Too easy!

[sigpimud]

No my good sir, what is idiocy is the futile resistance to the winds of change. SE finally woke up and said "hmm... think we might have made the game a little too difficult, look at all the people quitting! ZOMG we're losing money, /panic".

Resistance is futile Dazusu. Resistance is futile. By the way, get a job, or maybe a girlfriend/boyfriend, or something! You play FFXI way too much based on your opinions. I can smell a FFXI addict a mile away.

I believe Dazusu is simply saying that having SOME challenges would be nice. Why make alliances 18 people if there is nothing that takes 18 people? Why have 20 jobs when you only really use 4 of them?

I doubt anyone wants to go back to 25k an hour "Awesome exp" or 200 person Day 8 Nidhoggs, but I dont think there is an issue with having to work as a large group to pop and kill an HNM.

[Revalus]

In seriousness, I'm having a hard time because I'm seeing quantification without data. "A lot of the casuals who play this game have 0 care for challenge. They want everything handed to them and its very apparent." Well, it's not apparent to me. I play with a group that is comprised almost entirely of casual players (in terms of available time), and we simply play the game in a fashion that suits us, and dare I say, in a play style that is more representative of "hardcore play" (ability-wise) than the parties we used to have several years ago (back when none of us could imagine ever hitting the level cap because we didn't have hours to dedicate to camps). Perhaps there's an entire "casuals" scene that I'm missing out on, but perhaps I also just chose more fun people with whom to spend my time.

On the flip side, there's, "The fact is, the MAJORITY of players want exactly what SE is giving out now. AN EASIER AND MORE TIME EFFECTIVE GAMING EXPERIENCE." Obviously, that's not entirely true, as evidenced by the opposition to that sentiment as well as the number of folks unsubscribing. I still disagree with the time and effort equivalence, but I do very, very much agree with the sentiment expressed by Dazusu, "As I stated in other threads of this nature - it shouldn't be about 'this or that', it should have been about maintaining casual content AND hardcore content." I'm not at the cap yet, and I likely will not be for another month or so, but when I do get there (by trioing Ts and VTs, rather than camping ITs), I really hope there's some challenging stuff to keep me engaged. And if there isn't, it's likely that instead of looking at the proposition of cranking up my other mid-level jobs, I will stop for a while.

My overarching point is this: We've been given a number of ways to level to the cap faster, and I think that's great. However, if what's waiting for me there is nothing particularly engaging or challenging, 'tis for naught in the long run. But at least I've been enjoying that journey this time around.

[Rango]

Again, I believe people are incorrectly equating time with difficulty. You can increase difficulty/challenge without increasing time.

[ffxkenshin]

Bring a monk + kill at night = win?

Not everything in this game needs to be brought up, but having 5-10 mobs in the game that take 18 organized and coordinated people kill that offer great drops is not a terrible thing. Having enemies that take some effort to pop is not going to ruin the gaming experience for the entire population, but it will enhance the gaming experience for some people.

Calling things like PW & AV epic failures is insane. For a long time those 2 mobs were killed very rarely and only by groups able to organize themselves and coordinate well enough to kill them. I'm sorry if everyone wanted all the PW & AV items, but not everything should be designed to get with 2 people in an MMORPG.

bring a mnk and kill at night = win? first of, not everyone has mnk job level, second, that still would not mean you definitely has blue proc (missing club all ws), now you asking whm+mnk = win at night, then yes, which is why a lot more level these 2 jobs now-a-day. I got my bullwhip belt in my 21st kill being a thf, if Ovni was on HOURS or repop like old NM was, look at the time sink for 1 piece of gear. But you are right, there are need to satisfy the "few" who want low drop rate and long hour camping like yourselves, so like I said, SE satisfy you already, go kill w/o Atma and no procing, there you go...

PW and AV WAS indeed epic failure, where PW had a huge issue where a linkshell was fighing it for way too long and ppl actually feeling SICK from it. And AV needed SE to come out with a video to "show" us the "way". I don't think KC/DRK is the solution at all, which MANY endgame "hardcore" linkshell uses. AND DON'Tget me going on KC's drop rate!!!

