Yoshi-P on Character Growth

[Ibi]

Reddit user totoro572 posted a translation of an interview between Game Watch and Yoshi-P yesterday.

It starts with a lot of info about 3.4, but further on Yoshi-P gives three very lengthy, detailed comments about the philosophy behind the design of FFXIV's end game.

The explanations particularly touch on a lot of topics that frequently come up for discussion here on the OF:

• Character growth other than gear
• Elemental strengths and weaknesses
• "There's nothing to do."/"I'm bored."
• Horizontal progress
• Dangerous open world

The tl;dr would be that the game is designed the way it is very intentionally and clamoring for large-scale overhauls or changes of philosophy are probably going to fall on deaf ears.

Here's the three responses:

Q. There's something i was curious about asking, and you know how people on the internet occasionally say "There's nothing to do in FFXIV" and i think that's because FFXIV's end game has no character growth involved in it. I assume that's because those players into that sort of character growth may enjoy it, but new players will have a hard time catching up.

A. I consider "If there's some sort of character development, the players into that stuff will enjoy it" is a faulty expression. The current FFXIV allows you to reach the level cap at a comparatively fast pace and players who feel they are "released from the burden of leveling a job" won't be able to enjoy the game as much if there is some sort of element that requires you to spend time on building up your character before you do other content. FFXIV has a wide range of players who all have different tastes. It's not like everyone can keep their motivation to run towards a long term goal that is extremely far away to grow their character.

Q. So not having elements to "let your character grow" is intentional.

A. I feel like people who are saying there's nothing to do or they are bored, are people who prefer the "FFXI type" game where the game itself is like end content, where there are almost unlimitted amount of elements to grow your character and keep building up. I do understand their feelings, but as a game that needs to fight on the global scale and this era makes it very difficult for us to choose that railway as an option.

The same applies to how, having elements like ice and fire on your weapon and equipment is rather meaningless with our game design. If the game system has elements as a huge factor and let's say you face a boss who is weak against a certain element. Those who don't have the actions or weapons that are effective will need to start back from re-learning a certain move or go get that fire weapon that melts the boss. That being said, this is actually really fun if you get into it. You feel like you're getting stronger as you work hard for it and you feel more satisfaction after beating that boss with your new weapon. However, you need to put in a lot of time before you fight this single boss and if the next patch adds a boss with a different weakness, you have to start from scratch and learn another move and go get that weapon that the boss is weak against.

If this continues to go on, there will be a moment where you lose focus and at one point you collapse. That sort of game system is highly addictive with fear and uplift alongside each other with the merit where it's harder to get bored because it forces you to continue spending most of your time. But, people nowadays don't have that time anymore. If FFXIV had that old school type system, with how busy i am now, i wouldn't be able to play the game. I'm not saying it's outdated, and the coming era might prefer those types of games and they still have a potential to succeed by changing the business scheme, but like i said before, it just doesn't fit FFXIV.
That doesn't mean we aren't doing anything. Like the Zodiac weapons and anima weapons, we'd like to implement a "time to win" type route, but that will not be the pillar of the game, not in FFXIV at least. This is just an imagination, but 10 years into the future we might shift into a team consisted of members who all truly love FFXIV and we might take our risk to release an expansion with that kind of character development involved in it, but at the moment it's impossible.

Q. So you're saying, not all the current players want a strong character build element in the game.

A. Even if we did change our policy, starting with new players having a hard time getting into the game, a majority of the current players will also be like "I was only able to keep playing because of the current system!" and the problem is, those people don't raise their voices and log in normally or just fade out after getting bored of the game. We need to watch out for those players with no voices. With the feed back, data from the logs, the duration of subs for each player in mind, it's a part of my job to balance the demand of the player base. You can't run an MMO with just "esthesiography", so it's like studying everyday and i'm always being sandwiched by both sides. I personally have an interest in trying out various things, but that by itself will just be my ego.

Back when we realeased "A Realm Reborn", it was a one shot deal so i looked at the market and situation then designed the game to revive FFXIV, but even now, it's not like i can just make 100% of what i'd like to design in this world of FFXIV, so i'm looking at the balance in between.

Not having an endless element to build on your character is intentional and it's designed so you build up your item level instead. You don't obtain that by gaining experience points. You can clear content, take one step at a time to gradually get stronger, or skilled players can challenge harder content to run in front of everyone else. After reaching as far as you can go, it's true there might be nothing for you to do. In that case you can play a different job, craft or gather or play other games while you wait for the next patch which is no problem at all. We have kept that stance from the beginning and it's the core of FFXIV, so have no intentions of changing that in the future. Of course, we do understand you will get bored of refreshing your item level at one point, but no matter what sort of game desing you choose, you'll eventually get bored. I personally want to present a speech on this topic if i have the opportunity because it's such a deep subject, but today i'll finish it here.

