New Player Experience Sucks! - Impending Expansion Problems

[Squigley]

IMHO SE should stop making extensions and switch to expansions. As it is, Heavensward and Stormblood just continued the story, extended it. All of the previous MSQ stuff was required for the new stuff. With the current business model and content/patch cycle, FFXIV is an MMO first and a "story game" second. Every sprout in our FC has complained that it takes far too much time and effort to be able to do content together which is meaningful and relevant for everyone. This will get worse as more extensions to the story are added. Unl€$$ mon€y and $kip potion.

I personally stopped following the story around the time clergy in robes started doing backflips to rooftops. I rolled my eyes, went "yyeaaahhhh..." and started abusing the skip option. I might watch some scenes here and there to have some idea what's happening and why. But usually the line-emote-line-emote presentation is so poor that I won't watch the whole scene. Why do I play this game then? Because the gameplay is solid and enjoyable for a tab-target MMO. I'd actually argue that this game is not much of an MMORPG, more like a coop-RPG a la Guild Wars 1, but that's a topic for another thread.

What purpose does a mandatory and heavily gating storyline serve if the end results are either a) people like the story and continue playing or b) people NOPE out of the game? Making the story optional would remove outcome b. I see only negative aspects in a story that blocks things and restricts players freedom (compared to an optional one). When I rolled my BLM alt I bought a story skip potion but no level skip and WHOA, that was the right combination for me. I had much more freedom to proceed as I wanted because the story wasn't restricting my options.

[Lersayil]

IMHO SE should stop making extensions and switch to expansions. As it is, Heavensward and Stormblood just continued the story, extended it. All of the previous MSQ stuff was required for the new stuff. With the current business model and content/patch cycle, FFXIV is an MMO first and a "story game" second. Every sprout in our FC has complained that it takes far too much time and effort to be able to do content together which is meaningful and relevant for everyone. This will get worse as more extensions to the story are added. Unl€$$ mon€y and $kip potion.

I personally stopped following the story around the time clergy in robes started doing backflips to rooftops. I rolled my eyes, went "yyeaaahhhh..." and started abusing the skip option. I might watch some scenes here and there to have some idea what's happening and why. But usually the line-emote-line-emote presentation is so poor that I won't watch the whole scene. Why do I play this game then? Because the gameplay is solid and enjoyable for a tab-target MMO. I'd actually argue that this game is not much of an MMORPG, more like a coop-RPG a la Guild Wars 1, but that's a topic for another thread.

What purpose does a mandatory and heavily gating storyline serve if the end results are either a) people like the story and continue playing or b) people NOPE out of the game? Making the story optional would remove outcome b. I see only negative aspects in a story that blocks things and restricts players freedom (compared to an optional one). When I rolled my BLM alt I bought a story skip potion but no level skip and WHOA, that was the right combination for me. I had much more freedom to proceed as I wanted because the story wasn't restricting my options.

Anecdotal evidence is anecdotal. We've also had some complainers in-FC, but most our sprouts actually liked the MSQ and some regularly comment on awesome story moments when they get to them. But then we have no numbers, so who knows what the actual attrition rate is, or what kind of people it filters out.

Personally I like the "restrictive" MSQ the first time around. The whole experience feels a lot more strict, controlled, measured and personalized to the WoL. I guess it's also easier to write an actual script for gated content, without writing extremely generic dialogues.

Now if you run alts, I can see the point, but very few of the people that I know actually stuck around after the MSQ if they didn't like / care for it after completion.

[Squigley]

Anecdotal evidence is anecdotal. We've also had some complainers in-FC, but most our sprouts actually liked the MSQ and some regularly comment on awesome story moments when they get to them. But then we have no numbers, so who knows what the actual attrition rate is, or what kind of people it filters out.

But does the mandatory story bring in any players or make people stay who would have otherwise quit? We know for a fact that it makes people quit, it would be very interesting to have some data about possible positive effects on player retention.

[Lersayil]

But does the mandatory story bring in any players or make people stay who would have otherwise quit? We know for a fact that it makes people quit, it would be very interesting to have some data about possible positive effects on player retention.

Some numerical data would be nice, yeah. I can attest that the MSQ is in a very large part of the reason I am staying, and while I believe that being forced to do it has some added value / effect it also might be subjective. Without numbers its hard to objectively argue for either side.

And while we know that it burns out some new people, its more of a question if it burns out a sufficiently high number that its worth a the work put in to unhook from progression (and how many - if any - pro MSQ lock people it would lose the game).

[Squigley]

I can attest that the MSQ is in a very large part of the reason I am staying, and while I believe that being forced to do it has some added value / effect it also might be subjective.

Hmm! Now that you mentioned it, I remembered that I do have one friend who has actually quit other MMO's because of too much freedom. However, he did play FFXIV to level cap and MSQ end. He needs the game to tell him "Now do this" or he gets overwhelmed by possibilities, doesn't know what to do and gives up. For example Black Desert Online was too much for him. He liked the game but he quit because the game didn't make him move from one activity to another and set goals for him. So forcing the MSQ does have some positives to it even though I don't personally like the forcing at all.

[Physic]

Hmm! Now that you mentioned it, I remembered that I do have one friend who has actually quit other MMO's because of too much freedom. However, he did play FFXIV to level cap and MSQ end. He needs the game to tell him "Now do this" or he gets overwhelmed by possibilities, doesn't know what to do and gives up. For example Black Desert Online was too much for him. He liked the game but he quit because the game didn't make him move from one activity to another and set goals for him. So forcing the MSQ does have some positives to it even though I don't personally like the forcing at all.

thats why my suggestion is not to change the basic setting, and have this content unlock and msq selection be something the player has to actively seek to do, like interacting with a specific npc/item/menu whatever.