Naoki Yoshida's Comment in Regard to Jump Potions/Boost Potions

[Aramina]

Uhm...I don't think that's what people want changed there. Ideally, the MSQ would remain entirely intact, but the content it unlocks in the process could be unlocked independently of the MSQ. So if you see the entry of Toto-Rak, you could walk up to the wailer and say:"Hey, what's dis?" and get it unlocked regardless of the state of the MSQ, while the MSQ would still send you there at the same time it does before, with MSQ quests still being one long chain. Same for chocobo rides and whatnot.

Kind of like you can unlock Dzemael Darkhold either via the Fort of Fear quest or the Grand Company quest.

You kinda just repeated what I have an issue with and said that was why I shouldn't have an issue. :P I am not sure I can explain it any better but I will try. To use your example: To unlock Toto-Rak it will be either a quest from the wood wailer or a quest from MSQ. If I happen across the wood wailer quest, there could not be anything in the quest text that could interfere with what I will see later in the MSQ while still maintaining a reason for the wood wailer to send me in there now. Could new quests for every piece of content be made? Sure. Do I think that is a better use of time/money than just adding the potion? Nope.

[Bourne_Endeavor]

Hypothetical, and yet you were trying to use it to support a claim that actually fixing the problem that SE created (and wants to charge us extra money to get around) would be some unbearable financial burden on them. Don't make an argument that you can't back up with actual facts.

Sigh. No, it wasn't. Instead of using nebulous terms, I gave a straight hypothetical using basic math. The crux of it was there will be a cost and it will impact Stormblood's budget. Whether it be one million, ten or whatever number. Those funds are no longer being directed towards new content for Stormblood. That is a fact. None of this is a financial burden on Square Enix. It's the simple reality they allowed XIV's dev team a certain budget ($36M) and that is meant to encompass everything they do for the expansion. If they make wholesale adjustments to ARR, that comes off the budget. Hence the example.

[Velhart]

I never said this was about me, this is about the future of the game, that game that I care about and want to have a long and healthy life. No, the jump potion in SB won't affect me, but in say... 5.0 when players have to beat 2.x, 3.x and 4.x in order reach 5.x, I can guarantee that everyone will feel the repercussions when people don't understand the narrative (we are in Garlemauld, whats garlemauld?), and will have to deal with a levelling process akin to level 10 in terms of teaching new players (except much worse because they are dealing with endgame rotations). What this will lead to for me is a dumbed down levelling process (no more vault/gubal level dungeons), and a lot more segregation in the community.

I acknowledge that some people want to get to endgame to raid, but these players will become more in the minority as it becomes increasingly apparent that jump potion is mandatory, at which point we have to deal with players who didn't particularly want to skip in the first place.

Well first off I can almost guarantee you the people buying these potions are people who are already end game players or those who want to jump quick into the raiding scene.

Sure give feedback on how they can improve MSQ structure, but that isn't going to be the deciding factor for a jump potion implementation (by the way they have been making MSQ faster to go through if you haven't noticed). If a person buys the game and does not take in the fact they are playing a Final Fantasy MMO that structures itself on progression through story, then they did not do their research beforehand. If they feel that story and leveling progression is just a hurdle instead of a experience for them to enjoy, they can either quit or buy a jump potion and be all caught up no problem.

The point wasn't about you specifically. What is meant is that you, the person next to you, the population. It does not affect anyone as a whole except the buyer of the potion.

[Naunet]

You kinda just repeated what I have an issue with and said that was why I shouldn't have an issue. :P I am not sure I can explain it any better but I will try. To use your example: To unlock Toto-Rak it will be either a quest from the wood wailer or a quest from MSQ. If I happen across the wood wailer quest, there could not be anything in the quest text that could interfere with what I will see later in the MSQ while still maintaining a reason for the wood wailer to send me in there now. Could new quests for every piece of content be made? Sure. Do I think that is a better use of time/money than just adding the potion? Nope.

Or just have the dungeons unlock automatically at the appropriate level, and let the MSQ send you there whenever you get to it, no additional quests necessary.

Sigh. No, it wasn't. Instead of using nebulous terms, I gave a straight hypothetical using basic math. The crux of it was there will be a cost and it will impact Stormblood's budget. Whether it be one million, ten or whatever number. Those funds are no longer being directed towards new content for Stormblood. That is a fact. None of this is a financial burden on Square Enix. It's the simple reality they allowed XIV's dev team a certain budget ($36M) and that is meant to encompass everything they do for the expansion. If they make wholesale adjustments to ARR, that comes off the budget. Hence the example.

You're not going to convince me that you didn't pull out those numbers from no where to try and present the idea of investing in FIXING the ARR issue as something that Should Not Be Done because it would Cost Too Much. You were trying to paint the idea in as negative a light as possible.

[Bourne_Endeavor]

So as a TL;DR to our debate:

- The jump potion doesn't fix a problem that needs to be fixed
- My proposed fixes are too expensive (despite no actual facts)

The jump potion is perfectly viable, though perhaps not ideal. It allows those who want to experience the story to do so if they so choose while others can skip ahead to the content they fancy. Given I suspect Square will follow Blizzard's example, this jump potion will be bundled free with Stormblood. As for "the facts". Do you honestly believe they can abruptly change their infrastructure and/or redo any and all scenes due to storylines being condensed without any cost? If it were so simple or cost efficient, they would have done it already. WoW opted for the very same alternative. If it were purely a milking strategy, why offer it free to anyone who purchased Legion? They weighed the benefits of making the entire expansion accessible to everyone against losing money on not making their potion cash shop exclusive. Seeing how well Legion sold, I'd say their gamble paid off in spades.

[Lambdafish]

Well first off I can almost guarantee you the people buying these potions are people who are already end game players or those who want to jump quick into the raiding scene.

Can you? Oh, ok... I'm full of confidence now, I guess I'm wrong about the ever increasing inaccessibility of content and the apparent case that jump potion will become far less optional as time goes on.

snip

Curious question: What are your views on the prospect of SB requiring completion of 3.55 part 2? Because this is content that is still in development, its not a retroactive change (i.e. the expensive kind). If the devs said right now that stormblood does not require these things, and only 2.55 is required (and that this will be the case for all future expansion), then the majority of my stance would change. As it stands though, this does not appear to be the case.

[Aramina]

Or just have the dungeons unlock automatically at the appropriate level, and let the MSQ send you there whenever you get to it, no additional quests necessary.

It would still show up in roulette.

[Naunet]

@Bourne: I'd love to see where you think people have presumed SE can "abruptly" change anything. No one has demanded immediate solution. We have simply demanded that SE turn their efforts away from a quick cash grab and toward a more long-term and actually beneficial solution by gradually working to fix their game instead of charging us for the privilege of not having to deal with the problems they created.

It would still show up in roulette.

So...?

[Bourne_Endeavor]

@Bourne: I'd love to see where you think people have presumed SE can "abruptly" change anything. No one has demanded immediate solution. We have simply demanded that SE turn their efforts away from a quick cash grab and toward a more long-term and actually beneficial solution by gradually working to fix their game instead of charging us for the privilege of not having to deal with the problems they created.

And like I've said, those changes are not free. You have also neglected my mention this jump potion could be bundled with Stormblood ala Legion. In fact, I can't see them not doing that since it makes little sense otherwise. They replace one lengthily hurdle with a financial one.

[Aramina]

So...?

Once again, even more plainly, I don't want stuff randomly showing up. I like it to be story driven, as it is now, for first entry into a dungeon. You advocate the game changing in a way that would affect every single player present and future because you do not like an option that would affect no one but the person using that option. It just makes no sense to me, and never will.