Make FFXIV more like FFXI and less like WoW

[Shori]

Even though I also look back at FFXI with rose tinted specs - I never made at past level 32 on any of the re-tries I made toward that game. While pretty and indulging it was also a ballache. FFXIV has it right - but could improve the social aspect more like easier-to-use chat or even a universal voice plug in.

[Doo]

Giant walls of "Nope" tend to turn most players away. I understand that it's something you apparently enjoy (although I really, really don't understand why someone would enjoy repeatedly failing at something for no other reason than RNG), but the vast majority of players do not enjoy that sort of thing.

Damm you coil and ct!

[Dale]

Edited to Add: I continually fail to understand why this game can't just be FFXIV, instead of people demanding that it be FFXI. If you like FFXI so much, please go back and play that game. I like FFXIV. I would never play FFXI.

I think you are missing the point.

It's not that players are demanding Final Fantasy 14 be Final Fantasy 11. They just wished for something that followed in its tradition but with significant improvements. Instead they got WoW with better graphics. Which is all Final Fantasy 14 is.

I am glad you like it. It is a solid game. But it's nothing remarkable. Final Fantasy 11 was far more ground-breaking in its scope and span and it would have been nice to see a sequel to that game instead of WoW.

If this game is still around 10 years later as a subscription-based model like 11 is I will be very surprised.

[Naberrie]

BTW, there's a difference between "working hard" (I love how you turn this into a pejorative "if you don't agree with me, you just don't want to work, you scrubby scrubs!), and being repeatedly assaulted by the RNG bot that simply says, "Nope." Over and over again. For no other reason than artificial gating/extension of content. It's a very lazy way to design.

Not sure where I said that. Are you responding to me? I like things that are hard and require me to hit my head against a wall, yes, but I recognize that I'm the minority. Still, would be nice for optional things for people like myself to partake in.

Edited to Add: I continually fail to understand why this game can't just be FFXIV, instead of people demanding that it be FFXI. If you like FFXI so much, please go back and play that game. I like FFXIV. I would never play FFXI.

I simply would rather it be more Final Fantasy and less WOW. That's just me. It is a Final Fantasy game, after all.

As for the argument for me to just go play FFXI, I actually can't. I stopped playing it for a reason. It's not supported on any system I own.

[LiadansWhisper]

Damm you coil and ct!

:-\ If you're failing at Coils, it's not RNG. I mean, unless there are gear/skill issues in your group (in which case, you're right - you could win or fail based on RNG).

I think you are missing the point.

It's not that players are demanding Final Fantasy 14 be Final Fantasy 11. They just wished for something that followed in its tradition but with significant improvements. Instead they got WoW with better graphics. Which is all Final Fantasy 14 is.

But does it follow that because people want it to be more like XI that it must be more like XI to be a "real FF game"? Because I don't think you're correct in that. There are quite a few things that it does completely differently from WoW, but it's funny...WoW is the most successful MMO that's ever been on the scene, and there's a reason for that. There's a reason it works. There's a reason it continues to make money - and that even at it's lowest sub numbers, it has more individual subs than all the other MMOs combined.

But you somehow feel that taking things that work in that game, and have made Blizzard huge amounts of money is a bad thing? That SE instead should go to a much less profitable model? I mean...I don't see the logic.

I am glad you like it. It is a solid game. But it's nothing remarkable. Final Fantasy 11 was far more ground-breaking in its scope and span and it would have been nice to see a sequel to that game instead of WoW.

If this game is still around 10 years later as a subscription-based model like 11 is I will be very surprised.

WoW's been around for 9 years at this point. It's currently sitting at 7.7 million subs. XI had, what, 500k subs at its peak? When you look at it from a business standpoint - from SE's viewpoint - I wonder that you can't see why they have made the decisions they have made.

Not sure where I said that. Are you responding to me? I like things that are hard and require me to hit my head against a wall, yes, but I recognize that I'm the minority. Still, would be nice for optional things for people like myself to partake in.

I have many guildies who have played XI, and every single one of them said that if FF implemented things from XI - especially the RNG, grindy crap that the game had - they would quit in a heartbeat. Every single one of them had stories of how terrible the crafting was, how stupid the PvE was, how grindy it was. The only thing that was worse was actually 1.0 FFXIV, which a couple of them also played.

I simply would rather it be more Final Fantasy and less WOW. That's just me. It is a Final Fantasy game, after all.

But it is a Final Fantasy game. This game does not have to be like XI to be Final Fantasy. XI is not the be-all and end-all arbiter of what is and is not FF.

As for the argument for me to just go play FFXI, I actually can't. I stopped playing it for a reason. It's not supported on any system I own.

Then fix that instead of trying to change this game.

Just to throw in my two mighty cents.
I'd like this game to have the adventurous romance that XI seemed to have. I don't like the robotic and bureaucratic nature of the content. There is no disguising of world mechanics through lore based interface. It's all lists and checks. It doesn't feel like the world is alive.

If I could somehow have that feeling back, I would probably play this game much more often.

