17 Suggestions from an MMO vet

[VydarrTyr]

Big fan of this post. Some really good suggestions in here.

13) add a crafting panel so we don’t have to scribble every single recipe down or look to 3rd party sources on the internet.

You'll be happy to know they're working on this. Right now, the game saves the last 8 recipes you've crafted for each crafting class. So it saves 8 Leatherworking recipes, 8 Alchemy recipes, etc. They're working to expand that. I doubt they'll add every recipe in the game so you can just look it up -- since FF typically makes you discover the recipes yourself -- but we'll see what Yoshi-P decides.

15) My toon is just standing there like a T-1000. Not even a damn Legend of Zelda like kicking the dirt off his boots, fidgeting, or stretching out and yawning.

Actually, all the characters breath and sway slightly. The breathing is more pronounced in Lals, which breath with their whole bodies, like they're smokers or something. But all races move a little.

16) to go back to crafting, it just takes too long to craft or gather even the simplest of items and materials. How about varying crafting time based on the difficulty or simplicity of the item you’re making?

At some point -- maybe level 15? -- you get Hasty Hand. (Link in text) That skill allows you to succeed or fail a synth in one shot. You get a lot less SP -- often you get none -- but it's a good way to crank through low levels synths for materials you need at higher levels.

[nmekiller]

. You'll be happy to know they're working on this. Right now, the game saves the last 8 recipes you've crafted for each crafting class. So it saves 8 Leatherworking recipes, 8 Alchemy recipes, etc. They're working to expand that. I doubt they'll add every recipe in the game so you can just look it up -- since FF typically makes you discover the recipes yourself -- but we'll see what Yoshi-P decides.

Do you know if it's just going to auto fill your slots when you start placing items, or is it going to be a window with 8 of your last recipes from each category?

Actually, all the characters breath and sway slightly. The breathing is more pronounced in Lals, which breath with their whole bodies, like they're smokers or something. But all races move a little.

this one isn't too important to me, I was playing Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time that day and thought it would be cool if my character was doing something cute or cool while standing there. I do like the /idle idea though.

At some point -- maybe level 15? -- you get Hasty Hand. (Link in text) That skill allows you to succeed or fail a synth in one shot. You get a lot less SP -- often you get none -- but it's a good way to crank through low levels synths for materials you need at higher levels.

I can see that being useful if you're max level, but when you're skilling up it does nothing but make you choose between making crafting not a chore and seeing some benefit from it SP wise. I still don't get this "inferior for the sake of being different" feeling I get when I play.

[Reabs]

Do you know if it's just going to auto fill your slots when you start placing items, or is it going to be a window with 8 of your last recipes from each category?

A Recipes option has been added to the synthesis interface.
This option displays the last 8 recipes a player has crafted, as well as the last 8 recipes learned via levequests. Selecting a recipe will automatically prepare the required materials.

I'm confused your original post is from 04-21-2011 but the recipes list was added long before that. Are you just making suggestions without having played the game for 4 months or even looking into the things your suggesting?

[VydarrTyr]

Do you know if it's just going to auto fill your slots when you start placing items, or is it going to be a window with 8 of your last recipes from each category?

I don't know exactly what it's going to be. Sorry. But the current system auto-fills materials based on the last 8 recipes per job. They're going to expand on that. It will apparently involve every recipe that you've used in the game so far.

this one isn't too important to me, I was playing Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time that day and thought it would be cool if my character was doing something cute or cool while standing there. I do like the /idle idea though.

I wouldn't mind that. Just thought you might not have noticed that character sway is already in the game.

I can see that being useful if you're max level, but when you're skilling up it does nothing but make you choose between making crafting not a chore and seeing some benefit from it SP wise.

Yes, it's definitely intended to make you choose between synthing for SP, or getting something done fast And synthing becomes a one shot, all or nothing deal. So if you succeed on 90% of your synth attempts, you'd normally easily complete every synth you try. But with Hasty Hand, you're only going to succeed on 90% of your synths, and you're going to fail on 10%.

The only time I use it is when I'm at least 10 levels above the synth I'm attempting. That gives a good rate of success, and I wasn't going to get much (if any) SP from the synth anyway.

I'll admit I don't really have a problem with that.

I still don't get this "inferior for the sake of being different" feeling I get when I play.

I'm not sure what you mean by this. Are you saying SE was trying too hard to be different, so they threw away some things that worked in favor of things that were inferior? (The most common example here would probably be the Auction House/Market Wards thing.)

From what I understand, most of the differences in FFXIV are attempts to combat RMT. They were apparently the bane of FFXI, or maybe Tanaka just had an unhealthy obsession with them. People had bots that could fish, bots that could farm, bots that could craft, bots that could camp NMs, bots that could kill mobs, bots that could search the Auction House and immediately buy and sell goods that manipulated the market, etc. Here's a really good post by Hotohori on some of FFXI's problems with RMT, and how many of FFXIV's idiosyncrasies seem to be attempts to combat RMT. (Link in text)

If you're saying FFXIV has gone overboard, since the attempts to combat RMT often make the game less user-friendly for players, then I would probably agree with you.

[nmekiller]

I'm not sure what you mean by this. Are you saying SE was trying too hard to be different, so they threw away some things that worked in favor of things that were inferior? (The most common example here would probably be the Auction House/Market Wards thing.)

That's part of what I'm saying. It's more like it's the result of them trying too hard to combat RMT.

