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

[Naunet]

I disagree, do people really do no research of what they buying before or in this case even know what a final fantasy title is?

Tons of us play FFXIV because we like MMOs and have pretty much no connection to other FF titles. Like it or not, this IS an MMO, and as such it brings some different requirements for gameplay than a single player RPG. No other MMO I've played has required so much monotonous quest completion to unlock basic game features, and it really does nothing but hurt the game.

[Lexia]

Tons of us play FFXIV because we like MMOs and have pretty much no connection to other FF titles. Like it or not, this IS an MMO, and as such it brings some different requirements for gameplay than a single player RPG. No other MMO I've played has required so much monotonous quest completion to unlock basic game features, and it really does nothing but hurt the game.

I still disagree, I don't think XIV has to be a cookie cutter MMO and can keep it roots at a FF title while still being a MMO.

[Naunet]

Allowing people to begin the latest expansion's content without completing previous MSQ would not make FFXIV a "cookie cutter MMO". Are onerous restrictions on gameplay really the defining feature of an FF title?

[Lexia]

Allowing people to begin the latest expansion's content without completing previous MSQ would not make FFXIV a "cookie cutter MMO". Are onerous restrictions on gameplay really the defining feature of an FF title?

They can buy the skip potion that coming then, as I already said in previous posts I have made I don't think there should be a skip all button just cause they not interested in playing that content. Also I was saying without the MSQ XIV is just another MMO in the realm of MMOs that what I meant by cookie cutter mmo.

[Zojha]

Are onerous restrictions on gameplay really the defining feature of an FF title?

The defining feature of a Final Fantasy title is being a single-player game - The vast, vast majority of them are. Single-player RPGs, regardless of brand, typically come with a more or less rich, linear and mandatory story, which is why people often bring that up as one of the defining Final Fantasy features - it's a psychological bundling effect you're realistically not going to be able to sever.

[Naunet]

No one is saying remove the MSQ. And I really don't think the MSQ restriction is what makes FFXIV stand out from other MMOs - at least, certainly not in a GOOD way.

But sure. Good luck selling, "You have to spend full price on ARR, HW, and SB, and if you want to play with your friends right away, have fun dropping at least the price of another game to skip content you may actually want to do later when you feel like it but once you buy it will never actually get to do it. Wait, where are you going? Come play with me!"

[SenorPatty]

Research or not, that doesn't change the fact that there is a massive 50 quest roadblock inbetween 50 and 51 with actually very little story. Other than the formation of the crystal braves and some random beast tribe stuff, what actually happens story-wise between 3.1 and 3.4?

Meanwhile your character keeps gaining lvls (because as a new player, you tend to try your hand at everything and most of those things reward you in exp) and keeps getting locked out of future dgn content because, guess what, you haven't finished your game of msq catch-up.

Whenever I think about making an alt, I just think about how long I spent doing 50 roulette while being lvl 60 because I was still behind in MSQ and suddenly the idea doesn't seem to appeal to me anymore.

[Jim_Berry]

I welcome the xp potion. The way dps classes struggle right now to get into a dungeon, my MCH, PGL, and BLM will never reach Lv50 by the time Stormblood release, because I'm still occupied with getting my PLD relic as well as getting my AST and SCH leveled up by normal conditions.

[Lambdafish]

Meanwhile your character keeps gaining lvls (because as a new player, you tend to try your hand at everything and most of those things reward you in exp) and keeps getting locked out of future dgn content because, guess what, you haven't finished your game of msq catch-up.

Whenever I think about making an alt, I just think about how long I spent doing 50 roulette while being lvl 60 because I was still behind in MSQ and suddenly the idea doesn't seem to appeal to me anymore.

Exactly, the levelling process isn't designed to have this massive chunk of "level 50" MSQ content in the middle of it, rather this MSQ content is outdated endgame. It really needs to be skippable (not jump potion) so that people can enjoy levelling the way it was intended.

snip

PotD is amazing for DPS classes. Levelling has never been an issue for any classes as far as I'm aware, as there are so many different options. PotD is the current best, doing FATEs while waiting for the duty queue was the old way. Stormblood may bring even better ways.

Things that are mostly/just about important enough to know:
We find Thancred.
The Warriors of Darkness show up, yell at us for a bit, then die and return to their universe with Minfillia. <- that being the important bit. We learn about fractal universes too.
We find Allisaie, and she joins us. Ga Bu happens.
Urianger plays double agent, possibly working with Elidibus.


Things that are basically just Anime filler:
Nidhogg comes back, yells at things then dies again.
Aymeric has some supposed trouble uniting Ishgard though it never amounts to much.

Sorry! I mistyped, I meant 2.1-2.4.

Though, while 3.1-3.55 was generally handled much better, it could still be skipped and classed as separate MSQ "stories", with 3.1-3.3 having a "tales of the dragonsong war" synopsis, and 3.4-3.55 having a "Road to stormblood" synopsis for those who want to skip to the expansion after finishing the HW levelling process.

In general these endgame MSQ stories are good for patch content, but bad for levelling progression once it becomes outdated, and this should be addressed separately from the jump potion debate.

Isn't skip potion per character? So if one wants to play the content they skipped, they could just roll an alt.

WoW and other MMOs are designed around having alts, FFXIV and FFXI are designed around having everything be accessible for one character, and the game (while it allows them) is not designed around the idea of having multiple characters, nor should it be.

[Brill_]

to skip content you may actually want to do later when you feel like it but once you buy it will never actually get to do it.

Isn't skip potion per character? So if one wants to play the content they skipped, they could just roll an alt.