Direction of FFXIV?

[Shai]

When Yoshida announced his "promotion" in December - or rather addressed us in January - I expected (at some point) to hear his sale's pitch. I expected him to lay out a master plan, a "stick around cause I'm gonna make things happen" diagram. Instead, he basically just said "stick around cause I'm gonna do something" and we've been strung along since then. The information we do receive is limited and vague. I don't have any clue the direction of the game.

Battle systems are going to be implemented without even telling the players what the devs see as problems in the battle system currently and how they hope to improve it in the future. We're simply told "new battle system" and that's that.

This is more information that I'm used to playing XI, but still I feel like I'm being strung along. I feel like I should be slightly more in-tune with what the devs are doing, especially when I'm being told (for 6 months) "Hang in there! We got some magic up our sleeves!"

Don't get me wrong, ok? I like XIV and I like Yoshida. I just wish I really did have an idea of where the game was going. I think many of us are nervous that these sweeping changes are going to alienate us from aspects of the game we currently like - and it would be nice to know (sooner rather than later) if the changes are going to be better for my play style or worse, before I get yet another skill to 50.

I hope we get an answer soon. XI is doing a much better job of projecting updates and explaining them earlier the last 2 years or so (competing for attention with your younger brother will do that to ya). Anyway, I'm not hopeful we'll be let into Yoshida's inner thoughts and inner circle anytime soon, but cheers if they actually listen to this thread.

[Dreamer]

It was nice of you to type this long letter but SE doesn't care. All kidding aside, we don't know how this stuff is going to work. You haven't some of this stuff in action so you really don't know if you like it or not. I'm not for auto-attack but I'm keeping an open mind, I just want it to be faster than FFXI.

That's why I said I'm 90% certain I'll be cancelling, instead of 100% - I'm going to at least give the changes a shot, but I'm not optimistic about it.

[Jamel-Irief]

Very well written Dreamer, and I must say I agree. I have always said to myself "Sure, I'll pay the monthly sub for playing FFXIV, even with a few issues", because at october/november last year the game seemed to have a (for me) really good direction, giving it that Final Fantasy feel I have been craving. I.e. player run companies with player build ships sounded BADASS, but that idea, and a few others, seemed to vanish when the new dev team took over.

Now I don't have the same feeling. The direction is lost and got replaced by what seemed like a panic reaction and a loss of focus to make this game a proper Final Fantasy game.

That's just how I feel. I'm not out to bash anyone who feels otherwise and if the majority truly wants this to a generic MMO with better graphics, then I guess so be it. It's just sad, and I for one won't be playing.

[Sonic_the_Hedgehog]

That's why I said I'm 90% certain I'll be cancelling, instead of 100% - I'm going to at least give the changes a shot, but I'm not optimistic about it.

Fair enough.

[Reika]

Still tho, I don't think the game will ever really copy WoW. Like others have said, Dungeons, Quest Hubs, Instances: Blizzard didnt invent those. and there are already Instances in the game, the ones in the story and quest missions. They could very well mean they would do for dungeons as they have done for these, Parties enter an area separate from others in Eorzia. It doesnt have to be a completely different zone either. With their way of instances, they can easily turn any part of Eorzia into an instanced dungeon, as well as add new areas; caves, castles, whatnot.

[JGwinters]

I simply do not like the direction the game is going. Every blurb they've given us says that they want this game to firmly follow the Western model for MMORPGs. Auto-attack. Quest hubs. Instanced dungeons at all levels. Solo-focused gameplay. I realize that I don't speak for everyone, but I'm playing Final Fantasy because I'm looking for a Final Fantasy style JRPG MMO experience. SE, you cannot compete with Blizzard on their own turf. You're essentially trying to beat them in a genre they created. If you want this game to be successful, then you need to capture a segment of the market that is relatively untapped. Trying to scrape players from Blizzard's plate may work in the short term, but over the long term it simply will not work. If you're always copying, you're always one step behind.

This. Really, this.

In general, I'd say what makes people ballistic at every hint of new stuff (other than maybe the easter egg event, that was a real good one!) is the lack of confirmed word on where they're intending on taking the game. When there's no certainty about this, it makes the possible and impossible failures of every new addition and change loom that much larger. Not shutting out the ghosts of peoples' minds by stating a clear direction for their development can only make them worse off.
Example: if they stated they're not going to make a carbon copy of Wow, people wouldn't worry so much with every hint of Wow-like additions. Granted, they could also be a bit more clear in the update hints themselves, instead of presenting them in a way that does make them seem like carbon copies of Wow content. And really, how many players who're in it for the long term want to play a copy of another game?

[Shai]

if they stated they're not going to make a carbon copy of Wow, people wouldn't worry so much with every hint of Wow-like additions

This has been stated many times. The only problem is they continue to introduce things that are ... inspired by WoW at least, if "inspired" is the right word. Actions are speaking louder than words, because words are vague and distant.

