Wow, Wuk Lamat is really single-handedly ruining the DT story...

[Dogempire]

It's baby's first fiction. That's really the only explanation - so much is derivative that it reads like someone in high school writing their first papers. Hasn't quite developed a personal style just yet, no original ideas.

Folks like that can cut their teeth on writing side quests, not the main scenario. Lady who wrote Shadowbringers needs to take the reins back and maybe mentor some of the new folks a little more.

This is usually also something that you have editors for, to have someone outside of the writer looking at the story with a critical eye, pointing out the flaws and suggesting things to fix them.

A character arc is literally the most basic thing a writer can do, and while you kind of have one in the first half, it just plain falls flat because it's missing the elements needed to actually make it compelling

[Verd]

I enjoyed pretty much the whole story in spite of her, but man did she make it hard at times. I was even ready to have a neutral opinion on her until we got Wuklmao'd at the end. The only saving grace I think is that because she's a national figurehead, she's unlikely to return in a significant role again. At least that is my hope. I don't think there is any saving her character at this point with any number of story patches or expansions. She was pushed too hard and too fast onto us, the resentment has set in. Only a huge heel turn or something would be compelling to me, but that runs a high risk of being contrived.

[Wildheaven182]

got a link?

https://www.twitch.tv/finalfantasyxi...U6hiT2Y6YD9dUd

She is the english localization lead and Sweet Baby Inc. is notorious for ruining games to push politics. To this consulting firm, other company's IPs are a resource to be exploited and consumed for pushing their worldview.
She speaks as if it is a given to demonstrate real world cultural awareness in the game.
I don't care about real world cultural awareness. I care about playing a video game where elves are making peace with dragons. And I don't care about the lack of non-elezen diversity in Ishgard either.

Square Enix is on Sweet Baby Inc.'s client list on their website which is full of political wording: https://sweetbabyinc.com/
Here Square Enix avoids answering a stockholder's question about their association with Sweet Baby: https://boundingintocomics.com/2024/...wer-in-return/

Several forums about Sweet Baby Inc. have been deleted. Clearly Square is concerned or ashamed of it and trying to hide it.
This is kind of a problem considering Square Enix had announced a downsizing and merger with subsidiary companies of theirs this year, as well as mass layoffs due to sales problems for many of their recent games, and a change in quantity to quality of game development. I think they already develop with high quality standards, maybe problematically high standards, so really we're just going to see less games from Square Enix in the near future unfortunately. That should be a concern for any Square Enix fan.
I'm talking practically, if we care about Square Enix, and FFXIV, we should be concerned with them outsourcing to politically divisive companies when we see financial issues as a consequence, regardless of which side it takes.

FFXIV is my favorite MMO, I want it to succeed.

[AureliaF]

I don't care about real world cultural awareness. I care about playing a video game where elves are making peace with dragons. And I don't care about the lack of non-elezen diversity in Ishgard either.

Square Enix is on Sweet Baby Inc.'s client list on their website which is full of political wording: https://sweetbabyinc.com/
Here Square Enix avoids answering a stockholder's question about their association with Sweet Baby: https://boundingintocomics.com/2024/...wer-in-return/

Agreed on your HW/Ishgard example. After reading the links you posted, that definitely explains a LOT if this company was heavily involved in the narrative.

Just to vent on a random "seriously, Wuk?" moment, I was just reviewing some cutscenes, and there's a moment when (SPLEEEEN LISTEN TO MEH) says to Erenville (paraphrasing), "oh, if you're looking for your mother, you may want to look over there." And Wuk literally replies with a variant of: "well, not like we have anything else pressing to do."

I'm just... ??? For all your neverending whinge about family and peace and happiness, you sounded like you couldn't care LESS about finding Erenville's mother (a thought that had been driving me nuts since Erenville and I first saw the dome appear).

I genuinely tried to like her? But ffs, after that 100 trial ending just being the capstone of a thousand annoyances I gave up on that long ago. Please, please let her just disappear in the upcoming patches. If we need to work with Tuliyollal government, give me Koana any day. Just say she's out in Alexandria doing peace things whenever I show up. 'Cause lord, we deserve a (permanent? <3) break from her.

[Y2K21]

https://www.twitch.tv/finalfantasyxi...U6hiT2Y6YD9dUd

She is the english localization lead and Sweet Baby Inc. is notorious for ruining games to push politics. To this consulting firm, other company's IPs are a resource to be exploited and consumed for pushing their worldview.
She speaks as if it is a given to demonstrate real world cultural awareness in the game.
I don't care about real world cultural awareness. I care about playing a video game where elves are making peace with dragons. And I don't care about the lack of non-elezen diversity in Ishgard either.

Square Enix is on Sweet Baby Inc.'s client list on their website which is full of political wording: https://sweetbabyinc.com/
Here Square Enix avoids answering a stockholder's question about their association with Sweet Baby: https://boundingintocomics.com/2024/...wer-in-return/

Several forums about Sweet Baby Inc. have been deleted. Clearly Square is concerned or ashamed of it and trying to hide it.
This is kind of a problem considering Square Enix had announced a downsizing and merger with subsidiary companies of theirs this year, as well as mass layoffs due to sales problems for many of their recent games, and a change in quantity to quality of game development. I think they already develop with high quality standards, maybe problematically high standards, so really we're just going to see less games from Square Enix in the near future unfortunately. That should be a concern for any Square Enix fan.
I'm talking practically, if we care about Square Enix, and FFXIV, we should be concerned with them outsourcing to politically divisive companies when we see financial issues as a consequence, regardless of which side it takes.

FFXIV is my favorite MMO, I want it to succeed.

Im starting to think this Sweet Baby Inc stuff is a ploy to link actual criticism to grifters and anti-woke so it can get further disregarded by the community and devs in the future.

[Althalan]

Yes. I completely agree. Dawntrail ENORMOUS focus on Wuk Lamat was a mistake, I really wanted to give this character a chance, but his repeated quotes and "funny moments" ruined it for me, also she was ALWAYS THERE, didn't even give me a rest for a while. All the other characters arcs suffered because of this, was hoping that we could finally see more of Erenville and Krile but this couldn't be possible. For god sake even at the most critical moment of the last trial Wuk Lamat steals the highlights and comes with a cringy moment that we also saw on Gaia during Shiva fight (but it had sense and was epic). I love this game and the lore behind it but sincerely hope future content focuses on other characters and hopefully Wuk lamat aka Kid Naruto doesn't show up a second.

[Maxilor]

Sweet Baby Inc just seems like a giant boogeyman that's being used to excuse poor writing skills.

It's obvious to me that Ishikawa's departure was catalyst to the situation the game finds itself in.

She must have been HARD carrying the story on her back.

So, she leaves and suddenly the story falls to crap. I think I can put two and two together and figure out what happened.

Welcome to your new reality.

[Reinha]

Please, please let her just disappear in the upcoming patches. If we need to work with Tuliyollal government, give me Koana any day. Just say she's out in Alexandria doing peace things whenever I show up. 'Cause lord, we deserve a (permanent? <3) break from her.

I don't want her to just disappear. I want the satisfaction of seeing her die to an enemy that I alone will kill with ease afterwards. It's not like other NPCs haven't died to a surprise attack before.

[AureliaF]

I don't want her to just disappear. I want the satisfaction of seeing her die to an enemy that I alone will kill with ease afterwards. It's not like other NPCs haven't died to a surprise attack before.

Bahaha. <3 I definitely wouldn't say no to this either, I'm right with ya.

[Xendros]

Too bad she'd just self resurrect through the power of friendship.