BLU for Duty Finder and Raids! Show your support!

[MrKimper]

But now, how do we make sure this negative yet relevant feedback goes throuh though? Because there is like 50 posts of "BLU is bad cuz it's not what i want" on the forum, I'm afraid the constructive criticism some members have provided will get lost in the flood.

We don't, because this kind of feedback never seems to get to the devs, our best bet is hoping someone makes a change.org or the japan forums make a big of a stink that it gets noticed. Even then I doubt Yoshida or the dev team plan on changing course with this content and giving us a real job, they'll probably just buff the potency's and increase the drop rates as that seems to be the major issue people are having.

[Kallera]

We don't, because this kind of feedback never seems to get to the devs, our best bet is hoping someone makes a change.org or the japan forums make a big of a stink that it gets noticed. Even then I doubt Yoshida or the dev team plan on changing course with this content and giving us a real job, they'll probably just buff the potency's and increase the drop rates as that seems to be the major issue people are having.

That doesn’t begin to address the experience of playing as a blu mage, in the face of most of its life being subject to being waited on in undersized parties, all to impress upon side content by themselves.

[BillyKaplan]

I just had a vision. Primal spell totems that drop from lockboxes you get from the Carnival.

[Alistaire]

We don't, because this kind of feedback never seems to get to the devs, our best bet is hoping someone makes a change.org or the japan forums make a big of a stink that it gets noticed. Even then I doubt Yoshida or the dev team plan on changing course with this content and giving us a real job, they'll probably just buff the potency's and increase the drop rates as that seems to be the major issue people are having.

On the contrary, it's very likely that BLU is a limited job specifically because they want to see what players do with it before (potentially) allowing it into more content. We're beta testers, basically.

[Kallera]

On the contrary, it's very likely that BLU is a limited job specifically because they want to see what players do with it before (potentially) allowing it into more content. We're beta testers, basically.

It is hard to ascertain what is going on at the devs’ offices, but I doubt this is the case seeing as how they are not going to raise the cap until 5.x, which is months to a year after shadowbringer launches. Which means it is at least going to have one more surge as shadowbringer launches from new players coming in the expansion and/or buying their way through the previous storylines, at which point the numbers will then pretend that Blue Mage is alright. Until the devs speak up about further changes and adjustment to BLU, the “limitations” in the Blue Mage playstyle seem intentional in an attempt to create another source of someone replaying old and irrelevant content. This is something that has been a practice in ffxiv, from triple triad cards, furniture, and relic quests.

[MrKimper]

On the contrary, it's very likely that BLU is a limited job specifically because they want to see what players do with it before (potentially) allowing it into more content. We're beta testers, basically.

Very very veeeery unlikely, as incomplete BLU is, this was sold to us as a complete option, they never stated anywhere during the presentation that this was a beta test and Yoshida has gone on record saying this is personally the only way he could see BLU being implemented, in the same way he previously stated he could only see SAM as a melee dps and not a tank.

They obviously have no intention of changing course here and already have plans for content going into 5.0, it's unlikely they'd scrap all of that when they've already announced it. It isn't like diadem where diadem was released as a complete product that they only re-worked after a LOT of backlash and they had no further plans to update.

BLU has content already announced and most likely in the pipeline, this is how they think BLU should be implemented. This is not a beta test.

[jon041065]

I'm back briefly after reading a bit of the forums while waiting for a doctor appointment this morning.

I see that a lot of what myself and others against the concept of limited jobs had said did end up being correct but I really thought it would take a month or two before there was the backlash would grow again to what is going on right now. I'm a bit surprised it took less than a week.

I see some that were in favor of limited blu are now pushing for some changes to be made so that blu can be used in the content they want but don't care about the rest. I said it many times in the last two months but jobs SHOULD be for everyone to then take into the content that they want. Jobs just for certain areas of the game was and still is a bad idea.

Before I return to shunning 14, I want to say a few things.

If you're unhappy with limited jobs, then vote with your wallet. You don't have to unsub like I have. You can stop subbing with the three and six month options and just go with the entry sub. You can cancel your extra retainers. You can stop buying stuff from the mogstation. Expressing your opinion on the forums and elsewhere will only go so far.

To the people that defended limited blu and that now are asking for dialogue to try to see where the community can agree and give SE that feedback in hopes of saving solo content given the amount of backlash I wish you good luck. I asked over and over if your side would be willing to do that and never got a "yeah let's do it". Most of the time, I received pushback to the idea.

