Current State of End-Game Contents - A Blog Post from A Japanese Player

[Zarzak]

Asking for things to be made easier and easier until you beat them with whatever level of effort you choose to put forward is asking for a free access pass.

[Litre]

Asking for things to be made easier and easier until you beat them with whatever level of effort you choose to put forward is asking for a free access pass.

Welcome to this thread, a few of us have been here a while but you're making the same misconceptions many already made before you. I hope, just to make sure we're on the same page, you are saying "the difficulty of new content should not be made easier" to this we all agree. But if you're saying that older content shouldn't be made easier, well I'll continue.


For one (straight from the OP):

The OP is not asking for current end-game content to be made easier, just different in focus. The OP is attempting to address the issue where, due to the gimmick-centric nature of the fights and the way the gimmicks are designed, contents remain just as frustrating and not fun for many other people even after they have been supposedly "nerfed" and made more accessible. Can't do Twister because you just don't have the reaction time? Sorry, might as well give up on ever seeing the Second Coil. Oh, or you can just get/pay a group to carry you, that's always fun.

I tried to clear up many issues that caused people to digress here: http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...=1#post2164220


Anyways we are not asking for the game itself to be made easier, we are asking for better easing of older content, rather than a blanket echo buff, which many players are complaining (for good reason) have widely varied impact on certain fights as opposed to others. That way players who cannot play at the level intended for some content, can "eventually" beat that content for the storyline/cutscenes etc...

So once again, you can either tell them to fu*k off and get better or get out, or accept the fact that FFXIV relies on their subscription fees and needs to properly address this issue. And once again I constantly try to draw your attention to those players who don't like challenges as much, I'm sure you've met them in your life, the type of kids who play games on easy, they play games to relax, and to have fun with a community.

You're entitled to your opinion that you think FFXIV should remain the way it is, but many of us are concerned that FFXIV will eventually die because of it. And if you don't see that problem coming then you should really take a step back and consider the 500 likes on the OP post and the concern at hand. Those players pay just about as much as you do for the game, why shouldn't they be allowed to eventually view the storyline/content/cutscenes of the main storyline? These players are leaving, if you are happy to see them go, not much more needs to be said, but I and many like me don't want to see them go, yet it's happening, and it's very real and noticable

No one is saying give it to them on a silver platter, but if 3-6 months after the content is released and they've tried 100 times and still can't beat it, well isn't it time to ease that content properly so they can beat it? If they've died 100 times on it, that's not giving it to them on a silver platter anymore, that's a sympathy "pass GO", they damn well deserved it and worked just as hard as you did. Probably worked harder than you, but you know what, they're just not that good as games as you are, yeh revel in your glory all you want but to many of us you're just coming off like an arrogant elitist. And to that effect, they already added echo, so they're already easing the content, we're not arguing about whether older content should be eased, that ship has sailed, we're saying if you're going to ease it, do it properly, because echo still won't save you on Turn 5 or Titan EX.

But if you're really taking the stance that even older content does not need to be eased, then I will go ahead and label you an elitist just like many have already. If you want to argue against that label, do read the post I linked, and you're welcome to address the bias talking points I brought up.

Yoshi lets you turn off echo if you don't want it, the real difficulty is always there, for that newcomer who wants to experience the game at its purest. But if you want this game to become one, in which only the competent MMO crowd can properly beat, it'll be a slowly declining game, Final Fantasy is meant for everyone to enjoy, in their own way.

[Yukiko]

(..) take a step back and consider the 500 likes on the OP post and the concern at hand. (..)

Already 500? Not bad, but... you remember the lag problem?
If i am not mistaken we needed about 1000 likes before we have gotten some reply from Yoshi-P...

[Altaeciana]

I read only bits and pieces of the OP post for this topic. But from what I can infer, the JP blogger is concerned why the game's end-game content is set so that one mere crack will explode through and shatter the group's progress.

Metaphorically of course, the crack resembles any foul ups and mistakes. The subsequent explosion that surges through being the chain of chaos that ensues when party members start dropping like flies.

I agree and disagree with the JP blogger's view on end-game content. Both on the new and latest as well as the old.

The parts I agree on are that despite any changes, patches, updates, and fixes... something such as T5 is still content which demands perfection. No matter what your iLevel is, or what level of Echo buff you obtain (let's say in the near future echo is boosted to 50%, as an example), not being able to do Divebombs, Conflagrations, and Twisters properly will result in a highly probable wipe that is unrecoverable.

But the parts I disagree on are that content (such as current end-game content like SCoB or Titan Extreme) does not need to change. The reason for this is because I always say that had I been perfectly cloned 7x times, I could do various end-game content near-perfectly. To me, current end-game content is not at all difficult. But it is work, perhaps tedious work as some may remark. "OMG, you have to this, and this. Then when he readies that attack, you have to move over here. Oh yeah, can't forget to face this direction with my camera so I can see what spawns in that spot."

