was originally a linkshell based, alliance worthy event, where drop rates were horrible, everyone got trolled with bst gloves x4, and the common drop (currency) was in such high demand that the event was repeated over and over out of need well past anyone's desire for armor.

How many people talk about doing Dynamis-Xarcbard for 3 months trying to get thief gloves? (Before the multiple dynamis revamps of the last couple years) This is what we have returned to with voidwatch. It is a linkshell-based (although more shout friendly then dynamis was imo), alliance level event where your gear drops are random and the common drop (heavy metal plates) is in high demand for someone's weapon (or shield, or horn, etc).

The lack of progress is de-motivating to me. I've cancelled 2 of my 3 accounts, and don't enjoy voidwatch because there is no way to make (well, feel like you are making) progress. On a bad night in abyssea, you walk out with some KI and can try again. On an average night you walk out with some full pop sets ready to go or you are 3/6 on some hand +2 that you are working on.

The progress is palpable and measurable.

The lack of perceptable progress (with the exception of upgrading your abyssite) is frustrating. I don't mind doing 100 x nm to get someone (or myself) a piece of gear (Hello Sobek). I mind doing 100 x NM and not knowing if you're going to be done.

This is my single greatest frustration with FFXI's direction and the way the devs handle the game. I would very much like the cure potency/cure casting time body piece that comes from voidwatch (the Rare/EX one). However, based on what I've seen so far, I have a better chance of stabbing myself in the heart with a steak knife and living then I do of obtaining that item within a reasonable (100?) number of runs.

What is so wrong with an ichor-like concept that is exchangeable for a specific item. Earn 1000 itchy-cruor per fight of one specific NM. If you fight Akvan 100 times without receiving the item you want and have 100,000 itchy-cruor, I can exchange it for the cure potency body I want.

Why is this bad?

Just let me feel like I'm making progress, that's all I want. The despair (far too strong a word, but the right sentiment) of seeing crap in your treasure chest dozens of times in a row is infuriating.

[Camiie]

What is so wrong with an ichor-like concept that is exchangeable for a specific item. Earn 1000 itchy-cruor per fight of one specific NM. If you fight Akvan 100 times without receiving the item you want and have 100,000 itchy-cruor, I can exchange it for the cure potency body I want.

Why is this bad?

Just let me feel like I'm making progress, that's all I want. The despair (far too strong a word, but the right sentiment) of seeing crap in your treasure chest dozens of times in a row is infuriating.

Some people would be against it, because earning gear through anything other than completely random and low low low drop rates is somehow akin to having relics/mythics mailed to your Mog House when you first start the game. To them, earning gear over time through a points system isn't earning it at all. It makes gear too accessible to the commoners, of which such gear should be out of reach. It would somehow mean everyone would be done with everything in a week, even if the points system made that impossible, and everyone would quit.

They're wrong, of course... and idiots... but that's pretty much why.

[Crysten]

Some people would be against it, because earning gear through anything other than completely random and low low low drop rates is somehow akin to having relics/mythics mailed to your Mog House when you first start the game. To them, earning gear over time through a points system isn't earning it at all. It makes gear too accessible to the commoners, of which such gear should be out of reach. It would somehow mean everyone would be done with everything in a week, even if the points system made that impossible, and everyone would quit.

They're wrong, of course... and idiots... but that's pretty much why.

That's pretty much what's left of the HNM stigma, yeah.

What is so wrong with having the prospect of progression in a game like this? To use your analogy, low, low drop rates are akin to winning a Mog Bonanza every time you log into the game.

Voidwatch drops, and to an extent Walk of Echoes, are a game of chance, nothing more. I could do Voidwrought 200 times and be in the exact same position as when I started - no closer to any of my goals and practically tearing my hair out. I've been through this enough in old FFXI and I got a harsh taste of reality when I went to do my Black Belt post HNM revamp. I'll tell you now, after over 3000 Kindred Seals, 8 Wyrms, 8 Fafnirs, 21 Chlevniks, 21 Behemoths, 1 King Behemoth, 4 Adamantoises and 1 Aspid, my reaction to finally finishing was not one of joy, but one of "THANK GOD THAT'S OVER." Each time I killed one of the NMs, my heart sank just that little bit more and I very nearly quit the game by the end of it all. I look back at my Black Belt not with fond memories, but as one hell of a lot of wasted time.

In comparison, my Empyreans and my Relic were much less painful as I was making progress little by little, day by day. I could see how far I was getting and this gave the motivation I needed to keep going, despite the events being boring as hell. I will tell you now that if I had to kill Voidwrought, Qilin or whatever other VWNM 200 times to guarantee me the drop I wanted, you could sign me up rght now. Einherjar's Ichor system and to a lesser extent, Assault Points, were some of the best ideas SE had to make gear more accessible and it's sad they didn't take advantage of it more.

While people say people would quit if they got things too fast, the opposite holds true just as much - you cockblock people enough and there's a point they say "No more" and simply walk away out of frustration. Voidwatch is a perfect example of this, especially with the element of cocktease you get when that fulltime WHM that doesn't have a DD job gets that rare body piece!

I think people overreact when they say "stop asking for easy mode, you noobs!" We're not asking for a silver platter - we're asking for a realistic reward in regards to time invested. That would give me no end of reason to keep playing the game now and into the future. You keep cockblocking people with artificial and unfair roadblocks, and they're gone.

EDIT:: I completely misread the post - I'm actually totally agreeing with you. Herpderp. xD