[Reika]

When they release dungeon content, and it turns out to be "Kill trash, kill mini boss, kill more trash, kill another mini boss, kill more trash, then kill dungeon boss" I will agree that it is pretty much a copy of other MMO's. Not to say it is a 'WoW' copy, because lots of mmo's do this other than WoW, rift obviously, and Aion does it as well with its dungeons. Even some much older.

[Shai]

When they release dungeon content, and it turns out to be "Kill trash, kill mini boss, kill more trash, kill another mini boss, kill more trash, then kill dungeon boss" I will agree that it is pretty much a copy of other MMO's. Not to say it is a 'WoW' copy, because lots of mmo's do this other than WoW, rift obviously, and Aion does it as well with its dungeons. Even some much older.

How does this not describe Dynamis, though?

I mean, like you said, this concept isn't new. I think "implementation" will show how much this is or isn't like WoW. How much it feels like a Final Fantasy. Single player (J)RPG have been doing this for ages, too. That is (in essence) the definition of a RPG "dungeon."

You go in. Fight trash mobs every 3 steps, irritatingly, then get to a mini-boss, a save point, trash mobs, Boss, loot.

Not many other ways to run "a dungeon." Though many ways to make it not feel like WoW.

[Anty]

Given everything I've read about the changes to the game, I'm 90% certain I'll be cancelling my account once billing starts.

I simply do not like the direction the game is going. Every blurb they've given us says that they want this game to firmly follow the Western model for MMORPGs. Auto-attack. Quest hubs. Instanced dungeons at all levels. Solo-focused gameplay. I realize that I don't speak for everyone, but I'm playing Final Fantasy because I'm looking for a Final Fantasy style JRPG MMO experience. SE, you cannot compete with Blizzard on their own turf. You're essentially trying to beat them in a genre they created. If you want this game to be successful, then you need to capture a segment of the market that is relatively untapped. Trying to scrape players from Blizzard's plate may work in the short term, but over the long term it simply will not work. If you're always copying, you're always one step behind.

For examples of this, just look at Warhammer, and more recently, Rift. Both games catered to Blizzard's playerbase, both say an initial surge of players, and both started hemorrhaging players shortly after launch.

Please, instead of copying standard conventions, take the foundation you have and make it awesome.

Instead of building a new battle system around auto-attack, take the current one, streamline stamina and TP usage, and make it worthwhile to not spam attacks (a simple combo system could possible correct this).

Instead of adding mounds of quest hubs, take the leve system to the next level. Add a new type of leve that outlines the quest issue and sends you on your merry way. Having all of the tasks that you could do centered at a single location was a wonderful move in the right direction, and I'm horribly upset that SE seems determined to move away from it. Here's a hint: the problem with leves was their content, not their implementation. There are far too few, that are all far too similar, and on the whole completely uninteresting.

A dungeon does not have to be instanced. Sure, they're good for providing certain challenges, but every dungeon in the game does not need to be. Non-instanced dungeons, when done correctly, provide a rather nice community aspect. People who've played games like Lineage and even games like Neverwinter Nights 1 and 2 (the multiplayer servers, at least) know that the dungeons in those games were great places to meet up with people. Anyone remember RoV in EQ2, that low level undead place in Lineage2, or the crypts of Rovenna in NWN1? All utterly fantastic places to meet and group up with new players.

There's nothing inherently wrong with allowing player to solo as much as possible. However, it needs to be realized that once you pass a certain threshhold of solo-convenience, it has a direct effect on group play within the game. The simple version that if everything can be done at your convenience, a large portion of the playerbase will simply not bother with taking the time for group content. I have my theories about anti-social attraction in regards to MMORPG and similar social-based games, but that's another post.

I realize I'm rambling a bit at this point, but I just want to drive home the fact that I feel that SE is making a rather drastic mistake with their current direction.

100% agree with you. The more solo content a game has (as i experienced in several other mmos by now) the less community feeling you have. People barely talk (theres no need to) people dont party together (theres no need to) and they do instanced stuff if they see "LFG XXX" then get warped to a dungeon... best even cross server *ouch*.
The non-talk and solo mmo attracts a lot of jerks and disrespectful people, its far worse then ive seen in ffxi.
If you dont kinda "force" the people to play togehter to a certain point, they just wont, and that makes an mmo unnesessary as a desease.

I think if FFXIV turns further into an "western" style solo mmo there really isnt a point in playing it. As said... there are tons or more polished games that way on the marked already. And why playing an mmo and pay for it every month if you dont play and interact with other people? i dont even know why they are called mmorpgs anymore...

I prefer a good solo rpg over the classic wow-syle games by far.
But well, nobody knows how ffxiv will turn out and perhaps they know that they will absolutely fail if they westerize the game too much. ffxi was far more successeful then many other wester-wow-copied games in the long run... but only because it was special and not a wow-clone. Well.. i Do hope SE knows that.