MSQ teleports - A simple band-aid for discouragement of new players in ARR

[Gralna]

I really don't get the mindset of buying a game then wanting to skip everything... if you're new to the game then wouldn't all of the content be "new" to you?

I can maybe understand if you're playing an alt but with how this game is structured to have everything on one character, I'd consider that a non-priority and would point people to the story skip potions.

If people are joining to play with their friends, there are still things you can do together while going through the story (queuing together for duties, showing them locations of any quests/areas that confuse them, ferrying).

I don't know about other people, but I enjoy seeing my friends get to experience content for their first time. Also think people are over reacting to how long it takes to get through the content, ARR is maybe 3-4 weeks top if you watch all the cutscenes, HW and SB are about 2 weeks a piece. This is with logging in for 1-2 hours a day. There is so much more to this game than just end game raiding, why would you want to deprive your friends of the same Journey to get there that you went through?

[Edax]

I really don't get the mindset of buying a game then wanting to skip everything... if you're new to the game then wouldn't all of the content be "new" to you?

I can maybe understand if you're playing an alt but with how this game is structured to have everything on one character, I'd consider that a non-priority and would point people to the story skip potions.

If people are joining to play with their friends, there are still things you can do together while going through the story (queuing together for duties, showing them locations of any quests/areas that confuse them, ferrying).

I don't know about other people, but I enjoy seeing my friends get to experience content for their first time. Also think people are over reacting to how long it takes to get through the content, ARR is maybe 3-4 weeks top if you watch all the cutscenes, HW and SB are about 2 weeks a piece. This is with logging in for 1-2 hours a day. There is so much more to this game than just end game raiding, why would you want to deprive your friends of the same Journey to get there that you went through?

It's the same mindset that would have anyone watching a popular anime would have when they skip the bad filler season. Yeah, it makes no sense to just skip every episode of a show and just watch the last one, but there is sense in excising the parts of a series that are utter time wasters.

Waking Sands is part of Vesper Bay so yes it still counts as lore reasoning. And no I see no issue with players either traveling on foot to Waking Sands or as I said taking the ferry from Limsa. You and many others are so worried about new players for what reason? Its a game, a RPG. Traveling is a big part of that especially early on. But be my guest keep spouting about new players this and new players that.

So what if Waking Sands is a part of Vesper Bay? If Waking Sands got a mini-aethernet, that means the Waking Sands got a mini-aethernet, and not Vesper Bay. It's not like you only have to do one or two quests out Waking Sands, you would end up taking that ferry very many, many times. The plot of FFXIV isn't "Ride the Ferry 50 times" nor is its appeal. It's a needless complication to the MSQ. The very thing that needs streamlining because the AAR MSQ quests sure as heck aren't compelling on their own to justify the "travel".

[bass9020]

So what if Waking Sands is a part of Vesper Bay? If Waking Sands got a mini-aethernet, that means the Waking Sands got a mini-aethernet, and not Vesper Bay. It's not like you only have to do one or two quests out Waking Sands, you would end up taking that very many, many times. The plot of FFXIV isn't "Ride the Ferry 50 times" nor is its appeal. It's a needless complication to the MSQ. The very thing that needs streamlining because the AAR MSQ quests sure as heck aren't compelling on their own to justify the "travel".

You clearly do not get it and I will not try and convince you any longer, goodbye!

[Edax]

You clearly do not get it and I will not try and convince you any longer, goodbye!

You clearly do not get it and I will not try and convince you any longer either.

[TwistedTea]

It's the same mindset that would have anyone watching a popular anime would have when they skip the bad filler season. Yeah, it makes no sense to just skip every episode of a show and just watch the last one, but there is sense in excising the parts of a series that are utter time wasters.

So what if Waking Sands is a part of Vesper Bay? If Waking Sands got a mini-aethernet, that means the Waking Sands got a mini-aethernet, and not Vesper Bay. It's not like you only have to do one or two quests out Waking Sands, you would end up taking that very many, many times. The plot of FFXIV isn't "Ride the Ferry 50 times" nor is its appeal. It's a needless complication to the MSQ. The very thing that needs streamlining because the AAR MSQ quests sure as heck aren't compelling on their own to justify the "travel".

QFT

People defending the MSQ on the grounds of lore/"story-immersion", conveniently ignore things like, a new player who's not even completed ARR MSQ can teleport into Shirogane or that with a 2 person mount, we can fly our friends to SB aetherytes they're not supposed to be at yet, MSQ-wise. SE is selective about FFXIV's lore and story immersion, yet some of FFXIV's players are rigid.

[dinnertime]

They already do the teleportation thing in the MSQ of SB, and it usually happens while you're at a cutscene. I don't see how it's a bad thing.
Now for them to do something about ARR's hundreds of pointless fetch quests...

[Dirwen]

I really don't get the mindset of buying a game then wanting to skip everything... if you're new to the game then wouldn't all of the content be "new" to you?

I would agree if not for the fact that SE locked every new expansion areas behind MSQ. In FF11 they did it better as you could access new expansion areas at around level 30 with a couple of fast quests.

[Raikai]

One thing they could really add is the MSQ giving enough experience for you to break through it without interrupting.

It's fine the way it is now for SB content, but that makes little sense for ARR patch quests.

[Enkidoh]

Then how about Waking Sands tickets? They can function like GC tickets. Wouldn't have to retcon any lore and the pro-lore people don't feel like anyone's stepping on their toes.

I agree, I think this is indeed a very acceptable comprimise - limits their use but also does allow a new player to cut out a lot of the legwork the ARR MSQ requires.

[Berethos]

Didn't the devs say something about reorganizing ARR quests during fanfest? I could have sworn there was something about that.

Yep, and it was a similar response to a similar question asked back at the live letter around when E3 happened.

Basically - they've been exploring how to condense the required quests and trim out the non-essential stuff (and likely make it optional), but their focus right now is on the expansion. At E3 Yoshi-P even suggested they have a plan for how they want to make the changes, but it's not a small task and so may take some time before the changes are made.

Which might seem counterintuitive if you're used to how other MMOs handle their story, where non-relevant quests are off to the side and all...but given how relevant plot points and non-relevant elements are so frequently mixed in the 2.x series, I can understand this - and to make matters trickier, plot that wasn't relevant from 2.1-2.3 when HW was the expansion suddenly became relevant in Stormblood...and then there's weird connections like the 60-70 Alchemist quests relying on you having met Minfilia's adoptive mother and having developed a working relationship where she trusts you (not to mention voiced scenes in very dramatic moments in the 3.x series involving her)...and so while there's a suite of quests involving her introduction that are fluff and filler, she can't just be cut entirely without significant rewrites of several pieces of later content.

Those kinds of connections exist throughout both mandatory and optional content, so making some of it optional while rewriting some mandatory stuff to work in such a way that the narrative flow isn't completely broken by the changes means taking the time to do it right.

Obviously some stuff can be changed much more easily, the way they removed the requirement to complete two specific guildhests as part of the 2.x series (which wasn't problematic in and of itself...except that you had to do them in order to unlock, and they were like 8 and 9 in the list) and just made you fight a few monsters in the area as a symbolic "we need these issues taken care of and we'd like you to show the newbie adventurers how it's done" (the new adventurers now being NPCs, whereas before they were actual players via guildhests). More self-contained content like that takes significantly less work to change without messing up other things...but it's also not the majority of content in the 2.x series.

So while those reworks are being done...I agree with at least the teleportation element suggested by the OP, especially since they already use it to great effect in Stormblood. "Pray return to the Waking Sands" lose some of its annoying bite if you're conveniently brought to the front door of said HQ.