Solutions for Content Drought during between Patches & other solutions for Gameplay

[Kaliesto]

I took a step back to think on some things on what could help out Yoshi P and his dev team, and I wanted to stop complaining about problems with this game too, but instead look for solutions. I was told they actually do look at our forum posts despite the contrary.

First off its time Casual Players & Hardcore Players to come together instead of us bickering at each other for our perceived faults, its leading us nowhere. We need to find solutions where it doesn't result in a compromise for finding challenging fun, we need win-win solutions instead of a group of players on the losing end.

Many Modern MMOs are having a lot of similar problems, and some say this started with WoW wanting more subscriptions thus the dumbing down of content and other companies saw this and went in the same direction (whose to say though, I was told this was hearsay so will leave it at that).

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Solution 1 regarding Dungeon Duties:

Add in Extreme Mode for all Dungeons currently in the game , what this entails as follows:

Monster HP is slightly increased

Monster Damage is increased, this will require a bit more teamwork with Healers with Tanks.

Monster Mechanics is much more faster, so it requires more attention.

Loot Table is increased to accommodate the difficulty increase, and you earn more tomestones.

Final Boss of Each Dungeon is given one new mechanic, and it will be fast and deadly.

Add in Extreme Dungeon Roulette as part of the bargain.

For Casual Players, I believe NPC companions should be allowed if they need instruction on mechanics and when they feel confident enough they can group up with actual players.

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Solution 2 regarding Overworld Content

There is a lot of landmasses with nothing going on, so we need to fix that. I think Solo Monster FATES similar with Bozja's Duels would add some excitement to currently dead areas in all Zones from 2.0 to current. The Gameplay Developer of Bozja Content had a really good idea here, and needs to be more explored. The Overworld Solo Duels doesn't have to be as hard as Bozja, but there can be variety from Normal - Hard - Extreme. Also allow Blue Mages to take part.

Solo Duels should be accepted through the Hunt Board (my recommendation)

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Solution 3 Regarding Alliance Raids

This is tricky, I would say be similar to Solution 1 up above, but we're dealing with a larger player pool and right now some Casual Players would rather avoid the harder stuff if they can even if its optional.

This is what I meant we need to work together rather than compromise, so I want to reach out to the Casual players on here regarding Alliance Raids that you think could work here.

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We need to reverse the degradation of the Video Game currently going on in MMOs before it gets worse, but we need to accept that the Casual and Hardcore crowd are forever married to eachother in Modern Triple A MMOs. We can't let one side lean too hard or else it alienates another group.

This started to bother me when I decided to play Elder Scrolls Online recently, and I saw the same problems with Overworld content just like FFXIV, and apparently Guild Wars 2, and among others are having similar problems regarding gameplay difficulty.

Its just so hard though trying to find work arounds that satisfy both groups however.


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I see a topic regarding about the normal difficulty about the Story Content and I provide a solution for that too

Solo Story Bosses - Besides Normal give Hardcore players a extreme version to solo against (there is no change in reward, but just for the thrill of battle and accomplishment, I guess maybe a achievement title if you complete all solo Story Bosses in Extreme)

Group Bosses in Story Mode - Give these a Hard Mode Variation that uses Extreme Mechanics, but does not hit as hard, so its more survivable than Extreme Mode. To add to the incentive that Hard Mode gives players a Weapon & crafting Drop normally found from Extreme, but does not have the mount. I think going about it this way would be a great way to teach casual players what to expect in Extreme without being too shy, and giving them more confidence!

Optionally it should be used to replace Extreme bosses in Mentor Roulette with the Hard Mode Variants, this gives bit more incentive for both Casual and Mentor players, and from what I understand that Extreme Trials seem to be a bit of a issue in Mentor Roulette and causes a lot of drama.

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Edit -

Another thing to add is adding mini-scenario Adventures not related with the main story in between patches if Square Enix higher ups is willing to give Yoshi P some kind of team, and as of right now the content drought is pretty bad.

