A Storyteller’s Point of View on Final Fantasy XIV

[kindar1]

Eggs over Queasy (https://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/w...gs_over_Queasy)

Here we are tasked with fetching eggs because Galfrid is short-handed. Once we deliver them, we find out the reason they are needed.

Story-wise, this is a simple, but well-built quest. We have something to do, a reason as to why us, instead of the NPCs who should be doing it, and on delivery, we get more story building.

Surveying the Damage (https://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/w...ing_the_Damage)

The person we delivered the eggs to sends us to retrieve items a soldier left behind when trouble occurred and they fled. Again, on delivery, we get more story-building.

This quest only works, on a storytelling level, because we’re already there. This is a ‘you know, since you’re here, can you help me out?’ situation, but if I’d left the instant I concluded the previous quest, which I know I did the first time, and returned later, I’d be left with a ‘why didn’t you send anyone before now?’ sense, especially since there are other guards there.

A Soldier’s Breakfast (https://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/w...%27s_Breakfast)

With the items delivered, we are tasked with thinning some of the creatures that are causing problems. We return with the news we carried through the mission, and are congratulated as well as told to take an egg we have collected to another person.

Story-wise, my only problem here is that with how quickly the creatures respawn in the game, there is no way killing 3 of them means her companions will be any safer when they go meditate.

We deliver the egg and are told how brave we are to have taken on those creatures. Another case of 'tell and not show', because there was nothing in fighting the creatures that felt brave or difficult. I basically stood in place and shot them. The only reason I stepped aside when they prepared their special attacks is because I need the practice with that.

Anytime the narrative doesn’t support the action, it pulls me out and can lead to me questioning why I play.

Addendum

As of the time I am posting this, my subscription has expired. The only way this affects me is that I will not be able to play beyond the last MSQ level 59 quest.

So, the story now has until I hit that point to convince me to buy a subscription.

I want to make sure it’s clear. This isn’t a ‘keep playing because things will get good eventually’ situation. Just about everyone who’s talked with me about the game has told me that already. No. When I hit that last quest and I’m informed that, unless I get a subscription, I will not know what the next quest entails. I must be at the very least sufficiently curious about what’s to come, that I’ll want to spend the money.

[Jojoya]

Addendum

As of the time I am posting this, my subscription has expired. The only way this affects me is that I will not be able to play beyond the last MSQ level 59 quest.

Actually, it means your journey has ended unless you choose to subscribe. Once an account has been converted from the free trial to a paid account, you must be subscribed to continue playing on that account.

You would need to create a new account under the free trial and start with a new character if you wished to continue without paying. If I remember correctly, SE has temporarily stopped selling gift game time codes while they implement a store update so that would not be an option to reactivate your account if someone wanted to buy you game time as a gift. I think they're tentatively set to resume at the end of this month.

Also, the free trial includes all the level 60 content through patch 3.55 so you wouldn't get stuck at the level 59 MSQ. Your MSQ journey would finish with the patch 3.55 lead in to Stormblood.

[kindar1]

Actually, it means your journey has ended unless you choose to subscribe. Once an account has been converted from the free trial to a paid account, you must be subscribed to continue playing on that account.

Ahh, okay, then things weren't explained to me clearly when the game was gifted to me. that means I'll have 5 days, give or take, to make it back to where I played left yesterday. this is going to hurt more for Kidarian, since I was on my way to reaching level 40, but Dantie's only just left Gridania, so one or two intensive plays should bring whoever the new character is to that point, especially since I won't have to stop every few minutes to write down my impressions.

Also, the free trial includes all the level 60 content through patch 3.55 so you wouldn't get stuck at the level 59 MSQ. Your MSQ journey would finish with the patch 3.55 lead in to Stormblood.

then FF14 will have longer to convince me to buy a subscription

[kindar1]

(https://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/w...rithold_Broken)

And we return to Galfrid in time to stop a crisis, or so we are told. A large shadow is scaring people inside a dungeon.

“Listen well, for we haven’t much time.” Galfrid
<groans> Me

At least, there’s a reason why us. Everyone else is off fighting an incursion.

Just because of how time doesn’t matter, I’m tempted to take hours before continuing the quest, but it just won’t matter.

Once we arrive, we are informed that 5 people are still stuck inside and we are needed to ‘see them out of harm’s way’. An interesting detail is that they say nothing of me saving the leader of the group. We rescue them, fight a golem, and our two author inserts show up. And we get a vision where we get a bit more back story through bad dialog.

