Let Me Play as an NPC?

[Mysterysword]

Obviously, I don't mean carefully editing our looks and glamour to RP as an NPC, which many, many people already do. And yes, I realise that being able to play as an NPC... kind of makes them not an NPC. But you know what I mean.

What I would like is, having certain instanced solo fights, in which we get to choose if we'd like to play as an NPC, and hand the reins of our WoL off to the computer. So for that instance, our WoL essentially becomes an NPC helper, and we play as the NPC. Our skills become the skills of that NPC's class or job, and we get to step into their shoes.

[DreamAngel-Ren]

Hmmm...I wouldn't quite get the joy out of playing as an NPC because whatever class/job they master, their skills won't be any different from ours.
For example, Alisaie is a RDM and that's my main class; if I were to play as her, I would use her the same way I use my WoL during battle - our abilities will be the same.

[Welsper59]

Hmmm...I wouldn't quite get the joy out of playing as an NPC because whatever class/job they master, their skills won't be any different from ours.
For example, Alisaie is a RDM and that's my main class; if I were to play as her, I would use her the same way I use my WoL during battle.

I'd imagine the idea is more akin to how vehicle controls are or how WoW does it. You take control of an NPC, regardless of their class/job/whatever, and they have some form of special skills or spells that players don't have to do their thing with. Like if you took control of Raubahn, he'd have a primary single target attack, a cleave, a single target or aoe charge/jump attack, and maybe a heal mechanic of sorts.

[Rymm]

I'd imagine the idea is more akin to how vehicle controls are or how WoW does it.

I know you were just citing WoW as an example of a way it could be done, but it should be noted that vehicle fights in WoW were largely despised by the player base. It's why Blizz pretty much scrapped them in recent expansions, especially in multi-player content. In fact in the first 5-man dungeon they tried to implement vehicle combat in, including an entire boss fight, they had to go back later and add a previously raid-exclusive mount to said boss's loot table, just to bribe people into not bailing as soon as they zoned in.

[Welsper59]

I know you were just citing WoW as an example of a way it could be done, but it should be noted that vehicle fights in WoW were largely despised by the player base. It's why Blizz pretty much scrapped them in recent expansions, especially in multi-player content. In fact in the first 5-man dungeon they tried to implement vehicle combat in, including an entire boss fight, they had to go back later and add a previously raid-exclusive mount to said boss's loot table, just to bribe people into not bailing as soon as they zoned in.

Sorry, I meant vehicle controls in XIV (magitek armors, gobwalkers, or daily quest mounts) or the NPC control you have in certain quests in WoW. I think it started in WotLK expansion, with players playing as the Lich King a quest or two. Vehicle control was buggy in WoW, but I think that had a lot to do with scale (e.g. you're in a giant tank killing off enemies that are pixels in size compared). The NPC quests, like the mentioned Lich King one or any Legion ones, are a lot less buggy in controlling it.

The dungeon one you were talking about wasn't really because vehicles were despised, so much as it was because it required strategy that your characters couldn't just brute force through, assuming we're talking about The Oculus. In other words, a bad player or collective group of them would result in a bad time. Taking on noticeably important roles and having equal responsibility is going to be just as unpopular to people as it would be if every job here had the responsibility of playing a tank and/or healer for the first time ever in the middle of endgame fight. Had it been as mindless as it is today in WoW (or even XIV), it'd probably have been just fine. Strategy is very unpopular of a thing to require with PUGs in any game ever.

[Kahnom]

No thank you,I love my character more than any NPCs.
There is no reason for me to play as NPC in the first place.

[Mysterysword]

I'd imagine the idea is more akin to how vehicle controls are or how WoW does it. You take control of an NPC, regardless of their class/job/whatever, and they have some form of special skills or spells that players don't have to do their thing with. Like if you took control of Raubahn, he'd have a primary single target attack, a cleave, a single target or aoe charge/jump attack, and maybe a heal mechanic of sorts.

That's pretty much how I envisioned it would work. NPCs shouldn't and wouldn't be identical to the WoL in terms of what skills they can use, after all. There might be some overlap, certainly, but not always. For example, Alphinaud may be an arcanist, but he uses Ruby, Obsidian, and Moonstone carbuncles, each of them with unique skills. It also could just be an optional feature, not a mandatory storyline progression mechanic.

[Lukha]

No thank you,I love my character more than any NPCs.
There is no reason for me to play as NPC in the first place.

I could see there being good reason for it, actually. Currently the story is limited in scope because outside of very occasional, short scenes, it can only show us scenarios the WoL could reasonably be present for. If we were able to switch PoVs to another character on occasion, it would vastly increase the freedom the writers have to tell/show us parts of the story outside of what we're directly able to see.

[Kahnom]

I could see there being good reason for it, actually. Currently the story is limited in scope because outside of very occasional, short scenes, it can only show us scenarios the WoL could reasonably be present for. If we were able to switch PoVs to another character on occasion, it would vastly increase the freedom the writers have to tell/show us parts of the story outside of what we're directly able to see.

If you mean the side-stories outside MSQ,SE has already added them on Lodestone.
The tale of dragon-something about Aymaric and Estinien’s past,well I didn’t read them though.

[Hikuras]

I could see there being good reason for it, actually. Currently the story is limited in scope because outside of very occasional, short scenes, it can only show us scenarios the WoL could reasonably be present for. If we were able to switch PoVs to another character on occasion, it would vastly increase the freedom the writers have to tell/show us parts of the story outside of what we're directly able to see.

Youi mean kill the freedom cause then it'll cause a bigger overlap that wasn't there before. Maybe I'm just not seeing it tho, but yeah I don't see the benefits to doing that. I want MORE WOL actions instead of being an NPC doing shit.. make/let ME as the WOL/main character do more things ingame please... not less. D: