New player feedback (AKA reasons why FFXIV has seems troubled keeping newer players)

[Blanchimont]

2) The Story Quests
These were interesting at first, but there are times when it feels like it is drawn out far too much, especially the parts where you literally talk to the same NPC in the same spot multiple times. Since completing the main story, I've simply started skipping most of the post game story because it feels like more of the same. The first part dealt with the fallout of the main story, which kept my interest a little longer. At this point though, I have almost no interest in the story because of the mess that it has become. The main story started out decent as a standard RPG and had a lot of the elements of an FF story, such as the nameless hero, the 5 crystals, summons, and all of that stuff.

Towards the later half, they reveal an empire and a greater enemy, but that part of the game does not take off until towards the end of the game, like literally levels 44 to 50. To top it off, it ends with a to be continued, leaving villains around and from the story mode that follows, nothing has really happened to resolve that. In fact, it seems to be repeating itself with new Primals instead. If I find out that there's another hidden figure and another empire, it will literally be playing the same story twice. At this point, I'm hoping that at least some of the story elements they introduced in 2.1 get resolved.


However, what really bugged me was the sudden need for Trials that appeared out of nowhere. It takes a long time to queue up for one and it can take an hour for even a single attempt. On top of that, these enemies have what are essentially one hit kills unless you know what you are doing. Funny thing is that they are called Trials and I sometimes jokingly call them Trial and Error because that is what it plays out like due to the one hit kills. Trial and error should not be something that is so vital in the story mode of the game. Keep that stuff for post game challenges. Because of this, I spent nearly a quarter of the days that I have been playing stuck at several parts of the game. Two days on Garuda (won because some guy with level 135 gear helped out and used limit break to survive the attack that should have killed us). Two days on Cape Westwind (no one was in queue for this and I still have to do it again for Zodiac weapon). One day for The Whorleater (got sort of lucky here). One day for The Striking Tree. In the 16 or so days I have been playing, I have waited for 6 days, over one third of the time simply waiting so that I can continue with the story and it helps to ruin the pacing. The player base doesn't help as much either with people dropping out just because they failed once or twice.

[Niwashi]

Towards the later half, they reveal an empire and a greater enemy, but that part of the game does not take off until towards the end of the game, like literally levels 44 to 50.

To be fair, it's not like they revealed the empire late. It was always discussed, from the very opening of the game, as being the biggest threat to Eorzea, though not always the most immediate one. Quite a big deal is made about the Garleans in the opening few quests that describe the world, then again at level 15, then again at level 20, though at those points it's the nations of Eorzea who are facing the Garlean threat while you yourself are still a relative newcomer. Your own first direct conflicts with the Garleans come soon after though, while still at level 20 you rescue a couple of important NPCs from an imperial attack that downed their airship. Then at level 21 your next assignment to investigate and help the Slyphs leads to further conflict with the Garleans.

Yes it is rather late in the story by the time that conflict takes center stage and really takes off, but isn't that the way stories are normally supposed to progress, starting with simpler things and foreshadowing of a big threat on the horizon, then gradually building until you face that biggest threat in the story's final climax?

To top it off, it ends with a to be continued, leaving villains around and from the story mode that follows, nothing has really happened to resolve that.

This is to some extent unavoidable in an MMO, or at least a story-driven one. They can't ever completely finish the story because doing so would leave players with no further reason to stick around and keep paying their subscriptions. The "to be continued" type of climax is there because SE needs the game to continue.

They have to keep providing a series of climaxes that are big and impressive enough to excite players while still allowing the followup to turn into buildup toward's the game's next big climax. Whereas a novel might do this a couple times with intermediate climaxes, then build to a bigger final clamax and denouement, an ongoing game doesn't reach a final point unless something goes so horribly wrong that they have to get drastic and drop a moon on the whole thing or something. [Dalamud— for when you need a moon-sized reset button. Ok, sorry, somewhat random thought there.]

They should still tidy up any subplots that have run their course, but the lack of a final point in the story prevents the sort of clean denouement that ties up all the loose ends.

