I recently finished Dawntrail's main scenario quests, taking notes along the way.
For context, normally I'm a serial cutscene skipper (my rule is that once a cutscene starts to bore me, I skip it, and if it seems I missed something important, I look up the cutscene on youtube). But this time I committed myself to watching everything and taking meticulous notes on my thoughts along the way.
Upon review, I've identified a few patterns that DT's introduction circled.
Mainly, that we get told a lot of things that are almost immediately contradicted.
- We can express hesitation towards going to Tural, but then immediately are forced to act excited for new adventure.
- Alphinaud and Alisaie state their motives for going to Tural are to study the political landscape in order to help resolve the Garlemald problem, but seem to forget that instantly and it's not brought up again.
- The voyage to Tural is said to be dangerous and poorly-charted, and yet plenty of merchants and common folk are accompanying us. As well, once we arrive, the way to return (without teleportation) is a much smaller boat.
- Wuk Lamat has recurring seasickness, but she's able to instantly overcome it when the plot demands something dramatic happen.
I could continue, but I think you get the point. I think the correct way to characterize the introductory segment of Dawntrail is "inconsistent". Almost every fact we're supposed to learn about characters early on is somehow undercut - Wuk being both a clueless meathead AND our exposition machine being the most irksome. And it didn't need to be this way. Most of those contradictions are, ultimately, avoidable with just a bit of restraint.
I haven't seen anyone else bring it up, so I'm wondering what y'all think.
Dawntrail's inconsistent opening hours
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03-16-2025, 01:00 AMBoJumblesDawntrail's inconsistent opening hours
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03-16-2025, 01:17 AMCollin_Sky
Imagine picking the worst expansion to stop being a cutscene skipper.
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03-16-2025, 01:20 AMBoJumblesI do this to myself. I knew what I was getting into.Quote:
Originally Posted by Collin_Sky
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03-16-2025, 01:51 AMHallaremAny nuance from Thavnair was tossed away, we see zero nobles that were talked about in items / earlier quests in Stormblood if I remember right or flavor text, or strife, everyone aside from one bandit is just a happy go lucky alchemist.Quote:
Originally Posted by BoJumbles
The Whalaqee are gone, because they are too afraid to tackle actual strife like ceruleum barons/businessmen trying to lay claim to a tribes holy land, so we got cowboys and train whistles instead.
The Scions were forced to come because "remember the Scions?" even when Alphinaud and Alisaie had a JOB to do in Garlemald, they were handwaived to "go take a holiday :3 "
I could mention a thousand different things that make no sense, but again, we are just supposed to suspend our disbelief with the writing from here and forward I guess *Shrug*
The defenders come in with "Don't you like fun?" when this is the equivalent of playing chess against a pidgeon (the writers) who make up new rules on the go after established worldbuilding and smack over the whole board of chesspieces. -
03-16-2025, 02:14 AMJeeqbit
I've seen point 4 mentioned before.
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03-16-2025, 02:28 AMCaptainLagbeardIt wasn't so much hesitation on going to tural, but opposition on getting involved with the rite of succession... But it gets completely washed aside because taco.Quote:
Originally Posted by BoJumbles
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03-16-2025, 03:31 AMGwenkatsuMy personal opinion is that from all the problems the DT MSQ has, the ones you bring up are the least significant. For example point 1 - from ARR to DT we never had a choice in the MSQ. The most we ever get are pointless dialogs with options likeQuote:
Originally Posted by BoJumbles
- Yes
- Sure
- Of course
- Looks like I have no other option anyway
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03-16-2025, 06:47 AMWyssahtyn
the capital's coast has like loads of reefs, so you take smaller boats to get in and out of port to and from w/e ship you came in on. they spell that out in one of the cutscenes you supposedly took meticulous notes on. doesn't take much to realise that you're taking the small boat out to a larger foreign ship in universe.
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03-16-2025, 11:31 AMIscah"Story-driven" isn't synonymous with "choice-driven", though. The game is driven by the story that the devs have set out to tell, and that is not inherently better or worse than a branching story, just a style they have chosen.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gwenkatsu
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03-16-2025, 12:51 PMKandraxx
Isn't this game about attending virtual dance clubs and house parties with boosted transmogs and titles?
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03-16-2025, 01:04 PMCVXIVthe true endgameQuote:
Originally Posted by Kandraxx
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03-17-2025, 01:39 AMWasselin
Isn't there usually a different writer per zone? I feel like they didn't do a good job coordinating the story beats for the opening zones and it ends up feeling repetitive. Or perhaps it's the fact that you get to choose which zone to go to first, but it's with the same character so the end up repeating the same opening beats.
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03-17-2025, 01:47 AMArriusIsn't that something of a anime trope, though - Suddenly forgetting the character being sick on sea/air because something dramatic happens, and once that is over and the character realizes where they are again, they instantly get sick anew?Quote:
Originally Posted by BoJumbles
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03-17-2025, 05:40 AMBoJumblesVery true. I just miss even being given the option to act as if I'm anything but extremely eager.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gwenkatsu
True. It annoys me there as well, though, so it might just be a me problem.Quote:
Originally Posted by Arrius
I know that writers are credited per zone, at least. Who knows how much or how little collaboration or direction goes on behind the scenes. My instinct is to say yes, and that poor direction and poor design goals are responsible for the expansion being badly written, but that's just speculation on my part.Quote:
Originally Posted by Wasselin