When we’re back we find out the ritual to calm the wood’s protectors failed due to whoever interfered, but it doesn’t matter, the author inserts will send word and another group will come to do the ceremony. I won’t comment on the guard outside who knows far too much about what took place inside to be innocent.

Again, our unwarranted heroism is proclaimed, and then we are sent back to the town.

On returning to Mother Miounne our heroism is again proclaimed, and immediately sworn not to speak of it. As part of our reward (or you know, to bribe into silence) we can now get a room in the inn, and take on jobs from the Guildleve. There is talk of a festival I should attend, then we are done.

So, where to start? Unless they are incompetent, the guards should have been able to save everyone but the leader, and that is only because the golem would have been woken and they would have had to flee. Then, the reason my help becomes needed is to help take the golem down so a new ceremony could be performed.

that small of a change would have made the guard look competent while still creating a situation where I’m needed.

As with too many of the quests to date, my only purpose is to kill something so the story can happen around me. I don’t have an actual impact on the story.

I think that is the biggest flaw in Final Fantasy XIV. I as a player and main character, have no agency, or even the illusion of agency in how the game will progress.

[Kes13a]

I think that is the biggest flaw in Final Fantasy XIV. I as a player and main character, have no agency, or even the illusion of agency in how the game will progress.

I do have to ask, have you played any other mmo? I mean no offense, but mmo's of all stripes are not going to allow you the license to "pick your own destiny". even your stories will not allow the reader to have any agency as to the final outcome. no matter how much you scream at the main character in your stories, they will still walk into that ambush, or situation, despite you knowing it could have been done better or another way or avoided all together.

yes, the guards could have likely have dealt with the issue, maybe even defeated the golem instead of running away. there were certainly enough people training to have assisted to bring it down. the npc's around you could ask someone more qualified to do all their tasks, but then... what would your purpose be? what would the purpose of your character be if everyone else is competent and able to do their own things?

the closest experience with that would likely be a single player game with a story that you can be good or evil and affect the eventual outcome in some fashion. in an mmo, they are essentially guiding you towards their final vision, just like in one of your stories you have published. just like when you start reading the first page, from your first baby steps in an mmo, your final outcome is already known. the writers know, and its not usually one of several options because they have a goal. you truly have zero agency. if you really wanted you could skip the whole game and watch the entirety of your eventual ending in video or written format online. it is not going to change.

though since you are a published writer, and even though the books dont fall into genres I generally read, I may have to read some of them to see if you manage to avoid the very situations you are critiquing. do they have open endings where the main character ending can be changed by the reader. are there situations you create where if I put the story down for several hours.. the story continues on without me.

according to your critiques you should manage to avoid all these pitfalls and the stories should be an exciting read, since very rarely have I been so immersed in a book I feel I have any license to change an outcome, and am not just along for the ride so to speak. but we will see. but keep up your journey and the critique. the viewpoint is interesting all the same

[Atelier-Bagur]

I do have to ask, have you played any other mmo? I mean no offense, but mmo's of all stripes are not going to allow you the license to "pick your own destiny". even your stories will not allow the reader to have any agency as to the final outcome. no matter how much you scream at the main character in your stories, they will still walk into that ambush, or situation, despite you knowing it could have been done better or another way or avoided all together.

yes, the guards could have likely have dealt with the issue, maybe even defeated the golem instead of running away. there were certainly enough people training to have assisted to bring it down. the npc's around you could ask someone more qualified to do all their tasks, but then... what would your purpose be? what would the purpose of your character be if everyone else is competent and able to do their own things?

the closest experience with that would likely be a single player game with a story that you can be good or evil and affect the eventual outcome in some fashion. in an mmo, they are essentially guiding you towards their final vision, just like in one of your stories you have published. just like when you start reading the first page, from your first baby steps in an mmo, your final outcome is already known. the writers know, and its not usually one of several options because they have a goal. you truly have zero agency. if you really wanted you could skip the whole game and watch the entirety of your eventual ending in video or written format online. it is not going to change.

though since you are a published writer, and even though the books dont fall into genres I generally read, I may have to read some of them to see if you manage to avoid the very situations you are critiquing. do they have open endings where the main character ending can be changed by the reader. are there situations you create where if I put the story down for several hours.. the story continues on without me.

according to your critiques you should manage to avoid all these pitfalls and the stories should be an exciting read, since very rarely have I been so immersed in a book I feel I have any license to change an outcome, and am not just along for the ride so to speak. but we will see. but keep up your journey and the critique. the viewpoint is interesting all the same

Yeah while this is not trying to give excuses to criticizing the story, its probably better to take the story from a different approach. As much as this game advertises itself for its mostly single player experience, from my years of playing numerous jrpgs I dont see FFXIV to be up to par or ever live up to its more single player brothers and sisters in the series, but dear lord does it try and I commend them for it as an MMO.

