Some things I think need to be brought to attention

Hey everybody!
I figured i'd make a forum about it, get chewed out, and get it out of the way now.

I'd just like to mention some thoughts on different aspects of FFXIV:ARR, and would like some feedback on my thoughts, preferably in a positive manner.


First
This, I feel is very important, and should be aforementioned above all else, is without a doubt... Pacing. The game's pace is thrown way out of whack as everything is done quickly, and sloppily. And I mean everything. Combat is fast paced, and requires lightning reflexes to win a battle, this is evident in the GCD and dodging mechanics. Without the GCD it'd be spam-city on every ability, and this is just a way to slow everybody down. Frankly it feels like a massive weight. Dodging, and especially in (what qualifies as) end game content is so deeply rooted, that I'd go far enough to say that it's the main attraction, rather than the battle itself, and it's participants themselves.

Leveling and questing also falls under pacing scrutiny by yours truly because of one simple fact: It's way too easy. There is nigh any difficulty in Leveling now and undermines the achievement. I use achievement lightly because it's hardly that.

Quests are short lived, and easy to complete that require next to no brain power whatsoever. You see a big (!) you talk to the person, Spam the chat box, fly into your journal and mash that [Map] button at the bottom of the quest log. Might as well have an auto-walk and auto-complete button in there to boot.

I'm not saying there should be insane hoops to jump through, and they shouldn't increase the amount of exp you need to level by double, or completely rework the combat system, however It would be vary nice to see some overall changes in game play post 50 as it would be unrealistic to think that such ingrained aspects of the game could be changed 'over night.'

Second
Map size REALLY REALLY REEEEAAAALLY bothers me. I recently was doing a quest where as I was require to walk out into the desert, and to a camp to retrieve some items. I was giddy with excitement at the massive sand dune when I started off on my journey, yet all anticipation fell, as I was literally standing in front of the camp after walking over the single sand dune, a mere 15 seconds later. I quickly checked my map to see the relative distance I had traveled, only to realize it was a solid 15% of the map!

I recall a time when Final Fantasy was about massive WORLDS. worlds that would require TIME to traverse, where you could see MAGNIFICENT sights along the way, that made you thankful you took the long way around. Entire lands that Could not be seen in a single day *cough cough wheeze wheeze*

However, perhaps I'm romanticizing the past when I think about long treks through the Twelvewood in 1.0, or the large towering tree's in the Sanctuary of Zi'Tah, from XI, I had to run around. But I would like to enjoy the absolutely gorgeous world that was given to us, rather than waltz right by it on a Chocobo that does the driving for me.

Third
User Community.
Aye, I fully realize that developers cannot do a thing about this, but If you've read through the post to this point, I'm sure you agree to an extent. And I think we could all use some thoughts on how to go about fixing it.

The community is garbage. Lets face it. Sitting in Mor Dhona all I see are genital jokes and insults wizzing by in the chat log, whenever conversation does poke it's little head out from behind the menders' stand. We've all had to deal with trolls in CT, and that one guy who insults you for using a Game pad... Of course the people who criticize you for gear, complain about buffs, DPS, tanking, or healing aside, none others really need to be mentioned.

Finally
Rather than complaining, I'd like to take a moment to mention what I really enjoy about FFXIV:ARR.

• Character creation
- Love the extensive character creation for personalization
• Fluid movements
- Even on the lowest details, the movement is nice and fluid, big thing for me!
• Gear style
- It's all pretty stylish (IMO) and thank god I don't think I've seen a subligar yet!
• Multiple jobs to one class
- I enjoy this aspect because it adds another layer of depth to 'just being a white mage' or 'just being a Warrior.' There is no set line

It really is a lot easier to think of the bad things, as opposed to the good in something, but I'm sure there's a lot of different things people like and I'm also positive many will oppose what I've said here. However I'd like feedback and opinions!
Thanks for reading. Note: I apologize for any editing errors~

One of the things I really really enjoyed when I first started was explorer the world. Even running through areas that were to high a level for me. Now Eorzea doesn't seem big anymore as I continue to make the rounds for gathering, etc.

And as far as beast tribe quests, I stopped doing them, their weren't enough different ones, just after a few days I found myself doing constant repeats and trying to grind to get things like a rake. Well they were neat at first, but with the quest repeating from such a limited set, I got tired of doing it. It was less exciting that even grinding FATEs in North Thanalan with a FATE party.

And roulette, well, there aren't enough dungeons. Like the Main Scenario Roulette is just 3 Cape Westwind, Castrum Meridianum (sp) or The Praetorium. I hadn't done them until the roulette was added. So when I signed up for them, I got roulette ppl, who while fast, just were in such a hurry to burn through everything and get their 200 philo that I missed some of the action lol.

And sometimes I run WP for mythos and for relic weapon quest parts with friends. But you usually need some random to join too, and they come from roulette. And they often don't like my pace, fast, but not a speed run, last guy who came in from roulette kept telling me to go go go go go. When ppl do stuff like that, I don't want to go go go go go. If ppl are polite I'm much more likely to want to do something.

I remember before roulette and a dungeon was new ppl weren't so impatient. So always were but it's made it so much worse. Some of the ppl who come in for roulette get really annoyed if some newbie watches a cutscene and doesn't cancel it and watch it at the inn. I remember when stuff was new, nobody skipped cutscenes. Roulette throughs me in with bunch of impatient ppl who want nothing more than to get their philo and get out as fast as they can. In such a hurry sometimes to the point of being extremely rude! :/

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Originally Posted by Cederva

Third
User Community.

