The Good, The Bad, and The Weird?

Hello everybody, this is a thread that talks about my view and take of Final Fantasy XIV so far. And sorry for the confusing title, this isn't referred to that Korean movie, it's my view, darn it!

Since the game was announced back in 2008, and with the engine showcase even further back in 2005, it pique my interest. And realistically, the reason why I decided to buy this game instead of continue playing FFXI was mainly due to the fact that I started way too behind, with content that takes probably 6 years or so to beat. Plus I am a moderator for Gametrailers, and I have been keeping track of it's progress ever since until it release, the disaster that it faced, and the reform of the game. I have played many games, such as WoW, SWTOR, LOTRO, DAoC, FFXI, Ryzom, Face of Mankind, Planetside, EQ2, etc... But please do not take those into heart that I automatically have a bad perspective of the game.

Despite the abysmal start that Final Fantasy XIV received, and of course, it's former development team was gutted, and the entire team was reformed, the game some how pique my interest. After a little more than a year later, I decided to buy the game, not knowing what to expect. However, unlike many people that started the game with the bitter taste in their mouth, I looked at it with a different perspective.

Story

The Good: I made my characters starting from Gridania, and then Limsa Lominsa, and finally settled in Ul'dah, I must say, I was impressed with everything, from the beginning until the end of all 2 main story of Gridania, and Limsa Lominsa. Currently I am trying out Ul'dah, and still discovering the plot.

The dialogue and wording was understandable, and each Grand Companies has their own sort of culture and accent to it, for example, Gridania has a very British folklore sort of language whenever they speak, it was slightly hard to understand at some point, but it was well worth the time to spend and trying to understand what was going on through what the character was saying. Limsa Lominsa, well, of course, pirate speech, what else do you not love? And Ul'dah was a quite common accent. So I praise the team for hiring such good voice actors. Especially whoever it was for Yda. <3

The Bad: It would be nice if they continued with the voice acting throughout the game. Or at some point your character has his/her own dialogue. So it doesn't make me feel like I'm trying to guess what my character just said half of the time. :o

The Weird: There isn't much for me to say besides that it was engaging, though I wish there was some sort of optional interaction I could do to make it feels like I'm actually apart of the story, rather than a side character.

Gameplay:

The Good: I gotta say, as far it goes for combat, it is so much better than Final Fantasy XI in my personal opinion, everything seem smooth, it wasn't slow, nor too fast pace where I had to constantly spamming buttons for the life of me. I love the movement animations and how your character takes time to turn front and back, like a real person would do rather than magically make a 180 degree turn in a blink of frame like WoW or SWTOR and many other MMO I am too lazy to point out. So great job on that! I also do like the Levequest system, as it makes me feel like I play Monster Hunter (One of my most favorite game) at some point, taking Levequests from the Adventure Guild, just like how it was in Monster Hunter where you get the mission from the quest giver, and when you initiate it, you can do so with the +Level of difficulty, and once it's initiated, everything was so smooth, from the start to finish of the Levelquest, and once you finished your deeds, you get your reward, very nice and simple. Though, unfortunately, that is all I can comment on, and be realistic about it, because I haven't got far into the game yet, but I do hope to look forward as I progress :o

Also, the musics are amazing! And I hope to see more track to be added to this game :o

The Bad: Let's face it, the game definitely has some bugs and glitches, for example, when I run into some building, the characters won't load, and sometimes my character disappear as well, and I run around invisible. That is definitely something the team needs to look into and get it fixed. I just hate having to relog back and forth in order to get it loaded properly. And sometimes when it happened during Levequest, and I relog, it said that my quest failed, which causes me to lose one Levequest point, which means waste of experience and money! That is something I does not appreciate. :(

The weather system definitely need some work, I mean it seems like the effect is planted on the screen, instead of the world. I mean, sometimes I walk into some sort of cover, and I still see it rain through a solid piece of rock! xD

Levequest, this is probably just my personal opinion, but I feel very limited, as how much money I could make or leveling. Sometimes, I felt like this is a great way to solo for those player who like to do so if you take the Levequest points away, and let the players do as much Levequests as they want, that way, it's easier for them to farm for gil, and level up their jobs. However, if anyone here has a better opinion why it should be the way that it is, I'd be more than happy to consider that in mind as well. Just a different way to look into things, you know?

