A letter to Yoshida and the development staff of ARR

[Ryel]

Mentioning FFXI - You were doing so well up to this point... =_= Even you admitted that XI has been around for many years and has content to match, why use it as part of your argument?

It's because it has been around for so many years that i mentioned it, FFXI was a terribly flawed game, with in most cases a punishing economy, horrible drop rates and a rather annoying HNM system. to go on to list the flaws of XI would take a post a few times longer than this one.

However the reason it stayed around for so long and the reason people kept playing was because of the content that kept people playing together, XI had ceased being about content for a long, long time but doing things with other players that you liked was enough for some people to commit to relics on MULTIPLE accounts and stay for YEARS longer than they would have.

There's a reason that until ARR it was SE's most profitable investment and a solid contender for best MMO before WoW

Which they will likely never read.

Probably, but it isn't hurting anyone by sitting there now is it?

[Sadana]

However the reason it stayed around for so long and the reason people kept playing was because of the things that kept people playing together,

I'm going to over-simplify things for a moment... so you're saying that the fact that we don't HAVE to work with others is XIV's weak point when it comes to community? :/ I don't want to be forced to work with others... I want to do it because I WANT to. For example, I've been blasting through the atma book requirements because I work together with friends on them. I don't HAVE to but it sure does make it easier! And more fun! Bonus! In my opinion, people who just solo this shit are hindering themselves. The game doesn't force people to work together but smart people do. There are some recent good threads about community in this game and how to make it work (yes, it takes effort.) I'll find the links...

Here you go:
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...te-a-Community
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...bout-community...

[Ryel]

I'm going to over-simplify things for a moment... so you're saying that the fact that we don't HAVE to work with others is XIV's weak point when it comes to community? :/ I don't want to be forced to work with others... I want to do it because I WANT to. For example, I've been blasting through the atma book requirements because I work together with friends on them. I don't HAVE to but it sure does make it easier! And more fun! Bonus! In my opinion, people who just solo this shit are hindering themselves. The game doesn't force people to work together but smart people do. There are some recent good threads about community in this game and how to make it work (yes, it takes effort.) I'll find the links...

I think you're misinterpreting me, i'm in no way saying that we should be forced to work together via exp parties and such (while i do miss those things nostalgia wise) I understand fully that isn't everyone's cup of tea.

I'm saying i feel we shouldn't be restricted from playing with our full roster of friends and helping people out on content because of a lockout that leaves us powerless to do so.

I should NEVER have to answer someone who asks me for help by saying:

"I'm sorry the game won't allow me to help you, tough luck you're on your own"

That is a horrible, horrible feeling, that i have to actually sit there and tell people that I've played with for months and in some cases years that I'm not allowed to play with them.

I mentioned this in another thread but simply put:

Why should the ability of some person i've never met to buy a piece of gear or some hardcore group that wants to burn themselves out on content (more power to you guys!) prevent me from doing end game content with the people i wish to play with?

[Sadana]

I think you're misinterpreting me, i'm in no way saying that we should be forced to work together via exp parties and such (while i do miss those things nostalgia wise) I understand fully that isn't everyone's cup of tea.

I'm saying i feel we shouldn't be restricted from playing with our full roster of friends and helping people out on content because of a lockout that leaves us powerless to do so.

I should NEVER have to answer someone who asks me for help be saying:

"I'm sorry the game won't allow me to help you, tough luck you're on your own"

Ok yes, I agree with that part as I mentioned in my first reply. People being excluded from groups over and over due to the 8 man statics/1 go per week limitations leads to many leaving the game for good.

[NaliaBrown]

I should NEVER have to answer someone who asks me for help be saying:

"I'm sorry the game won't allow me to help you, tough luck you're on your own"

That is a horrible, horrible feeling, that i have to actually sit there and tell people that I've played with for months and in some cases years that I'm not allowed to play with them.

Then why aren't you running it with these people in the first place? If they mean so much to you, why aren't they your static group? Or maybe you could say, "I've already run that this week, sorry, but I still need to cap soldiery tomes this week, do you? We could do some other dungeons together." I think you're taking this thing too seriously.

