Producer live letter 1/12/16, lets discuss.

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Originally Posted by Nalien

I don't get why they can't be both... Just have two paths for completing a weapon;

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development resources is why.

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Originally Posted by SendohJin

development resources is why.

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Indeed, it would have taken a lot of resources away from quality content such as the motorcycle and LoV in order to make the tokens from Bismark and Ravana be exchangeable at a vendor in Idyllshire for unidentifiable items.

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Originally Posted by Kaurie

Indeed, it would have taken a lot of resources away from quality content such as the motorcycle and LoV in order to make the tokens from Bismark and Ravana be exchangeable at a vendor in Idyllshire for unidentifiable items.

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Well, not quite what I had in mind, but that works as well. Ideally I'd like, using 2.0 as an example;

Relic/Zodiac as they were, with the exception of Coil weapons being i95 from the get go.
Primal Focus weapons as they were, with a quest upgrading them taking drops from Coil; grinding T5 would eventually let you turn Holy Lance into a i100 version, for example. Later quests would involve the new Extreme Primals and Coils.

And development resources are indeed an argument against that, since it would be a new quest/weapon potentially, but I find that to be a pathetic argument, no matter how true it is. Why? Not because of Lords of Verminion or anything like that, but because they're running a subscription based MMO with a bleedin' cash shop. They should have ample resources available to them to make quality content, instead of "Go grind FATEs!". Should I be mad at SE for taking profits from this game and shoving them at a stupid FFVII remake? Should I be mad at Yoshida for not convincing SE to provide the resources he needs, you know, his job? Or should I just be mad at the developers, for opting to aggressively follow vertical progression into oblivion? Say what you will about Verminion being a waste of resources, the fact that content in this game has an expected lifespan of 6 months is a bigger waste IMO.

Ultimately I'll settle for being happy at Soken, because that Jukebox has been a long time coming.

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Originally Posted by Warlyx

gotta love the comment about hydra and chimera...you are so bad that not even GIT GUD will save u !

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It hurt me so much to see that comment. Chimera and Hydra weren't even hard, they just needed teams to know how to play their classes.
Chimera: Use a stun at Dragon's Voice, use a Silence at Ram's Voice. That's it, that was the only thing that was remotely difficult. DRGs or anybody slowing down the boss made this easier.

Hydra: Don't stand in mid, tanks stand together, kill adds ASAP. That was it, it wasn't remotely near hard.

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Originally Posted by SendohJin

that's what the other pieces of content are for.

if people can't clear Savage ... so what?
if people can't clear Thordan ... so what?
if people can't clear Relic quest ... so what?

there are already many pieces of content they expect some people not to clear. the purpose of the relic quest is specifically to address that. the issue isn't if people can't clear "certain" content, the issue is if people can't clear "every" content.

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If you think people asking for more Chimera and Hydra, two ridiculously easy bosses even when they were first added, as asking for more raid level stuff, you're delusional. This is more asking for HM trials and specific dungeons just for the relic. The original relic quest if you recall had us do some open world mob killing, Hydra, Chimera, Ifrit HM, Garuda HM, Titan HM, and AK. There was nothing in there close to difficult other than the Primal Trio, and that was only if you didn't know mechanics or had problems with lag (Titan was notorious for this).

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Originally Posted by Pluvia

Honestly I have this feeling it would be better if they listened less to the forums about a lot of things

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I want them to make a pull, not one every single patch, but one every year. Too see if what they plan to do for the game is what the majority of players want. I don`t want them to listen to the forum, most of the players never visit the forums, so a pull would be better. Give those who take part some ingame reward, making it worth their time to do the thing, else most will ignore it, like they ignore the forums. Ask question like, if people want more or less of things like dungeons, trials and side quests, with features they are thinking about, ask if people want them or not, just float the ideas and see what people are interested in, which parts of the relic quests people enjoyed the most. Things like that, too perhaps avoid spending time on features that will get ignored. So a pull about content and not balance, for they better then us should know what the numbers look like.

