A good start for FFXIV. Looking forward on 1.19 and onward.

I've few complain before patch1.18.
After a day of gameplay yesterday, I'll say it's a good start for FFXIV.

The Right Direction:
- Mobs generally become harder due to new gameplay.
- The dungeon is very chanllege. Expect more of this content to be released.
- Class is re-balance, hate-alorg is re-calculated. GOOD mage and tank will become incredibly demanding( and leadership of the team)
- DD class can be play in various style. Not only to archer.
- SP gain in various way, not only leve/behest.

1.19 and onward:
- Job system will probably be very interesting. Like Con/Thm > Red Mage..etc
- SP gain is not so-easy mode anymore, so when new class introduce will be rewarding to put effort to rank it.
- Ifrit battle, chocobo, settlement, the already mentioned stuff, looking forward on it
- maybe a few minor fix.

Things needed to be careful( For dev team):
- Don't pay too much attention for people who whine for easier life, unless it's really positive opinion.
- JPs player are possibly much more in numbers than the rest of international player. Satisfy them first. This is the right way to do.
- Keep the hard-core stuff coming. Like discussed before, if you keep a good LS functioning(with old members), you attract new player to stay as well.
- Please work on your advertisement department soon.
- Oh, do'nt get cocky yet. We do'nt know what happen when payment enroll.
- Good luck!

I would agree it could be the right direction if patches weren't so far and few between. The problems in this patch likely aren't going to be addressed for months leaving us with a broken game.

I don't think they deserve a medal or anything.

They've introduced some content, but at the same time they seem to be ruining this game in many ways. So i hesitate to say they are going in the right direction.

On one hand the game is improving but on the other it is degenerating.

i feel like the stuff outside of combat is improved. I think the game needed a diffuclty increase, but i think they bet too much on simply altering the cure side of the spectrum. it seems like the entire game is now about mp management, and currently they are trying to make you wait around more. mp regen is an abomination, they want to return to the sitting mage style of play.

As non magic users, they have made all DD play the same style, by putting the unique playstyle changing skills on stupidly long cool downs. the point of these skills werent about doing extra dmg, they were utility and playstyle skills, they make classes distinct. lnc/pug/mrd is now basically the same class, and lnc is the best at that job most likely, with speed surge and native potency and recast on invigorate. arc is still pretty much the same. gld is probably the class that has benefited the most.

this is the wrong direction imo, especially with only 7 classes, each of them should be more unique, not less, and should offer a different playstyle experience, the only difference between pug lnc and mrd now is how long you will wait for tp. conjurer is pigeon held to whm, and the worst part is they built a whm who has to put away its weapon and regen mp. IMO mp management should be active, if you are going to increase costs so much, give them actual tools to manage mp besides 1 mp drain = to one cure, every 1minute and 15 seconds, and a 10 minute mp boost skill.

also, with these new speeds, the weapon attack values dont seem to have changed much.

how does a level 29 spear with a delay of 3.7 seconds do have 2 more att than a level 30 axe with a 4.2 seconds? and this doesnt even include that the lancer has speed surge.

Basically its the right direction in populating the world, adding content, adding interesting goals, and more story to the world, but battle itself is becoming something i kind of just want to do so i can see something else.

Also they are not helping casuals at all by making everything require a whm

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Physic

Also they are not helping casuals at all by making everything require a whm

---

Hey Physic, I remeber the day where pld/whm are always required in almost any party and we Thf/Mnk are alwasy look for group.

There is always a starting point, in Japanese point of view. Then it gets better beaucase Pld/Whm is always in a party but can't go anywhere else sololy.

Well, let's see what they bring up in 1.19 then.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Blair

- JPs player are possibly much more in numbers than the rest of international player. Satisfy them first. This is the right way to do.

---

You know, I really really love the Japanese people, their country and especially their culture, but seriously I have to highly disagree with this comment. The last few years the Japanese gaming economy has tanked exponentially, not that it hasn't world-wide to a degree with the overall economy issues we're all having, but right now its the US and EU that are on top for the most gaming sales, and any developer in their right mind would be stupid not to support the countries whom have the most money to blow on entertainment as priority one!

Yeah, it looks like it's going to be a good MMO at some point in the future. However it still has a fair share of problems.

I feel that the next few patches will bring bigger things (not necessarily in size, but in function and boldness). This patch was the first step, laying a foundation. Now they can build more features upon this and tweak what they implemented already.