Playing an expansion as current content has been a lacklustre MMO experience

[caffe_macchiato]

What you don't understand here is the reason why what you describing sound like a problem to you is because you see it as problem.

So if this game has 27 million players, and only one person has this opinion, does that make Final Fantasy XIV the most acclaimed game of all time? We're talking a 99.999996296% approval rating.

But I do agree though, FFXIV being rather dry on content is a major selling point for me. I can be subbed year-round and play other games for the vast majority of that time. FFXIV is just like a nice little single-player treat that you enjoy once every few months before putting it down again, and that's how many people like it. It's not supposed to compete with other major MMOs like Fortnite, Halo, COD, Minecraft, etc.

Now some might complain about $13/month for a game with less content than a F2P title. But, honestly, for the price of two lattes? Just consider it a tip to the developers. You do tip, right?

[R041]

This is Final Fantasy style story telling for like a few decades now. You may not like it, but this is what unique to FF14, this is what make its narrative more powerful then the MMO standard, and this is what make me and other love it.

What universe do you live in, have you ever actually played an FF game? It's not even close, because FF story at least has actual gameplay between cutscenes, and the dungeons aren't just straight up hallways.

No FF game is 300 hours visual novel with 90% filler rambling. And even if what you said WERE true, it's not an excuse to make an MMO be exactly like the single-player franchise. Why even make it at that point if all you really wanted was a single player game? So not only does it fail at being a Final Fantasy game, but it also fails at being an MMO. At least one of those should have been done well, but we suck at both!

The one thing most of us ask for, is if each expansion really wants to be a straight up 30-50 hour visual novel, then please at least cut it up a little bit, or god forbid actually separate the expansions by completely different stories that could allow players to actually jump in once every 2 years.

Nobody here was forced to play all numbered FF games back to back, so why are we all of a sudden OK with XIV's choice to continue to ramble on for YEARS? It's only getting worse as we keep going, and ignore how obviously flawed this design philosophy really is.

We never realized it would get this bad. We had faith that we wouldn't be in a worse position than World of Warcraft. I had always assumed we'd start splitting stories up, but Yoshi-P doubled down, added MORE expansions onto the existing story and then added boosts. So it really just feels like a greedy tactic more than anything.

FFXIV is just like a nice little single-player treat that you enjoy once every few months before putting it down again, and that's how many people like it. It's not supposed to compete with other major MMOs like Fortnite, Halo, COD, Minecraft, etc.

Yes. It Is. This is the type of mentality that is destroying us. If what you legitimately believe is true, then why do they continue to ATTEMPT to release new content after the expansion is released? Because they try to retain players throughout the year. Or how about housing? Why even relinquish them at all?

These RPers are getting dumber by the year - I don't think we're going to make it to 7.0 honestly. When all you have is story, there's barely a reason to play when the story is over.

You cannot say this is a better MMO than WoW and other competition, while simultaneously attempting to refute that it's even an MMO - Saying it should be played like a Single Player game. That's so brain dead.


LISTEN TO YOURSELVES.

[Ath192]

So if this game has 27 million players, and only one person has this opinion, does that make Final Fantasy XIV the most acclaimed game of all time? We're talking a 99.999996296% approval rating.

But I do agree though, FFXIV being rather dry on content is a major selling point for me. I can be subbed year-round and play other games for the vast majority of that time. FFXIV is just like a nice little single-player treat that you enjoy once every few months before putting it down again, and that's how many people like it. It's not supposed to compete with other major MMOs like Fortnite, Halo, COD, Minecraft, etc.

Now some might complain about $13/month for a game with less content than a F2P title. But, honestly, for the price of two lattes? Just consider it a tip to the developers. You do tip, right?

None of this comment makes sense. This person cites lack of content as a selling point, that the game is not meant to compete with other games for time, and that paying a subscription service is the same a tipping? =S. Wha.. what?

[Atelier-Bagur]

What universe do you live in, have you ever actually played an FF game? It's not even close, because FF story at least has actual gameplay between cutscenes, and the dungeons aren't just straight up hallways.