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Originally Posted by RyuDragnier

If you think people asking for more Chimera and Hydra, two ridiculously easy bosses even when they were first added, as asking for more raid level stuff, you're delusional. This is more asking for HM trials and specific dungeons just for the relic. The original relic quest if you recall had us do some open world mob killing, Hydra, Chimera, Ifrit HM, Garuda HM, Titan HM, and AK. There was nothing in there close to difficult other than the Primal Trio, and that was only if you didn't know mechanics or had problems with lag (Titan was notorious for this).

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i do recall. i was there.

i remember people wiping to Chimera when they didn't Silence/Stun the voices properly.
i remember tanks getting one-shotted when they didn't split Triumvirate or dodge White Breath properly.

was it actually difficult? no, but it wasn't trivial at release. just like Demon Wall in AK wasn't trivial originally either.

you can disagree all you want but the devs have basically said they want this quest to be completely trivial in difficulty and only consume time.

As per demand... increasing indoor furnishing item slots...

Yes please... I will now decorate with the notion we'll at least be getting an increase later.

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Originally Posted by RyuDragnier

If you think people asking for more Chimera and Hydra, two ridiculously easy bosses even when they were first added, as asking for more raid level stuff, you're delusional. This is more asking for HM trials and specific dungeons just for the relic. The original relic quest if you recall had us do some open world mob killing, Hydra, Chimera, Ifrit HM, Garuda HM, Titan HM, and AK. There was nothing in there close to difficult other than the Primal Trio, and that was only if you didn't know mechanics or had problems with lag (Titan was notorious for this).

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Titan was a challenge but WP and in particular AK were challenging in their own right. Back in the day, with level appropriate gear and Darklight or less, WP was a challenge, and let's please not forget the Original AK with the original Demon Wall, which was a total pain in the ass DPS check. If you were still rocking Darklight or less in your party, then you did actually benefit greatly from Healer DPS to kill the wall quickly enough that the tank could manage the adds while everyone killed the wall before it got to the final phase and wipe.

Titan was a mechanical challenge, one of the mechanics that originally caused more wipes than anything else IMHO was Tumult, late in the fight 7 stomps did sufficient damage to kill most non-tanks (before we overgeared it). So unless healers were really on the ball and pre-cast AoE heals, or the tank knew about interrupting Tumult, you were in for a pretty hard time with the gear we had when first challenging Titan.

I'd love to see a random selection of the current level 60 players, who ignore mechanics in every fight, have to run Titan HM in ilvl 70 gear, not sync'd gear, actual ilvl 60, 70 and 80 pieces matched together to average out at ilvl 70. Comedy and much rage quitting would ensue.

I used to enjoy Q'ing as PLD for Titan HM and smoothing out the run for groups - before they started nerfing things.

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Originally Posted by Ashkendor

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You might be right, that these features will see wide use, I am glad to hear that there are people who are going to like the jukebox, proving me wrong for thinking it was a complete waste of time. I hope you are right that people will use all of those things I speak out against, that I see as a waste of dev time. I would have just liked to get more dungeons, you see I love dungeons, 4-man content, and it annoys me to see that I get less of those, but if I am in the minority then that is fine I guess, still annoying but fine.

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Originally Posted by Warlyx

gotta love the comment about hydra and chimera...you are so bad that not even GIT GUD will save u !

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when those fight were new, there was a lot of wiping, peoples skill level has not increased only item level has increased.

You know that boss trial with the garlian general which can be beaten now in 20 seconds or somethig, yeah I remember spending there the entire timer wiping.

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Originally Posted by Kosmos992k

Titan was a mechanical challenge, one of the mechanics that originally caused more wipes than anything else IMHO was Tumult, late in the fight 7 stomps did sufficient damage to kill most non-tanks (before we overgeared it). So unless healers were really on the ball and pre-cast AoE heals, or the tank knew about interrupting Tumult, you were in for a pretty hard time with the gear we had when first challenging Titan.

