1 Month in impressions/criticisms...

[zipzo]

I'm sorry I stopped reading at Combat -excellent.
If you like what I think they failed the most with in this game im not gonna agree with your other thoughts.
Honestly though? 2 and a half day gcd and you give it excellent?
The combat system made me react slower when I play other games like mobas and I had to take a break from it to get it back.

I can understand where you're coming from as I also like to play MOBA games.

It just doesn't factor in to my evaluation of the combat system as a whole, sure it "slows down" combat in a way, but it fits in the context of how the rotations work and just the general combat flow. You might like a game like TERA more for its combat (not saying you should play it, it has its flaws), if I'm to guess.

To be honest, I had trouble with the "old english" at first, but as seems to be the case with most dialects, I start picking up on repeated terms and phrases as I apply the context of their previous usage, and suddenly I catch myself almost using them IRL ('anon' comes to mind the most here). I think people have trouble with this because the English language has evolved to remove most/all of its original flourish in favor of speed of communication. With the exception of Urianger, and half or more of the NPCs in Limsa Lominsa, I hardly ever find myself stumbling over reading the text in this game and comprehending the point on the first pass.

I've accepted the bad with all the good. I'm doing the same, attempting to just get used to it and ignore my feelings of discontent on the subject. I still love the game I just wish all the characters didn't talk with jargon...

I struggle to do what you have already done.

[Galactimus]

As a fellow creative writer I can not praise the localization team enough for what they have accomplished. It definitely feels like their hands were tied a bit more when it came to the main story line and the olde English can get especially taxing at times like others have said as well. However, when you dive into the side quests (which most people skip), the quest names and descriptions, FATE names and descriptions, flavor text on items, fish, mounts, minions, and lore you can see just how devoted these guys are.

I'd throw jigglyshine at this game just for their creativity and humor alone. There are so many witty, pleasant, surprises in this game I just can't help but read through it all. Gosh just listening to random NPC's banter around Limsa makes me crack up.

[zipzo]

As a fellow creative writer I can not praise the localization team enough for what they have accomplished. It definitely feels like their hands were tied a bit more when it came to the main story line and the olde English can get especially taxing at times like others have said as well. However, when you dive into the side quests (which most people skip), the quest names and descriptions, FATE names and descriptions, flavor text on items, fish, mounts, minions, and lore you can see just how devoted these guys are.

I'd throw jigglyshine at this game just for their creativity and humor alone. There are so many witty, pleasant, surprises in this game I just can't help but read through it all. Gosh just listening to random NPC's banter around Limsa makes me crack up.

You have to try to understand it from my perspective.

In speaking, the characters have no trace of such a...way of speaking. So to me, it's not just about it being somewhat difficult to read, it leaves an impression of the game falsely representing how the characters were meant to be represented. It feels contradictory to me. Why do they have to talk like this in english, and yet they do not do any kind ancient/story-telling type talk in other languages? It certainly adds...flavor, but to me it feels unnecessary. They didn't do it in Japanese, (it's not like they couldn't have), so why did they do it in English?

People keep citing where the inspirations come from, but lest you forget, the other languages don't do it, so where was the inspiration there? The inspiration only seemingly applied to the English localization.

[Kaedan]

You have to try to understand it from my perspective.

In speaking, the characters have no trace of such a...way of speaking. So to me, it's not just about it being somewhat difficult to read, it leaves an impression of the game falsely representing how the characters were meant to be represented. It feels contradictory to me. Why do they have to talk like this in english, and yet they do not do any kind ancient/story-telling type talk in other languages? It certainly adds...flavor, but to me it feels unnecessary. They didn't do it in Japanese, (it's not like they couldn't have), so why did they do it in English?

People keep citing where the inspirations come from, but lest you forget, the other languages don't do it, so where was the inspiration there? The inspiration only seemingly applied to the English localization.

Because the theme of FFXIV and the FF series in general is very western inspired. So the English is going to reflect the time period because it can. There is actually a dialect of "old English" (not to be confused with Olde English) that they are mimicking.

It wouldn't make sense to attempt to reflect that dialect in other languages, because it doesn't exist, and there's no reason to because those languages aren't being represented by the theme.

