[Suggestion] The compromise and relief of end game lockout

[Yggberry]

Hello all, there has a been a few threads debating about end game lockout. And I feel some of them made positive suggestions regarding a solution for the current problem. However, I feel not all of them provide a compromise that satisfy everyone who is trying to enjoy this game. On one hand, there are casual players who doesn't like the lockout because they will be missing content. On the other hand, hardcore players doesn't want the current content to be nerfed in which takes away the fun and excitement. Thus I wanted to introduce to SE a compromise that I feel will satisfy all players and doesn't take a lot of effort to create.

(I am aware 3.0 is upon us, so there won't be any changes for the near future. However, at this point I feel like FF14 is at a course during FF11's chain of promathia progress where the content was difficult and eventually SE decided to nerf it and the hardcore players had an out cry.)


[Suggestion]

1) Make 2 versions of lock out trial/dungeon content such as T5, T9, the primal extremes, and so on. One normal mode, one easy mode. (I know this has been suggested but please continue to read.)

2) Here is where the compromise begin: The easy mode requires an item for players to enter. All members much have this item in their inventory to be eligible. Thus it will require 8 items to enter T5 easy mode. Furthermore, easy mode cannot be done via duty finder random entry. Has to be through party finder.

3) The easy mode item is dropped from the normal mode content. For example, beating T5 will drop a "Twintania's dream" or something like that. This item can be sold and can be placed on the Market Board.

4) Easy mode doesn't have any item drop or rewards. However, it will continue the story or unlock the future content. Such changes could be no more instant death touching the border of the arena, lower damage, keep echo, and lower chances of instant wipe. (Doesn't have to be all this but it is up to SE.)

5) Drop rate of the easy mode item after completing the normal mode can be high but not 100%. Item can be either randomly dropped into inventory like TT cards or from coffer.


So with these changes, I believe it will satisfy everyone. For example:

A) Easy to implement. Instead of the "Practice" mode, which starts at a specific phase of the mob, easy mode can be the practice mode.

B) Hardcore player still get their normal content. And they can farm this content to make more gil. Creating a new market for players to save up their gil for other stuff like relics.

C) Casual player is able to practice and bypass lockout. They can find other ways to make gil and to purchase these items for the dungeon they need.

D) Alleviate new players in the duty finder where new player would enter the trail without knowing what to do. I know it is up to other players to work together and beat the content. However, after explaining 1324239842098 times about the fight to new people, this gets tiring. Example would be Steps of Faith.

E) Improve server play via party finder for casual and hardcore players to participate.

Well, that's about it. I feel that having choices and freedom in a MMORPG is what make the game fun. I welcome everyone to add to this.

[OMEGA_HACK]

Interesting idea, however I have a big 'don't think so' with the whole "casual players have to buy the item from hardcore players to access the easy mode version". Mainly because, 'hardcore' players don't need another reason to farm the raids, they farm them for the gear it can drop. Why do the hardcore get to set a price for an item (which would end up being in the millions of Gil)?

If anything to promote a Gil Sink, players can buy the item from an NPC for like 50,000-100,000 Gil, AND/OR get the item based on the number of failed attempts on the regular/normal mode of the same raid. For example: Player A tries to clear Turn 5 9 times to no avail and fails each time, on the tenth time trying his group still cannot clear. When he exits the raid he is given a Key Item "Twintania's Dream" after his tenth attempt. Player A can then group up with 7 other players with the key item and then attempt to clear the easy mode, item is consumed upon entry so if for whatever reason the group fails to complete it, they would have to farm for the key item again.

[Yggberry]

Interesting idea, however I have a big 'don't think so' with the whole "casual players have to buy the item from hardcore players to access the easy mode version". Mainly because, 'hardcore' players don't need another reason to farm the raids, they farm them for the gear it can drop. Why do the hardcore get to set a price for an item (which would end up being in the millions of Gil)?