To Yoshi and the dev team, I would recommend addressing this issue sooner than later. The game needs positive word of mouth to continue growing. There's already enough negative perception by large parts of the MMO community as a whole that FFXIV has too slow of combat and "too anime". Now, to myself and plenty of others, we are getting explanations (excuses imo) of why some things like a full blue mage can not be done. I used to really push my friends on WoW and from other games to try FFXIV for the first time or give it another chance and a big reason was that I believed in Yoshi P. I now believe after the Dec live letter and Famitsu article that Yoshi is displaying arrogance like the WoW devs have been for the last decade. The same arrogance that apparently was making the original launch of 14 fail. This is why I'm now one of the people that is telling others to stay away from the game. You still have an opportunity to change this around.

[Elerus]

I now believe after the Dec live letter and Famitsu article that Yoshi is displaying arrogance like the WoW devs have been for the last decade.

You know I read that Famitsu article and was disgusted by it. I simply wrote it off as a puff piece - not an interview but an advertisement. I realize now I was only considering Famitsu's handling of the interview. A paid-off gaming outlet gushing about the people who sign their paychecks is not surprising. That being said, I can see your point as well. It was a tiny echo chamber and at no point was the consideration that maybe this radical departure from what FFXIV had to offer might, conceivably, hit some speed bumps. It does, indeed, remind me of the WoW team's reaction after the infamous "Selfie Camera Patch" In Warlords of Draenor. WoD was very much a "raid or die" expansion: raids were some of the only new and polished content, and LFR was pushed to the wayside.

During that time WoW wanted you to raid, and to raid their way or be shamed with crap looking gear - they even took tier sets away from LFR difficulty. This was a departure of their policy from the very introduction of LFR back in Cataclysm. Specs that didn't fit into the mold like Gladiator were nerfed and nerfed and eventually announced to be "too much of a complication" and were slated to be cut. People became sick of the nonsense excuses. They wanted their content back: dungeons, transmog hunting, new PvP arenas, etc. Instead, what they got was a patch that introduced a way to take a selfie with your character and . . . little else. The backlash was enormous and almost overnight my guild roster and friend list became a ghost town. Now, I don't think the devs did this intentionally - who wants to sabotage their own paycheck? They just thought that they could do no wrong. If the content they were providing wasn't "good enough" or "deviated from their vision" then they'd toss some experimental thing out there to satiate the rabble and go back to their grand vision of how they want the game to be. They forgot the core gameplay loop, they forgot that while - yes WoW has a billion dungeons - people still loved to run them. While it has more specs than FF has classes people still liked to be able to try new refrains and methods and twists on those variants in all the game has to offer.

It is frightening to think that FF could or is going the same way. Big games like WoW or FF do not die overnight, but from a thousand cuts. The more they forget their foundation and base the more the cup of consumer good will cracks. Nevertheless, I thank you for the food for thought.

[Blueyes]

At minimum, I think it'd be reasonable to present a community collaborated response for each Live Letter and upvote it or something, but we could also make a new poll, etc.
(I'd imagine off the top of my head, voting on A. Broken solo job that can cheaply conquer most content, B. Balanced for less restrictions in party play, C. it's fine as is)

A poll with questions along those lines would be favorable over the earlier poll from around BLU's announcement. Not to criticize the proposed poll, but I find myself scratching my head at those who wish to see Blue Mage made so powerful that it can conquer threats like Shiva Extreme at level 50 all on its own. To achieve that, its strength would have to be increased tenfold, or effects like Tail Screw would have to work which would be a cheap win.

In either case, it's highly unlikely that SE would allow a job with that much power anywhere near max level without limiting what content the job can access even further. It's sole purpose (outside of collecting spells and Masked Carnival) would be to blaze through outdated content. To which I have to ask... why not blaze through old content as a level 80 Blue Mage?

Heck, if SE wanted to (and they probably wouldn't) they could make spells like Tail Screw work against all bosses from dungeons and trials as long as it's at least 10 levels lower than your own. That would allow for Blue Mage to feel broken in old content as long as they enter unsynced. And it wouldn't upset balance for current content or synced content (like Roulette) as those spells could be made ineffective against all bosses of comparable level.

I just... don't see what there is to gain by keeping Blue Mage limited. A lot of what people want can still be achieved while allowing Blue Mage to function as a full job.

[Oreos]

SE has always had the mentality of "you play our games how we want you to," but it feels like it's gotten so much worse over the years. They really have started to remind me of Blizzard. "You don't know what you want, we know best." It's extremely worrying to see a company I've supported for over 20 years steadily worsen.

It's depressing that every time I mention posting on the forums to friends in game, the reaction is always "don't bother, they won't listen." Isn't that the exact opposite of what we should be expecting from game developers? I can't properly express my disappointment with the fact that a mobile game developer (CyGames with Dragalia Lost) has implemented and listened to more community feedback in 4 months than SE has in ARR's entire lifespan.

Anyways, just ranting a bit here. Please listen to your community, SE.