That's the problem with end-game content. People do not want to work for it. They don't want to fight the Naga boss on Second Coil of Bahamut: Turn 2 with the numerous "put your left foot out, put your left foot in!" They don't want to stop doing actions on Rafflesia's Blighted Bouquet. They want to do the content and reap the rewards, but not at the cost as demanded. They just want to stand there and mash the three buttons on their hotbar while doing minimal movement. (Whooo, high-efficiency!)

[Litre]

People do not want to work for it.

True, but you're over-generalizing, yes there are lazy people, but a lot of people do try and work hard for it. They simply lack the reflexes, memorization, concentration and luck (finding other good players) to beat it. I think these players do deserve a chance to beat an easier version of the fight, when the content is older.

The most important thing you're missing is that, the rewards are also diminished by the time they beat it on the easier mode. They do experience the content fully, perhaps not the challenge, and I think that's fine, they should get to experience the content. Their cost demanded may be lower, but so is the reward, I don't see anything wrong with that scenario.

[Kuwagami]

Their cost demanded may be lower, but so is the reward, I don't see anything wrong with that scenario.

Some people don't like seeing that other players get the same reward (rendered obsolete by the vertical progression in between) for lower difficulty. They somehow think it diminishes their own accomplishment, because they are no longer "only a few elite percent" who have beaten the content.

(Please note that I use "elite" here as its true sense. They are indeed elite, as way above the average. It doesn't make them elitist by this sole fact.
Please also note that I'm not aiming at anyone, it's a simple fact. Some people don't want others to have an easier time even when the content is obsolete and irrelevant)

[Altaeciana]

That could certainly be a possible "solution" in the future. Allow people to do content in a way that's reduced versus normal, but with the end rewards being lesser in quality/quantity/significance/non-existent. But it doesn't address the fact that as the JP blogger had mentioned, there is a concern as to the existent fragility of content. Making an easier mode probably wouldn't eliminate the chance someone messing up will ruin any/all progress done. Heck, if that factor was eliminated, then why would you need 8 party members? To pass content despite 50% of the group being dead for a prolonged while is laughable at best.

[Dano]

That could certainly be a possible "solution" in the future. Allow people to do content in a way that's reduced versus normal, but with the end rewards being lesser in quality/quantity/significance/non-existent. But it doesn't address the fact that as the JP blogger had mentioned, there is a concern as to the existent fragility of content. Making an easier mode probably wouldn't eliminate the chance someone messing up will ruin any/all progress done. Heck, if that factor was eliminated, then why would you need 8 party members? To pass content despite 50% of the group being dead for a prolonged while is laughable at best.

these people only care about the story locked behind the content and achievements anyway, i don't think they care about difficulty, they would just clear everything and jump to the next big thing before coming back again for new content.

[Yukiko]

That could certainly be a possible "solution" in the future. Allow people to do content in a way that's reduced versus normal, but with the end rewards being lesser in quality/quantity/significance/non-existent. But it doesn't address the fact that as the JP blogger had mentioned, there is a concern as to the existent fragility of content. Making an easier mode probably wouldn't eliminate the chance someone messing up will ruin any/all progress done. Heck, if that factor was eliminated, then why would you need 8 party members? To pass content despite 50% of the group being dead for a prolonged while is laughable at best.

You remember older FF games?
4 Members, hard Boss hitting with AoE -> 3 Members down
Tank survived using Item to revive healer
Healer using Revive while Tank using Item to groupheal
Healer Revive (if mass revive then doing Wall) while Tank is using Item again groupheal (or reviving the other Damage Dealer depending on which Boss you are fighting)
Healer doing Wall (if wall already casted then hastga or doing now grouphealing) -> tank (mostly the hero or best equipped in group) begins with limit (he survived and is now in enraged mode) while Damage Dealer is casting some Spells or Attacks (or reviving the last member, supporting the group with silencing enemy or such...)

The point is: You can come back even when one (or all 3) messed up, as long as one player is alive there is HOPE... not so in FFXIV
Why is that sort of thing fun? Because when doing that you can not do Damage to the Boss and the game becomes more intense, its becoming deeper with each "turn" (turn does not mean Boss is waiting untill you do something, it just means you are now on the move)... That way Bossfights sometimes needed more than 4 hours to beat and with each attack it was like struggling, but still with HOPE... I miss that, in FFXIV we have: avoid it or wipe it !

Its my opinion, but SE is relying too much on AoE and avoid movement to keep players busy. Maybe because they fear the bad reply about 1 button smash we had in 1.x...

[Altaeciana]

But it makes sense from a logistical standpoint. You entered as a team, so you should be able to finish as a team. If you needed only one person to keep things going and pass content, is that not called "solo play?"

Then the current concern should be to make content soloable.

That is no different than entering a random battle with 4 party members, but three of which are already dead. Your point in referencing the old FF games is moot here.