What 1.0 Did Better...

[QiLymePye]

I do. It's lazy and dumb and I don't like running through the exact same area five times before I get to where I need to be going.

BUt that I don't understand. You say that but you are ok with fighting the same stupid fate, using the exact same rotation, wearing the exact same style of gear over and over again. What attracted me to mmo, especially FFXI, was the immersion of the world I was in. This world is ok, but not superior. Once again, I bring up ESO. Im playing on the PS4 and its 100x more immersive and 10x more beautiful than FF. I mean I can sit on a hill and watch the sun set while in the distance I can see a storm approaching. Lightning and rain and thunder, swamps and farms and beaches with big ass pirate boats docked that I can swim to. I mean I'm confused. People are saying they can't make FF look better because of Playstation but then I log onto ESO on my PS4 and I'm like, FF can't do this?

Sidenote: also the staleness of your characters look and abilities compared with everyone else playing the same class is copy and pasted. I don't understand having, for example, an optimal way to play each class. You line up 100 people of the same class at the same ILVL about 95 of them will have the same build, same weapons, same rotation. Thats stupid. Thats boring. There is nothing that make you stand out from other players. ESO: I can have a mage tank, or a rogue templar, I can build my character anyway I want, wear whatever gear and equip what ever weapon. I can seamlessly swap during battle from my sword to a bow with ease. After playing ESO, Im starting to feel confined playing FF. If this game was advertised as a single player game(which IMHO, it pretty much is), I would understand. I feel like FPSMMO like Destiny is more MMO than this game is right now.

[KisaiTenshi]

the staleness of your characters look and abilities compared with everyone else playing the same class is copy and pasted. I don't understand having, for example, an optimal way to play each class. You line up 100 people of the same class at the same ILVL about 95 of them will have the same build, same weapons, same rotation. Thats stupid. Thats boring.

That is a side-effect of having BiS gear that isn't crafted. No game does it better, and few games differ how they present it. Many games, including popular games, the crafting is boring busywork just go get BiS gear.

[Sapphic]

I do. It's lazy and dumb and I don't like running through the exact same area five times before I get to where I need to be going.

Plus most of the areas where empty, there was zero reason to explore, because there was nothing to find. Yes that was one of the big complaints of 1.0

1.0 failed because it wasn't good enough, plus 1.0 players where given the chance to keep it going just by logging on. They didn't, that shows how much love they had for it.

[Shamo_Lomenzo]

Stuff

At least I have the choice whether or not I want to run that same stupid fate or wear the same style of gear. I can ignore the fate and do something else, glamour over my gear, and as far as skill rotations go (which there are none for healers, WHM is my main) that doesn't matter to me because the mechanics of each fight are different. For the most part, I have the choice between doing X repetitive thing or doing Y other fun thing, but if I have to travel through some dumb huge map that has the same tree copy and pasted 8 trillion times before I ever get to my destination, then that's when I get annoyed.

In nearly every game there's going to be an optimal rotation and BiS gear that everyone is going to wear.

Kinda off topic, but: FFXIV and ESO are not built the same way. Sure you can swap weapons and abilities but you can't in combat because that's not how the game was meant to be played. Duty roulettes would be hell if the healer just decided to switch to a DPS class and the other 3 party members didn't have a healing class leveled up enough to replace their lost healer. I've hardly touched ESO (tried the beta, hated it) but I'm sure there are aspects of it you would rather be changed, but they won't be because that's how the game was built/meant to be played.