Oh I failed to mention this. I do agree with you on that proposal. I don't really care how the item is being farmed. I remember this is done in FF11 where you have to farm specific item for a fight in Chain of Promathia to make the fight easier. Bomb Core comes to mind. These item weren't exactly expensive when they are sold from the auction house. However, I believe that dropping from normal mode is the best method. The reason why I suggested this is because 4 more things I forgot to mention:

A) This will cancel out carry party. No longer do you need to create a carry party in Party Finder for gil which is what hardcore player has already been doing. This would also mean that more than 1 player can get the access.

B) Price on these item will fluctuate. I assure you that they will be cheap. Because more people will be doing normal mode than easy more when they get access. Same with materias right now. Sometimes it gets super cheap, sometimes it does.

C) Create another initiative to farm those dungeons. This is what I forgot to mention. Most player doesn't go back to another dungeon to farm it outside of vanity. Why do you want to farm T5 when you already have FcoB weapon? Other than vanity, there is no value. This is the same with Steps of Faith. The reward is so crappy that people are just leaving once they get into the trail. I believe this will relief some of the tension here too.

D) Furthermore, as of now crafters/gatherers make the most gil. You can't deny this. If you have a player who doesn't have any crafter or gatherer. Then they are stuck on making gil either by SB or drops from dungeon. And lets take a look at all the drops from dungeons, even crafting material, they are dirt cheap. So I believe this method of revenue is needed.

[Archulak]

Or you know... they could do what they plan with heavensward. Normal mode alex has no lockout but CT style looting(as far as we know)and is easier than what we've had before with coil. We also are getting savage alex which drops better better gear than coil and also has some sort of token system to take away a lot of the rng.

[Asierid]

They're already making it easier. It has been confirmed that "normal" mode raids in Heavensward will be easier than current raids as Yoshi-P was not happy with current raid numbers. There will be a separate "hard" mode for people who prefer the current, harder stuff.

[Lemuria]

I think half the battle with raids like coil is that you can easily spend up to two hours just trying to get a party unless you've got several clears under your belt. The division between the 'elite' and the beginners is so wide it has become a canyon. You find the same groups of people teaming up for content, leaving less experienced players waiting in the wings. I'd put this largely down to the unfriendly responses some of these players get when they inevitably screw up. They just give up on the content entirely as a result.

For full disclosure's sake, I'm in that category myself. Having experienced first-hand how horrible some people can be, and seeing some people practically bullied into leaving the team. I spoke with some of the members after my kick and they pretty much had the same thoughts. These were not people who wanted anyone but the best on their team, even though some of them had made plenty of their own mistakes.

Still, you can't change player attitudes. And that's the real problem. An 'easy' mode won't help matters if they're still treated as poorly. When those easy mode players inevitably try to complete the real deal, they'll be either expected to have coil gear already (not going to happen if loot doesn't drop in easy mode) or they'll hit the same wall they were at before.

It's a nice idea, and for story continuation's sake it might be nice to have an easy mode. But it won't change popular raid opinions, and is unlikely to increase the number of raiders as long as players continue to berate newcomers.

[Natashio]

In short....http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Category:BCNM

[MrLeonheart]

Yeah, tax those filthy disgusting casuals into the damn ground.

[Parapluies]

I spoke with some of the members after my kick and they pretty much had the same thoughts.

Maybe they are just being polite and dont want to hurt your fragile feeling ? Because this happened, alot.
Usually someone get kicked because they can't keep up with the rest of team skill-wise. Less exp but fast learner can be easily recognized after a session or 2.

[Sapphic]

Maybe they are just being polite and dont want to hurt your fragile feeling ? Because this happened, alot.
Usually someone get kicked because they can't keep up with the rest of team skill-wise. Less exp but fast learner can be easily recognized after a session or 2.

It does happen, when one person is, through whatever reason, stopping progression for the other 7 (we went through this unfortunatelly), player in question actually went abusive when asked to upgrade his gear, abusive when given advice about how to improve his connection etc. So it got a point where nerves got frayed and he left of his own accord. It is kinda selfish when 7 people are pushing themselves to meet what is required to progress and have fun doing so and one person refuses to and puts pressure on everyone else.