You dont need the story.

[Shougun]

No.. I have prior experience. Yes, I will bring it up yet again, apparently I had an "imaginary friend", "the game wasn't for me".. When I made a serious discussion thread about ARR (prior to pruning).

"The game isn't for you", "go play WoW", etc. are constants if a player chooses to dislike the story, and be public about it.

Before WoW did it's choose your expansion start, I was suggesting FFXIV do something similar in the sense that SE makes these alternate starts that jump start your gameplay experience and are designed a bit tighter (imo FFXIV's intro is a bit 'meh', to be fair some of WoW's are also meh lol, but I feel a few are neat and more grabbing - I'm talking post intro cutscene btw, not the cutscene in the beginning).

I was met with if you don't like the story then don't play the game. I had to clarify I do actually like the story (minus some bits here and there that felt like filler, some of it was pruned though) and I just think it's silly to force people through, literally, hundred + hours of story they are probably not interested in if they wanted to get into the tighter gameplay content sooner (those who were wouldn't be taking this optional start, most likely- and even if they did they have MSQ+ to enjoy it later).

If someone was excited for an expansion for content coming out in the expansion then having to do the like 60-90 hours for ARR and then about 30-50 hours for each expansion there after to catch up is more work than most "best RPGs of all time" games, some of those to near or actual 100% completion. To me it was "for those who are not as invested into the story yet and or need a more exciting hook, this could be neat". As it would be optional, and because of our MSQ+ system it wouldn't ruin the opportunity to go back (and would allow it to actually be content for current players as well since they could new game + it). It was made clear there wouldn't be a change to how story works with the game, if someone chose to alternate start they did and if they didn't they didn't the core building of the game wasn't to be changed- just allow different types of players, those who aren't sold on the 150+ hour pre-investment to get to the content they wanted for example (or those who need a more peppy start, since imo FFXIV's start could use with some more pizazz). It's one thing to have 20-40 hours of investment needed or staying current with content vs having 100-200 movies worth of story before you're where you wanted to be (for example I thought it might drop you off near the beginning of an expansion previous to the one that's out, so you had to do 1 expansion and then you got to the current one, this is also why I noted I said this before WoW's system since it seems like I almost wrote that system lol . . . ).

The response was very much of "no way, go some where else". Which I thought interesting since I was clear that the importance to the story wouldn't be changed, just some people could smoothly and logically get into the thick of it easier. To be fair not everyone who wasn't really into the idea was like that, not painting the entire response- but there was quite a few "leave!". Or I guess "buy the level and story skip potions" but I feel that's silly sell to players "buy the game, buy another game's worth of value so you can then get tossed roughly to the end" seems like such a poor solution and an easy way to lose players. The intend of the alternate start was to give them like an hour or two "getting the feel of the game" and a few objectives and ideas of what to do after, while also mixing up the intro to be a bit more directed and controlled with it's burn. Like when I first started I think I spent the first 10 hours in town just grabbing quests and talking to people and touching everything, you can absolutely and fairly blame it on me that I did that lol, but I would suggest I would have had more fun if the team had constructed an expanding and yet more exciting start (don't start players in the main town, etc). Also I've massive nostalgia to the whole start small go big experience which many, not all, of the WoW Starts had - of course some of those older ones are not as good now but like when I first arrived to the main cities from those little villages they put you in... MMM *snaps fingers* lol. That was perfect and is still an extremely fond memory. No such memory exists for FFXIV like that, at least for many many hours (there are some neat big areas later). If I was making a start at least one of them would HAVE to include that sense of expanding adventure (starting small, farm boy to the big city- not speaking story I'm talking about the general journey you take for the intro, if you argue "but at level 50 you are big, massive compared to level 1".. then that missed my point lol, I am aware of the growth your character makes over 80 levels and I'm not talking about the entire game I'm speaking strictly on the intro when I said that).

Of course I feel I've said a lot good about WoW and not so much about FFXIV so I would note basically as soon as things get moving I feel FFXIV gets better and better traction and WoW just loses it, so if you didn't get hooked in the beginning it's like "well, that's unfortunate, good luck now - I feel you wont still then" lol. Don't misunderstand the farm boy to city thing though, since WoW tosses you right into combat and depending on which race some silly fun mechanics (Goblin was cute, Worgon was nice but had WAY TOO MANY BUGS OH MY HOW CAN THAT BE ACCEPTABLE!?!?! FFXIV WOULDN'T ACCEPT THAT! lol). Some people like that it starts from such a small tiny candle flame (lvl 1) in the pacing and grip to the roaring fire (lvl 80), but I think - "at least start from a bit more torch, in the beigning, as an option?". Like when I think of a FF intro that just haunts me still is FFX. Sweet Thal... Sweeeeeeeeet Thal... Pretty much the intro that determined I would complete the rest of the game hell or high water. And I'm not talking about just the cutscene / music, which were stellar, it's even after that then you go through a series of interesting fights to learn the game (the whole intro is exciting, imo), and then finally they slap you into a small village space so you can get that feeling of growth again (small to big, Goblin quest line is maybe a bit like that if we were drawing intro-vibe parallels, of course FFX way more exciting lol, even though for seconds you were in a big area you still get growth of small to big, unlike say 'starting pretty much directly inside the main starting city'). Other FF have their own cool intros of course, I don't think there is one that I dislike (all tend to be quite nice), some of them set a nice maturity or whimsy. Say for example FFIX you get right into this mystery that leads into a fight that then is a comedy and then into a load of mini-games and the cutest freaking music ever with a fairly well directed path (which is a bit closer to what FFXIV does, but if it was going for the FFIX like intro I think it could still use some more polish).

Anyway.. we're all special . . .