And I'm pretty sure this has brought up plenty of time, the game shows very little direction in the beginning, which I guess it's not quite player friendly for some people who does not have the patients. Not saying that I don't, just some simple googling helped. Hehe. :o

The Weird: I would say, despite the disaster that almost every MMO community priced Final Fantasy XIV, I find the game very enjoyable, nostalgic, and different from various of other MMORPG I've played in the past, and most of my friends called me crazy, and said "Don't do it! It's not worth it!" Well, most of them probably never played that game, or didn't play them since Launch back in 2010. But I'm glad that many things and content in-game are changing, and being added and fixed. I mean, it's like you got off a bad foot with your male/female friend, and then overtime they changed in a good way, and you ends up dating that person. Kinda like this for Final Fantasy XIV. Though, some people would probably just date them while they're still bad, and overtime they changed and become good. You can also look it like that. ;)

Crafting:

The Good: I had a lot of fun trying to do crafting. Which was my Armorsmith. The experience rate for crafting is dramatic, and you level up so fast trying to craft something. It was a fun and innovative experience I had. It feels like a little "lucky lucky" mini-game going on.

The Bad: Too much self configuration going on. Half of the time, I don't know what the heck I am doing. And you can't really make anything at an early level unless you waste levepoints on crafting quests and get the awarded recipe. Oh well, I suppose I can wait until I get my Marauder up around 30 and start putting a few points into Armorsmith.

The Weird: @_@ So much confusion, a complex yet simple system. Maybe I'm just a silly little newb trying to learn this darn thing! xD

Overall:

Well, let say that giving Final Fantasy XIV a chance caught me off guard, I came in not giving it the perspective that many, or most players, and that was being pessimistic about it. But I find Final Fantasy XIV was sort of giving me a sandbox feel to it. Mainly because I don't consider the jobs as a "Class" to level, but more like a profession to "skill" up. So you can do and be everything you wanted to be that FFXIV offered! Believe me, that perspective helped out a lot. And there are sooooo many jobs that it's really overwhelming @_@;, so I hope that I would find somebody that are nice enough on Besaid to help and show me the loop. ^^;

But that is all I have for now, like I said, I am still in the very beginning of the ride, and I am definitely looking forward for what to come in this game. Also, I am interested in RP, hence why I rolled in Besaid (Did a little research xD), so if there is any helpful RP Linkshell that are willing to put up with my newby butt, I'd be grateful as well! Thank you for taking your time in reading this, and I hope to see you all ingame. :o

I love when someone posts genuinely unbiased feedback. More people need to do this. +1

+1 for the well written post, hope you continue to enjoy the game :D

Thank you! It's a lot to navigate around and get used to, haha. Just very little direction I have to face xD

Am I on FF XIV General Forum?

/confused

no! ur name is aion GOWAI! lol :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Aion

Am I on FF XIV General Forum?

/confused

---

Did I do something wrong? o.o;

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Nanamix

Did I do something wrong? o.o;

---

We aren't used to possitive feedback, or posts in general. lol

Hey Nanase Sakamoto, I play on Besaid and am also relatively new. Started playing about 2 weeks ago with the same kind of pessimism you had and I have to agree with your post I love the game, it has the FFXI feel that I enjoyed for years but feels different enough that I am learning as I go. Myself and a friend started a linkshell yesterday (we both started playing at the same time) and would love for you to join us. Part of what makes the game fun is playing with others so the more we get the better! We aren't RP but we are friendly and helpful and we don't care if you RP =) I'll be home later tonight if you are on and want to join look me up.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Nanamix

I also do like the Levequest system, as it makes me feel like I play Monster Hunter (One of my most favorite game) at some point, taking Levequests from the Adventure Guild, just like how it was in Monster Hunter where you get the mission from the quest giver, and when you initiate it, you can do so with the +Level of difficulty, and once it's initiated, everything was so smooth, from the start to finish of the Levelquest, and once you finished your deeds, you get your reward, very nice and simple.

---

Son of a gun... I have been playing this game regularly since launch and I've played every Monster Hunter released in the US and I've never made that connection...
the Levequest system really IS reminiscent of the MH quest counter....
but the quest counter in MH is:
more in depth...
where a story develops....
each quest comes with an explanation..
Certain quests need to be done to unlock more.
Also the MH quests are MUCH more difficult than levequests in FFXIV....

