Interim Report – Sorry to keep you all waiting!

[Rustic]

Regarding your first paragraph, I don't mind people blowing past CoP at 99 if they wish to do so. However, I don't like the option of doing it the way it was intended to be done (by the developers who make CoP) taken away either. Like I said, an option to do it both ways would be nice. A choice to be capped or not would be easy to code.

Hmm. Can't level sync with someone of the appropriate level and go at it for a "hard mode"? I wouldn't mind seeing the choice of having a level cap established on the various special encounters.

As for your second paragraph it gets a thumbs up from me! :3

It worries me that nowadays, we're seeing the lower-level game as something to be utterly ignored- where once, we were champing at the bit to make that pre-99 (or 75) game something we could participate in with others. LS gets a new player? Ooh, level sync party in Valkrum! Now, we have those rapid-fire leaps through dozens of levels, often without doing a thing thanks to FC parties- a "service" that has become an RMT paradise. When I started, RMT's profited by making the endgame accessible (originally via camping Sky gods and blocking access otherwise). Now, it's turned into a culture where if you're not leveled to the top, you better buy your way into an FC alliance and do it- and while you're at it, I hope you've got money to buy all that gear...

...and that utterly corrupts the process of going from 1-99 in the first place. It takes most of the changes S-E made to improve the road and replaces them with a ladder to the top you buy your way into, so effective it takes any prior means of powerleveling and puts it to shame, and simultaneously puts most of the playerbase outside the cycle of play that mixed experienced players with newbies.

That is, right now the road to the top is not fun, because the old road has been replaced with a bypass paved with gold and dollar bills.

[Demon6324236]

Names please? And how many? If you wish I can post a long roster of Phoenix newbees who have tried the game, gotten bored (and frustrated of being told to get to 99 or STFU) and left.

First, I don't feel the need to supply you with names of people I have met who were new and liked the game.

Second, did you explain how easy it is to level, or did you awesomely try to drag them down the old path you prefer, while telling them the game basically starts at 99? If you bring a new player into the game and tell them that they cant do much of anything till 99, then show them how to XP in a way that will take them months to reach it, yeah, they are gonna quit fast. If you show them how to level fast, and that they can get from a new character to 99 in about a week or 2, then they should have little problems with it because the speed is so fast, the whole "need to be level 99" thing sounds more intimidating than it really is.

Thats the experience I have had, I had 1 friend I know from XBL who got on the game and quit cause of PC problems, he was on the trial and that ruined his experience because I couldn't help him much either, like giving him a weapon, thats the only person in over a year who was new, that quit the game after me trying to help them out.

[Demon6324236]

So by that logic /synch should be removed because no higher level player would dare /synch (and lose their abilities) down to a lower one to gain exp? Not even to help a new player or friend?

Removing level sync would remove the ability for a book party to function, killing off low level peoples ability to level fast, something I suppose you would like, however is not what he was suggesting at all. His point seem to be that its terrible how badly the game restricts you from your abilities and spells, including level syncing events such as CoP used to be, where no matter your level, you had to go through certain areas as a weakling for an unknown and unexplained reason.

[SpankWustler]

This new producer is something I consider a real breath of fresh air and I'm happy with what he's said so far despite the amount of rude and angry posts people have made in his direction. Give the guy a chance folks, He's the new person at the helm and I think he deserves a fair chance.

Yeah, the animosity towards the new guy is something that I really do not get. At worst, nobody knows what he's going to do because he hasn't had a chance to do anything yet due to the crazy-nuts long development cycle of each updates. At best, he really was sitting at his desk and had the thought, "Whoa, bros, let's hold up this change to Perfect Defense and Embrava until the new SPs are done!" which seems pretty good to me.

Do some people just think the FFXI development office is a rotten barrel that ruins every apple in it?

[FrankReynolds]

Do some people just think the FFXI development office is a rotten barrel that ruins every apple in it?

I think most people rightfully suspect that if his ideas differed too much from the previous boss, that the previous boss would have canned him by now. Some people can fake like they share the corporate vision for long enough to rise in the ranks and get themselves into a position where they can act on the ideas that they repressed all the way to the top, but most people will be assimilated. Borg out.

[Prrsha]

First, I don't feel the need to supply you with names of people I have met who were new and liked the game.

Second, did you explain how easy it is to level, or did you awesomely try to drag them down the old path you prefer, while telling them the game basically starts at 99? If you bring a new player into the game and tell them that they cant do much of anything till 99, then show them how to XP in a way that will take them months to reach it, yeah, they are gonna quit fast. If you show them how to level fast, and that they can get from a new character to 99 in about a week or 2, then they should have little problems with it because the speed is so fast, the whole "need to be level 99" thing sounds more intimidating than it really is.

Thats the experience I have had, I had 1 friend I know from XBL who got on the game and quit cause of PC problems, he was on the trial and that ruined his experience because I couldn't help him much either, like giving him a weapon, thats the only person in over a year who was new, that quit the game after me trying to help them out.

It depends on the time period. Before abby, I hosted mid to low level events that introduced new players into group events that they said they would have otherwise have missed out on (and many have said would have quitted) as a result.

After abby, I never bothered getting them into garrison or others because well, the entire gameplay of the game shifted away from rewarding those sort of events. I tutored them to level 70 in large book parties all the while teaching them how to play the game and not just sit afk and leech. After awhile... when they got past 80 in a few weeks, they quit when they smacked into endgame 99. Maybe the learning curve was too high for them for endgame because of lack of other lower level events or whatnow but to be honest, I really don't know the reason. I got comments ranging from "The players in this game are so mean" to "I'm so bored after I got all of my levels" or... "Doing x or y is pointless, why is it even in the game? I wasted time doing it for nothing!" (a common reply to synthing).