I'd love to see a random selection of the current level 60 players, who ignore mechanics in every fight, have to run Titan HM in ilvl 70 gear, not sync'd gear, actual ilvl 60, 70 and 80 pieces matched together to average out at ilvl 70. Comedy and much rage quitting would ensue.

I used to enjoy Q'ing as PLD for Titan HM and smoothing out the run for groups - before they started nerfing things.

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Ah yes, back then party finder wasn't implemented yet and I'd join groups shouting for titan as scholar and solo heal carry. Good old days.

Pretty sure it would be comical to watch people do it synched in Ilvl 70.

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Originally Posted by Pinkie_Pie

Anima's are gonna stay the same, super duper long grind. I feel sorry for anyone doing more then one.

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Until Gob dip becomes more available the i200 anima allows more gear to be bought until better i210 can be farmed. Otherwise some folks will just focus on 1 relic to get past third stage and play catch up on the rest once materials and currency costs drop in a year or so.

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Originally Posted by Pinkie_Pie

I for one is excited about the mentor system. I have a feeling to be in the mentor system you gotta have like "Grandmaster of war/magic" achievement title.

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That'd be rather silly. The best players are those who dedicate themselves to one class or role, not those who play everything. Usually, anyway.

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Originally Posted by FoxyAreku

That'd be rather silly. The best players are those who dedicate themselves to one class or role, not those who play everything. Usually, anyway.

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I would have to the opposite honestly. Single-job players too often pigeon-hole themselves into preconceived and often flawed notions of how to handle a particular encounter in terms of their own abilities, rather than mathematical distinctions. Worse, they're dealing with half the considerations; solely their own, instead of how that works with the jobs around them. I like knowing every CD my tank can pop as a healer, and tracking healer CDs as tank.

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Originally Posted by Shurrikhan

I would have to the opposite honestly. Single-job players too often pigeon-hole themselves into preconceived and often flawed notions of how to handle a particular encounter in terms of their own abilities, rather than mathematical distinctions. Worse, they're dealing with half the considerations; solely their own, instead of how that works with the jobs around them. I like knowing every CD my tank can pop as a healer, and tracking healer CDs as tank.

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Depends on the person. You can know all that stuff rather easily without having level capped any tank.

Hate to sound egotistical, but just look at me. I know every skill a dark knight has offhand because I have one in my static, yet I've never even unlocked the job. Meanwhile we have level 60 summoners that don't use miasma and level capped dark knights that don't know what delirium is.

Leveling stuff really means nothing.

Also, I want to say I am super excited for viable gear that has materia slots. Finally, I can put an end to my scholar not having crit on anything with a little extra work!

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Originally Posted by FoxyAreku

Depends on the person. You can know all that stuff rather easily without having level capped any tank.

Hate to sound egotistical, but just look at me. I know every skill a dark knight has offhand because I have one in my static, yet I've never even unlocked the job. Meanwhile we have level 60 summoners that don't use miasma and level capped dark knights that don't know what delirium is.

Leveling stuff really means nothing.

Also, I want to say I am super excited for viable gear that has materia slots. Finally, I can put an end to my scholar not having crit on anything with a little extra work!

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Oh, absolutely. I just usually find that people with broader interests, enjoying each job rather than feeling satisfied with one at 60 and all necessary cross-class skills, tend to know each better, especially from a practical standpoint, even if spending capped currency on only one job. They also--something particularly cringe-worthy to me--are more likely to avoid pure-roll thinking... That said, there are plenty of people who can hit 60 without even knowing half their skills, sadly, even if "enjoying" (I don't know how, given no real learning taking place) their way up.

Still waiting on TP reforms so I can go all skill speed on my Monk without a NIN (and, further, without a PLD to take up my Goad).

