Lets see you Make a Patch (For all the ranters)

I give respect for SE and their programmers as it takes time to make all the content and etc for people, but there have been massive amounts of "I'm bored" or "Not enough Content" threads to make me wonder how many of you either work, school, or do other things besides burn thru content and play all day. When I get bored in this game (which I don't) I'm usually chilling with friends in-game chatting for hours and having laughs. Content is good but the community within your server is what keeps you coming back(In my opinion).

So I have a project for the ranters (and whoever else wants to post in here.) I want you to be Yoshi P or whoever is in charge of development for this next patch coming up and I want you to put a patch together and post in here a "WORTHY PATCH FULL OF ENDLESS CONTENT" and tell us why you think your patch notes will not bore you or others.

Well, I'm a programmer and have written a number of programs which many people have used, and there have been bugs to fix and features to add... So I suppose on some level I've made a patch, though not specifically a 'game content' patch, but I've made patches. >.>

Tongue-in-cheek aside, if the population asks for something and you produce it, there will always be a portion of the population that doesn't like what you produce and a portion that does. Unfortunately, the people that like it enjoy it quietly while the people that don't are the only ones you tend to hear from. You can please some of the people most of the time, but you can never please all of the people all of the time.

There is also the old 80/20 rule. After any release, expect 80% to be complete, and 20% to be handle through emergency bug fixes. With competing priorities and constraints, that's just the reality of it.

As an end-user, that is annoying as hell. To the development staff, that's just life.

A good procedural system and spicy mob AI could go a long way.

But what Malzian said is true. No matter what, some people will always be unhappy with whatever you design and put in.

nothing is ever perfect, it doesnt exist, as much as you want to satisfy some, others will never be satisfied. There is a middle ground that needs to be found.
It cannot go all in favour of hardcores players and nor can it go towards casuals players, the road is in the middle, otherwise said, too hard for low and too easy for high, the majority though is in between and that is what a good programmer needs to make sure they are happy, they will ebthe ones that will ensure the perenity of the game, not the high up or low one. As for creating something ? I am not able to, I am not a programmer, all I would like to see is solo dungeons, with changing mechanics, never the same within the place, the challenge is starting from the moment you enter and goes on for a long time. Less RNG more factual rewards not based on RNG stuff, and less RNG in crafting and gathering. Other then that, I am happy as it is, I play since a long long long time and Still havnt finished all..I probably belong to the middle group.

Also, never forget that there will never be anythin gsaid when everything goes right, working as intended what can be said ? but when it doesnt that is when people become vocal.

I always like to spin this argument around on other things, to let the people know how little sense it makes.
"Oh, your washing machine broke? You expected it to last at least one more year? Let's see you make a washing machine! What's that, you can't? Then don't complain."

Don't get me wrong, I do get your point, but that is literally one of the worst arguments that can be made. Game designers are game designers for a reason, they specialize in it. If a random forum poster could out do them, then there's something wrong.

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Originally Posted by Colorful

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OP isn't asking you to make a washing machine, but to tell everyone what you want your washing machine to do. So instead of "Oh, your washing machine broke? You expected it to last at least one more year? Let's see you make a washing machine! What's that, you can't? Then don't complain." it's more "Oh, you don't like your washing machine? Then go ahead, go tell us how to build a washing machine that will keep everyone happy."

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I like this and I don't like that.

I want more of this and less, or none, of that.

Others might enjoy that but, since I don't, I don't care about them getting something they enjoy too.

Give me this, in huge quantities and as little time as possible. Preferably now, or even yesterday.

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That's literally how I see every single one of those "I'm bored" threads :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by kuma_aus

"Oh, you don't like your washing machine? Then go ahead, go tell us how to build a washing machine that will keep everyone happy."

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Needs to come with multiple colour choices and dial styles so that you can cater for people who only do one kind of wash and those who are trying to get that perfect clean fluffy softness from every load of laundry they wash and to let them better express their individualality. Also needs to offer coinslot attachments so that people can make money off of their machine's services people would also want a no downtime policy if they are paying monthly to ensure the continued use of their machine and will expect compensation if they can't use it at any point in time even if they are at work . And finally It also needs to talk to you in the voice of Morgan Freeman.

The complaints SE received after 1.0 made it possible for you to enjoy the game you play today.

Whatever they create, some will be happy, others won't.