(in Hank Hill voice) Yoshi-P and co. could learn A LOT from that system... I'll tell you what

I would LOVE to see leves become even more like MH

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Endless

Hey Nanase Sakamoto, I play on Besaid and am also relatively new. Started playing about 2 weeks ago with the same kind of pessimism you had and I have to agree with your post I love the game, it has the FFXI feel that I enjoyed for years but feels different enough that I am learning as I go. Myself and a friend started a linkshell yesterday (we both started playing at the same time) and would love for you to join us. Part of what makes the game fun is playing with others so the more we get the better! We aren't RP but we are friendly and helpful and we don't care if you RP =) I'll be home later tonight if you are on and want to join look me up.

---

Aye! Add me to friend, and we will play together ^^

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rydin

Son of a gun... I have been playing this game regularly since launch and I've played every Monster Hunter released in the US and I've never made that connection...
the Levequest system really IS reminiscent of the MH quest counter....
but the quest counter in MH is:
more in depth...
where a story develops....
each quest comes with an explanation..
Certain quests need to be done to unlock more.
Also the MH quests are MUCH more difficult than levequests in FFXIV....

(in Hank Hill voice) Yoshi-P and co. could learn A LOT from that system... I'll tell you what

I would LOVE to see leves become even more like MH

---

Doesn't it? I'm glad that I pointed that out! ^^

To the people who started threads like this that turned into all-out war zones, please read this thread and learn.

+1

Will do! Will you be on tonight?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Endless

Will do! Will you be on tonight?

---

I certainly am! Just send me tells ^^

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Nanamix

Aye! Add me to friend, and we will play together ^^





Doesn't it? I'm glad that I pointed that out! ^^

---

What I want to see in this game is there is special/faction leves/quest that we need to hunt boss monster that roaming based on its current HP or weather or another condition. We only can track it if using an item to it

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Aion

What I want to see in this game is there is special/faction leves/quest that we need to hunt boss monster that roaming based on its current HP or weather or another condition. We only can track it if using an item to it

---

Which is also like Monster Hunter, xD

Thanks for the post! You somehow managed to sound positive yet sincere, which is refreshing, since people in this forum tend to be either very defensive or offensive towards the game and Square Enix.

I think the main point of the levequest system is that it's supposed to cater to the casual player. In that respect I think they got it just right. You teleport or choco to the camp, pop the quest and you're done with it within minuts. It's not supposed to be that challenging, as it's mainly just a way to get exp. But then, you can always up the difficulty if you want it to be a bit harder. They could definitely benifit for making the levequests a bit more varied, though (and stop the bit where the mob runs. I have yet to meet a person who doesn't find that annoying).

That said, they could greatly benifit from expanding on Faction leves (which are levequests that are a bit harder with better rewards, if you didn't know) and make them more like Monster Hunter quests. They actually sort of do already, since they actually have questlines and more backstory to them then normal levequests.

I really liked your post, it´s good to hear some positive feedback ! I´m too relatively new to the game, I concur with you, this game have somekind of traditional feeling on it, and now with the jobs and the new gear even more than before xD

I hope to se you in game someday. ^^

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mug

Thanks for the post! You somehow managed to sound positive yet sincere, which is refreshing, since people in this forum tend to be either very defensive or offensive towards the game and Square Enix.

I think the main point of the levequest system is that it's supposed to cater to the casual player. In that respect I think they got it just right. You teleport or choco to the camp, pop the quest and you're done with it within minuts. It's not supposed to be that challenging, as it's mainly just a way to get exp. But then, you can always up the difficulty if you want it to be a bit harder. They could definitely benifit for making the levequests a bit more varied, though (and stop the bit where the mob runs. I have yet to meet a person who doesn't find that annoying).

That said, they could greatly benifit from expanding on Faction leves (which are levequests that are a bit harder with better rewards, if you didn't know) and make them more like Monster Hunter quests. They actually sort of do already, since they actually have questlines and more backstory to them then normal levequests.

---

Yes, this is what I am hoping to see!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Elgeron

I really liked your post, it´s good to hear some positive feedback ! I´m too relatively new to the game, I concur with you, this game have somekind of traditional feeling on it, and now with the jobs and the new gear even more than before xD

I hope to se you in game someday. ^^

---

Indeed ^^

Thank you for your feedback Nanamix!

