What would you like to see (differently) in the next Final Fantasy MMO?

[linay]

no on axing PvP -- for my preferences. The more a game can embrace PvP, usually the more it has to embrace intelligent enemy design and more than the barebone "hit thing with most X value til it's dead; repeat" scripting.

That's the issue I have with it. I feel like, unless the game's combat is designed really well, pvp and pve combat will be at odds with each other, and since I don't care for pvp, I wouldn't want pve to be "compromised" for the sake of pvp. At the same time, I also wouldn't want the status quo in FFXIV where pvp exists separately from pve with separate abilities (which I like as then it won't affect pve), but people don't seem to like it (although I'm sure there are people who do like it as it is).

Also, as I enjoy FFXIV's pve the most out of any mmorpg, that doesn't really sell me on other mmorpg embracing pvp as being a good thing. That's not to say pvp is why their pve is not as enjoyable to me (in reality, it's not just any one thing), but simply taking your comment into account.

[Averax]

You know one other thing I would really like
REAL ADVENTURE


Like really.... All the lands we have gone to have already been explored and have people living in it or had people living in it,
What we need is a real wild land with nothing in it but wild forest/plants, animals /beast/fiends that want to kill anything moving where the strong survive and the weak die and become food... (and make it only available to hardcore characters where death is perm) where we journey for real not with a guided goon squad like the scions... were its man/woman vs the world and all that loveliness that swells

I think your definition of a real adventure is actually a sandbox survival game.

[Kalise]

I only just started playing it back when it had its Steam sale and overall it hasn't been my cup of tea--just due to the simplicity of attack/ability options and so on--but from what gameplay I've seen, you're probably right on the money there.

It just still doesn't appear as great an example as I would like simply due to how little there is going mechanically for each player, even if it does do a good job of letting each player engage with a greater portion of the tasks.

I'd love to see something with BDO/MHW's button efficiency that nonetheless makes use of almost as many buttons in total as XIV does (basically just minus combo bloat and then replacing rarely used keys) atop the kind of strong decisions allowed for by versatility and pacing/positioning/situational priorities therein rather than clear-cut roles that we've hinted at so far.

True, MHW can feel overly simple at times, due to the lack of anything other than your combos and items (Even more so for certain weapon types like Dual Blades where all your attacks basically do the same thing and your one really cool attack is predicated on monsters being in a specific area with specific terrain so you can spin through them and deal a buttload of damage)

It's where I feel that instead of just copying MH and calling it FF, being merely inspired by MH and putting in FF flavour to it would work really well. I.e. So your basic 123 filler combo is now the various different combos you have available in MH:W and you'd use your skills as and when they're available and appropriate (Based on CD's, resources, time available to perform the action without being smacked in the face by a boss monster etc.). Throw in the Paradigm system to add further flexibility into available skills (Essentially doubling up on usable skills without increasing button bloat) and you then get an engaging and dynamic combat system that has notable decision making even in your filler combos (I.e. Where will this combo strike? What kind of damage will it do? Will it have any other effects such as stun/mounting chance? etc)

Though, before anyone can really get in depth into designing such as system, one would have to look at the discussion prior to this, about Trinity vs non-Trinity based set up. What would be the ideal situation? A Trinity based game that has expanded player agency (I.e. Beyond the bare minimum of Tankguy has a staring contest with the boss. Healguy plays whack-a-mole with HP bars. Damageguy pokes the bosses butt.) or a non-Trinity based game where roles are merely "Suggestions" that players can only lean towards rather than securely occupy.

What are the pros and cons of each situation and thus which one ultimately comes out looking better?

Like, it's probably easier to balance a trinity based system, since you can tune classes alongside others of the same role (N.B. SE if you're reading this, that DOESN'T mean destroying them all like you did with Healers...). As well as you'd be able to limit skills to particular roles so it's less likely that some ridiculous DPS class happens to access a stupidly strong Tank CD and Heal skill and become literally the most OP class in the game.

Meanwhile the latter system would make for easier grouping, as you'd just throw any players together and people would have to make do and form a strategy based on how everyone has geared themselves (Inb4 a bunch of groups of "Heal focused" players spend a year trying to clear a single dungeon)

Just a couple of examples.

Since it's all well and good to break the mold of the Trinity system, but it's only worth it if the system you change to has benefit over a refined Trinity (Since of course, even within Trinity set ups there's been flexibility in adding in a 4th "Support" role to the mix to go alongside the Tank/Healer/DPS archetypes), as there's a TON of design space as yet unexplored within the Trinity system to help cover many of the points that are considered cons.

