State of Raiding In Regards to Community/FCs.

[Vaer]

The "community" doesn't end just at your FC. Some players have groups with cross server players. These groups won't be able to be in the same FC unless they transfer servers. Over on the Japanese servers they use DF. There are players that just PuG all the way. All incentives will do for people that are with "outside" statics by choice is to leave the FC for a raiding FC, make a massive dummy FC just to get the rewards, or a leave/join fest. Sounds good on paper, but I don't see it helping much.

[AnonymousBard]

I know what you're talking about TC. If even just to let you know you're not crazy, I can confirm that its not as easy as most people (including this thread) think it is to find a static, especially in FC's. Just like you said, most people will just say "Sorry you didn't find the right FC, but that's on you. the right one is out there!" Well, "the right" FC is few and far between. It's actually harder than people realize to find a good FC, let alone one that has enough active players that are willing to make raiding statics. For me, its the only thing that has prevented me from even doing Savage content up to this point. Like you, I'm "casually hardcore". As in, I'm on most nights (but not every night, because there are other things in my life that are important to me), I have a couple lvl 80's, gatherers are 50 but no crafter is above 10. I play pretty much everything but PvP (not that I'm opposed to PvP, I actually like PvP in games, just not in FFXIV in particular).

But I will say that I also agree with most of the others that FC-related content lockout is not the answer. What I think is the answer is making FC's more approachable and manageable. Imo, its more or less dead content. Recruitment in general sucks super bad. And I think that making FC's a more manageable and enjoyable experience would drastically encourage FC activity for us smaller/mid-sized guilds and in turn, increase FC related raid statics.

/my2cents

[SaberMaxwell]

Ya know, the funniest thing is my fc has two high end statics: No Hit and Columnae Custodes. Both were formed independently of each other yet happenstance has at least 3 members of No Hit (a world prog team) and 5 members of Columnae Custodes (a week 1/2 tier team). If we really wanted to, we could probably field an entire static with our in-house members, but A: we don't want to, we have different goals for raiding between our groups, B: it wouldn't change much for people in our fc, as our top members would all have filled out exactly one static, and C: not everyone in our fc wants to raid.

You see, our fc is a meme: we're casual oriented to the bone despite some of our heavier hitting members. In our group, we don't do too much to advantage raiders besides scream support for them on stream.

We have map nights, movie nights, ex primal nights for any mount across the expansions; recently we've all taken to chilling out and shooting the breeze at a local tavern fc. That's not to say we're unhelpful for anyone outside of our statics: if anyone were to ask about high end content we have several experts in every role ready to lend a hand, and we have taught Savage fights to people so they could get a page and be prepared to go for chests in pf. It's just that raiding is not our focus as an fc: being a bunch of fun loving derps is.

If I had to pick something I liked most it's *that* I don't have to link my raiding career and non raiding social life together. When my group is done raiding and I'm looking to just chill out doing maps, watching movies, or playing other games, there are tons of people willing to do just that in my fc.

To go onto topic, I feel like I can only oppose this suggestion. I remember what it was like before xworld pf, especially during Midas: if you wanted to raid, you went where the pool of high skilled players was the highest. As a former Coeurlite, that was no fun. I don't think you can force communities in a way that wouldn't harm the way XIV's communities are set up now, and a lot of people do like and do benefit from how they're set up.

I do agree though I miss having to hang out at the raid entrance.

[Rilifane]

Although my own static is FC intern, including some surrogates, I'm completely against tying progress to social life.
Having the freedom to join statics outside your FC and joining FCs without having to leave your static aswell is a huge boon and shouldn't be underestimated. It gives you the chance to interact and do things with two different groups, each like-minded in a different way but both equally "for you".
You never have to weigh their chance of success against how likeable they are on a personal level.
If you're very casual outside of raids, that's no problem. If you rarely play outside of raids, that's also not a problem. If you can work well with your static but couldn't imagine doing social and casual stuff with them that's, again, not a problem.

The only thing I miss and would like to see is some QoL for FC intern statics.
I liked the way WoW went about it - encouraging intern statics without making it mandatory because it was really just some QoL. While many things fall flat in FF14 because of the design (like mass ress outside combat) the general idea of having FC skills could be implemented.
E.g.:
- summoning a FC chests in a dungeon/ raid
- being able to repair gear of FC mates/ summoning a repair bot your FC mates can use
- in case of the latter: repair bots can be crafted at the company workshop; people who don't enjoy raiding themselves but enjoy giving ingame support to a raid team can help with crafting them
- potions with multiple charges that are worse than current tier HQ potions (e.g. current give 398 (?) main stat, those would give 320); can be crafted in your company workshop and are bound to the person picking them up. They are meant to be "makeshift" potions for progression and save you some money while still being able to use pots to get a rough estimate about the rDPS and when/ how to best incorporate them during each fight
- FC buff that gives you a higher chance to retrieve materia (e.g. additional 10-20%); nothing too big but worth using after a successful raid when everyone is melding or someone is changing class and needs to re-meld

I think QoL encourages the social aspect much more than progression/ exclusivity. It also has the added benefit of being able to include people outside the static but part of the FC.
FCs could set up a farm night every now and then where everyone, wether part of the static or not, can join to bash stones and trees and help crafting the bots and reusable pots.

[Stanelis]

I'm going to be speaking from anecdotal evidence; just to preface this.

I have been playing the game casually hardcore since roughly the latter half of Heavensward and I have felt like something is missing from my gaming experience, at least on the servers I have played on thus far in NA. This game is definitely geared toward community and making players interact with one another on a frequent basis, which is great; I'm not going to knock it at all for this. The issue I have noticed is lack of the Free Company's ability to integrate newer members and participate in actual FC interactions of duties.

