iLevels: Why I'm hoping they aren't raised in 2.4

[Alphras]

Hmm, maybe it just seems fast to me then, due to the fact that I'm a bit behind from where I started. Maybe once I catch up (I should hopefully be around 2.4) it won't seem so quick anymore?

I didn't catch up too (mainly because i am avoiding the Hunts like the plague and we just started with Second Coil). The thing is, you don't need to always have the best stuff.

[LillithCale]

The problem lies in the fact that small bump would be okay, people have something to grind for. A small bump below current item level gives people who are done their current gear, [u]nothing[/b] to do. It has yet to be seen if savage coil was a success and they'll have more of it, but since it doesn't give any decent reward I personally don't do it or have any intentions of doing it. Carrot-stick method is really good for keeping people playing. Remove the carrot and you've lost the interest of the people.

Ahh, completely understood.

[LillithCale]

I agree that they need to slow it down. I only started a month ago and have only just hit 50 on a character. However. I'm about i50, and getting to i100 looks like a huge challenge. The concern with the constant raise on gear is just that - people who have just started are miles off the curve. There should be some focus on horizontal gearing, and balancing the secondary stats a little better so that current players can catch up but experienced players still have something to aim for.

I really like that idea, and I feel like it would be the most far in regards to new vs old. I mean, it really is just a matter of personal play style, and SE can't cater to everyone, nor would I want them too.

[LillithCale]

I didn't catch up too (mainly because i am avoiding the Hunts like the plague and we just started with Second Coil). The thing is, you don't need to always have the best stuff.

I've been doing the hunts around 3 - 4am on the weeks. I get up for a little bit, derp about looking for hunts and then get some more sleep xD It's been pretty fun doing it that way.

And I completely agree, you don't always need to have the best stuff. There is no doubt about that. *pushes fingers together* But, I wouldn't mind it, and the little gaming demon in me says "GO GO RAID AND STAIN THE FLOOR WITH YOUR BLOOD UNTIL YOU GET THAT FABULOUS PIECE OF GEAR." So yes, I don't need it. I want it. But I definitely don't need it.

Except if it comes from Titan EX. T________T

[Fendred]

I remember a comment from an MMO developer (the guys making EQ Next) where they said the reason they think MMOs are going downhill is because people can't make content fast enough for people. His comment was particularly aimed at end game content and gear progression. I think the problem isn't so much that they can't produce content fast enough, but that the content is repetitive and breaks the player out of their immersion into the game world. When you compare the kind of posts in general discussion here to those in a well-off RPG's discussion board, you'll find that criticism is usually about the story or fluff elements much more often than the gameplay itself. MMORPGs usually become chock full of discussion of gameplay elements moreso than the story.

For the longest time I rationalized that with players spending so much more time in an MMORPG than in a regular RPG they inevitably become entrenched in the game's mechanics, but that really isn't why people complain about grinds. There are very few MMOs I can remember from the old days, but I didn't really think the same way about FFXI or Ultima Online as I do FFXIV. Quests back then were not perfect, but they were closer to the kind of journey found in more standalone games in terms of time investment. In comparison, quests in most modern MMORPGs are verbose and too short to be meaningful. Sure, there were some quests with really terrible stories to them (I remember one in Jeuno involving an amnesiac, meat eating Elvaan), but the fact remains I can actually remember those quests almost 10 years later. I can't even recall half of the menial tasks I do today.

What it comes down to is I think they are far too focused on item progression, which is coming at the expense of memorable story experiences. Cancelling my subscription to FFXI back in 2004 was the hardest thing I'd ever done, because the story, characters, and world really made me want to stay there even though I absolutely deplored the heavy grind. I revisited the game briefly last year, and while it felt incredibly dated, the story really was as heartfelt as I recalled.

I think they need to invest far more heavily in the storytelling part of the game, and making sure that the game mechanics are there to lend support to the narrative of the game instead of trying to rap game mechanics in the trappings of a story. At that point, no one will really mind the grind so much.

[MilesSaintboroguh]

Not just that, they need to make the next batch of main story quests go on longer rather than doing a few "episodes" per patch. I been enjoying the main story so far and really hate how everything after 2.0 is just a theme park version of Eozera's development.

[Kydi]

It's a similar idea to other MMOs. When there was a level cap increase in my other MMO (5 levels) , the equivalent to ilevel went from 146 to 168. However, the gear you buy with comms, whilst good, isn't optimised (far too endurance heavy). This makes it nice and accessible for players who don't raid lots as the gear is good enough (for story and hard mode, but not for more difficult HM and nightmare mode) but is far from BIS.

Parallels here would be tweaking det/crit /skill speed etc to make them more desirable and assigning items of the same ilevel a stat budget. Token purchases could be higher stacked on vitality for instance (for dps) and the drops from dungeons could have better secondary itemisation. Raiders would then still need to raid to be BIS keeping the desire there, even with a level cap increase, but would give time for non Raiders to catch up in gear so as not to be left completely in the dust.

[Eriatarka12]

The ilvl is definitely going to be raised, as it will be with every new "raid tier" content patch. Yoshi P. even highlights here how the idea of CT being a step behind is to help those who are behind catch up. (Meaning CT in 2.5 would be effectively useless if the item level in 2.4 was not raised).

Source: http://www.bluegartr.com/threads/122...-11)-Patch-2.3

So you intend for some players to not try to take on the Bahamut's dungeons until they've obtained equipment from Crystal Tower?

If we implemented Crystal Tower earlier than Second Coil, we would have set up Second Coil so that it could not be cleared unless you were around item level 100. We would have also had to raise the item acquisition restriction. Since the Second Coil was introduced first, however, Turns 1 and 2 were designed to be able to be cleared at item level 90, with no need for equipment at item level 100 or higher. However, just because the content is balanced for item level 90, that doesn't mean that everyone will be able to clear it at level 90. Because of this, our thinking is that by adding more item level 100 equipment with a delay of one patch, it allows some of these players to catch up.

This implementation method maintains the advantage of those who are already at the top end, but helps broaden the amount of players who are able to clear the content. Also, since it's still difficult to afford gearing up a second job on Allagan Tomestones of Soldiery, the item level 100 equipment from Crystal Tower can also be used in that way. It may seem unusual that content is added with a lower level, but the idea of ensuring players can get to the preceding maximum level is important in a MMORPG.

[Seif]

There's zero horisontal progression and new gear should provide that rather than just blast to i200 at this speed.

One way would be to give high ilvl gear that has materia slots and/or introduce questable new untradeable materia that can be used to enhance the new gear from average to near top-tier level.

I hate the linear nature of the gear progreasion and lack of player choice when it comes to ilvl.

It's huntflox or coil until you can't coil no-more.

[Tiggy]

There is no question. It will happen. You're hopes are in vain.