Please don't harass people for ignoring/disliking the story

[Ameela]

Ultima Weapon is a biotechnological weapon, but its internals do consist primarily of machinery. It was not, based on the information we currently have available, a lizard with armor grafted onto it. Were I to hazard a guess as to the reason for its shape, I'd tend to think the Allagans based it on the dragon-centaur things responsible for summoning Zurvan.

I'm mostly basing it off the fact that the two prototypes we see for it are more organic than mechanical, so in my head I always thought Ultima Weapon would have some kind of organism beneath the mechanical exterior.
Either way, despite being a giant robot it's still based on some sensible part of the world, it didn't just spring out of thin air.

...

As I pointed out, both the examples given for IV and VI are logical within the game's world, despite the technological advancements far beyond our own that would be required to build something like that both their form and their function make sense within the world they inhabit. It's not like the moment Magitek appeared the imperials were just like "wow we can make cars and T-shirts now", they created mechanized versions of the monsters and creatures that inhabited their world, because that's what they know.
As for FFVII, no one in that game is wearing traditional armor, they're wearing scraps held together by nuts and bolts that they found in the trash heaps left by Shinra. Of course I'm gonna expect a more modern touch with VII the moment I see screws sticking out of Cloud's shoulder pad and glove.
And FFX... well, let's just say that there may be some kind of thematic relevance to Auron being in a traditional and outdated Japanese garb while the rest of the cast is in more contemporary clothing... I'm not quite sure what the connection could be though...

SoP is the real strong argument here where I will concede that yes, there is a jarring mishmash of aesthetics in that game, one which was rightfully ridiculed when it was first revealed, I should point out - and one that came after XIV had set a precedent for it already.

[kaynide]

As for FFVII, no one in that game is wearing traditional armor, they're wearing scraps held together by nuts and bolts that they found in the trash heaps left by Shinra. Of course I'm gonna expect a more modern touch with VII the moment I see screws sticking out of Cloud's shoulder pad and glove.

Jessie wears a fitted breastplate with pauldons over a chain shirt. If you know anything about plate armor, you’d know it takes a lot of work to refit it to a new body, and not just found scrap. Doubly so when it is as form fitting as it is to her.



My point is, you can try to justify whatever your opinion is, and you are entitled to it. You are welcome to believe the culture pre island colorful dodgeball was one of samurai and sunglasses.

But to state X doesn’t belong as point of fact is simply incorrect.

[Ameela]

Jessie wears a fitted breastplate with pauldons over a chain shirt. If you know anything about plate armor, you’d know it takes a lot of work to refit it to a new body, and not just found scrap. Doubly so when it is as form fitting as it is to her.



My point is, you can try to justify whatever your opinion is, and you are entitled to it. You are welcome to believe the culture pre island colorful dodgeball was one of samurai and sunglasses.

But to state X doesn’t belong as point of fact is simply incorrect.

Jessie's armor is clearly a bunch of metal platings she found and haphazardly soldiered off and restitched together with rusty hinges and belt straps. It's not like some master blacksmith made it for her.

Plus irregardless of how she aquired the armor her outfit is clearly a mishmash of different stuff that she threw together in order to create sort of mitilaristic outfit that would afford her some protection, it's not like she's in a full knight's armor like, say, Steiner from IX.
That's a far cry from how disparaging XIV's aesthetic is, sorry but to me Calvin Klein will never have a place in a Final Fantasy game unless it's explicitly set in a world and time period meant to mirror our own like XV's.

There's a big difference between these two pictures despite them showcasing supposedly the same thing on paper, what XIV does and what other FF's do isn't exactly comparable to me.

[kaynide]

Agree to disagree over Jessie's armor, but that's fine. She is essentially the only armored character in the game that we interact with so it's fair to say she is not the norm.

what XIV does and what other FF's do isn't exactly comparable to me.

This is the crux of it all- if it doesn't matter, then why is it wrong to have burgers and Hawaiian shirts in an otherwise pure-fantasy world? These are things that explicitly exist in this world.

Again, not liking is fine- even saying a Hawaiian shirt is out of place in say...Gridania could be fine in the same way a Kimono would be out of place in German Oktoberfest- and that's fine. But the entire world in FFXIV is not defined or restricted to any one specific time, place or aesthetic.

Your original statements were that these things do not belong- that's all I have/had issue with- not your feelings/opinions on it.

At the risk of sounding derpy, I believe FFXIV's world is a place where any and all kinds of things are able to exist, including space-faring, time-traveling, sword-wielding, burger-eating, god-slaying, mech-riding girls in bikinis.

[Kenky]

Remember that Burgers do exist in XIV, thanks to the Archon-Burger. That is rather popular in Sharlayan.

Each "segment" of the world is based on a different cultural trend, especially so in the Land of Adventurers itself (Thats Eorzea.) La Noscea is very maritime / Pirate-themed, so loose shirts, tight pants and bandanas ahoy. While Thanalan is all about knee-high leather sandals with more straps than a horse harness and comfortable, breathable clothes that ooze wealth.

That alone, a La Noscean adventurer would be very out of place in Thanalan and vice-versa. But because Eorzea is this hodge-podge of cultures, it has blended together over the years, due to uniting and trade agreements and the like. Keep in mind that Othard & Doma only joined the Eorzean Alliance not too long ago and already, you see people wearing Hingan / Doman clothes in Ul'dah. Then theres the very bright and colourful outfits from Thavnair.