Let me be frank and come out with what I mean. For a few years now, I haven't really felt like I've been able to DO anything involving raiding with any of the FCs that I have been with. Every. Single. One; has had their own "Static" on the side, and thus the members don't or aren't willing to succeed or fail as their own communities. Instead this is replaced by cliques and creates a sort of divide between FC members. There are social events, sure; however, when it comes to raiding and/or higher end duties, something is missing.

That has always been the problem with FFXIV and its strict 8 men limitation in party sizes. Until something like flexible party size is implemented, I don't see it change, because the way loot work, you re basically punished for running the content without a static (not even talking about the fact rotating members would have to learn the fight anew).

[MoonPhaseAlpha]

I have been playing the game casually hardcore...

Casually hardcore? I did not know this was a thing...

[Vidu]

I know what you're talking about TC. If even just to let you know you're not crazy, I can confirm that its not as easy as most people (including this thread) think it is to find a static, especially in FC's. Just like you said, most people will just say "Sorry you didn't find the right FC, but that's on you. the right one is out there!" Well, "the right" FC is few and far between. It's actually harder than people realize to find a good FC, let alone one that has enough active players that are willing to make raiding statics. For me, its the only thing that has prevented me from even doing Savage content up to this point. Like you, I'm "casually hardcore". As in, I'm on most nights (but not every night, because there are other things in my life that are important to me), I have a couple lvl 80's, gatherers are 50 but no crafter is above 10. I play pretty much everything but PvP (not that I'm opposed to PvP, I actually like PvP in games, just not in FFXIV in particular).

For the record: I dont think its easy to find a static or a good FC - but I do think that a lot of people expect this to be far easier than seems realistic and I dont understand why.

Just to elaborate a bit what I mean: I view both a static and an FC as more than just 7 other people to clear raids with - to me they're friends, more or less good ones, some you're closer with, some you know less about, but they're all friends and its more a community than just the people that you kill Ramuh-savage with.
Joining a static is only the first step in becoming part of such a community - you need to understand that you're joining a bunch of people who know each other for a while already and who will be more familiar with each other at first than they are with you. Joining an FC doesnt mean you get straight into the inner circle or become part of the FCs static. It also doesnt mean that the FC is outright excluding people if they dont kick half the current static to make room for new memembers!
A community, an FC, a static is something everyone builds together - including (a general) you. Its something one needs to invest in - time, effort, kindness... on both sides.
I'm sorry if I'm missunderstanding things here, but often posts complaining about bad FCs read a lot like people were expecting to have 30 friends who are willing to do any content at any time with them - and thats just not realistic.

It takes a while to find a good fit - and it takes an even longer while to foster relationships within the static.
But suggestions like OPs wont help with that - forcing people to play together just because they're in an FC will more likely lead to FC you cant even get a foot in the door. It will lead to more gated communities, not better ones.

[Shriv]

Casually hardcore? I did not know this was a thing...

Mutually exclusive terms, isn't it?

[Arillyn]

For the record: I dont think its easy to find a static or a good FC - but I do think that a lot of people expect this to be far easier than seems realistic and I dont understand why.

It takes a while to find a good fit - and it takes an even longer while to foster relationships within the static.
But suggestions like OPs wont help with that - forcing people to play together just because they're in an FC will more likely lead to FC you cant even get a foot in the door. It will lead to more gated communities, not better ones.

This so much. I often feel the same when I read these kinds of posts.

For example, the FC I am in is very friendly and welcoming. We are casual. Some people do extremes and some do savage, but there are no statics within the FC. If you join us we will welcome you warmly and offer to help on things if you need it, just let us know. But our FC has been together a long time. Some of us even have known each other from other games. We won't exclude you from things. But we don't know new members yet as well as we know each other because we've been together a long time. That's just normal. And some people join and don't say much or come along when we ask if anyone wants to do such & such. And that's okay, but if you (general you) don't speak up or engage we can't help (general you). And sometimes it's just not a fit and that's okay too. We also don't do any recruiting. I mean you can join, but we don't do active recruiting like doing shouts or random invites or anything like that. Sometimes we play with people who don't have an FC and if it seems to be a good fit we may ask if they would like to join. Most of our new recruits come from members that way or who are friends, or friends of friends.

I do know I'm lucky to have the FC I have. Love the people in it and we have a blast. I've heard about some horror stories. Not everyone is a fit for our FC either. But we are upfront with people who join - we are casual and social. We do raids and such together but if you are looking for a savage static in an FC then our FC is not for you.

As for the topic at hand, I wouldn't want these to be integrated. We have people who do savage in our FC, but with a static outside or they PUG it. I would hate to lose them because they are lots of fun - they just do savage outside the FC.

[Spiroglyph]

I like the current state of FCs, where each FC has their own focus and can advertise and recruit according to that.

On that note, and taking na idea from another thread somewhere on the first pages, what's missing is a proper way to advertise FCs in the actual game, and a proper way to look for na FC that's catering to your personal needs.

Some kind of recruitment board, perhaps, where FCs would post recruitment notices for what they're looking for?

This would benefit everyone as social based FCs would stay the same and members could still have their own LS statics on the side and just chill at their FC, while people looking for a FC static would have the means to look for one suiting their needs.

This is a problema that's affecting everyone at the moment, not just people in your specific situation. Finding an FC is done basically through map /shout ing and joining a friend's FC. There's no way to look for anything more specific, and that makes it hard for anyone to find exactly what they're looking for. :/