/r/ffxivdiscussion: The format of the MSQ lacks gameplay and should change

[royox]

OMG this is my Post xDDD. I logged in to the forum to post this as somebody in reddit told me to post it also here.

Glad it's getting some legs.

[Kaedan]

Yea cause it not like we had any good story telling during the 8 years prior to Endwalker, when Story and cutscenes took less time to go through.

Rose colored glasses. It's been the same formula with an average of 1 new mechanic during MSQ per expansion.

[Merrigan]

I couldn't agree more with this post. I liked Dawntrail in terms of the story; for my part, the under-appreciated first part was a breath of fresh air because I was a bit fed up with shonen scenarios. On the other hand, the overall pace is, as in Endwalker, atrocious. In general, over an hour's playtime: well over thirty minutes of dialogue (and this is coming from someone who likes c-rpg, so I'm not bothered by the dialogue), 25 minutes of movement... And five minutes where you're really ‘playing’. The impression is compounded by the lack of resistance of the open world: while it's never really been complicated (since I've been playing the game, anyway), it becomes more and more obsolete as our skills multiply. So when you finally have to kill two tigers/birds/whatever, it literally takes two seconds.

There are also plenty of missed opportunities to diversify the gameplay. The example given in the original post is a case in point: defending a city offers a thousand and one options for doing something interesting. To see it reduced to a cutscene is a waste. Side note: that's why I'm in favour of tailing and escorting quests. They're still gameplay diversifications, even if some people grumble about them; so they're welcome innovations.

[Swordsman]

OMG this is my Post xDDD. I logged in to the forum to post this as somebody in reddit told me to post it also here.

Glad it's getting some legs.

It's a great post. Thanks for taking the time to write it up.

This person is following you.

Lmao, make sure to talk to this person every time you get to a highlighted circle on the ground.

[Isala]

You mean you don't enjoy

Talk to NpC
Talk to 3 NPC
Zoom here
Carry this to here
Follow this person

Am I missing any major MSQ mechanics?

Escort NPC that walks slower than you and gets stuck on terrain.

[Ahelissa]

I think it's a twofold problem:

1. The writing is extremely repetitive and the dialogue desperately needs an editor. As far as I know, nearly everything written by this particular writer has been poorly received. It is what it is. Find them another role within the team. The scene direction is very inefficient too. There are often 5 second pauses between line deliveries. 10 second pauses to watch a character clench their fist. Etc. That all adds up over 100+ quests, and it kills any sense of momentum in a scene.

2. Gaming attitudes change over time. There's a reason Everquest isn't the most popular MMO anymore. What people like changes over time, and it can be sudden. We may have reached the tipping point on "Talk to X, then talk to 3 NPCs". Sometimes gamers just decide they aren't doing it anymore. Again, look at what WoW did to EQ.

[Balmung_Griffin]

It's disheartening that this team think this structure is engaging and good enough that they actually put the same structure in a full budget single player game (FFXVI)
That's how bad it is, this team need some new blood/new experiences urgently.

[angelar_]

2. Gaming attitudes change over time. There's a reason Everquest isn't the most popular MMO anymore. What people like changes over time, and it can be sudden. We may have reached the tipping point on "Talk to X, then talk to 3 NPCs". Sometimes gamers just decide they aren't doing it anymore. Again, look at what WoW did to EQ.

Yep, it's true, there's no middle ground between "vacuously mob grinding in the 2000s" and "an endless cutscene interspersed with 5 minute bouts of walking in glorified MSQ container zones that cost a ton of money to produce but serve very little other purpose."

[Ahelissa]

Yep, it's true, there's no middle ground between "vacuously mob grinding in the 2000s" and "an endless cutscene interspersed with 5 minute bouts of walking in glorified MSQ container zones that cost a ton of money to produce but serve very little other purpose."

Kind of a bizarre interpretation of what I wrote. Refuting a point I wasn't trying to make.

[WeebPolice]

I feel like "In From the Cold" and the number of complaints about people not liking role-play solo duties are likely factors to the lack of combat in Dawntrail.

I sincerely hope not, citizen. That would be a hugely miscalculated knee-jerk reaction on Square's part if they misunderstood the complaints about "In From the Cold" as not wanting gameplay.





May your blades never dull.