Possible level/story jumps....really?

[bass9020]

Sure, they aren't forced and shouldn't be clones of one game, but FFXIV is really not an exception. Infact I dare say, it's because it's HIGHLY similar to WoW that people like me (and maybe others?) like this game and it's not completely a bad thing: people feel more at home, people know better how skills work etc. But even then, there's so much polish...so much to improve.

This is what I have an issue with. I understand they want to cater to as many people as possible but they are forgetting the core players the ones who enjoy this game because it is a main number game in the series. And when people come on here complaining that the game takes too long or there is too much story it starts to grind some gears a bit with people. Do things need to change? Absolutely! But people coming on here complaining about the core feature that is an FF game which is story and lore isn't right. As yo said people are familiar and comfortable with things but so are FF fans who expect some similarities and ideas from other FF games

I totally agree that things like stats need to be looked at because right now they are very bland and boring. Locking areas and jobs behind the story was not ideal. They should allow us to visit places but depending on where we are in the story have NPCs treat us differently.

[Voltyblast]

I totally agree that things like stats need to be looked at because right now they are very bland and boring. Locking areas and jobs behind the story was not ideal. They should allow us to visit places but depending on where we are in the story have NPCs treat us differently.

That's a major reason why most players won't bother with the game to begin with: why bother with the expansion, if you need to play the entirety of the previous game JUST to unlock it? Other games don't do it, even SWTOR which is story driven. I do like campaigns and story modes in mmorpg, but not when they lock gameplay stuff. Keep the story, don't remove it, because I do like having an objective even if I don't care about it, but don't lock everything behind it: you won't incite new players to join if this is how things go.

And that's why I'm concerned about the potion, because we're only one expansion in and they're already going for a story skip potion: that's not a good sign, but it shows that there are people who want to play, but are discouraged by the story lock. That's what I mean by making the story optional: don't remove it, make it important, but don't lock content or basic things behind it and you'll get people who want to play. I don't think this is hard stuff to do, but considering they want to do a potion instead, it proves one of two things: 1) They're lazy 2)They want to take profit from it.

[bass9020]

That's a major reason why most players won't bother with the game to begin with: why bother with the expansion, if you need to play the entirety of the previous game JUST to unlock it? Other games don't do it, even SWTOR which is story driven. I do like campaigns and story modes in mmorpg, but not when they lock gameplay stuff. Keep the story, don't remove it, because I do like having an objective even if I don't care about it, but don't lock everything behind it: you won't incite new players to join if this is how things go.
And that's why I'm concerned about the potion, because we're only one expansion in and they're already going for a story skip potion: that's not a good sign, but it shows that there are people who want to play, but are discouraged by the story lock. That's what I mean by making the story optional: don't remove it, make it important, but don't lock content or basic things behind it and you'll get people who want to play. I don't think this is hard stuff to do, but considering they want to do a potion instead, it proves one of two things: 1) They're lazy 2)They want to take profit from it.

I think having the idea what I mentioned before with how NPCs would act differently depending if you've done the story or not would be a great idea. This will allow full access to areas and classes/jobs and other features that would normally be locked behind the MSQs.

I feel like I'm understanding what you mean now compared to before and I'm sorry if I came/come across harsh or stubborn I just get passionate about games I really enjoy (like most people).

[Voltyblast]

I feel like I'm understanding what you mean now compared to before and I'm sorry if I came/come across harsh or stubborn I just get passionate about games I really enjoy (like most people).

Just like I am, although not on the same way as you do, but I'm passionate about the game as well. If I didn't care about the game, you wouldn't be seeing me here to begin with. The fact that I'm not a fan of this series gives me also somewhat of a better judgement, because I'm not clouded by its name. Heck I love the persona games, much more than Final Fantasy, but even I can see issues when there are (infact persona 4 is my least favourite of the persona games because of some design choices)

And I suppose that would work, as long as content can be accessed without the mandatory requirement of a story to do it. I mean, the 3 new jobs didn't need a lock to begin with: almost all of their class stories are basically in old ARR zones.
But at this point I have doubts that the potion will be scrapped: it's like the retainers at this point, lots of cash for basic stuff. I wouldn't be surprised if one day they'll sell a relic potion (someone else made a joke about that) or more stuff like this.

[RiceisNice]

That's a major reason why most players won't bother with the game to begin with: why bother with the expansion, if you need to play the entirety of the previous game JUST to unlock it? Other games don't do it, even SWTOR which is story driven. I do like campaigns and story modes in mmorpg, but not when they lock gameplay stuff. Keep the story, don't remove it, because I do like having an objective even if I don't care about it, but don't lock everything behind it: you won't incite new players to join if this is how things go.

To be fair, even WoW before WoD expansion required you to go through the leveling process of 1-80 before you could get to the new content. FFXIV is the same, except that leveling process is through the MSQ. It's atrociously longer (and much more tedious if story isn't your cup to tea to begin with) when the MSQ process mostly devolves to fetch quests, and double that with post 2.0 MSQ being a requirement as well, so it's not just the leveling but the story progression as well (which...includes the aforementioned fetch quests).