[sirDarts]

Localization =/= Translation
Localization needs to bring the content closer to the culture they are localizing for.
And lets face it, Japan has a VERY specific culture. Most people in the west just wouldn't understand some of the notions. Like the Ascian's whimpering.

They carry over the main message of the story, while bringing the language/culture closer to the intended audience = localization well done.

[Rynia]

To be blunt, I think your opinions, OP, are being heavily influenced by the fact that you're watching the cutscenes in a fashion that was not intended - reading one language while hearing another. The localisations are all different for a reason, I suspect it being something to do with cultural differences, so in your head there's a culture clash that wouldn't happen if, you know, you just picked a language =P (Don't eat me, I was joking, play it the way you want to)

You're also willfully ignoring that pepole have given you an answer to your question as to why the language is the way it is in English. It is a thematic choice taken because the setting for Eorzea and the tropes surrounding the story are heavily drawn from a time when such language was common. Does a similar manner of speaking exist in Japanese/French/German? Probably. However because there's no correlation between those languages and the themes running through the game, there's no reason for them to use the language.

I heavily suspect the sentence you used as an example in your OP doesn't exist, and if it does I'd love proof, as I've never noticed an example of poor grammar in the entire storyline. Just because they follow old usage doesn't mean it's wrong, nor is it another language. It also shouldn't be hard to understand for an adult who has English as a native language, as very few words they use are particularly obscure, just used differently to how we use them today.

[Ksenia]

I suppose server to server is different but I am hating the after MSQ leveling from 15 to 40. FATE parties are few and far between and Leve quests require 20+ to get a single level. They can be good for gear as the random treasure chest will drop an Aetherial but for leveling they are just bad. FATE on my server picks up at 40 and I could milk it to 52 or 53 in North Thanalan but that 15 to 40 is murder.

As for craft leveling, once you accept that it's all or nothing, you will find it isn't too 'hard', depending in if you gather all your own mats or not. All 8 to 15, then 20, keep going. I really like crafting though, far more than the combat leveling. I can't believe I'm going to say this but I really wish we had a few repeatable fetch me quests to break up the War/ Magic leveling.

[MeiUshu]

This is irrelevant to the fact that it's still an unfaithful and unnecessary interpretation of the originally intended dialogue, which is my overall gripe. The fact they chose an annoying way to talk just didn't help very much. Using the word pray too much is a very minor thing, tip of the iceberg as I said.

For the names, you would want to educate yourself before complaining of something out of pure ignorance (ignorance is not a fault but persisting in it is stupidity) you know. For the translation, the team is doing a great job, there are mishaps here and there but overall is GREAT JOB. Just ebcause what you hear doesnt correspond to what you see, doesnt make it bad, there is written language and spoken language and as you should know those two are not always exactly compatible, and two languages with so much of a cultural difference and root difference cannot be translated exactly or you would just be reading words meaningless or better said that feel nothing, think about this

Mei

[Kiara1]

blip

ive actually played Tera and the combat there is amazing.
but like you said it has other issues.

This game has enough fun things to keep me playing even though I find combat pace a little slow.

I think the biggest flaw isnt actually the long gcd but the castpoint.

Im talking about things line when you cast benediction, the animation shows but the spell dont get its effect until end of the animation.
meaning tank dies and your 5 min cooldown spell is used not doing anything.
other things like. As summoner if you cast your 3 dots and then fester instantly after bio1 you will only deal 200 potency instead of 300 because you actually need to pause a second and then cast fester. Because serverticks are pretty bad.

[Laerune]

I agree with most of the things that you wrote. But I do think combat is boring, I wish we had more action based combat then turn based one. I dont want something like the TES games, but a action based combat like Star Ocean would be a great start. I think the localization is a 50/50, I like the old english words, but I dislike the new voice actors, they replaced alot of good voice actors and replaced them with new voice actors that make my ears cringe.

Was it, because of money that they replaced the voice actors? Because I asked some of them on twitter and they have no clue why they were replaced. The new Urianger is horrible compared to Gideon Emery who owned that character and made it his own.