For further development of the game, we are okay with adding totally new attractions such as using a huge area to explore or creating an area where you get one shotted unless you take the enemies out one by one, even if you have the best gear, but we aren't in the stages to place this in the center as the core of the game.

[Musashidon]

the end is the best part it shows he really is thinking of everyone even though he won't make something super hard content the main attraction of the game he said he wants to do something like that to give those players something they will like too.

[Kaurie]

Yeah, I read that. I really disliked his response. It felt like he was dodging the question and used exaggerated examples to prove his stance.

However, I figured out a long time ago that requesting any major changes to any system will fall on deaf ears.

To be honest, a lot of that interview was a good read - but that part left a sour taste in my mouth.

[bass9020]

This is why the game will only be a 1 month sub for every new patch for me from now on. Which is really sad since I've played everyday since the game relaunched. Plus Veteran rewards are stopping so no point to sub longer than needed, unless there new idea is something interesting (doubt it) but we will see.

[Genaxx]

You feel like you're getting stronger as you work hard for it and you feel more satisfaction after beating that boss with your new weapon. However, you need to put in a lot of time before you fight this single boss and if the next patch adds a boss with a different weakness, you have to start from scratch and learn another move and go get that weapon that the boss is weak against.

If this continues to go on, there will be a moment where you lose focus and at one point you collapse. That sort of game system is highly addictive with fear and uplift alongside each other with the merit where it's harder to get bored because it forces you to continue spending most of your time.

Pretty much what we have now with ilvl.

Of course, we do understand you will get bored of refreshing your item level at one point

People are already bored, they have been complaining about this for ages.

Also,

With the implementation of apartments, the personal demands for housing will be 100% met. Each ward has 1 apartment with 90 rooms, and we are ready to increase the number of rooms whenever we want. We designed it so 1 ward can have over 500 rooms per apartment, so it will definately be able to cover every player.

Ehh guess subs have dropped alot then.

[StrejdaTom]

I was really hoping for some, atleast some small kind of different progression and customization. Well, I am disappointed.

[Nalien]

I was really hoping for some, atleast some small kind of different progression and customization. Well, I am disappointed.

Honestly, Deep Dungeons is a disappointment for me just because of this... Independent progression system and they did absolutely nothing new with it... The items you get are OK, but meh... How nice would it have been to effectively find materia in chests that you can put on your Aetherpool gear for various effects? It was the perfect place to implement some horizontal progression, but instead it's just rapid vertical progression with no depth added at all...

I guess I get where Yoshida is coming from, but I still think adding physical levels back in can please both sides... Just change item levels to work similarly to Morale in PvP, except rather than adding X item levels, it puts you at that physical level... Raise physical level through some long term grind that involves all sorts of content, and have it effectively make gear redundant... If I'm physical level 220, for example, then I need gear with an item level higher than 220 to get anything from it... I can take all my gear off and still effectively have the stats of item level 220... I'd do that kind of grind just to be free of their thrice-damned glamour system, personally...

Alternatively, take character growth off the character and slap it on the gear... I guess I just really hate the glamour system, but I want to use gear I like... Let me "level up" my gear, so I can take Balmung and slowly raise it to a current item level, rather than taking Guillotine of the Tyrant and slapping Balmungs skin on it... That gives me some long term goal to work on, that I want to work on because I loath glamours, without impacting new/returning players... They can still jump back in next week and get i250 at the same time as me... Honestly, he says he is balancing opinions on this, but I really feel like he is making the game far too easy to pick up... Ideally I think you want to make a game that is both easy to pick up, and hard to put down... That's how you retain players, but right now? The game seems so easy to pick up that it's also easy to put down... I could quit tomorrow, come back with 4.0 and be pretty much equal with everyone in a few days...

[TheJarvisMan]

Yoshi P's choice to play it safe in terms of content for this game is what makes it a consistently pretty good MMORPG. It also is what keeps it from becoming the best and most innovative game in the genre.

[Alexander_Dragonfang]

That lack of initiative, that stubbornly motivation to stay in a safe comfort zone, is ultimately the doom of this game in the long run.

Then people gets offended when i say that Yoshida is one of the things that need to change in order to get this game out of its stagnant status. Not wanting to risk anything is as much as mistake as wanting to do extreme changes.

[Whocareswhatmynameis]

TLDR: Endgame will continue to be a boring glamour dispenser....