[QiLymePye]

True, that i can agree with Shamo. The problem I have though with FF compared to ESO is that amount of freedom they give the player in ESO. Mechanics in fights are different in ESO also, but also, the AI behind those mechanics is better than FF. I also have a problem with FF changing what their jobs/classes do from previous versions of FF. And yes , every game is going to have an optimal rotation/BiS gear, but the gear should be based on how you upgraded you class. For example, in FF, if you are a BLM you have a BIS for that class no matter how you play, and actually playing a different style than the BiS gear is frowned upon. Now in EOS, I can have a mage and build him the standard way of increased Magic, Magic Dmg, etc. and have gear for that, but I can also say, "hey, I wanna last in a fight and not get killed in two hit but still be a mage..I know...I will equip heavy armor while still using staff, get armor and hp bonus instead". Boom, Battlemage style is born. My Battlemage will still have access to all the magic abilities that my mage had, but I determine what my rotation is. Its up to me to find the rotation thats not just the best for the content, but whats best for MY playstyle. I can also switch weapons and gear in and outside of battle, in and outside of dungeons. This game confines you to play for the optimal build, optimal gear, etc. all based on what SE wants you to play and have. IMO, thats no better than being a single player game.

MMO are supposed to have the player feel like they can have an impact on the world through their actions and decisions, not follow a linear path together as a group. And about decisions, ESO gives you quest where you have to make decisions that change the story and the area in which you play. "Do I save this town at the expense of others? Or do I let the die to save my comrads." Thats story telling. Thats freedom. Thats an MMO. Now because I let residents vengeful spirits die, is safe for the living to travel through town. But if I saved their souls from eternity of suffering, the living can't pass through without danger. Said danger: fighting monsters and ghost, etc. Thats why I'm so frustrated with FF. The world is not engaging unless you are doing a quest or a fate, maybe a hunt. Theres no danger from traveling from one town to the next, hell, you don't have to. I want to ride in ESO because the game world is huge and full of life. In this game I feel like my character is just along for the ride, I have no control over any part of the story or sidequest stories. Only choice is to do them or not.

Finally, I you to check out ESO. It has flaws. No doubt. But I look at the game as their first MMO they have ever done compared to SE doing FFXI and having, what, at least 10yrs experience with the genre. Im excited that ESO is as good as it is, while I expected more from FF. I honestly think SE is being too cautious. I think they can let off of the brakes a bit, do something a little more radical than changing the way a job plays 2yrs after release. Give us better AI. Im sorry, people saying they don't want boss mechanics to be random is stupid. How can you sit here and tell me that you are that beast (not you personally, just these *cough*endgamers/raiders) that you are good and telling people to get good, but you are going online to memorize a bosses attacks and timing because it's scripted and doesn't change from fight to fight, but say SE shouldn't add that because it might be too diffivult for players. What?! Im sorry, did you just say somthing along the lines of "Teacher, I went and found the exact test you are giving later this week online, I know exactly what the answers are, in the exact order they are to appear so when you are giving the test, can you please not change the order of questions or make it random as to which questions appear on the test and which ones aren't? I wanna be known as the best. Lol...this game is showing me why I have little faith in the ability of people to problem solve and adapt. End rant...at least for today.

[Luvbunny]

FF14 does feel more restrictive, but that is the side effect of curated game, and theme park ride style instead of sandbox open end. I personally rather play FF14 the way the creator intended, restrictive or simplified rather than the freedom of ESO style. I don't want to deal with "I do what I want and how I want to play, cuz this is how it is going to be so stop telling me what to do and what my role is" type of attitude. When you play in a group setting, player has ROLES and you better follow that to a T and perform your duties and stop thinking with your ME ME ME ME. It is a group play, you do not matter, your group does, everything you do is to ensure your group will survive the encounter and everyone is supporting each other.

The way FF14 roles are set up are good, it avoids nasty surprises of those special snowflakes who want to play however they want and cannot follow order and disregard any mechanic. This notorious ME ME ME mentality can cause wipes after wipes after wipes. Each job here does have to adhere a certain role and follow strict rules in the party, and you don't exactly have too much freedom over your play style. And that is totally ok, curated experience versus "sandbox" do whatever you want how you see fit. Different game, different play style.

[QiLymePye]

Luvbunny, wrong. Just because you have freedom in ESO doesn't mean you dont have roles. Have you played ESO.

