Final Fantasy XIV Hot Takes

[ReynTime]

The level of fan service is crazy. I've said this before in other threads, but I hope if ever there is another FF MMO, it tries to create and maintain its own identity vs. using past FF titles as a crutch. Then you have cross-overs which are shoe-horned into the game and get full raid series (looking at you, Nier). Makes no sense.

I know that there are a few FF staples that are generally found in most of their games, Chocobos, airships, Cid, Moogles, job types, certain mobs, etc, but XIV has gone far past the usual items.

This is why they go overboard with the refs. This is what the average public does:
https://youtu.be/OfJRm0WssOE

[SeverianLyonesse]

The level of fan service is crazy. I've said this before in other threads, but I hope if ever there is another FF MMO, it tries to create and maintain its own identity vs. using past FF titles as a crutch. Then you have cross-overs which are shoe-horned into the game and get full raid series (looking at you, Nier). Makes no sense.

I know that there are FF staples that are generally found in most of their games, Chocobos, airships, Cid, Moogles, job types, certain mobs, etc, but XIV has gone far past the usual items.

The main story is still pretty solidly original. Looking at the most recent expansions, all of the MSQ content has been original except:

* EW: Loporrits, Anima, Magus Sisters, Ragnarok, I guess to some extent Zodiark and Venat even though they are references in name only.
* ShB: Crystal Tower, Dwarves, Hades, Warrior of Light, Angelo
* SB: Doma, Lakshmi, Omega v. Shinryu
* HW: Midgardsormr, Knights of the Round, Bismarck, Matoya

Still some 90+ percent of the worldbuilding is fairly original and unique to FF XIV. Yeah we have some combined elements like a massive empire ala VI/XII, sci-fi elements ala VII/VIII, job system ala III/V, and some core systems that draw heavily from popular titles like the materia system(which imo should be dropped). But it's the derivativeness is not as bad as people make it out to be.

Where the impression that XIV is not original stems from primarily the "side content" (which counterintuitively ends up providing the majority of the gameplay as each expansion's respective endgame):

* HW: Alexander raids (IX/XI), Warring Triad Trials (VI), to some extent the Shadows of Mhach raids
* SB: Omega raids (V/VI/I), Hell's Lid trials (Legends), Dalmasca raids (XII)
* ShB: Eden raids (VIII), Weapon trials (VII), Nier raids
* EW: Pandaemonium raids (II)

I think it is fine. I also think that a wholly original FF MMO would tank because it is the intertextuality that appeals to more players. And since XIV is like the uber-intertextual-FF I don't see any reason for SE to try to remake the same phenomenon again from the ground up.

[Conundrum]

The level of fan service is crazy. I've said this before in other threads, but I hope if ever there is another FF MMO, it tries to create and maintain its own identity vs. using past FF titles as a crutch. Then you have cross-overs which are shoe-horned into the game and get full raid series (looking at you, Nier). Makes no sense.

I know that there are FF staples that are generally found in most of their games, Chocobos, airships, Cid, Moogles, job types, certain mobs, etc, but XIV has gone far past the usual items.

I honestly don't mind the temporary crossovers, they can be fun. But they leave in the end.

But you did use a key word...CRUTCH. it's like they are terrified to do original content. I mean when they announced the EW alliance raids were going to actually be original it was a big deal and selling point to them. ORIGINAL should be the norm, not the notable exception.

[Raoabolic]

This is why they go overboard with the refs. This is what the average public does:
https://youtu.be/OfJRm0WssOE

Sigh, you just don't understand. It was a chocobo, but it was red. And the moogle's name had Mog in it. Sigh, you just don't get it. /s

[Rolder50]

Where the impression that XIV is not original stems from primarily the "side content" (which counterintuitively ends up providing the majority of the gameplay as each expansion's respective endgame):

* HW: Alexander raids (IX/XI), Warring Triad Trials (VI), to some extent the Shadows of Mhach raids
* SB: Omega raids (V/VI/I), Hell's Lid trials (Legends), Dalmasca raids (XII)
* ShB: Eden raids (VIII), Weapon trials (VII), Nier raids
* EW: Pandaemonium raids (II)

The Omega raids were just the worst in that regard. I've not played those games, so the whole thing just felt like a mish-mash of random unrelated concepts, stuffed into some nonsensical tournament arc.

[Remish]

I honestly don't mind the temporary crossovers, they can be fun. But they leave in the end.

But you did use a key word...CRUTCH. it's like they are terrified to do original content. I mean when they announced the EW alliance raids were going to actually be original it was a big deal and selling point to them. ORIGINAL should be the norm, not the notable exception.

It has been stated several times over that FFXIV is an FF theme park MMO. It has also been stated that it is the center of the FF universe. They aren't terrified. Being an FF reference playground IS and has always been FFXIV's identity.

[AnimaAnimus]

Competitive raiders (as well as competitive PvPers) can often be your quintessential loud minority and disproportionately affect games compared to how small their scene actually is. They can damage communities with their streaming influence. Historically, they have also been highly toxic.

Any fringe group can be a loud and toxic minority. Here, we have a louder and more toxic casual minority than competitive, pvp or raider. Which is why SE quickly nerfs everything even slightly challenging and offers nearly all raid items from other sources. Extreme mounts are put in mog tome events, replicas of the raid gear sets are available so they can glam them, even the relic has suffered from this, which is why the relic line of the past 2 expansions has just been a series of fates instead of anything relatively engaging of fun (even that has been the source of many tears, since ppl still thought it was still too hard, even when it was current). Neither fringe group, casual or raider, want balanced content. They want ALL content made for them and them only and here anything they can't watch netflix while they run is deemed unacceptable. Which SE caves to at an alarming rate.

Neither side is good for the game and its players, but one is always catered to over the other it seems and here they cater to the very toxic, casual minority.

[Conundrum]

It has been stated several times over that FFXIV is an FF theme park MMO. It has also been stated that it is the center of the FF universe. They aren't terrified, being an FF reference playground IS FFXIV's identity. It's always been intended that way.

Doesn't make it less of a terrible and unimaginative design philosophy...in fact it makes it worse.

But the fanboys love it.

[Remish]

Doesn't make it less of a terrible and unimaginative design philosophy...in fact it makes it worse.

But the fanboys love it.

You're entitled to your opinion but the games sales and population strongly suggest otherwise. Something about their design philosophy is working wither you agree with it or not.

[aveyond-dreams]

Well, FFXIV is kind of supposed to appeal to fans of the series and people who are into "fantasy" in general. The familiarity that draws upon things from other games helps make it a more palatable experience, as opposed to something entirely foreign.

Creative Business Unit III however is more than capable of creating their own original worlds, and I'm especially interested in FFXVI's setting because it seems to be a largely original medieval setting other than the aspect of the classic FF summons.