The silent population won't say a thing unless.. SE fix it to please the ones unhappy and then.. the silent force will rage in turn because of the same changes made to what they perceived as fun or allright.

if no one complains, they will just quit without saying to SE what's wrong with their game; then the game itself won't get any patches, in turn the servers will close down, and SE will stop creating games.

so your point OP now?

*I'm a junior programmer, and yeah it sucks sometimes, but I've got friends working on Assassin's Creed and trust me, crunch time ain't fun, even if it's creating games..

and a patch isn't for full content; that's why we got them throughout the year, instead of one big shot of stuff and.. bug fixes.

I'd rather complain and sometimes see changes, not always the way I want it, than looking this great game going down.

Now go back and chill and laugh with your friends, inside this patched game, that the content, new and old, might have come from players the which SE listened to, through complaints and/or constructive suggestions.

**If you don't like reading rants, I would suggest stopping coming into this forum (or any other forums) cause 90% of it, just like the Internet, is trash.

I like movies. I dislike other movies. If I tried to make one, it would end up even worse than The Room. I'm still allowed to not like a movie.

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Originally Posted by kuma_aus

it's more "Oh, you don't like your washing machine? Then go ahead, go tell us how to build a washing machine that will keep everyone happy."

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That's the same thing, though. It's not our job to know what makes good game design. I know what does and doesn't work for me with a game, but I don't know what budget they're working with or the number of people working on things or what is and isn't possible to do realistically within a deadline. They also have access to numbers that I don't have, like the number of people attempting/clearing certain content. I'm sure I could easily write some patch notes with so much stuff that most players can be happy, but that wouldn't make it realistic within the constraints of budget and time.

Of course nothing will make everyone happy, but what's so wrong about disgruntled players (constructively) voicing their concerns?

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Originally Posted by Colorful

I always like to spin this argument around on other things, to let the people know how little sense it makes.
"Oh, your washing machine broke? You expected it to last at least one more year? Let's see you make a washing machine! What's that, you can't? Then don't complain."

Don't get me wrong, I do get your point, but that is literally one of the worst arguments that can be made. Game designers are game designers for a reason, they specialize in it. If a random forum poster could out do them, then there's something wrong.

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Actually your example is really bad. A broken washing machine has nothing to do with a game that is not broken. The game still works and still does what it needs to do. A broken washing machine is unable to function regardless of how long you thought it was going to last. The game still functions, still does what it has been doing, has added a new things to improve it.it its not broken.

A better example to compare it with a washing machine would be as follows.

Oh your clothes are not as clean as you want them to be? All the dirt is removed and it smells fresh but that is still not clean enough? How about you design a washing machine that will make your clothes even cleaner and continue to make them more and more clean every time you use it and never running out of new heights of cleaning, it should always be able to clean more and more every time you use it. If it only cleans to the same level every time it must be a broken bad machine, it should always provide a greater level of cleaning with every wash.

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Originally Posted by Etrock08

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My bad, it wasn't meant to be an exact comparison but I believe it gets the point across. But thanks for the fix I guess. :p

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Originally Posted by Aethaeryn

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Well said. Regardless of that, you'd still need knowledge of the inner workings for a washing machine in order to suggest realistic improvements that would work.

Patch 3.1, patch 3.2 contains content tha should've been adressed ages ago. Blah blah heavensward blah blah subscriptions something something adjustments.
PvP GC restrictions removed

More story quests (duh)

PvP story redacted and added a new one.

Wolves Den Lvl 60 and synched counterpart added

Morale gear usable in sieze and frontlines (except for the mode counterparts that will be synched)

PvP Exploratory Sieze mode as been added

Class change can now be done anywhere

Queue times have been adjusted so longer queued players are entered first

acquired class lvls are now taken to account during queue times. (Players may have to switch classes upon entering)

New class icon can be used for initiating duties (any tag)

Alexander Savage 3-4 have been nerfed and granted echo for 1-2

Titan, Garuda, Shiva, Ramuh, Leviathan and Ifrit now have Savage modes (playable day one in the dutyfinder)

Fixed Miqote 4th sitting pose where the hips would be disjointed

Afros are now usable for all character races

Au Ra hair styles are now usable for all races.

Au Ra scales can now be removed

multiple female hairstyles are now available for men (more to come, plz look forward to it!