Edit: also this game is group play only about 15% of the time. Thats another reason you have people not knowing what "roles" to be playing or how to play them. Explain to me what role you are in your party made up of 1 person? And you are said person in a world that is not interactive with others unless you group up and do what, hunt 1 monster? You can't talk about roles when the game only put you in a group role very sparingly now, back to below:

When you make a group in ESO, the group leader decides who plays what role. They assign the roles on screen using icons and based on the playes in the group and their abilities and gear. So for example, If I had a mage, a templar, and a stealth/rogue in my party just by their class, It doesn't mean that automatically the mage is heal, templar is tank, and rogue dps. Because roles in ESO use more than FF's roles by predetermined class/job role design.

The mage might have full armor and put attributes into health and magic while utilizing skills with damage mitigation and aggro.

Templar stats went into stamina(dmg) and health, so they are using a duel weapon with high attack and skills utilizing tremendous damage output. Oh and the templar in this fight is using bow;

Rogue put stats into stamina and magic, is using stealth attack/defensive/support skills while using a resurrection staff as main weapon and daggers or sword as secondary.


So based on that, as a group leader, I would put Mage=Tank, Templar=DPS, and Rogue=healer/support. So see, roles aren't assigned based on just the class you pick, they are also assigned based on gear and skills/techniques.

Edit: Also, the abilites and skills you have are based not only on the class you chose, but also the weapons you use. So even though the above mage might have full armor, he still has access to his class mage abilities. But he wont have access to his staff magic abilities unless he equips a staff. Or he can just use a sword and shield and have access to those abilities while utilizing magic from his class. Also every skill when used enough can be ugraded once to include an extra function. You only get two choices for the upgrade and you have to choose the best upgrade based on "your" play style for your character. So basically I can have 3 of the same class in my group and they all can fulfill different roles depending on their gear and skill progression

Why people think tanks have to be big bulky people, mages have to be small or thin, etc. Why cant mages wear plate armor, why can't my tank heal, why can't dps cast spells and attack with a sword? And "special snowflake"? I pay for an open ended MMO to play and build my character how it fits my play style. It doesn't mean I can't be in a tank role. Why limit tank role to one set of skill or one class. I suggest you play ESO. I'm applauding ESO not for the game itself, more so how they approached making a game where everyone can find a place to fit without being subjected to "you are not good because you didn't use this skill when its your job" etc. If I'm a tank and I keep aggro on me and mitigate damage on myself and have a very good amount of health...and Im a mage wielding a staff or weiding a bow...how is that not playing my role? I created my character to fit the role I want to play, not the other way around, like FF.

[QiLymePye]

Also, this game creates the ME ME ME attitude already because of how restrictive it is. This game is supposed to put you in the game world with others who have different playstyles, different likes, different experience with gaming, etc. But the game is not conducive to group play because it doesn't account for the fact that people are people. I didn't sign up for a "rail" MMO. I have no control over how story plays out, how i play the class i select, how I equip the class i select, how I customize the class I play.

If they wanted to make a game so restrictive, they should have stuck to a single player RPG. I wanted variety, choice. Im paying 14.99/month and I can't do 1/4 of the stuff I can do in most other games without paying a sub, even single player games. I want people to stop making excuses for SE. This game is not where it shouldbe or could be and the way its going, its not going to get there before any other games pop up and overwhelm them. Oh, and ESO is optional sub, I can play for free, after buying game of course, and access their servers, get updates like other mmo.

[BreathlessTao]

More polygons, certain visual elements particularly gear - definitely better in 1.0

Also, it did housing better. ^_^

[Sartori]

To begin, I love ARR. It is by far my favorite game in existence. I began as a 1.0 player and unfortunately had missed gaining legacy status by only a few short weeks. When I first set foot in Eorzea during 1.0, I fell in love. Yes 1.0 was lacking many things but they did one thing right that most major MMOs still seem to leave out. What I am speaking of is realistic running animation.
I don't mean just the look of sprinting though. In 1.0 (for those that didn't play or have never seen it played) you leaned into turns and your character could not stop on a dime like they do now. It gave your movement weight and that is a feeling no other MMO ever really has had. It is something so little, but I can't even explain with words how awesome that feature was, and I know I am not alone in this thought. .

The community was way better in 1.0, thats a huge reason I liked it and no DF BS