Info about the Chinese Cash Shop "Level Jumping Potions"

[silentwindfr]

.....

i will be blunt, even if you play with your friend, when you do the main quest, you do it alone, even if they are here, it's a solo experience. we love or hate it, but that the point.
if you join a game for play with friend, if they help you to do dungeon, isn't playing with them?

level up one jobs to max level is not even that long now, get 60 is a matter of a few day with deep dungeon, behind you will need to do every quest, but if you equip yourself, with crafted gear, or simply by doing deep dungeon as 60 you can get nice gear and the dungeon below a certain level can be simply rush in solo.

no honestly the point you tell is wrong in too many way. you play with your friend, yes, you are not yet to them point, but honestly it's not that long anymore. it's a lazy way of thinking that is simply i want to get to the end right now! simply no! it's a big mistake to do this.

i'm kinda sure the boost of exp even for the 50-60 will be increase for other jobs then even level up other jobs will not be that long.

if people want to reach the end they have to do the journey... we don't allows people to reach the secret dungeon of FF15 by making them skip the whole story, that the same point here. you purchase a game for all. not only the end game. if they can't enjoy the journey is sad.

I think there is an important distinction between a MSQ+Instant level-up potion, and a potion that allows to level any class instantly on a same character. Both kind exists apparently on the Chinese server.

Even I would prefer another ingame answer to the issue, I can understand for a character to be allowed to use an instant-level up and MSQ skipping for a unique single class so he can play the new current content. But I'm certainly not in favor of potions that allows to level instantly any other classes after that on the same character.

skipping the MSQ will make most of the dungeon and raid have no sense for the player, it will have far less impact on you since it will have no background to understand.
an example the death of a npc will have 0 impact if people don't meet them and interact with them throught the msq. i feel people need to grows up and do it.... the msq is not that long, if they want to speed the process they can use the Deep dungeon for reach max level before do it. after this everything will be done in a breath.

before someone say i don't know what i'm talking about, i'm a player of the V1 i had a class 50 when the 2.0 did come out, means i was already ready for go to the end game, but i had to do the whole msq, do i was bothered? no because it did allows me to understand more the world, indeed a few quest of the msq are.... push over, like the part for titan when you must get the food there and there. but with the patch they have work on making the quest better and better. skip this part will alienated the game in the worst way possible! ff14 is a game that grows as you experience the msq, if you make people skip it, it will not be differente than any free to play mmorpg out.

[Atoli]

SE needs to realize that the majority of its player base are new players still crawling through the TONS of content below max level while those that have reached max level leave the game quicker than it takes to say the word "goodbye".
FFXIV's retainment rate of players sucks, it's only doing well because of the new players joining in all the time. Letting new players skip all that content so they can then proceed to afk for the next 3-6 months in [insert name of new endgame hub here] and realize it's a waste of money to sub for this game since there is nothing to do is one thing only - shooting themselves in the foot.

And that's not even adressing the issue that at least I do NOT want to play in an ignorant community that has no idea what it is doing, no idea what the story is, and so on.
But who am I kidding, that last interview said they are in overwhelming favor of adding it in the dev team, so of course we'll get it, despite other MMOs already showing how negatively it impacts the community - and those are MMOs that actually have something to do for those ahead-skippers, which is not the case in FFXIV, sorry.

[Yasuhiro]

I know they were in a mad rush to get 2.0 out the door to rebuild XIV from the ground up but when making the MSQ they should have thought really hard about it in the long run. I'm all for making it mandatory for series tradition sake but the pacing of 2.0 and to an extent 2.1 to .55 was awful the Titan quest line, having to hand out uniforms after beating Ultima weapon, the constant, "go there, pick up this, come back, go there, collect this, now go here, talk to x, pick up 5 of these, come back here" or Minfillia saying "Pray seeketh for succor at the waking sands, is aught amiss?" (Don't call me on your stupid Link Pearl to to come to that dumb place just to tell me something you could have told me on the magic codec)quests needed to be condensed or shoved into side quests. Most of 2.0's story and questing didn't feel very FF at all and in no way did I want to do it again hence why I'll never make an alt.

It's way too late to try condensing some quests isn't it? Cause they'd have to reprogram the whole game, Heavensward got it right though, you actually went on a journey and made progress when you went to new areas, y'know? like a Final Fantasy game.

[JCharms]

It's way too late to try condensing some quests isn't it? Cause they'd have to reprogram the whole game, Heavensward got it right though, you actually went on a journey and made progress when you went to new areas, y'know? like a Final Fantasy game.

I don't think they would have to reprogram the whole game.
1-50 is fine, cut all of 2.1 to 2.55 out and make a cut scene for it, and do the same for 3.1 to 3.xx, cut it all out and another cut scene. This would restore it back to a decent progression again for all new players entering the game.

[Jandor]

This is a problem. It is driving away new players.

Making access to Ishgard a level 50 quest, and access to Ala Mhigo a level 60 quest, would solve the "I didn't really get an MMO to play by myself" problem.

