I want to preface this post by saying that the new development team is probably the best one I've ever seen in an MMO, but as Yoshi stated himself, the game is only "Half Final Fantasy". The game still has a ways to go and has come so far, but at the moment I am trying to point out issues that need to be handled with expediency. So here are a few that I've noticed:
- Zone Redesign
-Abolish the new dyeing system where it effects stats, dyeing should be completely aesthetic
-Streamlined UI
- Crafting system seems more on chance rather than skill, making the process tedious instead of fun
- Linkshell options (which I know are in the works)
- Mob variation, many of the mobs are almost identical besides a name tag, this makes the game feel mundane
- More armor options for the new sets (Know this is in the works also)
- Quest icons need to change in appearance according to relevance to level; grey bubble=too low, green=In your level range, red=too hard, something like that; and add even more quests.
- There need to be a greater variety of ways to level up
- Mailing System A.S.A.P
- Return of unique AIs for mobs, Coblyn following you, mobs running away, etc.
- There are many bugs in the leve system still, mainly one where some party members don't get added into a leve if it is activated while they are in the Aetheryte menu.
- More mobility in combat, all these mundane stationary transitions make combat very clunky and frustrating somethings
-Reallocate mobs so that they are not so abundant in the zones which company leves appear, they can really hinder the leve too difficult
-Market Ward Crashing
-Party Search Feature needs work*
Those are all the ones that have really been bothering me, exclude the Market Ward Crashing, I've just seen a lot of people complain about that. I feel like these are all the issues holding the game back, all the patches that have been added have definitely been very positive and mostly necessary, but I am begging that these issues get addressed in the next patch. I read somewhere that Zone Redesign WAS scheduled for 1.2, and I just wanted to address it's importance. I understand all these changes need money, and I understand that the game is free right now-- I just wanted to iterate their importance. If anyone else feels I missed something please do say so.
Issues that need top priority
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10-09-2011, 01:44 AMThawedIssues that need top priority
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10-09-2011, 01:48 AMGramul
This can only end in heated disagreement!
Whatever the case, they're concentrating on the job system next, the UI after that, then the area redesign. From what I've observed. I dunno, we'll see in the upcoming months. -
10-09-2011, 01:51 AMBetelgeuzah
I think that the area team is concentrating on the area redesign, UI team on the UI redesign and Job team on the Job design. Each team is finished at different times, and that can't be helped.
Unless we have the UI team sculpting up some landmarks and server programmers designing the Garuda encounter.
I think the top priority for the team right now (the part of the team that doesn't have major features to work on like QA) is 1.19a and then 1.20. -
10-09-2011, 01:56 AMviion
UI redesign is not important.
The UI Team should be focusing on ONLY the Linkshell Stuff right now, it shouldnt be taking so long and its been too long. If you're including LS Management in UI redesign then fairenough, but LS specific stuff needs to be sorted, its so frustrating. I'm sick of the amount of linkshells that retire daily... -
10-09-2011, 01:57 AMJinkoI think this is pretty accurate and is the best way to go about it imo, the zone redesign is the last issue which needs fixing, as boring as they are they work and thats all that matters at this stage.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gramul
Job system will add a bit of flavour to the battle system (hopefully)
User Interface and server optimsation is sorely lacking.
You don't redesign one aspect of a much larger system, its like building ontop of a crapp foundation.Quote:
UI redesign is not important.
The UI Team should be focusing on ONLY the Linkshell Stuff right now, it shouldnt be taking so long and its been too long. If you're including LS Management in UI redesign then fairenough, but LS specific stuff needs to be sorted, its so frustrating. I'm sick of the amount of linkshells that retire daily...
You say Linkshell management is most important, I disagree and say that party search is more important, and Im sure others would disagree with both, fact remains you have to have a working base system which includes servers that are fast and optimised for the user interface to work properly. -
10-09-2011, 01:57 AMVaer
Party search/seeking party system.
The one now is like standing outside in an empty parking lot outside a nightclub (that is only allowing people who have been members for at least a year inside) while asking people who walk by entering said nightclub if they want to go to the new McDonalds across the street. -
10-09-2011, 01:59 AMFiron
Don't need changes to the quest bubble cause they only let you do quest when you are the right lvl to complete them...
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10-09-2011, 02:02 AMviionI highly doubt UI team has anything to do with server structure. Thought it would give a valid reason why the most common and easiest to create system in any MMO is taking so long. Split focus.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jinko
Also you can shout and get a PT and at least there is a system there that works but no body uses it. You cannot kick someone if they are offline, no way around it but binning the LS and starting over. You cannot kick someone who is hiding and abusing LS other than to hope he leaves or bin the LS.
