Since Stormblood is bringing new players: can we please get a warning on Castrum/Prae

[Serilda]

With the current ilevel, if even half party goes away with cutscenes, it will not bother me and those duties can be ended with ease, so to me is np if people sits to watch them.

I think it may happen they will miss a couple cs while all other party is steamrolling the duty progression, but at least no one other have so much to complain about it, and everyone will reap the bonus.

But the newbies don't want to build up to this epic storyline conclusion, join a big group for the first time and then... get completely carried through the fights without even seeing any of the bosses up close at all. It's humiliating. Simply getting the clear while being effectively AFK isn't right; even undersizing them and taking them through properly is more humane than the speedrunning.

Farming first time clear bonuses off newbies whose game experience you are actively ruining in the process is the pinnacle of horrible design.

[LineageRazor]

While I've seen players rush and lock newbies out, I can honestly say that I've never seen anyone actually LAUGH at the newbies. Usually it's just dead silence. Sounds like the OP was running with a really obnoxious crowd. My condolences.

As for "fixing" the problem, SE's stance on the situation seems to be to acknowledge that they dun goofed, and that they won't make similar mistakes in the future, but that they have no intention of spending any resources to try to correct the problem as it exists. And this may be with good reason: Most potential solutions run the risk of alienating veteran players whom the new players depend on to complete the run. Forcing vets to slow down and wait will do little other than encourage those vets to search elsewhere for their Tomestones.

Certainly I understand the sting. While I've been playing since ARR launch, my static was slow to progress through the Main Scenario (to say nothing of the many already-level-50 1.0 imports who blazed through the whole storyline in practically a day) and the playerbase was in full-bore farm mode by the time we made it to CM. It definitely takes a lot of the epic feel away when you're essentially being carried through the content, and watching the cutscenes in the inn or online is a pale substitute for watching them in the instance. The cutscenes basically tell you WHY you're doing what you're doing in these dungeons, without them... Why am I deactivating these searchlights? Why am I clicking on this garbage chute? What's going on???

[Ririta]

Even if you got to watch all cutscenes, with people at ilvl 130 the black wolf and his weapon will die quicker than any boss in Sastasha, making the experience very disappointing.

They should become single player dungeons.

Cape Westwind should become single player too. It feels dishonest to not contribute anything compared to synced players, and then having the game congratulate you and only you.

[Bourne_Endeavor]

Forcing people to watch cut scenes or somehow locking them from speed killing would render Castrum/Prae graveyards. Even if they were put in 50 Roulette, people would outright leave since the 30 minute penalty is less than the actual dungeons take if you watch everything.

A warning may sound like a band-aid solution, but it's better than nothing at this point. They could make it soloable though that involves a cost and time I doubt they wish to spend on four year old content.

[Voltyblast]

Hmm this reminds me of Revelation online, because in that game if you don't skip cutscenes you get rewarded with...stuff?
Now granted I don't even know what the rewards are for but hey, I wouldn't mind sitting through a badly made cutscene with no VA and silly writing if I was rewarded for it. Who knows, maybe I could care a little more about the story if I was forced to sit through and read all that dialogue.

I can always read an actual (good) book while it's going on..

[Esper]

The easiest solution imo is a skip all cutscene option for story mode dungeons within the duty finder options, similar to "join in progress"

Allowing you to unlock the cutscenes for later viewing and remove cutscene load timers for faster run.

I would suggest force players to endure the cutscenes but after a while it could be used just to troll players. Not to meantion, many are impatient and would leave believing their time more precious then helping.

[Bixillarla]

Or enforce the cut scenes for all players.

Then people wouldn't run it for the current rewards, that is easily a 45 min dungeon with all the cutscenes.

[Serilda]

The easiest solution imo is a skip all cutscene option for story mode dungeons within the duty finder options, similar to "join in progress"

Please, Square-Enix, take the topic creator's suggestion first rather than this. Planning in advance to skip cutscenes when a perfectly acceptable alternative (Party Finder) exists just makes me feel depressed.

It's demoralising to new players if they're being set up to fail without being pointed in the direction of a pain-free way to run the content (PF). I seriously don't mind running both dungeons daily and I know a lot of other non-poetics-obsessed people are the same. When I ran them, my groups were really kind and patient with me and we all had a really fun chat while watching the cutscenes even though they were confused (and drunk) Japanese veterans. When some of my friends joined they were pushed right into a speedrun and it definitely tainted their feelings about full party content.

[seraf]

Put a forced cap on that dungeon but give 2000 tombs as a bonus. Lv50 Cap IL50 Cap. Diable Cutscene skipping.

Then people will be forced to spend over 40 minutes in the Dungeon which will lead to more people just outright abandoning the duty instead of staying to help. The only thing SE can do is continue to move forward and never do this again to a dungeon which so far they haven't.

[Esper]

Please, Square-Enix, take the topic creator\\'s suggestion first rather than this. Planning in advance to skip cutscenes when a perfectly acceptable alternative (Party Finder) exists just makes me feel depressed.

I envy your rare experience, however my suggestion is for practical use, not the once in a blue moons chance of not having a group whom wants to be in and out faster then the ten second man.

Party Finder does not make this any easier. The likeliness of you finding a group quickly with the warning label of "I want cutscene time" will be slow. If you do not mind waiting and can get a group willing to wait, some friends from FCs and all that then different story. Not all will nor can.

It is also not demoralizing in comparison to what most have had to endure through out the past few years. Unfortunately it is more of a "get with the program" ideal be it we like it or not.