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Originally Posted by Nalien

Well, not quite what I had in mind, but that works as well. Ideally I'd like, using 2.0 as an example;

Relic/Zodiac as they were, with the exception of Coil weapons being i95 from the get go.
Primal Focus weapons as they were, with a quest upgrading them taking drops from Coil; grinding T5 would eventually let you turn Holy Lance into a i100 version, for example. Later quests would involve the new Extreme Primals and Coils.

And development resources are indeed an argument against that, since it would be a new quest/weapon potentially, but I find that to be a pathetic argument, no matter how true it is. Why? Not because of Lords of Verminion or anything like that, but because they're running a subscription based MMO with a bleedin' cash shop. They should have ample resources available to them to make quality content, instead of "Go grind FATEs!". Should I be mad at SE for taking profits from this game and shoving them at a stupid FFVII remake? Should I be mad at Yoshida for not convincing SE to provide the resources he needs, you know, his job? Or should I just be mad at the developers, for opting to aggressively follow vertical progression into oblivion? Say what you will about Verminion being a waste of resources, the fact that content in this game has an expected lifespan of 6 months is a bigger waste IMO.

Ultimately I'll settle for being happy at Soken, because that Jukebox has been a long time coming.

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The first. Yoshi can demand all he likes, however if Square is unwilling to give his team a larger budget, nothing he says will do a damn thing. And if he protests, they'll replace him with someone who won't.

They are hiring more content developers. However its not going to be a overnight process even if they get heaps of good recruits right away. At best if they hired a heap of new staff we probably wouldn't see the real impact of it for a good 6 months.

Also Im sure someone already pointed this out but there wasn't a live letter on the 12th. The thing we got was a write up of the Live Letter that happened on the 23rd of Dec last year. The next live letter is at the end of this month.

"As for the new beast tribe daily quests, I’m sure many will recall the variety of interesting tasks for the Vanu Vanu daily quests"

This makes me sad. Nothing was interesting about Vanu. The only beast-tribe dailies were much better (Minus the FATE).

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Originally Posted by Pence

"As for the new beast tribe daily quests, I’m sure many will recall the variety of interesting tasks for the Vanu Vanu daily quests"

This makes me sad. Nothing was interesting about Vanu. The only beast-tribe dailies were much better (Minus the FATE).

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I'm incline to agree. I liked the Sylph/Amalj'aa/Sahagin/Kobold dailies because they took me into enemy territory. Meanwhile the Ixali just had me crafting and Vanu Vanu went to great lengths to have me the most mundane stuff... So much of Sea of Clouds is devoted to being a Vanu Vanu stronghold, was that used though? Hardly at all. Instead go deliver this gum to some knights so we can get some combs! Half the time it was used I was on a mount... As expecting, flying pretty much kills any sense of danger doing dailies in enemy territory...

I remember prior to launch, Yoshida talking about how the new beast tribe strongholds (and open world in general) were more dangerous, and we'd likely want to team up before going in on dailies... Just... I mean even if that was true, which it absolutely isn't, the dailies hardly even touch the strongholds anyway... Christ, I miss 1.xs open world dungeon approach to beast tribe strongholds...

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Originally Posted by Nalien

Christ, I miss 1.xs open world dungeon approach to beast tribe strongholds...

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I didn't play 1.0, but I did play FFXI, and I always loved how going into a beastmen stronghold for any reason was always something you planned for. I've always felt XIV's open world was a bit too...accommodating to the player, and would love to see a greater sense of danger. The Heavensward zones are actually a bit better about this—but all of it is invalidated by the addition of flight (which was, in my opinion, a poor addition to WoW and an only slightly better addition to FFXIV).

XI strongholds certainly beat 1.0s, come to think of it... Especially if we go off WotG versions... Those zones and SCNMs (along with Campaign in general) were the saving grace of that expansion... Given the current beast tribe strongholds usually have something which could lead somewhere else (gates at the back of the Amalj'aa one, for example), I do wish they'd add an entire zone for each tribe that effectively works like an open world Lv60 dungeon... Since they'd be in ARR regions, you could even cut flying out...

