Lets see you Make a Patch (For all the ranters)

[Amelia_Pond_Behemoth]

I like movies. I dislike other movies. If I tried to make one, it would end up even worse than The Room. I'm still allowed to not like a movie.

[Aethaeryn]

it's more "Oh, you don't like your washing machine? Then go ahead, go tell us how to build a washing machine that will keep everyone happy."

That's the same thing, though. It's not our job to know what makes good game design. I know what does and doesn't work for me with a game, but I don't know what budget they're working with or the number of people working on things or what is and isn't possible to do realistically within a deadline. They also have access to numbers that I don't have, like the number of people attempting/clearing certain content. I'm sure I could easily write some patch notes with so much stuff that most players can be happy, but that wouldn't make it realistic within the constraints of budget and time.

Of course nothing will make everyone happy, but what's so wrong about disgruntled players (constructively) voicing their concerns?

[Etrock08]

I always like to spin this argument around on other things, to let the people know how little sense it makes.
"Oh, your washing machine broke? You expected it to last at least one more year? Let's see you make a washing machine! What's that, you can't? Then don't complain."

Don't get me wrong, I do get your point, but that is literally one of the worst arguments that can be made. Game designers are game designers for a reason, they specialize in it. If a random forum poster could out do them, then there's something wrong.

Actually your example is really bad. A broken washing machine has nothing to do with a game that is not broken. The game still works and still does what it needs to do. A broken washing machine is unable to function regardless of how long you thought it was going to last. The game still functions, still does what it has been doing, has added a new things to improve it.it its not broken.

A better example to compare it with a washing machine would be as follows.

Oh your clothes are not as clean as you want them to be? All the dirt is removed and it smells fresh but that is still not clean enough? How about you design a washing machine that will make your clothes even cleaner and continue to make them more and more clean every time you use it and never running out of new heights of cleaning, it should always be able to clean more and more every time you use it. If it only cleans to the same level every time it must be a broken bad machine, it should always provide a greater level of cleaning with every wash.

[Colorful]

snip

My bad, it wasn't meant to be an exact comparison but I believe it gets the point across. But thanks for the fix I guess.

snip

Well said. Regardless of that, you'd still need knowledge of the inner workings for a washing machine in order to suggest realistic improvements that would work.

[Kurogaea]

Patch 3.1, patch 3.2 contains content tha should've been adressed ages ago. Blah blah heavensward blah blah subscriptions something something adjustments.
PvP GC restrictions removed

More story quests (duh)

PvP story redacted and added a new one.

Wolves Den Lvl 60 and synched counterpart added

Morale gear usable in sieze and frontlines (except for the mode counterparts that will be synched)

PvP Exploratory Sieze mode as been added

Class change can now be done anywhere

Queue times have been adjusted so longer queued players are entered first

acquired class lvls are now taken to account during queue times. (Players may have to switch classes upon entering)

New class icon can be used for initiating duties (any tag)

Alexander Savage 3-4 have been nerfed and granted echo for 1-2

Titan, Garuda, Shiva, Ramuh, Leviathan and Ifrit now have Savage modes (playable day one in the dutyfinder)

Fixed Miqote 4th sitting pose where the hips would be disjointed

Afros are now usable for all character races

Au Ra hair styles are now usable for all races.

Au Ra scales can now be removed

multiple female hairstyles are now available for men (more to come, plz look forward to it!

Exploratory missions have changed (maps are now randomized with separate islands in random locations. Star monsters no longer respawn until an hour of their defeat. Night time now makes enemies more stronger (hm teir) Stealth now works againsts enemies for lvl 60 gatherers

Duel system has been added

Duel automatic decline options have been added

New guildests are added (up to 60)

Levequests are revamped (leves now extend to dungeons, raids, and primal battles) and give more exp, with the exception of gather and crafter classes (boss fate amounts)

Jukebox furniture have been added (usable with windows media player, Ps3/Ps4 Music functions) Note: must be in immediate vicinity for them to work.

Chaos dungeon mode has been added (randomly generated rooms with random monsters, every 10th floor is a random boss that difficulty increases the number of rooms you completed as well as loot drops.)

Continuous dungeon roulette has been added

Continuous Trial Roulette has been added

SE have been buffed to fit player expectations over a 6 month wait.


............One could dream -_-

[Iagainsti]

Well, I'm a programmer and have written a number of programs which many people have used, and there have been bugs to fix and features to add... So I suppose on some level I've made a patch, though not specifically a 'game content' patch, but I've made patches. >.>

[SendohJin]

Queue times have been adjusted so longer queued players are entered first

how do you think it works now?

[Catwho]

I'm a business analyst by title and a web designer by education. I am currently working for a small software team that makes specialized medical records software for a niche industry.

