A Storyteller’s Point of View on Final Fantasy XIV

[AmpelioB]

To be fair, the game markets it's story VERY heavily so it would be silly to dismiss the story, warts and all.

again thats not my point, my point is that the game and story is a set, not separate experiences, and the OP isnt taking that in account.

[kindar1]

To Guard a Guardian
(https://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/w...ard_a_Guardian)

“Time is of the essence.” Mother Miounne
“Sure it is.” Me

The Guardian Tree is under threat, so we must warn the militia and help them in any way we can. We deliver it and upon reading it, Lewin can’t understand how the Wood Wailers or the God’s Quiver don’t know about this.

I haven’t dealt with the Quiver, but I’d be more than happy to tell him about the Wood Wailer’s incompetence, if the game lets me. Fortunately for them, we are interrupted, by news the Ixal are already at the Guardian Tree. There is no time to waste, we must go defend the tree.

Where’s my timer to show urgency?

We get there, fight the Ixal, win. I’m tasked with remaining behind while they bolster the flanks. While alone, a masked mage shows up, summons a creature, and attacks me. The authors inserts show up and we win. There is exposition, the militia returns, and we head back. Where I am again congratulated. Only, for once, it feels somewhat deserved. We are interrupted by the SeedSeer herself inviting me to take part in a coming ceremony as her emissary.

This quest feels deserved. The people involved in it come across as competent, what we do matters, and the stakes feel like they matter too. There is even a ‘twist’ to the story.

The one aspect I think could be improved, is when the author inserts arrive. It would work better for them to come in at the last moment if I’m about to lose the fight, and even arrive just after I’ve won, if I don’t need rescuing.

Festive Endeavors
(https://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/w...tive_Endeavors)

“No one can doubt your worth.” Bowlord Lewin
“That’s because they aren’t paying attention.” Me

We must prepare for the festivities, so it’s off to see Mother Miounne. Again, we are told of the magnitude of being the one picked to be emissary. We go pick up the item needed to play our role and are warned to take great care of it. We hand the box to Mother Miounne, find out it’s a mask, and that it was made with special wood given by the Guardian tree itself.

And… that’s it.

That is the whole of the preparation for this special event where I am to play such an important role.

I am rather underwhelmed. This is another case of telling versus showing. I’m told it’s important, but nothing that happens supports it. Instead of just picking up the mask, I would have liked a series of quests where we need to acquire the material needed to have the mask made. Maybe throw in a few attempts by the bad guys to keep me from accomplishing my goal.

Again, I should feel like I’ve earned the item in question, instead of simply having it handed to me.

[kindar1]

Question - the qiqim's egg theft, committed 'to survive' - was it a fertilized chocobo egg? My impression at the time is the fellas stole it for greeds sake as well, rather than as a desperate act of hunger that could only be satisfied by crunching on baby eggs. Doesn't make the retribution any less brutal, but does put things into perspective.

Alright. you raise a good point. I tracked down the dialogue, and while there is nothing in it going out of its way to make the ratman's act malicious, they use "looting" to describe what they did that led to the egg being broken. to me, looting invokes an act of desperation, someone driven to do something bad to survive. I think that's why the retribution felt disproportionate.

but, Looting can definitely be an act of vandalism, and I think this is what the authors were going for here. as you said, the ratman was driven by greed, and didn't care for what got damaged in the process. So I'm more okay with what we are sent to do.

I've updated the entry with your question and the response I put here

[AmpelioB]

Where’s my timer to show urgency?

Why are you so fixated on that? is it the only way you think a game can convey "urgency" to you?

[PirateRyanG]

No matter how many times you tell this guy that a timer is not a good gameplay mechanic, he ignores it. It's just silly at this point.

[Kes13a]

Why are you so fixated on that? is it the only way you think a game can convey "urgency" to you?

because you know, in a story, like a book, if you convey urgency, the reader cant just decide to have coffee because the author writes its urgent... so they are morally obliged to sit and read through instead of putting the book down.

that and "author inserts" like its a witty term. because this isnt a novel, these "inserts" are needed so the player is not subjected to a wall of text placing things in the world. Plus, I feel he is using the term incorrectly OP are you meaning a self insert? in that case, wait until the event, where you will see a fantasy world character created to be like Yoshi P. That is a self insert, or author insert, where an author inserts themself into a fantasy world.

so... if you wouldnt mind, elucidate on your often used term "author insert" and what you mean by it. which of the many story writers do you consider these characters to be? or are you simply using it as a term for characters you dislike? since it is early in your journey and you use it often, it would be good to clarify this for your readers.

[VelKallor]

Where’s my timer to show urgency?

Answer reposted as you ignored it: the MSQ is set up to be started and stopped at the players convenience

“No one can doubt your worth.” Bowlord Lewin
“That’s because they aren’t paying attention.” Me

Yes, you are skipping quest text.

That is the whole of the preparation for this special event where I am to play such an important role.

The mask you have been handed is made from bark of their most sacred site, a site that is home to the Elemental Powers, you being given that mask is a HUGE honour. You werent paying ANY attention to what this Tree represents..or why that attack by the Ixal was such a crisis.

nothing that happens supports it.

Other than being given an irreplaceable mask made from sacred bark? Think they would just hand that to anyone?

Remember Beatin's words?