If they get bored with single player progression and decide they'd rather skip it then you or anyone else can come along and run them through dungeons, take them through palace, run FATEs with them, buy or craft them gear to wear, grind out the xp to take them past the story together basically.

As for replaying it later, "A Minstrels Ballad: A Realm Reborn" (and 'Minstrels Ballad: Heavensward'), same cutscenes, same dialogue, same objectives, different (if any) rewards, and crucially, technically different quests. No resetting anything required.

[Bourne_Endeavor]

snip

Funny enough. This summary basically echos the majority opinion on MMORPG. Except many lost interest during the 2.1-2.55 grind. Whenever people ask for opinions, the grind to 60 is among the primary complaints too.

SE needs to realize that the majority of its player base are new players still crawling through the TONS of content below max level while those that have reached max level leave the game quicker than it takes to say the word "goodbye".
FFXIV's retainment rate of players sucks, it's only doing well because of the new players joining in all the time. Letting new players skip all that content so they can then proceed to afk for the next 3-6 months in [insert name of new endgame hub here] and realize it's a waste of money to sub for this game since there is nothing to do is one thing only - shooting themselves in the foot.

And that's not even adressing the issue that at least I do NOT want to play in an ignorant community that has no idea what it is doing, no idea what the story is, and so on.
But who am I kidding, that last interview said they are in overwhelming favor of adding it in the dev team, so of course we'll get it, despite other MMOs already showing how negatively it impacts the community - and those are MMOs that actually have something to do for those ahead-skippers, which is not the case in FFXIV, sorry.

The longer quest requirements become, the less likely those same new players will even bother trying XIV to begin with. Expecting the majority of your audience to spend several weeks-- months even -- to play the game they actually want is an exercise in futility. Whether it's laziness, lack of interest or any other reason, people today want to consume content quickly. Those who do prefer the slow trek can still opt out of a skip option or level an alt once they have exhausted everything else. Player retention suffers just as much from people simply losing interest before they even reach Heavensward. As noted above, it's usually cited as one of XIV's primary complaints-- only emphasised further by early game being a complete bore for many. There is a reason most of us claim how much better the game gets once you reach at least 50. Not exactly a ringing endorsement. And yes, you could burn through the story-- skipping every cut scene along the way -- at a somewhat rapid pace. Most people won't, however. They'll pick up another MMO or game in general with a newer shine and less of an early game grind.

People with no vested interest to get better won't, no matter the obstacles you place ahead of them. Hence why we already see horrendous players despite them having competed the story. Conversely, those who do actually want to improve will do so at their own volition. A skip potion isn't going to change that. Eventually, the former will quit for the next "big thing" and duty finder will sort itself out. As for not knowing the lore. Who cares? It won't effect you or your enjoyment of said lore. Does it bother you now that plenty of people skip literally every cut scene? A skip's not any different except Square makes money off those players instead of them spamming esc/numpad for hours on end.

Making access to Ishgard a level 50 quest, and access to Ala Mhigo a level 60 quest, would solve the "I didn't really get an MMO to play by myself" problem.

If they get bored with single player progression and decide they'd rather skip it then you or anyone else can come along and run them through dungeons, take them through palace, run FATEs with them, buy or craft them gear to wear, grind out the xp to take them past the story together basically.

As for replaying it later, "A Minstrels Ballad: A Realm Reborn" (and 'Minstrels Ballad: Heavensward'), same cutscenes, same dialogue, same objectives, different (if any) rewards, and crucially, technically different quests. No resetting anything required.

The devs have already said their quest system wouldn't allow for this. However they managed the code, it's entirely linear, and would thus require a complete overhaul. Hence why can't replay old quests again. Reverting back would delete everything that came before it. Regardless, if they ever do introduce a skip, it will come at a cost. Square would be idiotic not to profit off it. Not to mention, your suggestion would allow RMTs into Heavensward or Stormblood. Since the only gate way to a free all access pass is leveling to 50 or 60.

I don't think they would have to reprogram the whole game.
1-50 is fine, cut all of 2.1 to 2.55 out and make a cut scene for it, and do the same for 3.1 to 3.xx, cut it all out and another cut scene. This would restore it back to a decent progression again for all new players entering the game.

For one, coding isn't quite that simple. Ripping out a massive chunk will likely disrupt something else; potentially breaking the whole system. The devs have expressly cited this being one of the main issues with redoing old quests; the code they use won't allow for it. Even putting all that aside, they would still need to rewrite and reanimate everything from those patches, then frankenstein it all back together again just to have a somewhat cohesive story for those who do want to experience it. And in this case, anyone wanting the full story has only Youtube since parts of it are now gone. Regardless, none of this comes cheap. All the extensive tweaking they did on ARR and Heavensward would be subtracted from Stormblood's budget. So we all lose new content for adjustments we will never even see. That's reason enough for me to be okay with a skip potion. This way, they don't have to dedicate any funds to tweaks nor rush the story because it's getting too long.

[Belhi]

Making access to Ishgard a level 50 quest, and access to Ala Mhigo a level 60 quest, would solve the "I didn't really get an MMO to play by myself" problem.

