Count me amoung the skeptics ...

[Anty]

I don't want to rain too much on this parade, but I'm going to say...

FFXI was my first MMO. I had tried Everquest for a minute (about a week) but I died over and over due to open world PvP or just sucking in general so XI was the first MMO I really sunk my teeth into. I played at NA launch. I was a long time FF fan, since the NA release of FF1 as a matter of fact. So keep all this in mind when I say...

I feel the same way you guys do, but I think it was because it was my first MMO. My real Golden Age of XI was my first trip to 75 and my first round of end-game content. Lots of my friends IRL played and we had a real good time. I loved exploring and I loved quests and lore and missions and fighting difficult fights.

WoW came out and we all decided to try it. There was a renewed spirit of adventure, but this time it lasted about 4-6 weeks. It didn't carry most of us through the whole year. Some friends did stay in WoW and others bounced back and forth, but I stuck it out in XI. I just couldn't get out of WoW what I had gotten out of XI - and often what I was still getting or at least what reminded me.

We all admitted to each other now and then that the "first year" we all played XI was a magic time that we'd probably never get to re-live again. No matter the MMO or the content or the game play. It was our first and it was very special for that reason most importantly.

Now, I'm not saying that is the ONLY reason XI was fun/special/good. I'm not saying that this is the ONLY reason XIV is bad. I just read all these posts about XI and I feel the exact same way, but I know that no matter the game I will probably never feel that way again about an MMO. It's like any good "first" that lives in you for a long, long time.

i think that really is one reason. FFXI also was my first mmo experience.
But still the biggest thing ffxi did (which it destroyed very fast with the latest lvl cap increases and the all-over no-capped fights) was the way content was treated and restricted.

The restrictions made way for accomplishment and the level capped fights (lets say a lvl 25 capped fight ) made fighting fun even in the 70+. Most mmos destroy their own content towards lvl cap by haveing a "high lvl friend" run you through the conent or dungeons => boring, stupid and frustrating.

This way most content of the game was available and fun to do at all times. I think that is something they really should stick to, since that is a feature worth keeping from ffxi. This could help other mmos as well who have problems that everything in their game is in one zone waiting for endgame to happen.

Like many said before: Zones, maps, subjob-activation, other jobs, etc. everything had to be achieved with usually other players and friends and also some soloquestchains (CHAINS lol not only one go here kill there, tataaa quests). Quest chains were everywhere. Some annoying but in the end rewarding!!!

The spells were buyable most of the time (money sink - important), but a lot had to be farmed, dropped from mobs, bcnms, which was fun, since it wasnt just "there" after you hit a level.
By giving us the spells just when we "ding" SE threw a lot of potential (questwise) straight out of the window.

Even worse, the mainquest/missions and the jobquests and their cutszenes (which lack in voiceacting - its not that expensive if you stick to important main/jobquests) were not too bad but there was not a single bit of challenge ANYWHERE. Not to mention that everything was empty in these instances (where were all the mobs when you enter the instance? instant death?...) and the few fights were a joke. They def. put efford into the cutszenes and some are nice to look at but... you dont feel involed and not important at all since... its so stupid and easy. Again here. Lotsa potential - Bossfights, party needed for accomplishment or at least 1-2 friends (which make an mmo an mmo- remember SE people, even when liking some solo content bought a multiplayer game not a singel player rpg) were just thrown out of the window again. I think that should be fixed as well, and be capped so it gets harder AND have the need of friends when doin it.

I think not even a classic single player orientated mmo made these huge mistakes (at least not the ones i tried and some were really bad lol).

[AtryxEtair]

This is surprisingly a constructive thread. I would have put money on flame wars. I agree with what almost everyone is saying here. I hate the fact that I walk out of Ul'duh at rank 1, run to a camp and do some leves. Then, ater at rank 40, I'm about 100 yards from where I started, doing the exact same thing and seeing the same monsters. So incredibly discouraging.

[Shikyo]

Less for being a douche.


btw, we all know how the game is now, 9000+thread of personal opinions and general complain like this and many others don't help much in developing something better. If your opinion is for make the game better, release some concrete feedback. (i'm not fighting you, but this is really boring right now. )

no one needs your negitive comments

[Kroma]

This is surprisingly a constructive thread.

That's how I roll. (-.-)v

[Preypacer]

it isnt bs, alot of the stuff people here are reminising about was ALL POST NA LAUNCH

it was all zilart expansion stuff

I would disagree.

I've seen specific examples given mostly regarding things that were in the game pre-Zilart. I personally chose lower level areas in my statements, which were lower level areas and there from day 1 of the JP launch. People have mentioned chocobo license, subjob, advanced jobs, airship pass, and so forth... all that was also in the game pre-Zilart. The entire storyline, for all 3 nations, up to at least rank 5 was in the game pre-Zilart.