[Ryel]

Then why aren't you running it with these people in the first place? If they mean so much to you, why aren't they your static group? Or maybe you could say, "I've already run that this week, sorry, but I still need to cap soldiery tomes this week, do you? We could do some other dungeons together." I think you're taking this thing too seriously.

Because i have more than 7 friends who wish to do coil.

If you believe i am alone in this allow me to direct you here:

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...ts.-Right-now.

And here:

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...ify-Coil-Entry

And here:

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...outs-for-T6-T9

Also here:

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...future-content

That took all of 10 seconds using the forum's search function and i only skimmed a few pages but i think i made my point.

It was also brought up during multiple interviews around E3.

[NaliaBrown]

Because i have more than 7 friends who wish to do coil.

Well, then, if that is the case, then maybe you can help them find their own groups and you can run other content with them? The Coil lockout is not going to go away. You can even do expert & hard level roulettes as a party now. There's no reason to blame the game and feel like crap because you can't run something with someone because you've already run it before with another group. Maybe run it with that person next week?

[Ryel]

Well, then, if that is the case, then maybe you can help them find their own groups and you can run other content with them? The Coil lockout is not going to go away. You can even do expert & hard level roulettes as a party now. There's no reason to blame the game and feel like crap because you can't run something with someone because you've already run it before with another group. Maybe run it with that person next week?

Most MMO's don't actually make you choose, or if they do most players level alts in order to beat the lockout because the game is tied to a 1 character 1 class system. This game offers the unique option to play ALL jobs that they have and will ever release on ONE character effectively eliminating the need for alternates outside of personal preference.

Yet they wish to use a lockout system that goes against the very armory system that makes them unique.

However the first time you quoted me you failed to post the original quote in full and left out the most important bit:

Why should the ability of some person i've never met to buy a piece of gear or some hardcore group that wants to burn themselves out on content (more power to you guys!) prevent me from doing end game content with the people i wish to play with?

I repeatedly see the argument that hardcores would burn themselves out on content, however by definition what makes those players hardcore is that they would do it regardless of any lockout to begin with.

If you think that many of the first groups that cleared coil weren't alt farming gear or bashing their heads against the wall for hours upon hours of time then you are sorely mistaken, this is what makes them hardcore.

as it stands you have BOTH hardcore, midcore, and casual players logging into the game less for different but similar reasons.

The Hardcores log in farm coil and log out for the week because they have nothing else to do.

The Midcores are split half completing coil and following the hardcores by logging off while the other half tries until they're repeatedly discouraged by trying to make a static or deal with Party Finder.

The Casuals are lost without hope because the hardcores and midcores cannot help them, and the party finder has become an extremely hostile place demanding things from them that they are unable to prepare for.

[Sadana]

Well, then, if that is the case, then maybe you can help them find their own groups and you can run other content with them? The Coil lockout is not going to go away. You can even do expert & hard level roulettes as a party now. There's no reason to blame the game and feel like crap because you can't run something with someone because you've already run it before with another group. Maybe run it with that person next week?

Hmm... from a purely emotional standpoint, it seems as though the person being left out is excluded due to not being good enough. :/ Let's say Coil-dude A gets through turn 7 with his static and helpfully sets up his friend with a PUG that fails miserably. If he says "Sorry friend, that sucks", but doesn't go with his friend next week, he is telling his friend he isn't good enough to raid with. If he abandons his static to go with his friend, they will be left in the lurch and he may be kicked from the static. I think the point is that people shouldn't have to make this choice.

[Ikeda]

I think you're misinterpreting me, i'm in no way saying that we should be forced to work together via exp parties and such (while i do miss those things nostalgia wise) I understand fully that isn't everyone's cup of tea.

I think we should be forced to work together for those things. People whine about being forced to work together with people in FFXI or 1.0 but then forget that because they were forced to do those things they ended up meeting people and making friends that they never would have otherwise. In 2.0 with the way it's designed there is barely any room for any sort of community to form. Just makes you feel like you may as well be playing with npcs. I'm also sick and tired of people going into a mmo wanting to solo. I mean sure make a solo option so you're not stuck without anything to do if you can't find anyone to party with but it shouldn't be anywhere near as efficient as doing things with a party. The genre is called Massively Multiplayer for a reason and there's far too many mmos being built to completely ignore that part.