If they get bored with single player progression and decide they'd rather skip it then you or anyone else can come along and run them through dungeons, take them through palace, run FATEs with them, buy or craft them gear to wear, grind out the xp to take them past the story together basically.

As for replaying it later, "A Minstrels Ballad: A Realm Reborn" (and 'Minstrels Ballad: Heavensward'), same cutscenes, same dialogue, same objectives, different (if any) rewards, and crucially, technically different quests. No resetting anything required.

Just breaking the MSQ into separate quest chains might be a fix if it is technically possible but it likewise has its problems. People wanting to skip will need gear to handle the skip. Is it just handed out in the first quest or are they expected to go buy it from somewhere? Are people given any direction?

What about unlocked stuff. Case in point is the SMN questline which requires you go to the Great Gubul Library. Access to that only becomes available late in HW. Do they just remove that unlock? If that do that if will fundamentally effect the logic and the nature of the questflow through the first visit to Idylshire. Do they rebuild the questline to accommodate that?

It isn't actually that simple a solution. There is potentially a hell of a lot of reworking of the existing set up, let alone the actual system, just to accomidate such a split.

More over there is a technical system issue here. The reason I bring up replaying is because fundamentally the mechanics which would govern the split/skip of story are the same that effect the ability to replay quests. Yoshi P was asked this at the last Fanfest and he said that the system that controls how the quests are tracked complete or uncompleted and the related lock outs cannot allow for such a set up without completely resetting all that progression.

So yes. Resetting things is required.

i will be blunt, even if you play with your friend, when you do the main quest, you do it alone, even if they are here, it's a solo experience. we love or hate it, but that the point.
if you join a game for play with friend, if they help you to do dungeon, isn't playing with them?

How much of time have you actually spent playing the MSQ in the last say, 8 months? Now ask yourself how much time have you been playing FF14. Clearly the MSQ isn't all that you do with your time playing FF14. Infact it is a very small part of Endgame. Plus having max lvl character rush you though low level content doesn't really give the same appeal as doing things with your FC mates at max level.

I did say the levelling isn't the problem. Its the months of grinding through the MSQ that is what usually breaks people. If people just had to grind to 60 and could skip all the MSQ then it probably wouldn't be an issue.

[Jandor]

snip

I'm not sure if we are misunderstanding each other. I'm not suggesting they reset old quests, I'm suggesting it could be done by making what are technically new seperate quests.
So you hit 50, decide you want to skip the rest of the MSQ and head directly to the 'Coming to Ishgard' quest, completing it unlocks everything mandatory from 2.X and marks all those quests as done. As if a hypothetical jump potion had been taken.

Later on you decide you'd actually like to experience 2.0 story so you go to an NPC who "unlocks" it but actually behind the scenes they're "new" quests. The dialogue is the same, objectives are the same, it's essentially copy/pasted over but none of the "unlock" flags are there.

Redoing it would then essentially be an unrelated 'side quest' chain from the games PoV, that has got to be doable right?

[Jandor]

Square would be idiotic not to profit off it. Not to mention, your suggestion would allow RMTs into Heavensward or Stormblood. Since the only gate way to a free all access pass is leveling to 50 or 60.

1. Square would also be idiotic to take their customers goodwill for granted. Money for levels is selling power, it might not be a lot of power in the grand scheme of things, and it may make some people very happy, but I know it will also make a lot of people very unhappy.
They also have to think of their reputation, a boxed game with paid for expansions and a subscription also selling boosters in a cash shop? It doesn't exactly scream 'consumer friendly'.

2. I don't think that the best way for SE to go about countering RMT is to make life harder or more expensive for their customers.

[Belhi]

I'm not sure if we are misunderstanding each other. I'm not suggesting they reset old quests, I'm suggesting it could be done by making what are technically new seperate quests.
So you hit 50, decide you want to skip the rest of the MSQ and head directly to the 'Coming to Ishgard' quest, completing it unlocks everything mandatory from 2.X and marks all those quests as done. As if a hypothetical jump potion had been taken.

Later on you decide you'd actually like to experience 2.0 story so you go to an NPC who "unlocks" it but actually behind the scenes they're "new" quests. The dialogue is the same, objectives are the same, it's essentially copy/pasted over but none of the "unlock" flags are there.

Redoing it would then essentially be an unrelated 'side quest' chain from the games PoV, that has got to be doable right?

What your talking about sounds like a pretty massive amount of work and by the way they have talked about how the quest system works, potentially not feasible.

For example, lets consider phasing. You have characters and terrain that changes as the quests progress. What happens if that phasing conflicts? A wall is there for one quest but isn't for the other. Which quest takes priority in the phasing?

I seriously doubt its a simple case of cut and paste.

Let's not pretend that SE hasn't thought about this a lot. They know that a Jump Potion is controversial. However they also know the problem that exists and the systems that any fix is going to have to be implemented on.

As for cost, I would say the best fix would have one come with the expansion itself and any additional ones purchased costing money, much like how WoW handles it's Auto Lvl up mechanic.