Also I like to see you all provide solutions in this topic well, I think we're all desperate to see this game be at its full potential, but there is things going on in FFXIV that is holding it back and could be so much better.

[Hurlstone]

I kinda disagree a degradation is happening to the game, but I agree with, and would be happy if they added most of what you said. There really is alot of wonderful zones spread throughout the game world that are underused and feel empty nowadays, and whilst Shard Fates do help in some ways, its somthing that really should be expanded on and incentivised more. Kudos as well for adding in solo content, I feel in these debates those of us who would like harder solo content often get overlooked haha.

Speaking fo which, my own want would be a New Game+ Hard Mode, where we can replay the story with a higher difficulty/harder mechanics and get some cosmetic rewards out of it.

[Kaliesto]

I kinda disagree a degradation is happening to the game, but I agree with, and would be happy if they added most of what you said. There really is alot of wonderful zones spread throughout the game world that are underused and feel empty nowadays, and whilst Shard Fates do help in some ways, its somthing that really should be expanded on and incentivised more. Kudos as well for adding in solo content, I feel in these debates those of us who would like harder solo content often get overlooked haha.

Speaking fo which, my own want would be a New Game+ Hard Mode, where we can replay the story with a higher difficulty/harder mechanics and get some cosmetic rewards out of it.

I think Solo Content in other areas would definitely need exploration for all players of all difficulty skill, its a lot of untapped potential.

[Deveryn]

The trouble with these ideas is they require even more work. There are already plenty of little side activities one can participate in if they so choose. If you're looking for an extra challenge, unreal is there for some weekly clears. Work on gearing towards an ultimate. The more casual type might consider getting more into crafting and gathering.

Developers can only put out so much content. It doesn't matter how big the studio or the budget. The problem didn't start with WoW. It goes all the way back to Everquest. If this isn't enough for some people, then they can (and will) take a break until the next patch.

Something folks don't realize is work is already under way for the next expansion. The story is being written out. The overland areas are being drafted. All sorts of planning is going on for 7.0 and beyond. There's not a whole lot of room to add extra bits to keep a few people happy.

[Tint]

I also have an idea:

Bring the relic quest earlier.

Back in ARR and HW we did not have to wait for over a year to finally get grind-content. Oh we already did get the relic quest? Sorry did not notice, but yeah, I think I have a weapon lying in my armoury, no idea how it got there, maybe I was standing too close to an NPC or whatever.

Imagine if they would release the savage raid only after one year in the expansion. That's how it feels for people who like grinding.

[Reinha]

I also have an idea:

Bring the relic quest earlier.

This. The relic quest should start in X.05 with a light intro and starter weapon and every step after that in X.15, X,25, X.35, X.45 and X.55 should be grindy.

[Jeeqbit]

Solutions to the content drought that I use 1. reclear savage each week 2. do weekly telling/retelling for the unreal rewards 3. farm the latest extreme for 99 totems for the mount 4. grind out whatever new mounts there are (such as the 4 million MGP one). I'd admit I almost at 4 million already, but still. 5. at odd patches, do the weekly alliance raid and cap tomestones to gear up alt jobs. 6. daily mentor roulette although this is quite niche since many people can't access it. 7. farm moogle tomestones in the final month before the next patch, if there is anything useful.

But it is really quite niche to have nothing from previous patches to do. Got morbol mount, all TT cards, firmament, ocean fishing, island sanctuary, bicolor gemstone, hunt and gold saucer rewards, did Eureka, Bozja, DRS, beast tribes, custom deliveries, fate achievements, chocobo and verminion challenges, level'd every class/job? Congratulations, I've done most of these things as well, but I'm a minority.

some say this started with WoW wanting more subscriptions thus the dumbing down of content and other companies saw this

It's not really because of WoW. It's just the typical life cycle of an MMORPG. They start with a shot in the dark, making their game really complex and interesting, and over time their statistics show them that people engage better with simpler things. This is pretty obvious to anyone who has watched new players start their journey and run into all these confusing and overwhelming systems and perform poorly in comparison to a veteran player. Although it is true that they used to copy WoW and now copy FFXIV as well.