As others have said, I respect the constructive criticism (and humor) in your feedback. I do hope in the future that others who share their opinion, whether they like or dislike parts of the game, will post with similar respect and civility.

Just commenting on the dubbing system. I definitely support more cutscenes (also in side quests like "Shot through the heart") and I'd also welcome dubbing! I just wouldn't like to hear my own character talk because voice is personality and if someone dubs "me" I'd feel as if the char loses "my" personality. ^^' (Maybe like the "silent answers" of Link in Legend of Zelda.)

About the dubbings: I would like the option to choose between languages (since many watch anime, many would maybe like to play/read their language but listen to Japanese) if at least the English or Japanese version is dubbed. And the option to turn dubbing of in case the voices destroy my image of the character (lol). Nah, the last point is just that after seing many chars before hearing them speak I have imagined their voice so if the voice acting is maybe not that good I'd like to keep my imaginary version and turn the dubbing off.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Loggos

Just commenting on the dubbing system. I definitely support more cutscenes (also in side quests like "Shot through the heart") and I'd also welcome dubbing! I just wouldn't like to hear my own character talk because voice is personality and if someone dubs "me" I'd feel as if the char loses "my" personality. ^^' (Maybe like the "silent answers" of Link in Legend of Zelda.)

About the dubbings: I would like the option to choose between languages (since many watch anime, many would maybe like to play/read their language but listen to Japanese) if at least the English or Japanese version is dubbed. And the option to turn dubbing of in case the voices destroy my image of the character (lol). Nah, the last point is just that after seing many chars before hearing them speak I have imagined their voice so if the voice acting is maybe not that good I'd like to keep my imaginary version and turn the dubbing off.

---

Indeed, that is what I would like to see.

Also, as I progress in the game, I will write more input of the newby perspective.

Alas! Someone besides me also prefers FFXIV combat to FFXI. In this game it feels quick and more "action packed". I tried out FFXI on my bf's account for the heck of it, and fighting took so much time and wasn't really interactive at all >.<

Glad you like it so far :) It'll get better when you meet great people, fight with them, and do the crazy stuff like battle Ifrit.

If you want to give RP a go then look me up in game. I can invite you to a shell full of RPers to make it easier for you to find others to join up with for it. We're repearling on the 24th though so you may want to wait until then.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Vahn

If you want to give RP a go then look me up in game. I can invite you to a shell full of RPers to make it easier for you to find others to join up with others for it. We're repearling on the 24th though so you may want to wait until then.

---

I shall keep that in mind ^^

Very nice feedback, was a good read.. Hope you continue to stay with us :) Google FFXIV Pads, its a site that tracks your character data, good way to track quests you have done and to see what is still needed to be finished etc...

I didn't see anyone address your crafting woes, so I will take a crack at it. The synthesis tab on the left side of the Lodestone main page has all of the crafting recipes. www.mooglebox.com also has a recipe list. I haven't checked this to see if it matches up 100% since I don't craft much, but I will say that this site is amazingly helpful. Try the mob location tool out :D

Also want to say kudos for keeping things positive. Only having played about a month or so, I share alot of your sentiment towards the game. I am really hopeful for the future, and will stick with it as long as it continues to improve and feel different from the current homogenized mmo scene.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Blue_Heron

I didn't see anyone address your crafting woes, so I will take a crack at it. The synthesis tab on the left side of the Lodestone main page has all of the crafting recipes. www.mooglebox.com also has a recipe list. I haven't checked this to see if it matches up 100% since I don't craft much, but I will say that this site is amazingly helpful. Try the mob location tool out :D

Also want to say kudos for keeping things positive. Only having played about a month or so, I share alot of your sentiment towards the game. I am really hopeful for the future, and will stick with it as long as it continues to improve and feel different from the current homogenized mmo scene.

---

Ah, thank you! That just simply made everything so much easier!

I wonder, as far as damage output between Lancer vs Marauder, who gets the cut? Does anyone have any idea?

Lancer designed to get Critical Hit on single target, while Marauder more designed to AoE mob....but still it depends on your gear and skills

CMIIW

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Aion

Lancer designed to get Critical Hit on single target, while Marauder more designed to AoE mob....but still it depends on your gear and skills

CMIIW

---

Marauders aren't quite as AOE heavy anymore...