At least Searching has options and a working but unfriendly tool, where as LS has nothing other than the option of binning and starting over. -
10-09-2011, 02:05 AMJennestiaThis can't be done quickly. It's going to get done but it can't be expedited without sacrificing something else.Quote:
Originally Posted by Thawed
Not only is this common in FF games, it's common in most MMOs to the point that you're guaranteed the next kill quest will just be a stronger version of what you killed at the start of your career. The only variation found would just be aesthetic changes in the base model, e.g the high level Boar has bigger tusks and spikes than the low level one.Quote:
Mob variation, many of the mobs are almost identical besides a name tag, this makes the game feel mundane
Not going to happen, people complained about this too much.Quote:
Return of unique AIs for mobs, Coblyn following you, mobs running away, etc.
You can move just fine in Combat. This isn't an action game, remember that. A lot of clunkiness comes from the fact the interface is serverside and unoptimized.Quote:
More mobility in combat
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10-09-2011, 02:06 AMJinkoWell one is heavily dependant on the other, you are no doubt right that the UI team aren't the same team as the server team but if you are sending system calls back and forth between the user and the server you have to design it with the new server changes in mind.Quote:
Originally Posted by viion
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10-09-2011, 02:08 AMBetelgeuzahIt most certainly is closer to one than anything else.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jennestia
EDIT: And yeah, I am sure the UI team is involved with, for example, deciding where to apply server/client checks. Like when it comes to allocating stats, why is there a server check each time you change one stat instead of having just one server check when you click "apply changes"? They are very much intertwined! -
10-09-2011, 02:08 AMMunbaLS Stuff should be in 1.20 from what i got in the LIVE event.Quote:
Originally Posted by viion
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10-09-2011, 02:09 AMThawedI completely see the validity of both these points, but I feel like Jinkos argument is probably more pertinent to the idea of necessity. Just like some one said the environments work, although bland--so do Linkshells. I feel a working party search feature would aid players more at the moment. It would make grouping so much more accessible, especially new players--who I hate to say are the target audience at this point. SE wants to get more people into the game and having an easy way to group with others would be a great way to get new players started and meeting people, which is the whole point of an MMO at the end of the day.Quote:
Originally Posted by viion
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10-09-2011, 02:10 AMJackDaniels
The only thing random about the crafting system is the way making HQ stuff works. IMO it's allllmost perfect.
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10-09-2011, 02:21 AMviionWell if more want Search system then that obviously is the more important one as its more demanded, and I always think that higher demand should be prioritized as it will make the masses happy. I just dislike that there is at least some option/subsidy for the party feature where as LS has nothing right now.Quote:
Originally Posted by Thawed
But if I look at it at a programming stand point, the party system needs a lot less work it would seem as they've at least got it half working and know exactly how to proceed when they mentioned doing something similar to XI, so hopefully it will not be a long, long task, and we may even see both PT search and LS fixes within the next major patch.
@Munba I hope so! -
10-09-2011, 02:21 AMThawed
I think it still relies on chance way too much, you can excel in one making an HQ item and then completely botch the next one using the exact same tactic.
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10-09-2011, 02:42 AMDreamer
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10-09-2011, 02:51 AMviion
Yeh it is clean and nice but I hate the buttons, the Alpha ones were so much nicer, and there are some changes I'd make, such as the blue Hue and the noise'd background I prefer flat.
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10-09-2011, 02:59 AMpwnguinNot really a fair comparison. WoW has a pretty clean interface by default too, the only difference is it supports mods that let a player have as much information as they need. There's nothing wrong with choice.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dreamer
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10-09-2011, 03:11 AMDreamerI was on the ropes about the original buttons, but the new larger ones that added in 1.18 seem to be fantastic. They're extremely crisp and clear on my screen.Quote:
Originally Posted by viion
Only the second was a modded WoW UI, the third is unmodded WoW, and the last is Aion's UI. Even with WoW's default UI, you have that massive bar at the bottom covering far more of the screen than necessary, and the large unit frames for you and your target don't help.Quote:
Originally Posted by pwnguin
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10-09-2011, 03:18 AMNash
I came back after a year of not playing only to find that crashing or disconnecting during a leve still causes you to fail the leve and redoing it costs you another leve allowance. 1 year and they haven't found out how to let you relog back in and continue where you d/c'd from.
