Back from Rift....

[Abriael]

Let's hope you are right. Then again, there is a mighty bunch of things they can improve on.

My problem is not with them being different from some other game (btw: I never played WoW.)
My problem is with them going the extra mile to be "innovative" by inventing square wheels.

Sometimes you do need to go to that extra mile in game development, especially when you play in a market that's as stale and stagnant as the MMORPG one.

It's still to be seen if the "square wheels" are really square wheels, or just round wheels with some odd bumps that will roll even better than the previous implementations once some much needed sanding is done.

[Rinsui]

By the time they released the game to the public,
paying customers like me and reviewers around the
globe, each of those wheels had 4 razor-sharp edges.

As you, I hope they can improve enough to warrant
a complete re-review. They are already moving into
a good direction. But releasing the game in the state
it was was an unforgiveable impudence they are rightfully
bleeding for now.

[Akira]

i only got rift to pass the time while XIV is being down not saying i like it not saying i hate it just something to do in the meantime, i hope they put the servers back up soon.., hopefully on the 22nd they will but i can only hope, psu jp servers are still up and have been since so they did not go down

[Abriael]

By the time they released the game to the public,
paying customers like me and reviewers around the
globe, each of those wheels had 4 razor-sharp edges.

As you, I hope they can improve enough to warrant
a complete re-review. They are already moving into
a good direction. But releasing the game in the state
it was was an unforgiveable impudence they are rightfully
bleeding for now.

"Unforgivable" is a quite big word. Releasing a game in an unfinished state is very, very far from something I'd ever describe as "unforgivable", as there are quite a lot of factors that contribute to that decision, and not always they are completely controllable by the publisher or even more by the developer.

Oh, as a reviewer myself, I can easily tell you that the opinion of 99% of reviewers means absolutely nothing. Many of them didn't even play the game past level 10 (without even counting those that wrote their review starting with a very clear bias against Square Enix, since bashing them and other Japanese devs seems to be the "in" thing to do nowadays).
*that* is something I would describe as approaching the level of "unforgivable", as it goes quite clearly against journalistic integrity.

[Rinsui]

since bashing them and other Japanese devs seems to be the "in" thing to do nowadays

...just that the reviews on the Japanese sites were not a iota more favorable.

Of course you can say: "all the reviewers, players and metacritics must be wrong. I still believe people
like this game and there are enough active players to warrant the claim that FFXIV is a success".

It just sounds a little like: "Between the years 1400 and 1600, the plague, also known as "the Black Death"
killed 50% of the European population. I still believe Yersinia Pestis, the bacterium associated with the plague,
is nothing but a harmless little fellow who hands out presents and candybars".

(giggle)

[Abriael]

...just that the reviews on the Japanese sites were not a iota more favorable.

I actually read quite a few of those, and they were, while critical and rightfully so, much less disfavorable.

Unless you consider angry 2channers as "reviewers"... Experience teaches me that those don't hold much credibility.

The game is nowhere near perfect, but it's definitely not as bad as some make it out to be. It has quite a few redeeming features (that most biased reviewers very conveniently ignored), and the attempt to innovate a completely stale genre is something I can definitely applaud and support.

Maybe it'll be a long term innovation, but if it works, it'll be worthwile.

Comparing a game with the plague is way overdramatic and hyperbolic, so I don't think it warrants further comment.

[ckb]

Let's hope you are right. Then again, there is a mighty bunch of things they can improve on.

My problem is not with them being different from some other game (btw: I never played WoW.)
My problem is with them going the extra mile to be "innovative" by inventing square wheels.

You sir, hit the nail on the head. The way the game is Vs. what I expected is like throwing a baseball at the broad side of a barn and hitting an office building in the city.

[Naqaj]

It has quite a few redeeming features (that most biased reviewers very conveniently ignored), and the attempt to innovate a completely stale genre is something I can definitely applaud and support.

I keep reading remarks about how SE should be praised for trying to innovate with XIV, and I keep wondering, where did they actually innovate?

[Abriael]

I keep reading remarks about how SE should be praised for trying to innovate with XIV, and I keep wondering, where did they actually innovate?

If you can't get it by yourself, I'm afraid no explanation will get through. Given that it's absolutely evident.

[Naqaj]

Sorry, I'm just very very stupid and unable to see the most obvious things in front of my eyes.

I assure you though that any attempt to explain XIVs innovations to me will not be in vain.