To that end, it's not really "X is out of place" but rather "X is from different culture" Every FF has a different "Theme" of a sort, yet all under the Final Fantasy Banner. They've said many times that no Final Fantasy is connected to another (with the exception of 4 with 4 after-stories, 7 and Crisis Core, 13 and all the spin-offs there, etc) so to gauge based on previous installments is.. Misleading.

And to finish it off, before anyone brings up the outfits based on Lightning, Snow, Squall, Cloud, Zidane, etc. Those are References. Nothing more. If you read the tool-tip on the SDR Fenrir (clouds bike) it straight-up says it shouldn't exist / Doesn't exist in Eorzea.

[caffe_macchiato]

Neat? Skip away I guess? Seems like a waste when story is like 80% of the game, but whatever.

And this is what likely confuses many gamers. They see an MMO with a $13/month subscription and expect the bulk of the gameplay to be multiplayer like every other MMO and online game. In reality, FFXIV is more story-focused and linear than many other Final Fantasy games, let alone MMOs. The vast majority of content in this game can be done solo, and for the small fraction that isn’t, you can do it without talking to anyone else.

The only caveat that you should keep in mind is just how long the story mode is. Unlike other Final Fantasies, and very unlike the premise of an expansion pack, you must do everything *in order*. That leaves us with by far the longest story in any Final Fantasy game, and likely any other RPG ever released. You don’t even lose your sprout icon until over a hundred hours. That can be daunting for many players who are used to sub-100 hour playtimes for their RPGs. That’s why there’s the issue of wanting to skip some of it, especially when expansion packs for most games are a pick-and-choose affair unlike this one.

[Atelier-Bagur]

And this is what likely confuses many gamers. They see an MMO with a $13/month subscription and expect the bulk of the gameplay to be multiplayer like every other MMO and online game. In reality, FFXIV is more story-focused and linear than many other Final Fantasy games, let alone MMOs. The vast majority of content in this game can be done solo, and for the small fraction that isn’t, you can do it without talking to anyone else.

The only caveat that you should keep in mind is just how long the story mode is. Unlike other Final Fantasies, and very unlike the premise of an expansion pack, you must do everything *in order*. That leaves us with by far the longest story in any Final Fantasy game, and likely any other RPG ever released. You don’t even lose your sprout icon until over a hundred hours. That can be daunting for many players who are used to sub-100 hour playtimes for their RPGs. That’s why there’s the issue of wanting to skip some of it, especially when expansion packs for most games are a pick-and-choose affair unlike this one.

I think it's just that out of many of the other MMOs in the market, FFXIV is the only one out there that puts story first and foremost in its design and it's just a concept that is alien to a lot of people or at least it's a design choice they're not used to for the genres format. Which while we can still criticize for how it handles it, I also don't think it should come at the expense of what the game has always has been.

I love that the game emphasizes it's story, especially with it's quests while they're not the most engaging content, the stories and characters behind every questline is imo leagues better than many of its competitors...well besides ESO. It's ambitious and commendable that FFXIV strives to cater to all players, but I also hope they still keep to their strengths of whats appealing about the game at its core.

[Boblawblah]

And this is what likely confuses many gamers. They see an MMO with a $13/month subscription and expect the bulk of the gameplay to be multiplayer like every other MMO and online game. In reality, FFXIV is more story-focused and linear than many other Final Fantasy games, let alone MMOs. The vast majority of content in this game can be done solo, and for the small fraction that isn’t, you can do it without talking to anyone else.

The only caveat that you should keep in mind is just how long the story mode is. Unlike other Final Fantasies, and very unlike the premise of an expansion pack, you must do everything *in order*. That leaves us with by far the longest story in any Final Fantasy game, and likely any other RPG ever released. You don’t even lose your sprout icon until over a hundred hours. That can be daunting for many players who are used to sub-100 hour playtimes for their RPGs. That’s why there’s the issue of wanting to skip some of it, especially when expansion packs for most games are a pick-and-choose affair unlike this one.

Actually, I would argue FFXIV forces you into group content throughout the story much more than most mmorpgs. ESO, I can get to max level, and do the stories in almost every zone without grouping a single time. WoW? Never grouped and went through all the story. Star Wars? Guild Wars 2, all the same. While in FFXIV, you have to do trials, and it used to be much more, having to group for every dungeon along the way to max level.

Also, what Final Fantasy games are less story focused and open world than FFXIV?

[Kazhar]

lAlso, what Final Fantasy games are less story focused and open world than FFXIV?

If by "story focused" we're talking cutscene-to-gameplay ratio, I'd say all of them. (except maybe XI which I haven't played)

[Boblawblah]

If by "story focused" we're talking cutscene-to-gameplay ratio, I'd say all of them. (except maybe XI which I haven't played)

I'm not sure that's a strong argument, as the majority of gameplay for most of the Final Fantasy games involve random battles, walking to the next area, talking to a few people, and more random battles, a boss fight, repeat. Hell, cutscenes weren't really a think until Final Fantasy VII.

So no, I would disagree that "story-focused" means cutscene-to-gameplay-ratio. I would argue that story-focused means that there is a story driving the game forward, and how much that plays a role in the overall flow of the game. Final Fantasy VI is my favorite game of all time, but I can't imagine how someone could say that it wasn't as story-focused as FFXIV.

Now, if you wanted to argue that FFXIV has too many cutscenes, that's a different argument, but I don't believe that has to do with being story-focused.