Even excluding the post-Zilart content, XI was still far beyond what XIV was, and still is as of now.

I understand the point of your post, and I don't dismiss it. FFXIV will (hopefully) get bigger and better and to just give SE time.

The thing is, some of the things that this game is missing - specifically the sense of achievement and progress people are speaking of, was all there from day 1. It's currently noticeably missing from XIV, and many people, myself included, would really love to see SE make it a priority to work it into XIV as well.

The key is this: It isn't just a matter of adding more content that matters. It's the type of content, and how it's experienced that matters. Content can either evoke emotions that lead to long-term memories. Or, it can evoke boredom and be forgotten soon after it's completed. It's all in the approach.

[Shiyo]

FFXI release was way worse than FF14's. The servers barely worked, the game was buggy, and it had no content and nothing to do besides leveling. So many jobs were completely worthless, mobs were too weak, etc. There were so many problems with the game, you're delusional, in denial, or misinformed if you think FF11 release was any better than 14's. That games release was a disaster, we just didn't get to see it.

Hopefully they fix this game with an expansion(prob ps3 release) just like they fixed FF11 with Zilart/NA release ^-^

[Preypacer]

FFXI release was way worse than FF14's. The servers barely worked, the game was buggy, and it had no content and nothing to do besides leveling. So many jobs were completely worthless, mobs were too weak, etc. There were so many problems with the game, you're delusional, in denial, or misinformed if you think FF11 release was any better than 14's. That games release was a disaster, we just didn't get to see it.

Hopefully they fix this game with an expansion(prob ps3 release) just like they fixed FF11 with Zilart/NA release ^-^

-sigh-

Someone made the assertion that what people are referring to from XI are things that didn't get included until after Zilart. I rebutted by stating that a lot of specifics given were in the game prior to Zilart and, in some cases, were there since day one... such as more carefully designed and crafted dungeon areas, etc.

None of those things have anything to do with server stability or bugs. In fact, neither "bugs" nor "server stability" has even been part of the discussion in this thread, until 'til you decided to pull them out of thin air to counter an argument I never made.

I'm not "delusional" about anything. Everything I've said is 100% accurate.

You, however, seem to be arguing against a point no one has made... so... Have fun with that I guess?

[Shiyo]

I was saying the game was so broken that even the servers didn't work properly. At least this game worked, that one didn't at release. It also had far less content, mobs were just as weak,etc. Basically the game was a bigger mess than this one is currently. It got fixed, and I'm hoping this game gets fixed too.

The game was crap at release, this game is crap. A lot of people seem to not know how bad FF11 was at release, and think this game is far worse. That's my point.

[Preypacer]

I was saying the game was so broken that even the servers didn't work properly. At least this game worked, that one didn't at release. It also had far less content, mobs were just as weak,etc. Basically the game was a bigger mess than this one is currently. It got fixed, and I'm hoping this game gets fixed too.

The game was crap at release, this game is crap. A lot of people seem to not know how bad FF11 was at release, and think this game is far worse. That's my point.

Okay... Point made.

Still not sure what that has to do with the topic of this thread.

[Seif]

I would disagree.

I've seen specific examples given mostly regarding things that were in the game pre-Zilart. I personally chose lower level areas in my statements, which were lower level areas and there from day 1 of the JP launch. People have mentioned chocobo license, subjob, advanced jobs, airship pass, and so forth... all that was also in the game pre-Zilart. The entire storyline, for all 3 nations, up to at least rank 5 was in the game pre-Zilart.

Even excluding the post-Zilart content, XI was still far beyond what XIV was, and still is as of now.

I understand the point of your post, and I don't dismiss it. FFXIV will (hopefully) get bigger and better and to just give SE time.

The thing is, some of the things that this game is missing - specifically the sense of achievement and progress people are speaking of, was all there from day 1. It's currently noticeably missing from XIV, and many people, myself included, would really love to see SE make it a priority to work it into XIV as well.

The key is this: It isn't just a matter of adding more content that matters. It's the type of content, and how it's experienced that matters. Content can either evoke emotions that lead to long-term memories. Or, it can evoke boredom and be forgotten soon after it's completed. It's all in the approach.

I agree personally I've been in Zilrat areas in my entire play-time TWICE in the years I've played XI. All my time so far has been taken mostly by the main missions that were included in the launch package and while I like some of the quest cutscenes I think the main missions are the best kind of content for me personally. I don't see the same level of writing in XIV anywhere not even close.

People diss XI story because it's simple but guess what; the best game stories have always been simple. ICO, Shadow of The Colossus, Ocarina of Time, Skies of Arcadia, Grandia 2 and so on. The magic is in the way it's presented to the player and the characters that are never less than interesting.