No FF game is 300 hours visual novel with 90% filler rambling. And even if what you said WERE true, it's not an excuse to make an MMO be exactly like the single-player franchise. Why even make it at that point if all you really wanted was a single player game? So not only does it fail at being a Final Fantasy game, but it also fails at being an MMO. At least one of those should have been done well, but we suck at both!

The one thing most of us ask for, is if each expansion really wants to be a straight up 30-50 hour visual novel, then please at least cut it up a little bit, or god forbid actually separate the expansions by completely different stories that could allow players to actually jump in once every 2 years.

Nobody here was forced to play all numbered FF games back to back, so why are we all of a sudden OK with XIV's choice to continue to ramble on for YEARS? It's only getting worse as we keep going, and ignore how obviously flawed this design philosophy really is.

We never realized it would get this bad. We had faith that we wouldn't be in a worse position than World of Warcraft. I had always assumed we'd start splitting stories up, but Yoshi-P doubled down, added MORE expansions onto the existing story and then added boosts. So it really just feels like a greedy tactic more than anything.




Yes. It Is. This is the type of mentality that is destroying us. If what you legitimately believe is true, then why do they continue to ATTEMPT to release new content after the expansion is released? Because they try to retain players throughout the year. Or how about housing? Why even relinquish them at all?

These RPers are getting dumber by the year - I don't think we're going to make it to 7.0 honestly. When all you have is story, there's barely a reason to play when the story is over.

You cannot say this is a better MMO than WoW and other competition, while simultaneously attempting to refute that it's even an MMO - Saying it should be played like a Single Player game. That's so brain dead.


LISTEN TO YOURSELVES.

Wow just listen to this kid. Not saying that msq pacing cant ever be improved but the fact that you're acting as if all this time the msq progression has been this huge thorn on the side for the majority of the community is truly the most disingenuous thing Ive ever heard.

[R041]

Wow just listen to this kid. Not saying that msq pacing cant ever be improved but the fact that you're acting as if all this time the msq progression has been this huge thorn on the side for the majority of the community is truly the most disingenuous thing Ive ever heard.

Read what I said - We never anticipated it'd get this bad. It's not that it's always been bad. ARR + HW were manageable, after Stormblood it was pushing it. Add 2 more, and we're actually in danger now. We needed the arc to finish in Stormblood if I'm being completely honest. That was their opportunity - I understand a lot of players love the Shadowbringers + Endwalker series. But we really should have been just straight up ARR + Shadowbringers + Endwalker, then onto the next arc.

Also, barely anyone even spoke about the MSQ until Shadowbringers hit, so it's weird that people act like the Single Player MSQ is all of a sudden the selling point of the MMORPG. It's like you all woke up and started becoming raving MSQ lunatics when it released. lol

I didn't play ARR and HW going "Oh boy, I can't wait for a great Single Player adventure!" - Because if I ever tried to compare it to any other Final Fantasy game's story, or single player capability it would fail every time against every Final Fantasy game that came before it.

[Jojoya]

Expensive. The game needs a new streamlined, optional entry point.

Which we already know they've been working on, and best guess is we'll see it introduced with 7.0 since that is going to be a new story arc.

Change is coming if that is your concern.

Again, cooperative play in MSQ is possible with the exception of the solo duties. I've played through MSQ with both friends and family.

You're also ignoring all the other content that exists outside of the MSQ that you can do with friends.

I also didn't called cutscenes game play. I called them a shared experience within the game. Even if I didn't watch the cutscene at the same time as a friend, it's an experience that we both have had and can talk about. If you are doing MSQ together, you can watch them at the same time. Or you can both skip the cutscene and move onto your next quest objective.

If you genuinely do not like the game design here, why do you continue to play the game? Why are you trying to encourage your friends to play it when other games offer something closer to what you seem to want and what you say your friends want? SE clearly has no interest in making large changes to this game's design. It will never be what it sounds like you want.

Yes. It Is. This is the type of mentality that is destroying us. If what you legitimately believe is true, then why do they continue to ATTEMPT to release new content after the expansion is released? Because they try to retain players throughout the year. Or how about housing? Why even relinquish them at all?

No, it's not intended to compete against the likes of Fortnite, Halo, COD, Minecraft, etc. Those are different game types.

