Anyone not so excited for 2.2 and the future of this game?

[Aegis]

..... did someone just say sit there and press one skill every 30sec or so (ok some jobs more often, but dps was like afk chat oh tp full let me press a skill) was fun and exciting but XIV is boring needing to do something every 2sec or so? So we should change XIV to all auto attacks and about 6 skills that are rarely used, and the hope purpose of them (skill chians) would be fully avoided...

As acounter-argument: let me set you a scenario

Garlaige Citadel, Party level 33.

Party's targetted mob reaches 1/3 hp
BRD runs out to pull mob
BRD dodges holes of insta-death on the way back
Bat reaches camp as previous mob dies
THF preloads Sneak Attack, Trick Attack
Off-Tank provokes mob
BRD sings buff
THF hits bat with acid bolt to lower defence
PLD lines up behind mob
THF takes up position behind PLD
DD (any, really) uses weaponskill, opens skill chain
BLM starts casting Blizzard II
THF uses SATA Viper Bite
BRD sings second buff
Distortion Skill Chain closes, knocking 30% hp off the Bat
PLD provokes or flashes to cement hate
WHM can now finally heal the first voke without taking hate
Blizzard 2 lands as a Magic Burst, knocking a further 10-20% hp off
Bat reaches 33% HP
Return to step 1

This was the amount of co-ordination and communication needed to efficiently kill a single mob in a low-mid level exp party. If you did this, you weren't great, you were acceptable.

Just because you have to spam a button every 2.5 seconds does not mean the XI system was any less engaging. Quite the opposite, in fact. You needed to rely on each other to do your jobs correctly. Healer cures too early? Possible death. Paladin does not get in position? Possible death. Thief fails SATA? possible death. I had to pay far more attention in XI than I do in XIV.

[Skotie]

As acounter-argument: let me set you a scenario

Garlaige Citadel, Party level 33.

This was the amount of co-ordination and communication needed to efficiently kill a single mob in a low-mid level exp party. If you did this, you weren't great, you were acceptable.

Ah those were the days. Can't really expect today's gamers to actually work together though.

Think my favorite Garlaige party was this awesome group THFx2, NIN, WAR, BLM, WHM.

Myself and the other thf were rotating distortion skillchains, myself with the nin tank and the other with the war. Rotating pulling as well, was pretty fast paced if you ask me but was fun as hell. Only thing really limiting us was our healers MP but of course neither of us would pull if we weren't sure he had enough MP.

[Mihael_Longclaw]

There was an enormous amount of grinding in Dark Souls. (snip)

I absolutely loved Demon's Souls and Dark Souls. I was an active member of FCs, the wikis, and tourneys. I love them. I have yet to find another series to fill the void.

I'm just saying this statement is misleading.

If you wanted to grind out Souls for levels, go ahead, but by NO means necessary, neither is upgrading gear and in fact, all the upgrading stones are given to you in the game if you explore hard enough, help the characters and the likes.

If you wanted a Soul Level 120 PvP Build min/maxxed with 73 poise breakpoint, your choice of weapon and whatever gear you like best, sure you can spend some hours grinding away to +15 it, but Dark Souls is always skill + patience + learning > gear + level.

You can beat the game at the lowest of levels, not even using a shield, a little toothpick if you want.

Grinding is 100% optional in those games

[Psun]

One important note that I don't think anyone has mentioned. Yes, the game is only 4 months (disregarding the version and all its updates) and people are comparing it to 11 at launch. HOWEVER people don't have the patience anymore to wait like when 11 first was released. There is more competition now, and people will jump ship, especially casuals who have less invested. I consider myself casual to mid, I play most nights 2-3 hrs, but causual in the respect that if I don't get the BIS i don't really care as long as I can still do content. I have all crafting at 50 and 2 jobs at 50 (i83 and i73). I think that is what FFXIV is trying to balance, with some myth option BIS along with coil drops.

They need to add content for everyone of course, and quickly as possible. That includes crafting (I suppose gathering) as well. Crafting is has so much less value now. Elder Scrolls is the biggest shorterm threat to their player base. I'm sure I will stick around, the game has done enough to keep me, however the lure to try out Elder Scrolls will be dependent on if there is enough to do (that I want) in FFXIV.

Things not to add: More fate related events
Some things to add: Free Roam NM, Quests that encourage party finder utilization, i80 to 90 gear option with alt stats ( as mentioned) with a mixture of solo/party acquisition, boss fights with more random elements vs pattern memorization. materia enhancement for certain upper level dungeon drops (maybe bring back gear loss with forbidden meld for these), more crafted high level options, crafted companion gear that gives traits or actions, crafted or otherwise obtained gear/weapon that gives chance for regen/refresh/stat up/instant ability/free use proc. And don't add stupid traits if you do, like regen in daylight on full moon kinda thing...
And skillchains!

[Onidemon]

Not everyone has 8h+ a day, every day, to spend on this game. That's why older content becomes easier to access for those who are casual players and new content is hard for those hardcore players. New content will make old content obsolete in the long run yes but that's how the game will evolve.

Repeating the same content over and over because it is impossibly hard will push away all the casuals and will cut off 50% of the game's population.

[Mihael_Longclaw]

Snip

I'd say the PvP that's still thriving is pretty endless, as well as the many many challenge runs and builds you can customise.
The weapons are so different, you can go as Death with the Black-hemmed Gold Robes, Darkwraith Mask, Great Scythe. Or dual wield shields and become a tank.

As long as people have imagination, Dark Souls shall have content

I'm still playing it how many years after release, and sos a large group of the community , lol

[alhandra]

Again Dark Souls leads by example, little to no grinding in that game :>
You can grind if you want, but it's not necessary for anything

& yet it still lasts 1000s of hours, truely shocking :>

comparing a single player game to an mmo is beyond pointless

[Zanfire]

well they shut down the 42 page thread for being off topic when it wasnt at all...cant have people going and making giant threads that are not for their current design for too long now can we?

anyways if 2.2 cant show signs of a move to some things i might enjoy and its not just more ilevel gear, primals and dungeons made the same way...im out for good...and im pretty sure its gonna feel like everything we have now. Sadly my friend put down for a few months and now regrets it, but you cant undo it sadly. Lucky me i do month to month using crysta so i cant get screwed lol. I do really want to love the game, but it seems to just like everything else out there and has no plans of changing.

[Mihael_Longclaw]

Not everyone has 8h+ a day, every day, to spend on this game. That's why older content becomes easier to access for those who are casual players and new content is hard for those hardcore players. New content will make old content obsolete in the long run yes but that's how the game will evolve.

Repeating the same content over and over because it is impossibly hard will push away all the casuals and will cut off 50% of the game's population.

I'm not saying you need to spend 8 hours a day, I'm saying there should be more to the game than just dungeons, loot, dungeons, loot, loot becomes useless, new dungeon, new loot, dungeon, loot. And so on.

I want this game to succeed more than anything, I love so much of what it does, but then there's so many things that push me away.

[Mihael_Longclaw]

comparing a single player game to an mmo is beyond pointless

You're right. An MMO should last longer.
& Dark Souls has more community interaction than this game.