[Blanchimont]

This is to some extent unavoidable in an MMO, or at least a story-driven one. They can't ever completely finish the story because doing so would leave players with no further reason to stick around and keep paying their subscriptions. The "to be continued" type of climax is there because SE needs the game to continue.

They have to keep providing a series of climaxes that are big and impressive enough to excite players while still allowing the followup to turn into buildup toward's the game's next big climax. Whereas a novel might do this a couple times with intermediate climaxes, then build to a bigger final clamax and denouement, an ongoing game doesn't reach a final point unless something goes so horribly wrong that they have to get drastic and drop a moon on the whole thing or something. [Dalamud— for when you need a moon-sized reset button. Ok, sorry, somewhat random thought there.]

They should still tidy up any subplots that have run their course, but the lack of a final point in the story prevents the sort of clean denouement that ties up all the loose ends.

Although the empire is hinted at early on the story, it felt like they do not begin to take center stage until after you fight the last of the 3 Primals from the main story. From there, they start to appear everywhere it happens kind of suddenly with it instantly escalating into war the moment that happens. Then shortly after it ends. The story felt like Welcome to Adventure Town! Random Adventurer Things! Beastmen! Primals! Fetch! War! To be continued! More Primals! Ascians! Dragons!

Even though there is no final point in the story, the first few of the story quests that follow the main story does attempt to tie up some of the loose ends and consequences of the main story. However, it quickly degraded into fetch tasks and new random plots. A lot of the elements that they introduce, such as the Ascians felt like there was little payoff in the end considering how much they build up to it.

[T2teddy]

Someone hasn't sat through both sets of rolling credits to the bitter end, I see. We are far from done with the Ascians or the Empire.

[E-Zekiel]

Someone hasn't sat through both sets of rolling credits to the bitter end, I see. We are far from done with the Ascians or the Empire.

I finished the second set (and the scene after) yesterday actually.

To reiterate for hte tenth time: I like the story. I do not like gating content behind the story, because this, to me, translates to not being able to do it at my own pace, in order to experience some of the missing, gated content.

[Blanchimont]

I finished the second set (and the scene after) yesterday actually.

To reiterate for hte tenth time: I like the story. I do not like gating content behind the story, because this, to me, translates to not being able to do it at my own pace, in order to experience some of the missing, gated content.

I really hate this too. It was great seeing all those dungeons unlocked the moment you hit 50, but it is agonizing to sit and wait for story mode queues. Currently on minute 48 of waiting for "The Steps of Faith." Luckily, I think this is my last one before the expansion hits.

[lordoftheapes79]

I finished the second set (and the scene after) yesterday actually.

To reiterate for hte tenth time: I like the story. I do not like gating content behind the story, because this, to me, translates to not being able to do it at my own pace, in order to experience some of the missing, gated content.

I started to post this in another thread on my phone, but it got, um, longwinded. Anyway, I believe the thought behind this is simply to distribute people and reduce the server stress at launch. I believe this is only temporary, but will probably at the least be the standard for each expansion. It wouldn't be fair for those of us who have been playing loyally for 2 years to have to deal with 90ks because 10,000 people who are sick of WoW decided to try it out and probably won't even stay more than a few months.

[E-Zekiel]

You are likely going to deal with this anyway, regardless of how many people will be of Ishgard, because they are expanding how much space characters take up on their server by, among other things, increasing inventory size. This has a significant impact on server load, so I really don't think alleviating server load is the reason. I think the reason is because they're used to silly obligatory things mostly on account, I think, of not being super-experienced in the way of MMOs.

[Niwashi]

I believe the thought behind this is simply to distribute people and reduce the server stress at launch. I believe this is only temporary

You mean the gating of going to Ishgard (and therefore the vast majority of Heavensward content) until after finishing the full 2.x storyline? From what I understood, that gating is pretty fundamentally built into the story itself. It's there to stay and has nothing to do with temporary issues surrounding release day.