I totally missed those intense urgency and dangers with beastmen strongholds of early FF11 and how one shouldn't venture there alone or at least without sneak/invisible potions or spells...... hehehe

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Originally Posted by FoxyAreku

Meanwhile we have level 60 summoners that don't use miasma and level capped dark knights that don't know what delirium is.

Leveling stuff really means nothing.

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Makes me wish that our ability to gain XP and level was capped at each class/job quest. So that you have no choice except doing the class/job quests, else you can't level beyond them. That would make sure that players not only have their job skills but pay attention to them.

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Originally Posted by MsKirsten

I totally missed those intense urgency and dangers with beastmen strongholds of early FF11 and how one shouldn't venture there alone or at least without sneak/invisible potions or spells...... hehehe

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Omfg true sight ruuuuuuuuunnnn

I miss the higher level mobs in low level zones, fishing in qufim island and just watching banshees rekting leveling parties at the pond XD

You feared night time, nothing like seeing some lv 2 dude shouting help with a fodder in hot pursuit

I'm glad the devs don't listen to these special snowflakes who romanticize areas in XI that were a PITA to traverse for quests.

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Originally Posted by whythehate

Omfg true sight ruuuuuuuuunnnn

I miss the higher level mobs in low level zones, fishing in qufim island and just watching banshees rekting leveling parties at the pond XD

You feared night time, nothing like seeing some lv 2 dude shouting help with a fodder in hot pursuit

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You certainly learned the ins and outs of your job during those times. Maybe the lack of unique situations to face is why there is such a brain drain at the top. Why go all out with the intracacies when the majority of encounters you meet is either OHKO, or have the ai of an oversized marmot?

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Originally Posted by Hayward

I'm glad the devs don't listen to these special snowflakes who romanticize areas in XI that were a PITA to traverse for quests.

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Sitting around waiting for FATEs to mindlessly zerg down is such a brilliant alternative, you're right!

Sarcasm aside, the only thing that made XI a pain was the obtuse puzzles and fact that mobs didn't stop chasing you. Not seen anyone asking much for the former, and the later is already absent from the game. I think we'd mostly just like enemies to not be so pathetic that any event involving Sylphlands, for example, doesn't amount to just running through and waiting. Running through itself would be the event.

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Originally Posted by Nalien

slap the Chocobo Stable for everyone somewhere (there is a whole section of Ishgard that would fit nicely...), and then maybe slap a Free Company Workshop, for Free Companies without a House, somewhere like Mor Dhona. Done. Then everyone has the benefit of Housing.

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Except anyone who is not level 50+ and has not completed the story so they can get into Ishgard.
Put the stables in one of the 3 original city areas and they' d better make them hold thousands of birds because every server has well over 2000 active characters over level 20.
512 'apartments'? REALLY? ...I have no words... whoopdidoo that brings each world's total available housing up to 1952. Gilgamesh has more than 25000 people on it and many other worlds have 18-20000. WTH SE? Can you just not count or what?

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Originally Posted by Hayward

I'm glad the devs don't listen to these special snowflakes who romanticize areas in XI that were a PITA to traverse for quests.

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Most are not asking for long travel. People want challenging open world areas.

In XIV I can solo 5+ mobs in the open world that are equivalent to my level without even the smallest chance of dying.

in XI it would of taken 6 players to kill 1 of those mobs. (Open world mobs in XI were like Diadem (4)-(5) mobs more or less, except the attacks were much more dangerous).

In XIV the world has no danger, in XI the world was out to kill you if you left the safety of a city or town.

I would love this game to be that dangerous in the open world!

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Originally Posted by Hayward

I'm glad the devs don't listen to these special snowflakes who romanticize areas in XI that were a PITA to traverse for quests.

