Synodic Scribe's "The Steady Change in Writing..." Video

[Daralii]

Player focus I think is one of the main keys of successful storytelling in FFXIV, and as OP's video says a few times, the most popular expansions are the one where the WoL is still the focal point and the character that pushes the story forward. Any time that importance is pulled away, whether it be Lyse or Wuk or whoever, the overall story suffers for it. I don't even think we specifically need the Scions clustering around us constantly as some people seem to want; we just need to be the main focus again. I'm sure it sounds narcissist, but we really are more connected when the game makes us feel like we made a difference in that scenario. FFXIV players don't want to feel like tag-alongs or bodyguards; they want to feel like the character that affects the greatest change.

Yoshida said early on that when the WoL moves, the world moves. There should be a strong supporting cast with their own arcs(ShB did this fairly well), but the WoL shouldn't just be a brainless blunt instrument. This is especially true now that the overarching story is supposed to revolve around the WoL's adventures as we try to carry the legacy of the Ancients.

[Gaddes]

Yoshida said early on that when the WoL moves, the world moves. There should be a strong supporting cast with their own arcs(ShB did this fairly well), but the WoL shouldn't just be a brainless blunt instrument. This is especially true now that the overarching story is supposed to revolve around the WoL's adventures as we try to carry the legacy of the Ancients.

Well then I hope we return to the WoL moving the world, because he certainly felt like a brainless blunt instrument in much of DT.

[Red-thunder]

Well then I hope we return to the WoL moving the world, because he certainly felt like a brainless blunt instrument in much of DT.

He has been a brainless blunt instrument since ARR let's be real.

It wouldn't be so bad if the world didn't revolve around the WoL. But they simultaneously try to make everything depend on the WoL while making him a mute vessel. It's atrocious writing.

[Valence]

He has been a brainless blunt instrument since ARR let's be real.

It wouldn't be so bad if the world didn't revolve around the WoL. But they simultaneously try to make everything depend on the WoL while making him a mute vessel. It's atrocious writing.

Adding to this, a lot of people do not remember how the story felt until ShB showed up because they started playing after.
Before SHB happened, the WoL was the blandest, derplandest character ever made. It was so much designed so that and I quote "every player could insert themselves in its skin and identify as the main protagonist" that it was literally a blank cardboard that was just doing chores for the scions. The WoL had no story, no personality, no voice, nothing. It was just there, as Yoko Taro said, exercising its neck muscles toned by a lifetime of nodding. ShB has been the first time where they put the spotlight over the actual story of the WoL and started inserting it into the overarching plot, but before this? There was no Azem, there was nothing. The spotlight has never been on the WoL before except when a primal needed be killed, let's be real.

[JohnLakeside]

Adding to this, a lot of people do not remember how the story felt until ShB showed up because they started playing after.
Before SHB happened, the WoL was the blandest, derplandest character ever made. It was so much designed so that and I quote "every player could insert themselves in its skin and identify as the main protagonist" that it was literally a blank cardboard that was just doing chores for the scions. The WoL had no story, no personality, no voice, nothing. It was just there, as Yoko Taro said, exercising its neck muscles toned by a lifetime of nodding. ShB has been the first time where they put the spotlight over the actual story of the WoL and started inserting it into the overarching plot, but before this? There was no Azem, there was nothing. The spotlight has never been on the WoL before except when a primal needed be killed, let's be real.

I preferred it when the WoL wasn’t such a focal point. I think of it like a book because, in a book, you—the reader—aren’t the main character. In fact, you’re not a character at all. That’s one of the reasons ARR through SB felt so much like a novel—except instead of reading it, we were playing it. I had never experienced anything as immersive as that in all my years of media consumption. Great times.

[Valence]

I preferred it when the WoL wasn’t such a focal point. I think of it like a book because, in a book, you—the reader—aren’t the main character. In fact, you’re not a character at all. That’s one of the reasons ARR through SB felt so much like a novel—except instead of reading it, we were playing it. I had never experienced anything as immersive as that in all my years of media consumption. Great times.

I do not mind this necessarily, but the main problem I had was that the only side that had actual development tended to be the side of the villains, where the scions especially weren't much better off than the WoL for the simple reason that 1) they're walking tropes and line in animes everything they do is informed by their primary trope and 2) the character never or rarely actually focuses on anything more personal than "laser focus on the main story threat of the moment". The world building has been stellar and that's what turned me into a huge loremonger back in the day when I started playing, but the narration and writing? The language mastery is great, but the writing is dry and feels detached from portraying actual human beings instead of poster heroes.

[Mondschnee]

I preferred it when the WoL wasn’t such a focal point. I think of it like a book because, in a book, you—the reader—aren’t the main character. In fact, you’re not a character at all. That’s one of the reasons ARR through SB felt so much like a novel—except instead of reading it, we were playing it. I had never experienced anything as immersive as that in all my years of media consumption. Great times.

