Repair NPCs Do Not Charge Enough

[Anonymoose]

Man, I came into this thread like, "You have to be kidding." and I came out of it with a huge smile on my face. I'm glad the repair system is starting to be seen in the same light I've been saying since day one (an action rpg sink-element for maintaining basically free gear that is irrelevant in a sandbox where it takes effort to even get the gear; used as a justification of giving legitimate class ranks and exponential exp curves to crafts).

Idk where all the support came from, unless it was just angry crafters who didn't want to lose the irrational status of repair chief because they'd already dedicated TIME to it that were so angry about it, but I tried getting a discussion like this going a month ago and I thought I was going to be boiled alive and served to the opo-opo king.

[Fieros]

I have mixed feelings about the repair changes, but in the bigger picture I see it is for the best.

I'm glad the repair system is starting to be seen in the same light I've been saying since day one (an action rpg sink-element for maintaining basically free gear that is irrelevant in a sandbox where it takes effort to even get the gear; used as a justification of giving legitimate class ranks and exponential exp curves to crafts).

OT: Just for clarification as this confused me a bit, are you implying FFXIV is a sandbox?

[Anonymoose]

I have mixed feelings about the repair changes, but in the bigger picture I see it is for the best.
OT: Just for clarification as this confused me a bit, are you implying FFXIV is a sandbox?

A sandbox that borrows elements from many types of games, yes.

• Based on repetitive monotonous actions? CHECK.
• Free to level any class you want on the same character? CHECK.
• Not disqualified from skill trees or limited to role development? CHECK.
• Content largely driven by player community leaving much up to choice (such as partying in chosen groups with chosen setups in chosen locations as opposed to the grouping and completion of specific quests in specific places for exp)? CHECK!

The overall basis of the game is built on a sandbox dynamic, but with the themepark (WoW being the go-to example in our era) being the standard and most popular, certain elements need to be borrowed or the sandbox starts to look pretty dull and like a waste of time.

Merging the two philosophies of game development into one? Not really Tanaka's forte. We'll see how Yoshida does by the time 2.0 hits, but for the most part I like what he's done with the place.

[Fieros]

A sandbox that borrows elements from many types of games, yes.

The overall basis of the game is built on a sandbox dynamic, but with the themepark (WoW being the go-to example in our era) being the standard and most popular, certain elements need to be borrowed or the sandbox starts to look pretty dull and like a waste of time.

OT again just for clarification: I agree that the multi-class character and vast skill choice is atypical, but think your idea of FFXIV being sandbox is incorrect. I won't further derail the thread with definitions, just struck me as odd someone thinking this game was sandbox at its core or being developed in such a direction. Especially after the most recent letter.

Hello everyone! Yoshi-P here, back for my twentieth letter.

MMORPG = Theme Park

That’s why I think that in the world of the modern MMORPG, which should be everything like a theme park, diverse rides, facilities, and specs are an absolute necessity.

Back on topic- The cheap NPC cost seems great now, but I miss selling buffalo spetch for repairs. T-T

[Anonymoose]

@Fieros

One of us is misinterpreting Yoshida-san's words, and not to sound arrogant, but I'm pretty sure it's you. (Pretty sure).

The way I see his statement, he is using the term theme park as a metaphor for what an MMO is supposed to be - something with attractions for everyone; where an amusement part has shopping, games of skill, and rides - an MMO has crafting, gathering, and battle. Where a theme park has rides that are exciting, scary, scenic, slow, and romantic - an MMO has tank, healer, PDPS, MDPS, Buff, Debuff, and strategy support roles.

I don't think he was saying, "Final Fantasy XIV is being built based on the 'theme park' approach to MMO development."

So while you wouldn't gain levels repairing your own gear, people would come by frequently enough that repairing others was at least a supplemental source of income / exp for DoH.

Ahh, I understand what you're getting at. The only trouble with that, though, is that the overwhelming majority of people with a 40+ crafting class don't do that. They carry around repair material's they'll be using, and use them on others only when a linkshell member specifically asks, or there's a profit offered that is large enough to take notice. Very few crafters actually bother looking for people to repair, and very few people want to pay more than 500g to 1000g more-per-piece than what the Dark Matter cost them in the first place.

This, combined with the things I said above (short version without the evidence: how I don't believe gear was originally meant to be immediately repaired every single time it hit yellow) made the Gear Damage / Repair system extremely tough to make people find acceptable in the old format, and yet there is no choice unless we want to bring back EXP loss, instead. And I don't think we do. (Maybe.)

[Edgecrusher]

bring back EXP loss, instead.

^ This, sorry to butcher your whole post, but...yeah...just do this...eliminate the problem entirely

[Anonymoose]

^ This, sorry to butcher your whole post, but...yeah...just do this...eliminate the problem entirely

I never thought in a MILLION umbral eras that I'd say this... but if the only thing keeping gear damage legitimate is a death penalty? F**k it. EXP loss takes a little time and effort to get back (even though it sucks to do because it feels like you've lost something you're entitled to, something you've earned.) Gear Damage takes money - which you need to farm/craft/gather back - which will damage gear, which will need to be fixed, which will require money, which requires....blahblahblah. And on top of that, it takes the same amount of time (probably MORE than) a party would, which I could do for free, on my own class, without any other resources and an empty bank.

I HATE to say this.... EXP loss seems like the lesser evil ><