Interim Report – Sorry to keep you all waiting!

[Psxpert2011]

solo contenttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt

/unlike

MORE party conteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeent!!!

Or play soloooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!

[Eyeballed]

The fun of a game should not be in the goal at the end, but in the journey too that goal.

This can be applied to real life in a very sound regard, and a notion that I'm sure every person with an ounce of wisdom on the planet is aware of. The journey is not just a means to an end - it is the defining characteristic of those ends. But people today don't understand this, apparently.

[Arcon]

http://penny-arcade.com/patv/episode...cing-for-skill

I beg you to check out this link. It really is relevant for the current state FFXI is in. "Fooing" is the name of the game in FFXI now. There are so many exploits now it makes my head spin. People have already proven you can climb the latter to level 99 in TWO days just from leeching alone... and now they want to speed it up more?

Two days if you're in crappy leech parties. 10 hours if you're in a decent one.

You have the very same misconception as every single player that has ever brought the EXP argument though, namely that EXP somehow trains the player. It doesn't. It trains the character, nothing else. You do not pick up skill in EXP, and there was no point in FFXI history when you ever did, and I've explained before, why this is the case.

Slow down the leveling process but add content along the way is entertaining for ALL playing levels.

There's two ways to do that. Either add new content for lower levels, which would mean leveling up will exclude higher levels from doing that content, or offer the same content but make it scale to level, which would remove the desire to level up at all. Why waste a month to get to 99, when you can do the same crap at 20?

That way players of ALL levels... level 20-99 can unite and play beside one another and have... dare I say it... fun.

Your definition of fun is not shared by the majority of players (I am of course extrapolating by what I see on here). That does not work, and it cannot work by definition. It's why campaign is completely dominated by whoever is the highest level around. It makes it boring for lower level players, and a drag for high level players.

When people are not in group events like this (and are in downtime), bring back the 6 party dynamic again but, please do away with the current archaic of searching for party members. There should be no need to type in a string of syntaxes to find players willing to party. Add a new form of GUI that replaces the old one. Players should be able to flag quests/missions etc they need help in and it should show up on a global board (or even a chat room). That way players can co-ordinate and meet up with ease to tackle certain group centric goals with a click of a mouse.

If I need help with a mission, I should be able to choose it from a list and flag it. It then should appear on a global board for all to see and assist if they need help with the same thing. The same could go for leveling parties. Have people enter a desired amount of people they need to level with and other players could just fill the list until the limit is reaches (six people or less).

I agree with the UI update, but it would not change much about how the game is played or enjoyed.

The fun of a game should not be in the goal at the end, but in the journey too that goal. Currently FFXI lacks that from 20-99 and placing a "speed" band-aid on it just makes things worse not better.

Again, completely wrong. The fun is in the journey, it's your misconception that leveling to 99 is the journey (this is to you as well, Eyeballed). Doing missions, winning battlefields, progressing through events and building your character by improving on skill and gear, that is the journey, not watching an arbitrary number climb from 1 to 99. Your entire perception of what the game consists of is askew. FFXI lacks content in the road to 99, that is completely true. But that only affects a very minor part of the game.

It is a part many people are completely finished with, by the way. Whatever they add to EXP now, will not affect me in the slightest, because I am done leveling. Does that mean I won't get to enjoy that content anymore? Or can't I enjoy the game at all anymore and now that I am fully leveled I should just quit?

[Prrsha]

Again, completely wrong. The fun is in the journey, it's your misconception that leveling to 99 is the journey (this is to you as well, Eyeballed). Doing missions, winning battlefields, progressing through events and building your character by improving on skill and gear, that is the journey, not watching an arbitrary number climb from 1 to 99. Your entire perception of what the game consists of is askew. FFXI lacks content in the road to 99, that is completely true. But that only affects a very minor part of the game.

It is a part many people are completely finished with, by the way. Whatever they add to EXP now, will not affect me in the slightest, because I am done leveling. Does that mean I won't get to enjoy that content anymore? Or can't I enjoy the game at all anymore and now that I am fully leveled I should just quit?

My comments just aren't focused on levels. The above examples: Doing missions, winning battlefields, progressing through events and building your character by improving on skill and gear... I am addressing that as well. I just don't think a player should have to be level 99 to do it, or have fun.

Edit: As for the road to 99 being a minor part of the game, SE has tossed 75% of their enjoyable story content out of the window for new players by focusing so much on the rate of climb to 99. The vets have their levels and endgame content galore but SE axed their beginning content when they removed level caps for zones and lifted the level cap past 75. It threw off the balance and challenge of many of the expansions, storyline areas and storyline quests.

Have you replayed CoP, Zillart as level 99? It just seems like a dev's afterthought now. It doesn't do justice to any of the creators.

I agree with the UI update, but it would not change much about how the game is played or enjoyed.

Eh? A MAJOR problem with forming a six man party dynamic is the dreaded LFP flag. This has been a #1 complaint for years and years...

Why waste a month to get to 99, when you can do the same crap at 20?

Ummm... that's exactly what SE wants. Players who can play casual if they wish (and take part in group events and have fun) and other players who want more from FFXI and wish to take it up a knotch and keep increasing their powers for a change of pace.

[Arcon]

My comments just aren't focused on levels. The above examples: Doing missions, winning battlefields, progressing through events and building your character by improving on skill and gear... I am addressing that as well. I just don't think a player should have to be level 99 to do it, or have fun.

I agree on the fun part, but disagree on the statement that a low level player should be able to do that. Because building your character is an extension of the leveling system, it's what happens after levels can't go any further. Developing your character at level 50 is pointless if it becomes obsolete again just a few levels later. Of course leveling should be fun, but it isn't, and I can't even think of a way how it possibly could be, unless you make it play through a pre-programmed course that forces you to fight through customized mission-style battles to progress.