For example, some people don't like how silly it seems when a boss is focusing on the Tank while a big clump of squishy DPS and Healers are stood a few feet away being totally ignored.
This can be overcome with mechanics where bosses will try and attack DPS players (Such as the oft used random target unavoidable attacks) and then have the Tank actively work to prevent that by standing in their way (Think like in Cinder Drift when a player catches a comet and is standing between it and the floor), pushing them back or even chaining them down to literally prevent the boss from moving over to said DPS player.

As, just because many devs are content with just rehashing the basic Trinity system developed decades ago, doesn't mean there aren't ways to improve on it and evolve it into something more (As noted with my a previous post of mine noting about FFXIII's Paradigm's as a way to expand on the basic system)

[dinnertime]

Personally I don't mind if there's still a trinity system in the next FF MMO, but I prefer it's not a necessity. Maybe some extremely hard content, sure, just so there's a demand for them, but I like to see a game where every job can fend for themselves with the right survivability skills/tools like items (and making them important), utility abilities or just dodging skills if it's action combat. Having a tank, support and/or healer job in your party would give you a sense of comfort and security that the fight will go more smoothly rather than those jobs being something mandatory.

Also Monster Hunter has some abilities/skills (Hunter Arts) and even different gameplay styles (Hunting Styles) options and some customization on the weapons themselves, but it's in an older game called Monster Hunter Generations. MonHun in general is pretty simple but honestly most of the fun comes from the monster fights themselves.

[linay]

Instead of a dedicated healer/tank job, maybe just be all damage dealers with ability to tank as needed and healing is done via potions. White magic can be offensive too.

[TheJarvisMan]

Less time-gating. Playing this game has basically become checking daily/weekly boxes.

[Colt47]

I"d want a game with active combat like blue protocol, along with elemental resistances being a thing again so the system is more about choices and not about mashing a combo off.

[Makeda]

1. True action combat. No tab targeting
2. Tie things to account, make it alt-friendly, but keep the one-character all jobs as well. Some people like alts, some don't - make both choices viable. Things like mentor status, gil, housing, mounts, minions, an account-bank, FC-membership, dungeon/zone/raid unlocks, Linkshell-membership, retainers - all shared across the account. Things like job levels, MSQ progress, glamours - tied to character.
3. No gender-locked races or classes/jobs. Figure out on day one how you will handle a new race that is notably different from the launch day choices. Have a 'plan' for what will need to be done. Design some gear sets with the assumption that pieces will need to be reloaded into the 3D modelling application 3-4 years later for some alterations.
4. Figure out pet-based and 'unlock skills by exploring' jobs on day one, so there is no mess of 'limited job'.
5. Instanced housing - so everyone can get a house. Maybe even go as far as Wildstar did and make it a low level quest to get your house-plot, and then over time you have a whole side game of getting things for it.
6. Don't tie role to job. Like Elder Scrolls Online and Guild Wars 2: any job should have build options to fit any role. More character customization so people do end up specializing and being deep and set into that role - but not set from the get-go.
7. more open map. If I can see it on my screen, I should be able to go to it... even if that means my character falls off a ledge and dies.
8. Don't limit PC to satisfy console, or vice versa... if the game is made for a console, it should be made for whatever is the latest console 'coming out' around the time the game comes out... it should not have things that look 'old' on day one on PC because it's supporting a half-decade old console.
9. Global level scaling of all zones to your current level, like in Elder Scrolls Online. But NOT for raids, trials, and 'hard mode' dungeons - this would require being at whatever is the current max level, and old ones would get scaled up if the level increased rather than scaling people down when they enter them.
10. Ensure your PvP system and you PvE system both have a full range of abilities for characters that more or less looks the same - but are balanced separately from the beginning.
11. More face and body customization. Sliders for more features... Armor rigged to assume it will also follow the sliders out. Different pieces of gear should not change body dimensions unless the change is the piece itself (ie, a giant shoulder piece, but switching between a shirt and a bikini top should not change bust size radically, nor certain bottoms add more curve than others despite both being visually similar items... Which means... people need enough sliders to get the shape they want for their character at the start...
12. Launch with at least 1 radically non-human looking race...
13. Either go Sci-Fi, or go Fantasy... But Magitek... is just overdone now...

[Alestorm]

More gear slots for things like under garments, glasses, socks/tights that don't add anything to your characters strength.
Better dying system and ALL gear can be recolored
Allow tights to actually cover your feet without the use of special shoes from a specific set
Use some additional weapon types for the classes

Other than that FFXIV is pretty solid as a base concept to build from, maybe have it take longer and more a build up to being the "chosen one" for the story (if they opt to go that route)

[DumdogsWorld]

In response to some of the other suggestions here:

Tab targeting is a very subjective thing. In games like ESO, I hate the inability to control exactly which enemy in the mob I target.

Somebody make an MMO that supports both targeting systems, please.