Exploratory missions have changed (maps are now randomized with separate islands in random locations. Star monsters no longer respawn until an hour of their defeat. Night time now makes enemies more stronger (hm teir) Stealth now works againsts enemies for lvl 60 gatherers

Duel system has been added

Duel automatic decline options have been added

New guildests are added (up to 60)

Levequests are revamped (leves now extend to dungeons, raids, and primal battles) and give more exp, with the exception of gather and crafter classes (boss fate amounts)

Jukebox furniture have been added (usable with windows media player, Ps3/Ps4 Music functions) Note: must be in immediate vicinity for them to work.

Chaos dungeon mode has been added (randomly generated rooms with random monsters, every 10th floor is a random boss that difficulty increases the number of rooms you completed as well as loot drops.)

Continuous dungeon roulette has been added

Continuous Trial Roulette has been added

SE have been buffed to fit player expectations over a 6 month wait.


............One could dream -_-

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Originally Posted by Malzian

Well, I'm a programmer and have written a number of programs which many people have used, and there have been bugs to fix and features to add... So I suppose on some level I've made a patch, though not specifically a 'game content' patch, but I've made patches. >.>

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https://media.giphy.com/media/Q1GKga6nMzn8I/giphy.gif

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Originally Posted by Kurogaea

Queue times have been adjusted so longer queued players are entered first

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how do you think it works now?

I'm a business analyst by title and a web designer by education. I am currently working for a small software team that makes specialized medical records software for a niche industry.

I have a beautiful feature I spent all of October designing. All our clients want it desperately. But because there are two other features being worked on, including a rather messy refactoring for the accounting database, I'm on hold until January.* There's also a mountain of bugs to deal with first.

We're trying to hire two new developers to tackle the workload, but there is a shortage of qualified people willing to move to our non-silicon valley location and work for a non-silicon valley salary. (Anyone out there know Groovy/Grails or is willing to learn? Pretty please?**)

In short: I appreciate what SE did with patch 3.1 even if I'm not too happy with some of the features. I know it's a struggle to make everyone happy.

* This is the reason I'm posting on the forums at work. I literally have nothing to do until we can get another developer.
**If you know Java you can learn Grails pretty easily. I don't know Grails, but I'm able to follow along during the code reviews because it's a descendant of Java.

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Originally Posted by SendohJin

how do you think it works now?

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Still doesn't explain players queuing up frontlines for hours just to have their friends rapid fire their way in 4 times before you even get in, and you'd be the first to queue. Its a fix on priorities, not sure how they have it now >_>

The issue is not the amount of content as it is the length of content and amount of valid content for endgame that is the problem.

SE has generated content that extremely linear, meaning content A is negated by content B which is negated by content C. The content in the game is extremely easy to get through and gear up until you hit the final point which is the current Savage Alex, or in the past the current coil turns.


This model is leading to people hitting the end and having 1 thing to do a week, usually with a lockout. So in order to progress their character they have to wait.

The content is also amplified in the fact you cannot function as a guild. Where the "WHOLE" collective is working towards the progression of the whole. This game is focused on a small team mentality over a guild mentality. Which comes with a huge amount of problems when it comes to holding together a community. Aka what is more important for primary progression your guild or your 8 man static. If you answer the 2nd that is an issue in endgame for a mmo, and if you answered the first one you have not played endgame in ffxiv.

SO all in all the amount of content being released is perfectly fine but it has the following problems.

1) it is not guild related (Daidem is the first thing that "Arguably" is).
2) it is short lived. (Short in mmo terms being <1 yrs in length, 3-6 months in FFXIV's case)
3) there is a huge gap in skill. dungeons, daidem, void ark are face roll easy... savage alex is break your keyboard hard. the middle ground content atm consist of thordon ex... which once learned has about a 2 week life span.
4) Open world content is a zerg fest. And there is still not enough open world content.

There is not way to fix the content problem using the current model FFXIV is using, it would require a shift in at least some of the content aspects over time.

Content would have to last longer to make working for it be worth it. Content has to take longer to complete. Top Tier Endgame Progression Content has to have more of a guild Focus not a static focus, if anything it needs to be a 50/50 split. The game has to have more horizontal progression and not just on Odd number patches.

Put it this way it should be like this.in my eyes.