Fortnite - Battle Royale
Halo - FPS
COD - FPS
Minecraft - adventure sandbox
FFXIV - story driven RPG.

They are not direct competitors as they have different types of game play even if you consider them all MMOs. If Battle Royale/FPS/adventure sandbox are the types of games you want to be playing, you should be playing them and not FFXIV.

It's also okay for FFXIV to be different as a MMORPG from WoW, GW2, etc. The worst thing in the world would be for MMORPGs to be nothing but a bunch of stale clones also using the same formula. Variety gives players a chance to find one that appeals to them.

It's rather amazing how players fall into game tribalism, creating a competition they take too seriously when such competition rarely exists between the game developers themselves (other than on a friendly level).

[Raven2014]

What universe do you live in, have you ever actually played an FF game? It's not even close, because FF story at least has actual gameplay between cutscenes, and the dungeons aren't just straight up hallways.

You asked that with a straight face? 'Cause I'm sitting here remembering FF13 was one gigantic corridor until the giant open area at like the last 1/4 of the game.

No FF game is 300 hours visual novel with 90% filler rambling.

And neither is FF14, so your point being?

LISTEN TO YOURSELVES.

No, you should listen to yourself, because your post were simply a random rambling that hyperbolic to the extreme.

So my question to you: in what universe are you living in? FF14 was, and is a critical acclaimed MMO known for its story telling, the top selling that had surpassed all of its competitors. Yet you are making it sound like a third rate fan-made doujin trash.

It's obvious it's not your cup of tea but holy batman man, learn to have an iota of objective thinking, it will do your life some good. After 10 years the game reached it prime and become the top dog of the MMO market by using its own formula. Yet people like you keep talking like SE has been getting it all wrong and instead FF14 should immitate all the competitors it had surpassed because those game got it right. Like ... I don't even care what your reasoning is any more my dude. 'Cause it seems to be some soft of delusion in your head without any reality context.

[Shurrikhan]

World of Warcraft's solution to the problem, after, um, 16+ years of multiple expansions and patches over a long period of time was "just ditch it all, the story doesn't matter, the lore doesn't matter, players want to get to end game. Period". The level squish and the rewriting of the History of Azeroth resulted in Shadowlands, one big "what's going on here?" followed by a big "just go with it, it doesn't matter. you're here to raid, right?!?" It took 15 years to get Party Sync, which has yet to address the Horde vs. Alliance leveling problem.

Less of a "story doesn't matter" as "Our story is pretty well episodic and players replay the story each and every time they level another job, so... why not let them level through whichever episode they want, instead of making leveling a 200+ hour grind of all stories combined or disjointed in its rush when shrinking it down to something more reasonable?"

[Iscah]

None of this comment makes sense. This person cites lack of content as a selling point, that the game is not meant to compete with other games for time, and that paying a subscription service is the same a tipping? =S. Wha.. what?

I'm 99% convinced Caffe is permanently parodying people who are happy with the episodic nature of the game release by twisting it into absurdity.

[Aword3213]

Sadly, many of us were tricked into the promise of a vast multiplayer world where we can make friends and raid with others. But that’s only possible after enduring the onslaught of story content. At around 200 hours, the MSQ is by far the longest JRPG campaign ever released. And there is over 113 hours of cutscenes. If we wanted to play a single-player game, we’d likely play something else.

Your "friends" can enjoy raiding with others by the time they finished 2.0

My friends joined XIV when Endwalker was about to hit. I helped them getting to Coils of Bahamut, 2.0 Ex Trials when they finished AAR. Helped them going through Alexander Savage, 3.0 Ex Trials. We raided Omega Savage and all Ex trials. We were even able finish Eden Savage in time before EW . All of those contents were done in Minimum ItemLevel, and I did it like 5 times, separately. I'd say their exprience is no different than that of other MMOs. They got to raid no sooner when they finish each "episode", according to the link you posted, it's less than 30 hours of cutscences/

That's what friends are for, right? seeing how good a friend you're. Surely you're not that kind of "friend" who only wait at the finish line and say "we can play together once you have done catching up 5 expansions worth of contents."