So Long, Thanks for all the Fish

[synesthetic]

We're heroes, not gofers!



disclaimer: I agree with several arguments being presented on both sides.

[StormDisciple]

also stuff.

I\\'ve noticed others have said the same thing since I started this thread, that Heavensward is better about the needless and excessive filler.

But even still, it does NOT fix the problem for people jumping in brand new. I am not asking for some ability to skip the main story. I am not complaining about having to do the main story to start the next bit of story. None of that is the problem.

The problem is having my experience bogged down with fetch quests and padding that rightfully belong as side quests, the very same that you say appear in Heavensward. It kills momentum, it kills wonder, it kills excitement. Those fetch quests and padding would be flipping PERFECT for those dead spots during leveling when there are a lack of quests.

Apparently they are all in the MQ.

If its better, really and truly, maybe I can finish it out, I\\'ll give it some time and think about it. Cause as of right now, FFXIV can burn.

[Masekase_Hurricane]

Why though? Why is only the newest content worth seeing and experiencing while you haven't seen or experienced any of the old one? You don't start a single player game from the last battle either just because your friend started before you and is already there.

To be honest that is because a lot of the old content is nerfed to hell or no longer worth doing. New players have to wait till level 60 before seeing any real challenge i.e coil people will go in unsynced (certain fights you will be told to kill yourself while others kill the boss), Old Ex fights Titan etc will only be done unsynced for pony farms (unless waiting long times in DF) and Crystal tower raid series the ilvl is so high you can skip majority of the mechanics.

Unsynced is one of the reason we lose new players and if the trend continues come next expansion it will be level 70 before they see a challenge. Anima is perfect example of how to keep all this stuff relevent, instead of farming tomes we could of had ex fights. I know SE said they didnt want to make it difficult for casuals but the class/job quest fights are not difficult for casuals, those types of fights could or been added or quirky hildy fights etc but no we was left with fetch and grind.

Just make it more interesting than doing the same things over and over again.

[Bourne_Endeavor]

It greatly saddens me that the whole point for the so-called 'fetch quests' in the game is completely lost on most players in this thread - it's part of your job description as an adventurer! Back when you first started the game and signed up at the Adventurer's Guild, the guild proprietor actually tells you right then and there what you are in for - helping people with mundane tasks! And that "rarely will the work be of realm-shaking importance" (paraphrasing how Miounne stated it in Gridania), but that it was still important, as it helps build trust and rapport with the people of Eorzea, a people who have experienced a horrible cataclysm caused by foreign powers.

Even the much-maligned Titan-lead up questline had a method to it's madness - the reason you were being made to do all that running around was again to establish trust with the Company of Heroes, a mercenary force who were the only ones to defeat Titan previously, but they paid a huge price in blood to do so. Thus, this cocky adventurer who claimed to have taken down a Primal already comes up willing to take on Titan, of course they're going to be suspicious and not exactly willing to believe they could do it, and they especially did not want yet another life or mind lost to Titan on their conscience again. Actions speak louder than words after all. So it was a trust building exercise, to show you really did have the stamina and drive to do so, even after doing all that messing around getting food (and even if you failed, at least you would have had a nice 'final meal' beforehand!).

It doesn't matter what excuse the story attempts to offer. If people find the content boring, they aren't going to be invested. I am someone who adores lore and largely found the story quite engaging but I had no motivation whatsoever to care about the company of heroes except when I started to make up stupid voices for their characters in my head. Why? I was bored. Any sense of world building is lost if your audience loses interest.

See, if the questline pertained to preparing you to fight Titan, I wouldn't despise it. But no, I'm off being miss errand girl for some banquet. We aren't proving anything nor are we building rapport. We're just running errands. In fact, it's almost like Chief Moglin except without the self-referential humour. Fetch quests themselves are not inherently bad, they simply need to be fleeting and serve a purpose. Twenty six of them in a row only serves to waste your time.

It's a FF game after all, and FF games are story-based RPGs, even the MMO titles like FFXI and XIV. How hard is it to understand that?

This is a cop out. By that logic, I could defend a whole expansion worth of nothing but fetch quests. If you've played the single player games, virtually everything you do either advances the narrative or provides character development for the main cast. They don't have you running around to fetch cheese or wine.

[Caitlyn]

Just wanna leave those here ^^:



My "review" so far:
I m not being able to play any other games with a different gamepad control scheme any more. Side effect: grew a weird fetish about girls with scales and glasses... 5/5 Lamias would play again

Just kidding.
In fact, FFXIV (including Heavensward) may be the last game which made me play it for years without any interruptions. Even when its not perfect, there is no other MMORPG on the market, like FFXIV.

[Imoen]

I didn't read the rest of the posts. I agree however, that the 50ish era quests, they wear out their welcome, especially as fresh character / returning character. You pretty much hit a long brick wall to HW, for like way too long. Some of the MSQ (specifically later patches) could stand to get some of their fat trimmed, without wrecking the story, in my opinion anyway. I don't feel like some of the primal stuff is that bad though, maybe just feels like it because of the other stuff too. lol

I only noticed this recently when my buddy came back to the game after taking break. I never noticed before really, since I did all the patches as they came for the most part.

[KarstenS]

Didn't ever noticed the side note of the 2.5 starting quest.

[Zojha]

These 3 trials are not part of the main scenario or required to continue the main scenario.

Well, they at least used to be, though.

MSQ quest good intentions (2.5):"Players must first complete the main scenario quest "Let Us Cling Together," and have completed The Bowl of Embers (Hard), The Navel (Hard), and The Howling Eye (Hard)."
Not sure if it still is required - on my alts I pick up the primal quests just in case these days since I don't like hitting a block and backtracking >_>

[Evumeimei]

You can white knight the dev teams decisions all you want but in the end it is a major turn off for a lot of people and has caused a lot of people I know personally to walk away. Other games, mmos included, do it way better because they are more creative about it.

Well, I've played a fair number of MMOs at this point and none of them were able to hold my interest for long because I didn't really feel like what I was doing mattered. FFXIV has held me since beta because I love all the work they put into including lore tidbits in all their quests. NPCS, cities, regions, dungeons, trials, etc... all feel more important because the game gives me information to associate with them. They feel more alive. So, for me, even if the quests were more "creative" in other MMOs, if it didn't feel like what I was doing mattered in the world (or that the story/lore was badly presented), then I'd surely lose interest.

Regardless, 3.0 fixed the whole tedious side-quests problem, and they'll likely streamline things before or with the release of 4.0 (I should think).

[StormDisciple]

Bleh character limit.

In the end you cant please everyone. The trick as it always is, will be balance. Enough lore and tidbits, character growth moments, drama and comedy, action and romance, all of it is important, but too much of ANY of it, and not enough of others is bad.

Gotta present it well, that means no long strings nor complete disregard.