Confirmed: ARR campaign will be pruned

[snarkomatic]

I've seen this complaint a lot, and honestly, I don't get it. That feels like what 90% of all the quests are. "We're done talking at this location, meet me at the next location so we can continue talking." Because, obviously we can't all just travel to the next location together, discussing the topic along the way or something.

Complain all you want about Minfilia, but, the truth is, the entire game would be massively sped up if the player were instantly transported along with the NPC to the next quest objective location, assuming your next objective is to talk to the same NPC you've just talked to, or if they are present. But, it would also probably start feeling less like a game and more like just watching a series of videos at that point.

The difference between filler/fetch quests and "normal" quests (which yes, if you want to get really pedantic, can always be oversimplified down into resembling a fetch quest) is in which quest lets your character push a story forward, and which quest does not.

If you "fetch" Character A from the brink of death in order to bring her to the big fight with Villain X, you didn't really do a fetch quest. You did a rescue-and-recruit-a-hero quest.

If you "fetch" Character B the plate of stew that was five steps away, when Character B has perfectly good working legs, you've done a fetch quest. Even if that stew gives B the power to save the world ... it's still just a fetch quest.

If you do both of these quests on repeat ad nauseum and can't even benefit from the skills/levels you gain because of it, you're so sick of the cycle you don't care which one is which.

[SturmChurro]

If you "fetch" Character B the plate of stew that was five steps away, when Character B has perfectly good working legs, you've done a fetch quest.

If you do both of these quests on repeat ad nauseum and can't even benefit from the skills/levels you gain because of it, you're so sick of the cycle you don't care which one is which.

You are forgetting that these quests are an integral part of the story; the core of the game. If we didn't have those we wouldn't be playing FFXIV, once they are pruned people will wish they had them back, the game will never feel the same. Might not even be able to be considered an FF game at that point.

[snarkomatic]

You are forgetting that these quests are an integral part of the story; the core of the game. If we didn't have those we wouldn't be playing FFXIV, once they are pruned people will wish they had them back, the game will never feel the same. Might not even be able to be considered an FF game at that point.

Oh right I forgot, stew is the reason we play this game! My bad.

[Avidria]

You are forgetting that these quests are an integral part of the story; the core of the game. If we didn't have those we wouldn't be playing FFXIV, once they are pruned people will wish they had them back, the game will never feel the same. Might not even be able to be considered an FF game at that point.

Ok, that's just hyperbole. Nobody is asking them to delete the main scenario, and literally all SE has said they're doing is making the ARR story "more compact." They haven't even said exactly what they're going to do yet - I very seriously doubt they'd take actual key plot points and punt them out the window. I'll be surprised if they delete anything significant at all.

Pruning or shortening a few fluffy "go talk to what's his face who's literally within earshot so he can tell you to come back and talk to me again" quests isn't going to magically remove the game's FF status. I mean, come on now.

[linay]

Ok, that's just hyperbole. Nobody is asking them to delete the main scenario, and literally all SE has said they're doing is making the ARR story "more compact." They haven't even said exactly what they're going to do yet - I very seriously doubt they'd take actual key plot points and punt them out the window. I'll be surprised if they delete anything significant at all.

Pruning or shortening a few fluffy "go talk to what's his face who's literally within earshot so he can tell you to come back and talk to me again" quests isn't going to magically remove the game's FF status. I mean, come on now.

Reading this thread, I really want to level another character just to go through those quests and see what could be changed while still keeping the story intact. Sadly, I don't know if I'll have time. New expansion for SWTOR coming out next month, and I'm on the fence about WoW Classic, and of course, I still have things to do in FFXIV on my main.

[Barraind]

Quest length is important to account for, too. From memory there were a lot of "quests" in there that were simply "go talk to A, who will explain the next step of the plan". Victory fanfare, yay you completed a quest.

Those are steps of quests.

The actual quests end up being:

Albert says "Go talk to Bob".
Bob sends you to get something.
Bob says to take the thing to Chuck.
Chuck says cool, take this to Danny.
Danny says cool, go pick up some sticks outside.
You pick up sticks.
Danny says cool, go tell Chuck you picked up sticks.
Chuck says cool, I needed to know you could handle taking this thing back to Bob.
Bob says cool, go tell Albert I'd live to come to tea tonight.
Albert says (predictably) Cool, thanks.

You have completed a quest.

Albert says "K, now that I know he's coming for tea, go kill this god for me"



Instead of the MSQ being what an MSQ should be (introducing new people, places, dungeons, trials and concepts) its largely made up of pointless sidequests that arent sidequests.

[TheMightyMollusk]

The problem with going only by the number of quests is that "Return to the Waking Sands, talk for three minutes, then head out again" gets the same weight as "Clear the Ala Mhigo Dungeon, then the Royal Menagerie trial, then watch all of the credits and cut scenes," despite a massive difference in time invested. The quest count doesn't really matter, it's the content that needs work. Unfortunately, a lot of that exposition is vital to later plot points, so I really don't know how to trim it down without losing something.

Not to mention, how many of those cut scenes have voice work that can't be redone, now that they're not using the same actors anymore? SE's certainly not going to take the time (and budget) to go back and redub everything with the current team.

[snarkomatic]

Those are steps of quests.

The actual quests end up being:

Albert says "Go talk to Bob".
Bob sends you to get something.
Bob says to take the thing to Chuck.
Chuck says cool, take this to Danny.
Danny says cool, go pick up some sticks outside.
You pick up sticks.
Danny says cool, go tell Chuck you picked up sticks.
Chuck says cool, I needed to know you could handle taking this thing back to Bob.
Bob says cool, go tell Albert I'd live to come to tea tonight.
Albert says (predictably) Cool, thanks.

You have completed a quest.

Albert says "K, now that I know he's coming for tea, go kill this god for me"



Instead of the MSQ being what an MSQ should be (introducing new people, places, dungeons, trials and concepts) its largely made up of pointless sidequests that arent sidequests.

So much this.

For anyone who says we lose character development in there ... honestly, couldn't you get the story of Bob, Albert, and Chuck in a single cutscene instead of eight cutscenes you have to run back and forth between? What is lost there, except travel time?

[Waliel]

Oh right I forgot, stew is the reason we play this game! My bad.

My nephew was on the fence about this game, but then I told him about the cheese and he was sold.

[Hezzlocks]

The problem with going only by the number of quests is that "Return to the Waking Sands, talk for three minutes, then head out again" gets the same weight as "Clear the Ala Mhigo Dungeon, then the Royal Menagerie trial, then watch all of the credits and cut scenes," despite a massive difference in time invested. The quest count doesn't really matter, it's the content that needs work. Unfortunately, a lot of that exposition is vital to later plot points, so I really don't know how to trim it down without losing something.

Not to mention, how many of those cut scenes have voice work that can't be redone, now that they're not using the same actors anymore? SE's certainly not going to take the time (and budget) to go back and redub everything with the current team.

I highly doubt any of the quests with voiced dialogue will get any changes. Typically speaking the voiced quests tend to be the most important and relevant ones.

No, they will likely cut down on the more pointless quests, like the constant back and forth quests before Ifrit and Titan. Not the ones that actually are relevant, mind, like the Company of Heroes are fairly important, not to mention Riol himself, but more the running back and forth between the vineyard and the jungle hermit trying to brew a good wine.

Additionally, those less than important quests like that could easily be turned into sidequests, allowing for the MSQ to become more compact while still keeping true to the story and keeping the world building available via sidequests.