The major complaint I have with EXP is that it was a boring and tedious grind. If SE were able to magically fix that somehow, then yes, it may be fun again. But first, it wouldn't do anything for high level players, which is almost everyone by now, and second, it's pretty much impossible to implement. If you can think of a fun way to introduce EXPing again, do tell. But for the first reason, I will still be against it.

Edit: As for the road to 99 being a minor part of the game, SE has tossed 75% of their enjoyable story content out of the window for new players by focusing so much on the rate of climb to 99. The vets have their levels and endgame content galore but SE axed their beginning content when they removed level caps for zones and lifted the level cap past 75. It threw off the balance and challenge of many of the expansions, storyline areas and storyline quests.

Very true. But here's the thing: people who are actually leveling without leeching and want to experience that content while they're leveling can still do that, and some of them still do it, and they don't complain about it. You do.

Have you replayed CoP, Zillart as level 99? It just seems like a dev's afterthought now. It doesn't do justice to any of the creators.

I have, and again, I agree. It's no issue for me, because I've already done it, as have most people who still play. Same as before, SE made a conscious decision to introduce new content tailored to older players in favor of newer players, which is a rational choice given the distribution of the player population. If they left the level cap, they would have made it almost impossible to complete for new players, because fewer people are around, and of those fewer are willing to help, and of those even fewer are prepared. The times of keeping extra level capped gear is over (and it was before the level cap increase too), and everyone just syncs their equipment, which isn't nearly as good as proper weapons.

Eh? A MAJOR problem with forming a six man party dynamic is the dreaded LFP flag. This has been a #1 complaint for years and years...

Dead wrong. It is a major annoyance, but not a problem at all. If you wanna party, you type /inv. If you're looking for members, you type /sea all <whatever criteria you desire>. It has never prevented anyone from teaming up for anything. I have never heard anyone complain that it was actually preventing them to party up with people.

Ummm... that's exactly what SE wants. Players who can play casual if they wish (and take part in group events and have fun) and other players who want more from FFXI and wish to take it up a knotch and keep increasing their powers for a change of pace.

But what's the motivation in "taking it up a knotch [sic]" if you still do the same crap as the Lv20 guy? Level-scaled content can exist, but it will never work simultaneously. The Lv20 guy can not fight the same mob as the Lv99 guy, and he can not get the same reward. And if that's the case, why fight it at Lv20? Why not level to 99 and fight it then?

I used to believe that leveling still held some merit, even if I personally don't really care for it. Now I just say levels are an entire unnecessity. SE should auto-cap everyone to 99.

[Chocobits]

I'd really like to see job BALANCE implemented at some point... not nerfhammers, but real balancing of the jobs, job abilities, timers and magic so that each job brings something so useful, so unique that when forming up for events, be they casual or hardcore, the question "Ok, I can come PUP, COR, SMN, RDM or BST" can be asked in all seriousness.. and that its response wouldn't be a range of mirth from mild lulz to roaring guffaws. That question should really make party leaders pause and consider each tantalizing possibility, as each job would be invaluable in any given situation and the giving up any one of them for any of the others would be sorely missed.

And given that FFXI is moving toward more and more fast-paced zerg style battles for everything, timers need to be lowered CONSIDERABLY. From minutes to seconds.

[Mirage]

Or just make more content where fast zergs aren't won't work.

[FrankReynolds]

Whole buncha stuff....

I say quit beating a dead horse because it has been debated a million times on a million forums (numbers exaggerated to illustrate a point) and the debate always ends with this argument followed by some memes and insults:

All the old methods of leveling etc. are still available. People are not using them because they would rather be doing something else. You don't need to petition the development staff to fix that. You need to put that energy into finding other people who feel the same as you. Did you find any? Good. No need to adjust the game then. Couldn't find any? I guess no one else feels like you then. No need to adjust the game.

[Chocobits]

Or just make more content where fast zergs aren't won't work.

Except:

That isn't the direction we've been heading in for years
Nobody wants drawn out battles
Game mechanics favor shorter battles

And finally:

SE can't seem to design any kind of fights other than "If you're doing it long, urdoinitrong"

Which is fine by me, because even in 2005 I thought 45+ minute Kirins made me wanna die. Compare that to now. My last LS literally farmed and popped 75 Chloris in 1 night. The farming was terrible but the actual fights for 75 Chloris didn't set us back anything that 2 time extension chests didn't recover and then some. Imagine doing a mob like Chloris back in 2005...? You'd handle it like Golden-Tongued Culberry and kite/zombie/recover like we seemed to think was so smart back then.

I like the Powerthirst approach. Insert credit card (pop items), dispense tasty high fructose energy drink (NM), drink (destroy), win at everything forever (get the drops), use your sweat to fuel sweet rave parties (rest and recover). Repeat as necessary until you acquire 400 babies. Then finish up your day as usual. I like rewards that don't require literally wasting an entire day/month(s)/year(s) that are still fun and challenging to obtain. Timesink =/= difficulty, sense of accomplishment, or put you any closer to achieving personal enlightenment. Timesinks just make you overweight greasy couch potatoes that disdain RL as a necessity because it detracts from gameplay time.

[Mirage]

Except:
The world isn't black and white, fights don't have to be either 2 minutes or two hours.
Do game mechanics really favor shorter battles? Why? Because we are building every single strategy around 2-hour super buffs?

I'll agree that we haven't headed in that direction for years, but at the same time, during these years, a lot of the game has been broken, limiting the number of options and possible strategies.