"Get as much as a scratch on the thing, and I shall make an unceremonial artifact out of you"

"author insert"

I think its his dismissive way of referring to NPC's he feels are 'furniture" or "disposable characters".

Instead of just picking up the mask, I would have liked a series of quests where we need to acquire the material needed to have the mask made

Again, it isnt "just a tree", youj cant go and get those items because the Elementals would not allow it, and that bark was a gift to the Twelveswood through the Seedseers alone.

You set foot on sacred soil only by their leave.

Papalymo and Yda are who I consider Author inserts. they show up, do their thing, and leave. they add nothing to the sequence.

Uh huh....

[kindar1]

Renewing the Covenant (https://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/w...g_the_Covenant)

“There really is nothing to being Emissary.” Mother Miounne
“Then why is everyone making such a big deal of the <bleeping> thing?” Me

It turns out all I have to do is stand around and look dignified. And if I don’t wear the mask, the person who is to allow me in might not know who I am.

So… everyone has heard of me, except the woman who’s to let me in. And the way to identify myself is an object the enemy could have found out about and copied to get in and kill the SeedSeer.

Again, the hand of the writer is visible. And they aren’t respecting what they have established. And this is such an easy fix I’m annoyed it isn’t employed. Mother Miounne has me go to the Theater, before I am let in, Estaine asks that I put the mask on so the attendees will know me for the Emissary. And it’s done. The goals are met, and no one comes across as… well, I’m going to be polite and not say it.

The ceremony starts, the SeedSeer notices something about me, tells me about the Warrior of Light, I have a vision of the Battle of Carteneau, then wake up at the inn, and I’m told the SeedSeer wants to see me now that I’m better.

While there is nothing wrong with the ceremony or the vision, by the time it’s over. I’m left wondering why it’s there at all. The back story is relevant, I’m sure, but I’m not invested in any of it. I’m, quite literally, only going through the motion that the story puts me through, so I can’t quite care about any of it.

This isn’t something that can be fixed here, but on the journey that takes me here. Many of the quests could be reworked so that I’m left feeling like I had an active role in making them happen, instead of simply being pulled along by them.

It would be nice to be made to feel like we matter, instead of always being told we do.

While this detail falls more on the gameplay side, having each quest give a lower amount of Exp, would allow there to be more of them to help build up the storytelling. It would also ensure we have to take side quests and explore the other stories I am told are part of FF14.

At the end of this quest, I’m level 17. The next quest is level 15. The only times I had to take a quest outside the MSQ, it was to reach level 4, and then, to get the gil needed to get my equipment to the level one quest requested.

[kindar1]

because you know, in a story, like a book, if you convey urgency, the reader cant just decide to have coffee because the author writes its urgent... so they are morally obliged to sit and read through instead of putting the book down.

you almost hit the nail on the head here. when a book pulls off the sense of urgency properly, the reader finds themselves wanting to continue reading intil that urgency is resolved. they aren't morally obligated, but a well-written sense of urgency will make it hard for them to pull away from the book.

so... if you wouldnt mind, elucidate on your often used term "author insert" and what you mean by it. which of the many story writers do you consider these characters to be? or are you simply using it as a term for characters you dislike? since it is early in your journey and you use it often, it would be good to clarify this for your readers.

To me, the author insert is a character(s) whose sole purpose seems to be to remind the main character they aren’t that important. That there are better people out there doing better work. In fan fiction, those will be called Marie Sues.

When they show up a writer’s original work, the story will suddenly shift to them for no narrative reason. They will show up where the is no need for them, other than the author wanting the reader to have some piece of information, but they can’t think of a better way to convey it. To justify their presence, they are often given abilities that might not quite work with the story, and/or treat the main character as if they are beneath them, not smart enough to come up with that one piece of information they must have. Then they leave, and the reader finds themselves wondering that if the author insert is so much better to the story than the main character, why aren’t we reading that character’s story?

While I expect most here will disagree with how I feel, that is how Yda and Papalymo come across to me most of the time they show up

[kindar1]

Other than being given an irreplaceable mask made from sacred bark? Think they would just hand that to anyone?

Remember Beatin's words?


Again, it isnt "just a tree", youj cant go and get those items because the Elementals would not allow it, and that bark was a gift to the Twelveswood through the Seedseers alone.

You set foot on sacred soil only by their leave.


Uh huh....

this is where I'm happy I can only do 3 posts per day, because I had a really sarcastic reply to this that would have done nothing but aggravate the situation. but I couldn't post it, so I had time to think about what I want to say.

if you are wondering why I will ignore certain comments, that is one of the reason. I'd like my replies to add something to the conversation.

the irreplaceable mask I am given is this one, https://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/wiki/Monoa_Mask . a mask I can purchase at this location in Gridania https://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/w...ewards#vendor2 as well as one store in each of the other 2 city states, and in the player housing.

Yes, I am well aware the store sells them so that if the player loses theirs the story can keep going. that does not change the fact that on a narrative level, this mask is not unique. it would be so simple to make us care about the mask instead of being told we have to care.

and for the record, I am the type of player who, if I'm given an item that is needed to continue the game and can't be replaced, I will restart the game if my carelessness causes me to lose it.

I'm not saying the game has to do that. I simply think that it is weak storytelling to simply tell me 'care' when a handful of quests could have shown me why the mask is so precious.