Main Scenario Restriction Bloodstorm - Very Very Bad idea.

[Nestama]

Not true for most zones in CoP, nor Dynamis, nor Dreamworld, nor Sky, nor Sea, nor Salvage, nor Limbus...so, lots of raids, in fact.

Did you need to beat the Shadowlord to gain access to Sea, Salvage, Walk of Echoes, Abyssea (lol) and Delve, though?

Just imagine it, we're on our fifth expansion... and the only way to access it is by beating ARR, HW, SB, 3rd and 4th. It's really silly to think about, yeah?

[Reynhart]

Did you need to beat the Shadowlord to gain access to Sea, Salvage, Walk of Echoes, Abyssea (lol) and Delve, though?

No, but you needed it to acces Dynamis, Sky and progress farther into RoV. And beating Shadowlord was absolutely meaningless in leveling up, where as in XIV, the MSQ is generally the fastest way to level, explore and gear up. As for Sea, it should have since the whole plot of CoP depends on the events in ZM. Didn't you find it silly to see dead people come back ?

Just imagine it, we're on our fifth expansion... and the only way to access it is by beating ARR, HW, SB, 3rd and 4th. It's really silly to think about, yeah?

Yeah, imagine that, I'm a new player in the fifth expansion, and I burn every content in one month because the only thing that matters is the lattest expansion, especially with a leveling potion. Now, I'm bored and have to wait 6 months for anything remotely new to do. That's far more silly to offer to a new player.

Story-driven game or not, some people don't care for the story, at all.

And the apparently won't care for the content, if they purposely avoid the majority of it. Then they'll come here about how the game has nothing to do, and how content is too hard because they didn't take any time to properly learn while leveling instead of being pushed right to the top.
If they don't care to play the game, why do they even pay for it ?

And again, every complain here is from an active player speaking on the behalf of those dear new players they like to defend. In fact you're just putting your words into their mouths.

[Mikhaill]

And the apparently won't care for the content, if they purposely avoid the majority of it. Then they'll come here about how the game has nothing to do, and how content is too hard because they didn't take any time to properly learn while leveling instead of being pushed right to the top.
If they don't care to play the game, why do they even pay for it ?

And again, every complain here is from an active player speaking on the behalf of those dear new players they like to defend. In fact you're just putting your words into their mouths.

...I dunno what you're talking about, because I'm not speaking for everyone...all I was saying was they need to condense the story line with all the menial tasks and useless fluff they got going.
People for a fact, have quit this game because of it. Do you want people to quit because they have to fetch a teacup and bringing it to ABCDEFG then around again forever?
This isn't a "pure" story game...it's a MMO with contents like raiding, crafting, minion collecting, mount collecting dungeoning and all things else, not a Visual Novel.

[Reynhart]

This isn't a "pure" story game...it's a MMO with contents like raiding, crafting, minion collecting, mount collecting dungeoning and all things else, not a Visual Novel.

Yes, and your idea is that new players should skip 90% of it.

But hey, I'm not worry about it. This thread alone proves that the community is heavily divided on this idea, so SE will just go on with their initial choice.
Enjoy your gating

[Mikhaill]

Yes, and your idea is that new players should skip 90% of it.

How is weeding out useless text in the MSQ killing 90% of it?
You're the one putting words in peoples mouths.
"Oh hi, there's this cool bird down the road..."
"WTF? Can we remove this piece of context..."
"NO! BECAUSE THE PLAYER WON'T EVER KNOW ABOUT THAT BIRD DOWN THE ROAD."

???????????
I guess I killed the story because of that one single bird the minority cared about lol.

[Reynhart]

How is weeding out useless text in the MSQ killing 90% of it?

Ok, not your idea precisely.
But the whole "We should be able to start Stormblood rigth away" surely is. And let's be honest, most of the MSQ is not fluffy cutscenes.
People see it like that probably because some patches didn't have much more to offer, without realizing that only counted for less than 1 hour of MSQ.

The number one complaint I hear from people who have tried this game and then dropped it is that the early game is too boring.

If they find the early game too boring, I wonder how they'll like doing the same content over and over and over at endgame

[SessionZero]

If they find the early game too boring, I wonder how they'll like doing the same content over and over and over at endgame

Your guess is as good as mine. I suspect it has to do with the fact that many of the classes (and Jobs) in the early game feel somewhat clunky due to the lack of skills and rotations, so although the story is decent enough to follow, the gameplay is dull and doesn't add anything to the mix. I tend not to mind the same roulettes over and over if I at least find my Job to be fun to play (which I do, because I main DRK ).

[SendohJin]

If they find the early game too boring, I wonder how they'll like doing the same content over and over and over at endgame

because it's not the same. people can go and play basketball everyday but those same people can't stand there and take 5000 shots to improve their shooting.

[Sandpark]

If they find the early game too boring, I wonder how they'll like doing the same content over and over and over at endgame

I have been an FF fan my whole life.
I find 1-20 dreadfully dull which is compounded by mounts and companions not being accessible till 22-30 + slow GCD combat.
I find 20-50 more bearable but not insanely fun.
50 is where the game starts getting really good and at times damn fun.

The journey from 1-50 should not be a slow overextended 5000 mile journey with the gates of heaven always in view 5k miles away. It should be a steady but juicy rush, getting glimmers of the later goodies right out of the gate or soon. Sidequest are supposed to give you things to do outside the main arc of the story(the action), not fill 400-500 quests because then it is just padding or filler.

XIII gets crap from a ton of gamers. But it cut alot of filler/padding stuff out of the game. Not saying that 100% forward focus/no back tracking/no exploration and omitting sidequest entirely would be wise. But most play FF initially for the story, cut-scenes, job systems, and unique battle systems. Though their mmos tend to borrow from other IP rather than be it's own fresh thing.

[Nestama]

No, but you needed it to acces Dynamis, Sky and progress farther into RoV. And beating Shadowlord was absolutely meaningless in leveling up, where as in XIV, the MSQ is generally the fastest way to level, explore and gear up. As for Sea, it should have since the whole plot of CoP depends on the events in ZM. Didn't you find it silly to see dead people come back ?

Look, if endgame is locked behind the story of the same expansion it's in, that is fine. If you're locking current content behind 5-10 years of content, then you're making a huge mistake. Even Zilart, which did require you to beat the Shadowlord to even start its story, still allowed you to explore Zilart zones.

Yeah, imagine that, I'm a new player in the fifth expansion, and I burn every content in one month because the only thing that matters is the lattest expansion, especially with a leveling potion. Now, I'm bored and have to wait 6 months for anything remotely new to do. That's far more silly to offer to a new player.

Hyperbole. FFXI, the game you've been trying to use as an example, also says hi (and yes, I'm aware that some of the later expansions recommended you to be at a high level, but you could still enter and explore their starter dangerous zones. RoV, once again, was a free update. Not an expansion).