I have a beautiful feature I spent all of October designing. All our clients want it desperately. But because there are two other features being worked on, including a rather messy refactoring for the accounting database, I'm on hold until January.* There's also a mountain of bugs to deal with first.

We're trying to hire two new developers to tackle the workload, but there is a shortage of qualified people willing to move to our non-silicon valley location and work for a non-silicon valley salary. (Anyone out there know Groovy/Grails or is willing to learn? Pretty please?**)

In short: I appreciate what SE did with patch 3.1 even if I'm not too happy with some of the features. I know it's a struggle to make everyone happy.

* This is the reason I'm posting on the forums at work. I literally have nothing to do until we can get another developer.
**If you know Java you can learn Grails pretty easily. I don't know Grails, but I'm able to follow along during the code reviews because it's a descendant of Java.

[Kurogaea]

how do you think it works now?

Still doesn't explain players queuing up frontlines for hours just to have their friends rapid fire their way in 4 times before you even get in, and you'd be the first to queue. Its a fix on priorities, not sure how they have it now >_>

[Xatsh]

The issue is not the amount of content as it is the length of content and amount of valid content for endgame that is the problem.

SE has generated content that extremely linear, meaning content A is negated by content B which is negated by content C. The content in the game is extremely easy to get through and gear up until you hit the final point which is the current Savage Alex, or in the past the current coil turns.


This model is leading to people hitting the end and having 1 thing to do a week, usually with a lockout. So in order to progress their character they have to wait.

The content is also amplified in the fact you cannot function as a guild. Where the "WHOLE" collective is working towards the progression of the whole. This game is focused on a small team mentality over a guild mentality. Which comes with a huge amount of problems when it comes to holding together a community. Aka what is more important for primary progression your guild or your 8 man static. If you answer the 2nd that is an issue in endgame for a mmo, and if you answered the first one you have not played endgame in ffxiv.

SO all in all the amount of content being released is perfectly fine but it has the following problems.

1) it is not guild related (Daidem is the first thing that "Arguably" is).
2) it is short lived. (Short in mmo terms being <1 yrs in length, 3-6 months in FFXIV's case)
3) there is a huge gap in skill. dungeons, daidem, void ark are face roll easy... savage alex is break your keyboard hard. the middle ground content atm consist of thordon ex... which once learned has about a 2 week life span.
4) Open world content is a zerg fest. And there is still not enough open world content.

There is not way to fix the content problem using the current model FFXIV is using, it would require a shift in at least some of the content aspects over time.

Content would have to last longer to make working for it be worth it. Content has to take longer to complete. Top Tier Endgame Progression Content has to have more of a guild Focus not a static focus, if anything it needs to be a 50/50 split. The game has to have more horizontal progression and not just on Odd number patches.

Put it this way it should be like this.in my eyes.

1) Slowed content negation: Example Alex Savage 1-4 gear 33-40% is negated in 3.2 and another 33-40% negated in 3.4.
2) BIS gear spread across multiple content. No 1 content should give a full set of BIS gear for any job.
3) Diadem is updated every patch not just Odd number (stays relevant)... It is revised so it is not a giant fate with treasure chest. Make it more guild alliance structured not an open free for all that once again has ended in a zerg fest.
4) Add several progression gear/weapon quest like relics.
5) Make a Void Ark Extreme again for guild focus. (Use airship or something make it enterable between 12-24 ppl). Have it drop SOME bis pieces.
6) Expand current mechanics to endgame. Example: Leves (force spawns) to have company Alliance leves (can be done with between 8-24 ppl, 8 ppl would be extremly difficult) that drop crafting mats for the guild crafting (unsellable but can turn in to the guild crafting thing, can be collected by anyone in the guild. Once picked up it is bound). Some crafted pieces are BIS. Leves could be purchased with Company Credits.. 10,000 Easy Boss (8man). 25,000 Mid Boss (8-16 people). 50,000 Hard Boss (16-24 ppl). Each one with seperate drop pools, worthwhile stuff in each. different spawnable mobs in each region of HW with valid endgame stuff.
7) Add unique Materia. Shield Block +, MP Regen +, Cooldown reduction on X skill, ect. Make these drops from various things or Rare conversions from armor. Aka convert a I210 shield from Alex have a chance to get Shield Block + 25 materia.
8) Some token gear is BIS some is not. You should not be able to upgrade all token gear to BIS level gear.
9) REMOVE PVP GC RESTRICTIONS. And add rewards that actually do something that are not vanity only.

And I could go on.

Basically make content slowly negate overtime, not all at once every even patch. Make guilds and endgame community more central to the game design. Add more horizontal progression. And add more diversity besides main stat, determination, skill/spell speed, critical, Accuracy. And have a large selection of content, which is from slowed negation and most content being valid in top tier endgame.