Add in Extreme Mode for all Dungeons currently in the game

I don't disagree with this and a simple buff to enemy damage dealt, max HP, cast speed would be a simple way to do it. A new mechanic would be too much work to add to around 100 dungeons, although they could come up with a generic enrage cast.

I think Solo Monster FATES similar with Bozja's Duels would add some excitement

You can challenge yourself by trying to solo the hunt or FATE bosses that aren't meant to be fought solo. Some of them are not possible, but it's fun if you manage it. Blue Mages can already participate in these as well.

Solo Duels should be accepted through the Hunt Board (my recommendation)

The weekly marks are effectively this and can you guess why they are so easy? Because casual players have actually struggled against them before believe it or not.

Although they are rarely that threatening, I remember a few that were, such as Worm of the Well when it released if you didn't know about the untelegraphed casts and how to avoid them with the slow movement speed, but our item level increases quickly made it not a threat. Unless they were synced, this feature would be pointless.

Group Bosses in Story Mode - Give these a Hard Mode Variation that uses Extreme Mechanics

You may not realize it, but the normal modes do use a lot of mechanics that appear in extreme. They just don't feel the same because they are telegraphed or don't hit as hard. If you spend a lot of time learning the cast names and memorizing the animations and attack areas of casts in the normal version, you will be a lot more prepared for the extreme version. Obviously, they don't put some things in the normal versions, such as limit cuts, but there is a lot you can already learn from them.

What they did in Bozja was to telegraph the first attack but not the subsequent ones. In some dungeons and in some EW trials they do telegraph everything, but only when it's about to hit, so if you get hit the first time then you will learn the area it hits for next time and it still encourages you to use muscle memory.

if Square Enix higher ups is willing to give Yoshi P some kind of team

It's hardly about giving him a team. They have to train them and that takes time. They are hiring all the time. Just look at their careers page.

[NekoMataMata]

Am I the only one that sees trying to solve the "problem" of content drought as pointless?

I don't really think the majority of the community sees it as a problem. It's a smaller group that does. I would actually like to have more to do. I'm slowly getting bored of catching up on older content. The rest of the community seems absolutely content though.

[Sheriyana]

I also have an idea:

Bring the relic quest earlier.

Back in ARR and HW we did not have to wait for over a year to finally get grind-content. Oh we already did get the relic quest? Sorry did not notice, but yeah, I think I have a weapon lying in my armoury, no idea how it got there, maybe I was standing too close to an NPC or whatever.

Imagine if they would release the savage raid only after one year in the expansion. That's how it feels for people who like grinding.

This is literally what I've been saying for years. They need to start pushing out longer lasting content right from the start of an expansion. It makes no sense that you run out of new things to do a week into a new expansion. You can't expect every player to want to level everything either to keep them occupied. A year into an expansion is way too late to start pushing out content that actually lasts for more than 2 hours on patch day.

[Renato]

Having been playing a Skyrim mod called "Legacy of the Dragonborn" that has you travelling the world collecting items that could be added to a display in a huge museum, the idea of a Relic Hunter sidequest sounded pretty cool to me.

If you've ever taken the time to explore the world of Eorzea, you'll realize that it has some really cool areas that often are just there for scenery. It would be cool to have your character randomly stumble across ancient items that you could either distribute to some kind of archaeology museum for display. As much as I hate RNG, I feel like the item randomly appearing would be the best route because it really add to the random discovery idea and would eliminate people just telling other where to camp out.

To make it even more interesting, the museum is server based so anyone could contribute. The finder of the relic would be credited for the discovery. I'd of course throw in some kind of gil reward based on the rarity of the relic and maybe some kind of exchange item for other rewards like glam, mounts, etc.

I feel like this would give players an actual reason to explore every corner of the world. I'd even go as far to maybe add some to explore mode for dungeons to get more use out of that.