So yeah, I have never encouraged slow leveling to newer players unless they got a job to 99 and complain that the process was stupid. Only then do I suggest that they try to form a static to level the old way in a 6 man party. They go off and try and to do that and fail to find people, and their names disappear from the server.

So to sum it up... whether they level fast or level slow, 90% of them go poof and all do have one strange hollow complaint. "This game feels dead." Maybe it is due to lack of exploration, doing quests or storylines. I can't say 100%. Somehow the experience they felt was lack luster and empty.

Many vets I have also have had the privilage of knowing for years have also left in a short time (months of late) as well... and they were long time fanatic players of the game.

My guess is that SE realizes that and this is why the current management is in place. Parts of abby (and it's aftermath) were a failure of sorts and they are bringing in fresh minds.

My pet project now is to see if I can form a LS to explore older content and encourage newer players to slow level (and take part in capped events). I look forward to seeing how that works and if does a better job of keeping newbees in the game.

[Prrsha]

killing off low level peoples ability to level fast, something I suppose you would like.

You assume incorrectly. I just want new player retention, and it's not really happening of late.

His point seem to be that its terrible how badly the game restricts you from your abilities and spells, including level syncing events such as CoP used to be, where no matter your level, you had to go through certain areas as a weakling for an unknown and unexplained reason.

#1 they were explained if you read the storyline.

#2 I was pointing out that you lose your abilities as well when you /synch down to book party too. Does it make leveling any less fun when /synching? It really didn't for me. It just made me adapt to other strategies of doing things. I couldn't count on certain spells or WSes anymore, which mixed things up a bit.

[Prrsha]

Hmm. Can't level sync with someone of the appropriate level and go at it for a "hard mode"? I wouldn't mind seeing the choice of having a level cap established on the various special encounters.



It worries me that nowadays, we're seeing the lower-level game as something to be utterly ignored- where once, we were champing at the bit to make that pre-99 (or 75) game something we could participate in with others. LS gets a new player? Ooh, level sync party in Valkrum! Now, we have those rapid-fire leaps through dozens of levels, often without doing a thing thanks to FC parties- a "service" that has become an RMT paradise. When I started, RMT's profited by making the endgame accessible (originally via camping Sky gods and blocking access otherwise). Now, it's turned into a culture where if you're not leveled to the top, you better buy your way into an FC alliance and do it- and while you're at it, I hope you've got money to buy all that gear...

...and that utterly corrupts the process of going from 1-99 in the first place. It takes most of the changes S-E made to improve the road and replaces them with a ladder to the top you buy your way into, so effective it takes any prior means of powerleveling and puts it to shame, and simultaneously puts most of the playerbase outside the cycle of play that mixed experienced players with newbies.

That is, right now the road to the top is not fun, because the old road has been replaced with a bypass paved with gold and dollar bills.

An interesting point that SE has addressed several days ago about confirming RMT activity in that area. A by-product of faster leveling is that more people cap out all of their jobs they wish to level now (and new players are left with fewer players to level with as a result).

The only way to counter this is to add more merit rewards or just plain add more people. In order to do the latter you need new player retention. It's a catch 22.

[Arcon]

#1 they were explained if you read the storyline.

They weren't. "A mystical force surrounds this area!" is not an explanation.

#2 I was pointing out that you lose your abilities as well when you /synch down to book party too. Does it make leveling any less fun when /synching? It really didn't for me.

It does for pretty much everyone else. They sync down because they want to help people out, not because it's fun.

Your sole argument about player retention is one I don't believe you, because your experience is completely contrary to mine. To me, it sounds like you just make those statements up, because they are the exact opposite from what I've witnessed repeatedly throughout months now.

[Demon6324236]

After awhile... when they got past 80 in a few weeks, they quit when they smacked into endgame 99. Maybe the learning curve was too high for them for endgame because of lack of other lower level events or whatnow but to be honest, I really don't know the reason. I got comments ranging from "The players in this game are so mean" to "I'm so bored after I got all of my levels" or... "Doing x or y is pointless, why is it even in the game? I wasted time doing it for nothing!" (a common reply to synthing).

What did they do at 99? Level/Merit in Worm parties? Learn their jobs new abilities and traits in those parties while still evolving their character? Did they go off trying to do old content? Did they go attempt to start seal parties? Simply getting to 99 is a small part, once there, you have to know what to do. In this case, the way I always lead people is to get to 80~85, then goto worms, once they understand more about their job and its abilities, I get them a few atma like Minikin or Razed Ruins, those key atma they need for jobs, as well as getting them a ZB win, easy enough with Emps being made in my LS, we almost always have a need for Bria or C-C. After that comes teaching them how procing works in detail, and how to setup seal parties, after that they mostly go off on their own, and figure out how everything else works. Just getting to 99 does very little in the end, because once your there you can easily find yourself lost.

#1 they were explained if you read the storyline.
#2 I was pointing out that you lose your abilities as well when you /synch down to book party too. Does it make leveling any less fun when /synching? It really didn't for me. It just made me adapt to other strategies of doing things. I couldn't count on certain spells or WSes anymore, which mixed things up a bit.

1, they really didn't explain it, there is no reason I can recall at any point that I was told why I was going through Promy as a level 30, why I was going through the Aqueducts as a level 40, why on an airship I was a level 60, and yet, everywhere else in Vana I was a level 75. 2, sync!, now, besides that, I myself do find it a bit more boring when I lose my job abilities. They are what define a job, to lose them makes the job less important to me and is something I hate to do. I level sync when needed, but prefer not to when I don't have to, I believe this is also part of the attraction of Abyssea leveling, as syncing serves no purpose thanks to Abyssea's xp system.