Sitting in Mor Dhona all I see are genital jokes and insults wizzing by in the chat log, whenever conversation does poke it's little head out from behind the menders' stand.

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Now on Odin and earlier on Phoenix I haven't ever seen anything like that. o.O

I don't agree with your first statement, this game is extremely slow paced compared to other games with the same concept; the 2.5 GCD hinders massive combination to make a systematical customization. I personally think the combat is alright and does suffice. For dodging, there is nothing wrong with it at the moment; I would give you a remedy for this particular dilemma, it's called move... your reflexes are too slow if you cannot adapt to this style of gameplay and would advise you to immerse yourself into another game that would cater to your demographic market.

On the other hand I absolutely agree with you on your second note** The maps sizes are certainly underwhelming and can definitely be revamped to give the Themepark* basis of MMO's a new feel. I love expansion and exploring; while this game offers different variation of travel through airships and teleports increasing map size should be on the top of SE's list. If not increasing map size increasing the amount of themepark based zones would suffice; yet only with time and in moderation to what SE deems desirable.

Third** community isn't bad, it's whatever you subject yourself to, if you wish to read neanderthals posting nonsense on trade/area chat use a different tab-.5 of the info coming from that log is of no value. Find a group of individuals with the same mentality and you can mitigate such folly in advance. in-game community is fine and i've seen much worse. Among all the MMO's i've played "Tera Online" has the worst in-game community i've ever bore witness to. e.g go install and sit at level 1 for 2 mins and read chat you'll see it.

Character Customization could use work.

overall a subpar post. yet you bring up some valid variables.

best of luck.

Da Stache

I am on the same server as OP
Genital Jokes?
I have yet to see a chat log full of them, or even insults only. Most of it is recruiting for stuff like "Need x for WP must be ilvl90 no learning run" (yes this does pop up)

On the point of the Zones Being small...

Ease of travel really does belie the scale of the maps provided, as does the fact that the zones themselves are segmented.

Let's draw up a comparison here a moment.



http://i.imgur.com/5fHPnfe.png

FFXI's Sanctuary of Zi-tah compared to...


http://i.imgur.com/NU26HGA.jpg

FFXIV's East Shroud.

Note, it's not to scale with one another, obviously we're looking at landforms, not sizes.

Now I note East Shroud in particular due to the issues our current maps have. Note that HALF the map is separated by two bridges and is deep in enemy territory. A level 50 player is going to get harassed by monsters walking in there, and never really pauses to marvel at it. They simply travel from one objective to another riding whatever convenient mount(s) they have on hand to bypass the travel time FFXI forced you to suffer through either through lack of transportation, or lack of navigation.

Note that while Zitah is more segmented, it's travel sections from the segments are usually fairly wide and open. And draw that comparison to something like East Ronfarue...

http://i.imgur.com/MScXIm7.png

It's just one block of land mass (Though the map would look different if it did not include non-traversal land masses...) Actual traveled distances are about the same from one end to the other of these zones. And even in FFXIV, you'll never get a zone that is physically larger in scale than what we have. The zones are quartered off in that to allow it to be played on consoles and maintain a functional level of graphic fidelity. And to be honest this does not bother me, so much as the design of the zones themselves feel more closed and quartered off without any truly 'open' zones which to marvel over. (Which I assume is likely due to limits of draw distance.)

So I can't agree that these maps are small in scale. They're cornered off by obstacles so that you can never see more than a singular segment of the zone, which makes the zones themselves feel more claustrophobic.

I'd like to challenge them to design a zone that's designed to make you look over the landscape and go 'wow'. Rather than to focus our eyes on looking at the individual components. The zones we have got that covered.

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Originally Posted by Kimikryo

I am on the same server as OP
Genital Jokes?
I have yet to see a chat log full of them, or even insults only. Most of it is recruiting for stuff like "Need x for WP must be ilvl90 no learning run" (yes this does pop up)

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I must be unlucky then, because I have seen quite a lot of it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Hyrist

snip.

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Though both made by SE, it's still two different games. Should've compared 1.0 and 2.0.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Cederva

I recall a time when Final Fantasy was about massive WORLDS. worlds that would require TIME to traverse, where you could see MAGNIFICENT sights along the way, that made you thankful you took the long way around. Entire lands that Could not be seen in a single day *cough cough wheeze wheeze*

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Sorry, but how is that not currently the case? This is a MMO, the whole world isn't handed over at once, right now we haven't even left the Mist Continent, for example. The zones between dungeons? Much better than the nondescript overworld of old. The dungeons? Much bigger than places like The Ice Cavern. If you go back as far as Final Fantasy I, XIV already has more than double the number of zones that had, and Eorzea is only one subcontinent of Hydaelyn...

Only problem I have with Eorzea is the Duty Finder, which completely kills the world by taking you out of it at every possible chance... You go to the entrance of a dungeon once, then never again. Can't wait for Treasure Map Dungeons, which would hopefully not be on the Duty Finder and actually involve wandering around the map... Assuming Treasure Map Dungeons are still even in the works, which they damn sure better be...

The whole situation is kind of a damned if you do damned if you don't situation. Without the Duty Finder we'd be left with the Party Finder which on it's own is only a marginal improvement over FFXI's system of standing around in Jeuno or whichever city you use as a hub and shout/yelling for a group. WITH Duty Finder everyone just stands around at Mor Dhona and DFs into instances. I can tell you though I likely would have had an easier time with Assaults/Salvage if something like Duty Finder had existed during ToAU time in FFXI.