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yeah some zones were A PAIN , huge mazes that served no purpouse other than annoying you.... some were unable to be open without more than 2-3 players (doors in Garlaige? , the torche in the yagudo zone ,w/o flee or some speed boost and even then was tricky , the quicksand doors (weight based), u always needed sneak and invis , that were the most annoying thing because the duration was random.....MAGIC AGRO mobs didnt help either.....ugh those !$!$! bombs that appeared from nowhere , thanks god tha DNC was created ;) , instant invis sneak w/o agro :3

dying and having to eath the Home point ....and TRAVEL BACK AGAIN? ugh.....i remember dying while farming the rabbit for the S.bow , was killing it with easy and agroed something .....dead....it took like 1h to travel there :_( and the mob was only popable on new moon or full moon ugh....

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Originally Posted by Xatsh

Most are not asking for long travel. People want challenging open world areas.

In XIV I can solo 5+ mobs in the open world that are equivalent to my level without even the smallest chance of dying.

in XI it would of taken 6 players to kill 1 of those mobs. (Open world mobs in XI were like Diadem (4)-(5) mobs more or less, except the attacks were much more dangerous).

In XIV the world has no danger, in XI the world was out to kill you if you left the safety of a city or town.

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well mabye the warrior of darkness will share some of his item level 250 gear with the monters, then it would be more fair since we keep getting stronger and monsters stay the same.

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Originally Posted by Xatsh

In XIV the world has no danger, in XI the world was out to kill you if you left the safety of a city or town.

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Those were the old days of MMOs. It changed to be more mainstreamed like WoW. In Warlords they added area's which required at least more then 2 to fight the mobs and it will also be there in legion. XIV can't due do that *dangerous* world due to small map area's unlike XI, WoW, Dark age of Camelot, EQ, EQ2, city of heroes and so on. And rather not add toxicity of super strong mobs which can reck a new player or casual one at that just wondering through a area.

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Originally Posted by Pinkie_Pie

And rather not add toxicity of super strong mobs which can reck a new player or casual one at that just wondering through a area.

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There IS the slightest of dangers in the world and that's when newbies walk past a A/S rank. Poor leafie got massacred by that crab in Western La Noscea yesterday on my server...

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Materia system changes
As mentioned in the previous Letter LIVE, from Patch 3.2, equipment such as those that can be obtained with Allagan tomestones will include materia slots, which will allow players to build equipment to match their job. The new tomestone will be called Allagan tomestone of lore.

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Ovemelding bullshit, yes or no?!

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Originally Posted by Granyala

Ovemelding bullshit, yes or no?!

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No, I think raid/tome gear was said to only have one materia slot.

Crafted gear will still allow forbidden melds.

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People want challenging open world areas.

In XIV I can solo 5+ mobs in the open world that are equivalent to my level without even the smallest chance of dying.

in XI it would of taken 6 players to kill 1 of those mobs.

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That's not challenging.
That is simply "forcing people to group up".
AION had these Areas and they were a royal pain in the bum if you wanted to go through them later on.

I doubt that it is even possible to make a challenging open world. Because the open world where people level has to be able to be played by the lowest skilled player you can think of if you want your MMO to be popular in this day and age. <_<

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No, I think raid/tome gear was said to only have one materia slot.

Crafted gear will still allow forbidden melds.

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That doesn't make much sense as there would be virtually 0 difference in power between a melded piece and a non melded one. Oo

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Originally Posted by Granyala

That doesn't make much sense as there would be virtually 0 difference in power between a melded piece and a non melded one. Oo

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Alone, no, it wouldn't be much, but if you factor in V materia that gives +12 crit or det, a few pieces does add up

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Originally Posted by Granyala

That doesn't make much sense as there would be virtually 0 difference in power between a melded piece and a non melded one. Oo

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Maybe I'll just put accuracy on every healer gear that has materia slot :p