Content Finder

[Lior]

I'm an old-school gamer who (perhaps foolishly) clings to an old-school mentality. I don't necessarily buy into the modern mindset of games needing instantly-accessible content, at least not MMORPGs. MMORPGs, to me, are about persistent worlds with regular users who, over time, form a community, work towards objectives, and define the virtual space they play in. They're about a slow boil, and I think the subscription model ties into this - I feel more comfortable paying a sub fee when I expect to be doing something over a long period of time, rather than just jumping in when I feel like it to get a new shiny.

Easily-accessible content isn't necessarily a bad thing. I think that there should be opportunities for people to log in and get something done in the span of an hour, but I think there are a few flawed concepts in the current execution seen in games like WoW or Rift:

1. Content-Finder Content Shouldn't Be The Game's Core Feature
   

   WoW put way too much focus on its instanced dungeons. This isn't inherently a bad thing, but coupled with dungeon finder it became a scenario in which the only content worth doing outside of two, maybe three nights dedicated to raiding, was content that you never had to leave the city or get to know people for. For those who don't raid, which would be the majority of players, this meant that the entire game was played around this queue system, negating a lot of what I feel are the foundations of an MMORPG: world and community.
   
   If FFXIV introduces a content finder, the content it queues you for can not be the end-all be-all of the game for all but the hardcore. Bite-sized adventures are fine, but SE needs to be careful not to completely eliminate all need to remain grounded in the community and the world. Speaking of which...

2. The World Cannot Be Negated
   

   One thing I enjoyed about FFXI was the fact that even when other games around them were jumping on the bandwagon, they never went the instant-and-easy travel route and negated the world their developers spent so long designing. Even FFXIV manages to find a decent balance with its anima system. Why, however, would you spend resources and time creating a game world if that world exists solely to funnel people through levels until they wind up sitting in a city and queueing for instances?
   
   I understand that travel can be a time-waster for those with limited time to spare (though I'd argue that MMOs, by their nature, should require a greater time investment), so perhaps a middle-ground could be a free teleport to the nearest aetheryte? Something that still keeps you in the world, and makes some degree of sense in the context of lore, without turning the game into a lobby game.

3. If I Wanted a Lobby Game, I'd Play One
   

   I play MMOs for a specific kind of gameplay. If I just wanted to run some quick content with people, ignoring all sense of world and community, why would I pay a subscription fee for it? There are countless games that fulfill that niche, there's no reason to turn yet another MMO into one. Hell, if you insist on having levels and items tacked on so you can work towards an achievement with your dungeon-farming, why not play Guild Wars or Guild Wars 2? Final Fantasy doesn't need this. It needs to be its own game.

A content-finder can work, sure, but it really shouldn't take over the game like it does in WoW. My ultimate preference? Look at LOTRO's skirmishes or Rift's chronicles. Small 1 or 2 man bite-sized content with interesting stories and mechanics, and rewards that don't overshadow the main content of the game. It's enough to satisfy the casuals, and can be used safely with a cross-realm model, while still leaving those who have more time to invest firmly grounded in their world and community.

[Jinko]

Content-Finder Content Shouldn't Be The Game's Core Feature

WoW put way too much focus on its instanced dungeons. This isn't inherently a bad thing, but coupled with dungeon finder it became a scenario in which the only content worth doing outside of two, maybe three nights dedicated to raiding, was content that you never had to leave the city or get to know people for. For those who don't raid, which would be the majority of players, this meant that the entire game was played around this queue system, negating a lot of what I feel are the foundations of an MMORPG: world and community.

If FFXIV introduces a content finder, the content it queues you for can not be the end-all be-all of the game for all but the hardcore. Bite-sized adventures are fine, but SE needs to be careful not to completely eliminate all need to remain grounded in the community and the world. Speaking of which...

I don't see why you can't make friend and get to know people in a town, You suggest that the majority don't raid in WoW yet I would beg to differ.

The World Cannot Be Negated

One thing I enjoyed about FFXI was the fact that even when other games around them were jumping on the bandwagon, they never went the instant-and-easy travel route and negated the world their developers spent so long designing. Even FFXIV manages to find a decent balance with its anima system. Why, however, would you spend resources and time creating a game world if that world exists solely to funnel people through levels until they wind up sitting in a city and queueing for instances?

I understand that travel can be a time-waster for those with limited time to spare (though I'd argue that MMOs, by their nature, should require a greater time investment), so perhaps a middle-ground could be a free teleport to the nearest aetheryte? Something that still keeps you in the world, and makes some degree of sense in the context of lore, without turning the game into a lobby game.

Final fantasy 11 had plenty of instanced content, Nyzul, BCNM, storyline boss encounters etc.
Travel time has no issue for me, since the addition of Chocobo and airship nobody should have an excuse to complain.

If I Wanted a Lobby Game, I'd Play One

I play MMOs for a specific kind of gameplay. If I just wanted to run some quick content with people, ignoring all sense of world and community, why would I pay a subscription fee for it? There are countless games that fulfill that niche, there's no reason to turn yet another MMO into one. Hell, if you insist on having levels and items tacked on so you can work towards an achievement with your dungeon-farming, why not play Guild Wars or Guild Wars 2? Final Fantasy doesn't need this. It needs to be its own game.

A content-finder can work, sure, but it really shouldn't take over the game like it does in WoW. My ultimate preference? Look at LOTRO's skirmishes or Rift's chronicles. Small 1 or 2 man bite-sized content with interesting stories and mechanics, and rewards that don't overshadow the main content of the game. It's enough to satisfy the casuals, and can be used safely with a cross-realm model, while still leaving those who have more time to invest firmly grounded in their world and community.

You suggest that lobby games don't require a fee to play PSO2 is one such lobby game which requires a fee to play just like all its predecessors.

Sure that kind of game is not everyone's cup of tea but just saying.

SE has designed this game with casuals in mind from day 1, both Tanaka and Yoshida seem to agree that this is where the game should be headed.

All I ever see on these forums these days are ex FF11 players being nostalgic and reminiscing on things they wish were in this game, it seems silly and pointless to even bother when it was clear from the start this game was going to be nothing like that.