From what I understand, most of the differences in FFXIV are attempts to combat RMT. They were apparently the bane of FFXI, or maybe Tanaka just had an unhealthy obsession with them. People had bots that could fish, bots that could farm, bots that could craft, bots that could camp NMs, bots that could kill mobs, bots that could search the Auction House and immediately buy and sell goods that manipulated the market, etc. Here's a really good post by Hotohori on some of FFXI's problems with RMT, and how many of FFXIV's idiosyncrasies seem to be attempts to combat RMT. (Link in text)

If you're saying FFXIV has gone overboard, since the attempts to combat RMT often make the game less user-friendly for players, then I would probably agree with you.

^ this. It's like I said earlier, they've turned the world of Eorzea into a police state. The AH, mail system, and chat channels were intentionally left out to combat RMT. While FFXI didn't have chat channels, you would think that over the course of the last 8 years of MMO evolution, chat channels and these other things would be in there by default. Also I guess leaving the channels out goes back to creating an inferior product compared to other games on the market today.

I guess the biggest question when asking why FFXIV was a failure is how could they ever expect this game to be huge when it appeals to almost no one? Who is this supposed to appeal to besides the ever dwindling fanbois?

[nmekiller]

I'm confused your original post is from 04-21-2011 but the recipes list was added long before that. Are you just making suggestions without having played the game for 4 months or even looking into the things your suggesting?

The suggestion was for a complete recipe book listed in a simple crafting panel. The question was about the changes they're making in the future.

[VydarrTyr]

While FFXI didn't have chat channels, you would think that over the course of the last 8 years of MMO evolution, chat channels and these other things would be in there by default. Also I guess leaving the channels out goes back to creating an inferior product compared to other games on the market today.

???

There are chat channels in the game. They've been there since launch. What channels do you think should be there that aren't?

The suggestion was for a complete recipe book listed in a simple crafting panel. The question was about the changes they're making in the future.

Actually, your question was whether they were going to implement changes in the future that had already been implemented in the past. Here's your question:

Do you know if it's just going to auto fill your slots when you start placing items, or is it going to be a window with 8 of your last recipes from each category?

It's not "going to be" auto-fill, and it's not "going to be" 8 recipes, because those things are already in the game and have been for months.

I guess the biggest question when asking why FFXIV was a failure is how could they ever expect this game to be huge when it appeals to almost no one? Who is this supposed to appeal to besides the ever dwindling fanbois?

So you don't play the game? If there's nothing in the game that appeals to you, and you can't see any reason why anyone other than a "fanboi" would play it, then I don't see what the point of your post is. If the things you suggested were implemented, would you play the game?

[nmekiller]

???

There are chat channels in the game. They've been there since launch. What channels do you think should be there that aren't?

HMMMMM, How about general chat, trade, Looking for group, channels of that nature that every other MMO has. Jesus christ, do you really think that shout, say, party, and linkshell are the only conceivable channels out there?

Actually, your question was whether they were going to implement changes in the future that had already been implemented in the past. Here's your question:It's not "going to be" auto-fill, and it's not "going to be" 8 recipes, because those things are already in the game and have been for months.

by the text that you underlined, my context remains clear. I was asking about the extent of how far they're adding to the changes to the crafting system.

So you don't play the game? If there's nothing in the game that appeals to you, and you can't see any reason why anyone other than a "fanboi" would play it, then I don't see what the point of your post is. If the things you suggested were implemented, would you play the game?

I do play, and you know what? the game fucking blows. It's lacking on so many levels, that these 17 examples barely scratch the surface. Now, I didn't come here to argue with a couple of Squeenix loyalists. I came here to state what needs to change, or this game will be shut down. It's really as simple as that. FFXI will outlive FFXIV. FFXIV will be a complete failure, and you'll all be playing on the same server when all but 1-3 of them are shut down. You can't compete with other MMOs by making your game worse then your competition in every single category of form and function.


That's really just the bottom line and the reality that square is facing. There's no argument or room for debate here.

[nmekiller]

???
So you don't play the game? If there's nothing in the game that appeals to you, and you can't see any reason why anyone other than a "fanboi" would play it, then I don't see what the point of your post is. If the things you suggested were implemented, would you play the game?

Here's a question. Have you ever played an MMO besides FFXI or FFXIV?

I've played FFXI, FFXIV, WoW, Rift, LOTRO, WAR, Aion, and AoC.

[VydarrTyr]

HMMMMM, How about general chat, trade, Looking for group, channels of that nature that every other MMO has. Jesus christ, do you really think that shout, say, party, and linkshell are the only conceivable channels out there?

Nope. But that's not what you said. You said it didn't have chat channels. Period.

Also, general chat is the game. It's called "/say." It's what you start out with.

The value of trade chat and lfg are certainly up for debate. I can't remember a single statement I've ever heard in one of those channels that was ever worth the 2 seconds it took to read it. But if you think no MMO could ever survive without a trade channel, great. You're certainly entitled to your opinion.

by the text that you underlined, my context remains clear. I was asking about the extent of how far they're adding to the changes to the crafting system.

No, from the quote, it's pretty clear that you were asking whether those things that were added several months ago will ever make it in the game.

Look, if you don't craft, fine. I could care less. If you don't play, great. I could care less. But I'm not sure how you could have spent the last 4 months crafting and not noticed that the things you were asking about were already in the game.

I do play, and you know what? the game fucking blows. It's lacking on so many levels, that these 17 examples barely scratch the surface. Now, I didn't come here to argue with a couple of Squeenix loyalists.

So anyone who thinks this game doesn't "blow" and isn't irrevocably doomed is a "fanboi" and a "Squeenix loyalist"?

/sigh

So am I still a "fanboi" and "Squeenix loyalist" despite having said before that I liked some of your suggestions? Or does any disagreement -- no matter how small -- make you morally superior?

So you never answered my question. If the devs add all 17 of your suggestions (although some of them have already been added), would that change your mind about the game? And if the game is doomed no matter what happens, what's the point of your post?