1) Slowed content negation: Example Alex Savage 1-4 gear 33-40% is negated in 3.2 and another 33-40% negated in 3.4.
2) BIS gear spread across multiple content. No 1 content should give a full set of BIS gear for any job.
3) Diadem is updated every patch not just Odd number (stays relevant)... It is revised so it is not a giant fate with treasure chest. Make it more guild alliance structured not an open free for all that once again has ended in a zerg fest.
4) Add several progression gear/weapon quest like relics.
5) Make a Void Ark Extreme again for guild focus. (Use airship or something make it enterable between 12-24 ppl). Have it drop SOME bis pieces.
6) Expand current mechanics to endgame. Example: Leves (force spawns) to have company Alliance leves (can be done with between 8-24 ppl, 8 ppl would be extremly difficult) that drop crafting mats for the guild crafting (unsellable but can turn in to the guild crafting thing, can be collected by anyone in the guild. Once picked up it is bound). Some crafted pieces are BIS. Leves could be purchased with Company Credits.. 10,000 Easy Boss (8man). 25,000 Mid Boss (8-16 people). 50,000 Hard Boss (16-24 ppl). Each one with seperate drop pools, worthwhile stuff in each. different spawnable mobs in each region of HW with valid endgame stuff.
7) Add unique Materia. Shield Block +, MP Regen +, Cooldown reduction on X skill, ect. Make these drops from various things or Rare conversions from armor. Aka convert a I210 shield from Alex have a chance to get Shield Block + 25 materia.
8) Some token gear is BIS some is not. You should not be able to upgrade all token gear to BIS level gear.
9) REMOVE PVP GC RESTRICTIONS. And add rewards that actually do something that are not vanity only.

And I could go on.

Basically make content slowly negate overtime, not all at once every even patch. Make guilds and endgame community more central to the game design. Add more horizontal progression. And add more diversity besides main stat, determination, skill/spell speed, critical, Accuracy. And have a large selection of content, which is from slowed negation and most content being valid in top tier endgame.

The forum ranters remind me why its important to beat your kids cause lord knows we need more whiny brats in our future generations. Murica.

There's a difference between whiny ranting and just making an honest criticism, suggestions, and/or ideas for improvement. Though sharing experiences helps, don't really consider that ranting though usually they are filled with passive aggressive bloat text.

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Originally Posted by Colorful

Don't get me wrong, I do get your point, but that is literally one of the worst arguments that can be made. Game designers are game designers for a reason, they specialize in it. If a random forum poster could out do them, then there's something wrong.

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But that's the problem, people want to whine and complain, but when asked exactly and in detail how they would design a quest/raid/expansion whatever they sit there with a dumb look on their face. People want to rant about not enough content, or not hard enough content, but then when asked how and again in detail how they would fix it, they have no clue.

I'm not one of the ranters, but coming up with a patch outline for this game sounds fun. I'll update this post or make another with my patch 3.2 outline when I finish it.

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Originally Posted by Iagainsti

https://media.giphy.com/media/Q1GKga6nMzn8I/giphy.gif

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(Sic) "Tongue-in-cheek aside".

"The neurosurgeon botched his job. He tried to operate on my mother with a chainsaw. She didn't make it."
"Yeah? Well, let's see you do better!"

As if anyone's inexperience in doing someone else's job prevents anyone from criticizing it, especially as a paying customer.

If I made a patch, I'd have to raise the subscription fees because the amount of people leaving other MMOs to play the game would skyrocket, and I'd need more revenue to fund the dev team and buy better servers.

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Originally Posted by AsteriaStarfall

People want to rant about not enough content, or not hard enough content, but then when asked how and again in detail how they would fix it, they have no clue.

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...? So every person who has posted a rant thread has never made any suggestions for improvement? Conjecture aside, I can spin things around and point out how a lot of the replies to those rants are just, "You don't even have every job at 60/every TT card/all of the chocobo racing achievements/etc. yet!" or, "I only play one hour every other week, there's plenty of stuff to do!" as if that's even remotely helpful. Never mind that you can't know they don't have those things when people have (or post from) alts.

Regardless, there's no implied rule that you have to include suggestions with your feedback. Criticism is not invalid just because the person making it doesn't know what would make things better.

The only thing I would change about Patch 3.1 would be hunt mark HP pools, I would raise them all by a factor of 5.

(welcome to a hunt scene with mechanics that must be worked with, not just some stupid crappy dps smackdown) :D