It's really hard to be "adventurous" or "explore" when you're stuck in what amount to canyons of varying widths on the map. I admit - that is one of the things that really bugs me about this game. Many of the maps are quite small, and I don't feel that I can really "explore" anything because we're stuck in canyons with invisible walls. I can't even climb hills. It's the one thing that I do wish they would change (though I have no idea if XI had the same sort of layout).

[Gramul]

Just to throw in my two mighty cents.
I'd like this game to have the adventurous romance that XI seemed to have. I don't like the robotic and bureaucratic nature of the content. There is no disguising of world mechanics through lore based interface. It's all lists and checks. It doesn't feel like the world is alive.

If I could somehow have that feeling back, I would probably play this game much more often.

[Dale]

:


But does it follow that because people want it to be more like XI that it must be more like XI to be a "real FF game"? Because I don't think you're correct in that. There are quite a few things that it does completely differently from WoW, but it's funny...WoW is the most successful MMO that's ever been on the scene, and there's a reason for that. There's a reason it works. There's a reason it continues to make money - and that even at it's lowest sub numbers, it has more individual subs than all the other MMOs combined.

But you somehow feel that taking things that work in that game, and have made Blizzard huge amounts of money is a bad thing? That SE instead should go to a much less profitable model? I mean...I don't see the logic.
.

I never said the word must.

If SE wants to try and copy WoW they can, and have.

Also, I should point out one of the main reasons for WoW's success is their excellent server performance. Something Final Fantasy 14 is having difficulty with. So I think they lack this key ingredient to become the next WoW.

And I disagree with you that this game does quite a bit things differently than WoW. It really doesn't. It is a shameless copycat. And you need to just admit that.

Now you may be right it was a smart financial move. Time will tell. I won't even attempt to argue that WoW is not profitable, because it is. But is it the type of game most long-time Final Fantasy fans were looking for? I kind of doubt it.

[ApolloGenX]

The problems with copying WoW:

1. WoW is WoW. It's there, it's established - it's already marketed and full of players. You aren't going to "Out-WoW" WoW
2. It's been done before - There are already tons of WoW clones out there... and they range from fail to mediocre. Turns out re-inventing the wheel doesn't work.
3 It costs the brand - FF is a name - When that name starts chasing another name... the FF brand loses value
4. WoW is in its "Golden Years" - WoW is an aging product that is declining. Slowly, but declining. Why would you copy a product at the END of its life cycle? If you are going to copy something, copy something new and innovative that is on the rise. You are limiting yourself to a small subset (Those who like the WoW model) of a market segment that is declining.
5. Baggage- When you copy something, you assume all the negative baggage that goes with it- these forums are proof. Problem is that you don't have all of the benefits of at least being first to market.

[Doo]

:-\ If you're failing at Coils, it's not RNG. I mean, unless there are gear/skill issues in your group (in which case, you're right - you could win or fail based on RNG).

Oh thought you meant loot. FFXI fights were more fun and there was more of a variety of styles. In FFXIV it's mostly in/out dodging or simple tank/spank and take care of adds. It's probably due mainly to how simple FFXIV mechanics are that it's impossible to add much variety.

[Nadrojj]

Just to throw in my two mighty cents.
I'd like this game to have the adventurous romance that XI seemed to have. I don't like the robotic and bureaucratic nature of the content. There is no disguising of world mechanics through lore based interface. It's all lists and checks. It doesn't feel like the world is alive.

If I could somehow have that feeling back, I would probably play this game much more often.

I agree. Even with the latest patch I find myself struggling to find a reason to log in. The game is a good game, but there are a lot of broken aspects that I believe need to be fixed.
1. economy is a joke - dungeon/myth drops make everything else useless
2. recycled materials - first major content patch and we get the same 3 primals but harder
3. lack of gear progression - crystal tower has a lower ilvl than coil gear
4. Materia - one of their highly touted features of the game doesn't even fit into end game gear unless you are wearing ilvl 70 stuff, and if you are even if you have it 5x melded the item level stays where it is. I had a quint melded Imp Op bracelet that was ilvl 55 and upgraded to a heros bracelet which brought me up three full points of ilvl.
5. housing - i like the fact that it's expensive, but imo it's too expensive
6. lack of sinks/grinds/rare items - nothing in this game takes time, everything is handed to you relics are a dime a dozen, level 50 crafters/gatherers are everywhere, hell even traveling to a zone is an instant warp. I know game caters to people who want things RIGHT NOW but the easy access to everything and the everyone gets a reward for participation is watering down the game.

There are no rare items, no E bodies, no strider boots, no scorpion harnesses like there was in ffxi. There are no items to pine after and say man, one day I'll farm up enough gil to get one of those, or one day I'll kill that monster and finally get it's item. Everyone is just a carbon copy of eachother. Relic+1 or allagan weapons and myth/allagan gear. I'm all for casuals who want to be able to pick the game up play for an hour a day and feel like they accomplished something, but for those who have done everything logging in just to cap myth has me second guessing even logging in.