[sigpimud]

Again, I believe people are incorrectly equating time with difficulty. You can increase difficulty/challenge without increasing time.

I agree somewhat, I do think that having something to invest time towards. I didn't really like the ZENI system since I did find the zeni points building to be an unnecessary timesink, but the element of building to increasingly harder monsters over time until popping PW was an enjoyable "concept". And It did have elements for every type of gamer: Tier 1 was soloable, tier 2 took 3-6 people, tier 3 took 8-12 people, PW took 18+. Yes there were multiple issues with the ZENI system, but the basic theory of a groupf of people working together on increasingly difficult events was enjoyable to a lot of the player-base.

I not saying, and I dont think anyone is saying, to make the mobs for every +2 item have 6 hour repops and take 18 people to kill- what we are asking for is something to work towards as a group.

[Krystal]

Why do you play an MMORPG? You and others like you have completely lost (if you ever had) the concept of an MMO and team play. You are one of the typical "emo, pubecent, instant gratification requiring people that the world today has brought on. MMOs aren't "give it now" "I want it in one day" "I only want to solo". Go play an FPS for instant gratification.

i 100% agree with this. team play is a core aspect behind MMOs. the bases behind them was to earn your levels. not to have them handed to you on a silver platter. players who want instant gratification for leveling should go to WoW. you can get from level 1 to 80 in 3 days flat...-_-; but IF your like me and prefer to earn your levels and work with others and share in enjoyment of the hard work you have done to get to where you are. then stick to FFXI and avoid abyssea areas till you are level 70 or higher.

[sigpimud]

PW and AV WAS indeed epic failure, where PW had a huge issue where a linkshell was fighing it for way too long and ppl actually feeling SICK from it. And AV needed SE to come out with a video to "show" us the "way". I don't think KC/DRK is the solution at all, which MANY endgame "hardcore" linkshell uses. AND DON'Tget me going on KC's drop rate!!!

You do know they fixed PW and it was eventually farmed by a few good LS's

[Gadanae]

Why do you play an MMORPG? You and others like you have completely lost (if you ever had) the concept of an MMO and team play. You are one of the typical "emo, pubecent, instant gratification requiring people that the world today has brought on. MMOs aren't "give it now" "I want it in one day" "I only want to solo". Go play an FPS for instant gratification.

Now this, REALLY makes me LOL. I have been playing FFXI solid for 8 years now. I play no other online game. But oh look! According to you I am emo because I'm applauding that things are easier? I require instant gratification? Dude if I required instant gratification I wouldn't have been playing this game for 8 years.... lol.

Also, I never said I only wanted to solo. But the capability of grabbing a party of six friends versus an alliance on alot of content? I will take that over struggling to get an alliance at something in a relative easy manner any day. I have been a member of a linkshell, and a leader of two. And frankly being able to low-man alot of the content in FFXI now is a godsend and should have been done earlier. And soloing ain't bad either. Just because I enjoy soloing doesn't mean I should not play an MMO.

There will always be content that will require an alliance, and that is great! So don't worry Nick, you can still be elitist somewhat! All is not lost! You remind me of those homeless, jobless, lonely people I see in Port Jeuno that leave their characters online 24/7 to sport a .dat file they "worked" so hard to get.

Your tombstone will read "I played FFXI, and I kicked some ass but no one in real life cared".

/end.

[ffxkenshin]

You do know they fixed PW and it was eventually farmed by a few good LS's

which is exactly why i said "WAS" in my reply.

[ffxkenshin]

Grow a bansai tree or something if you want a time sink. This is a game. MMO or not it should be about fun and not frustration. If you call 9 months of camping Sozu against 15 RMTs fun then you are a masochist and should just play while you smash your toes with a hammer to get the full enjoyment.

AGREE! no reason why we need to suffer that, Abyssea= solution