[kindar1]

I do have to ask, have you played any other mmo? I mean no offense, but mmo's of all stripes are not going to allow you the license to "pick your own destiny". even your stories will not allow the reader to have any agency as to the final outcome. no matter how much you scream at the main character in your stories, they will still walk into that ambush, or situation, despite you knowing it could have been done better or another way or avoided all together.

The last MMO I played was DCUO, a decade ago, possibly longer. I reached the ending, and abandoned the game when I replayed it as a villain to see what writers working with storytellers of DC's caliber would do to make the villain angle interesting, and it turned out to be the exact same quests, only instead of going to rescues or retrieve something, you are kidnapping and stealing. I never looked at that game again even though I have a lifetime account with it.

though since you are a published writer, and even though the books dont fall into genres I generally read, I may have to read some of them to see if you manage to avoid the very situations you are critiquing. do they have open endings where the main character ending can be changed by the reader. are there situations you create where if I put the story down for several hours.. the story continues on without me.

according to your critiques you should manage to avoid all these pitfalls and the stories should be an exciting read, since very rarely have I been so immersed in a book I feel I have any license to change an outcome, and am not just along for the ride so to speak. but we will see. but keep up your journey and the critique. the viewpoint is interesting all the same

as an author of a novel, my job is to convince you that when a character makes a decision, they are the one who makes it, not me dictating that they do it. of course, you know I'm who's calling the shots. but if I do my job well, you'll be willing to let slide that I'm actually the one in charge. if I do my job extremely well, you'll forget I exist. (I'm nowhere near that good)

I'm not asking that the people behind FF14 give me ultimate freedom. I'm not even asking to the illusion of freedom. I'd be more than happy with a story that is crafted well enough I'm willing to let slide that they're the ones in charge.

[Zanarkand-Ronso]

as an author of a novel, my job is to convince you that when a character makes a decision, they are the one who makes it, not me dictating that they do it. of course, you know I'm who's calling the shots. but if I do my job well, you'll be willing to let slide that I'm actually the one in charge. if I do my job extremely well, you'll forget I exist. (I'm nowhere near that good)

I'm not asking that the people behind FF14 give me ultimate freedom. I'm not even asking to the illusion of freedom. I'd be more than happy with a story that is crafted well enough I'm willing to let slide that they're the ones in charge.

...again, this is a different Medium of Story-telling.
I get what you mean in a sense, but thats just not how story telling works on an MMO Game Vs Reading a Book.
Maybe Im different or Im weird, but I never think of the author when I play a game, or I read a Book, Im focused on the world and its characters. A story is written to be told as its written from Beginning, Middle, and End. And for me as a reader, I consider the world and its cast to be in charge. Not the author....even though He/She wrote it to play out the way that it does.

I feel like if I ever think of the author...then Im not immersed in the story or the world.

[DPZ2]

As with too many of the quests to date, my only purpose is to kill something so the story can happen around me. I don’t have an actual impact on the story.

I think that is the biggest flaw in Final Fantasy XIV. I as a player and main character, have no agency, or even the illusion of agency in how the game will progress.

To this point in the game, you are a useful, but hardly essential, adventurer. Again, you are not the Warrior of Light. You are "that Ra'hashir guy who hangs out at the Adventurer's Guild looking for work". Every MMORPG out there starts that way in one form or another.

Also ... how many MMORPGs have you actually played? None of them provide you with any agency (or illusion thereof) when starting out. In most of them, you are not even the Main Character of the game, although you tend to hang out with the Main Character(s) a lot.

[Boblawblah]

To this point in the game, you are a useful, but hardly essential, adventurer. Again, you are not the Warrior of Light. You are "that Ra'hashir guy who hangs out at the Adventurer's Guild looking for work". Every MMORPG out there starts that way in one form or another.

Also ... how many MMORPGs have you actually played? None of them provide you with any agency (or illusion thereof) when starting out. In most of them, you are not even the Main Character of the game, although you tend to hang out with the Main Character(s) a lot.

This is a small streamer/self-published author. They're only playing the game because a viewer asked them to, so I'm guessing this is just an attempt to possibly advertise their channel/books, and get a few bucks out of it. I also believe they stated that they don't play mmos really at all, so they're going to be judging this as if it's a single player game like the witcher.

Predictably, it will get negative, they'll get attention for it, and then they'll disappear.