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10-09-2011, 03:24 AMviionDo you mean third by http://vvv-gaming.com/forum/uploads/...58_327024.jpg?Quote:
Originally Posted by Dreamer
Thats Aion not WoW. Aions is very nice and clean and I like having things such as quest data on screen and all action bars rather than a rotator. -
10-09-2011, 04:18 AMJinkoI don't think anyone wants a WoW style clutterfest, and its not about look as much design and functionality.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dreamer
You are right FF14's UI does look nice, but it is clunky, slow and lacks the standard functions of most other MMO's out there, LS management and Party search all fall under user interface btw, as do memorable skill sets which we should be getting in 1.19a. -
10-09-2011, 04:20 AMJennestia
Yep, which is why I said what kept 1.19 from being almost perfect was the fact the interface wasn't moved to client dependency.
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10-09-2011, 04:38 AMBetelgeuzah
I don't think XIV's UI looks nice. I think it looks pretty simple and dated.
If everything looked like the main menu does it would be much better. Now it's just boring, round blue with ugly icons.
Although I like the direction of some of the new stuff, like EXP Chain message, the icons beside monster name and stuff like that. -
10-09-2011, 05:22 AMThawed
The UI just needs to be streamlined into one, simple, clean UI. The side Menu is even too much; it works I will give it that--but everything is just a chore. Inventory, Actions and Traits, Party, Linkshell, and Journal should all be tabs in the quick menu on the bottom. Graphic settings should be available within the game and the side menu should be mainly for console controls. There should be multiple ability bars instead of one with arrows to go to different lists, sometimes it's just nice to have all your abilities readily available to click. The Icon size on the Action Bar should be an option in the menu, and overall the action bars should take up as much space as they do. There should also be an option to have the action bar viewable at all times, as well as keybindings for all the different menus.
Inventory should be completely redone to where instead of having a list you have a chart with all your items viewable inside, and can easily drag and drop the icons. There should also be an AUTO SORT option for the inventory to group items into like groups so that organization isn't an issue. Items being worn by the player should be removed from the inventory, because they are actively being worn--it's impossible for an item to take up two spaces at any given time, and plus it's just annoying and confusing. Maybe splitting the inventory up into categories itself, "All, Armor, Materials, Usable Items, Weapons, Accessories, Misc" so that the player can easily peruse the inventory would also help.
The player skills menu should also have a way to easily flip through classes and skills, tabs are always a better option for categories than a scroll down menu, so maybe have the classes in a tab on top or to the side. This way a player can easily view the skills they want and organize everything much quicker and more efficiently. Also having the Action Bar for each class be saved would be nice so you don't have to reset it EVERY time you change classes.
Everything in the UI needs to be more easily accessible and quicker to peruse through, I'm a patient person but some things in the menu are just too much of a bother. Selling things is almost more of a hassle than I care to partake in, so often I just let my inventory stay full because it takes about 10 minutes to clear it out.
Also the Bazaar for retainers needs to be greatly expanded, or the can just give us an AH where we can sell a greater quantity of items. -
10-09-2011, 05:26 AMKiriA500
The first thing Square-Enix needs to fix is this:
http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/59...B0A12AF43AE7D/
There's no reason I should look so fat in this. I'm wearing a coat, not cosplaying as an Xbox... -
10-09-2011, 05:35 AMJennestiaIt's ok Morpheus.Quote:
Originally Posted by KiriA500
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10-09-2011, 06:57 AMviionSwitch Physics setting, might adjust it smaller (or bigger lol)Quote:
Originally Posted by KiriA500
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10-09-2011, 07:03 AMGramulIt's the horizontal stripes.Quote:
Originally Posted by KiriA500
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10-09-2011, 09:16 AMEl-NekoThat coat looks cool but Roegadyns have always been "Xbox hueg" from the start.Quote:
Originally Posted by KiriA500
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10-09-2011, 09:43 AMLavaniI'm not sure about lvl 20+ but i have only found a small handful of quests not related to the main story. This is a big problem for me since i want to be able to quest when I am not in a party group. So yes add more quest, and maybe add better rewards like items. I know they want to have crafting jobs provide gear so they are actually useful and used, but the gear I see in the market wards is way to expensive and I know a lot of people, myself included, that hate crafting and gathering jobs.Quote:
Originally Posted by Thawed
The mobility in combat needs to be improved. My favorite class is archer because I like to fight at ranged. Currently I can kill things faster by just shooting them pointblank which isn't very fun. I love the idea behind closeshot and shadowbind to immobilize the target allowing me to (in theory) run back out of range to continue attacking. With the way combat works right now, I move so slow and have to deselect the mob to try and move faster (only to not be able to get very far). I don't know what their thought on kiting mobs is ultimately but based on this current system they want every class to be melee classes with higher ranged spells. -
10-09-2011, 09:46 AMLavaniThis make better sense to you?Quote:
Originally Posted by Thawed
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10-09-2011, 10:10 AMThawedHaha, a lot more, thank you.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lavani