That's interesting. For me it was the opposite. I only really started being truly invested in the game in SHB.
Now mind you, I don't think the WoL has to be the focus all the time (in fact I'd argue in EW we weren't the focus most of the time), but I want the WoL to feel like a part of the story. Ishikawa always did this really well imo. Making the player feel included in a way, something that was lacking for me until SHB and EW. Since I made my WoL an OC with backstory and all, I prefer it that way, and the Azem lore is one of the most interesting parts for me.

In DT I was often wondering why my WoL is even there, but that's a sentiment a lot of people share.

[Zackneifein]

That's interesting. For me it was the opposite. I only really started being truly invested in the game in SHB.
Now mind you, I don't think the WoL has to be the focus all the time (in fact I'd argue in EW we weren't the focus most of the time), but I want the WoL to feel like a part of the story. Ishikawa always did this really well imo. Making the player feel included in a way, something that was lacking for me until SHB and EW. Since I made my WoL an OC with backstory and all, I prefer it that way, and the Azem lore is one of the most interesting parts for me.

In DT I was often wondering why my WoL is even there, but that's a sentiment a lot of people share.

I want my WoL to have agency. Doesn't matter the WoL isn't the absolute focus of the story, but I want agency. If the WoL never was such a character, and never matterd in the story like in many other MMORPG I wouldn't care (and I probably wouldn't play FFXIV since a long time), but it's not the case so I care.

In ARR, we are starting our adventurer life, that's our agency.
In Heavensward, we want to help the people that helped us at our lowest because the WoL is a gentle soul.
In Stormblood, we have to stop Garlemald in an inevitable war then we became the only one capable of stopping Zenos.
In Shadowbringer, we are the only one able to confront the Lightwardens.
In 5.x we have to help the Scion go back to the Source because they are our friends.
In Endwalker we have to save the world.
And for most of what's over, most of the time there were things only we could do, mainly the Primals or confronting foes too powerful for anyone else, but also travelling between the First and the Source or going to Elpis.

In 6.x, we wanted to have an adventure and what happened after that is only the consequences (and we are starting to lose some agency to Zero since it's with her power that the story can progress, yet we are still mentoring Zero about being a human again and we are the one confronting the mightiest foes).
And in Dawntrail... what's our agency ? An adventure ? Tural is a pacified land. A vacation ? Nah, we are babysitting someone, it's not what I call a vacation. Being a mentor ? Not only we don't mentor Wuk Lamat but she don't need it. Saving the world ? Yeah maybe, but far too late in the story. And more importantly is there anything done in the MSQ that specificaly required the WoL ? No.

And that's the main problem. It's not just that the focus isn't on the WoL, it can work that way. It's that the WoL isn't relevant at all and didn't even have it's moment to shine (truely shine, the 2 - 3 cutscenes where the WoL is supposed to be "badass" or somes lines about being "dangerous" aren't enough at all).
There is already more agency for the WoL in the Raid content that in all the MSQ combined.

[Auro_Seldaris]

I preferred it when the WoL wasn’t such a focal point. I think of it like a book because, in a book, you—the reader—aren’t the main character. In fact, you’re not a character at all. That’s one of the reasons ARR through SB felt so much like a novel—except instead of reading it, we were playing it. I had never experienced anything as immersive as that in all my years of media consumption. Great times.

It is not a book.
It is a video game.

The interactivity is a fundamental part of the experience. If you want a novel-type experience where you're a third-party observer and not an actual part of the story, go read a novel then.

Why do people come play FFXIV when they know how focused on the WoL it is? There's another MMO you can play where you're not the main character, and never have been, it's called World of Warcraft. If that's what you want out of a story, then perhaps you should check that out. I hate this mentality of "bringing the WoW mediocrity over here". Please leave those of us who want our character to be important to enjoy the game where we ARE important in peace, instead of forcing what we don't want on us, thank you. It was bad enough in Dawntrail, I don't want more of that.

Also, I kind of feel like you're having a basic media literacy problem here, because it's been pretty clear since ARR that you're special in SOME way. Why wouldn't the Eikon Slayer - one of only a handful of people to be able to go toe to toe with primals and come out not only with their brain unscrambled, but victorious to boot - be a main character in the story? As a Star Trek fan, I do enjoy when the entire ensemble gets to shine, but to say that Kirk, or Picard, or Sisko aren't the main character would be silly and disingenuous. Same here - I like it best when the entire cast gets some good moments and time in the spotlight, but to say that our character isn't or shouldn't be important is silly and disingeunous.

Speaking of things I don't like... I dislike this Yoshida-forced insistence on the WoL just being some "Random adventurer" again. This constantly referring to us not as the Warrior of Light, but the "Champion of Eorzea" nonsense. They tried it in 6.x, they tried it in 7.0, you can tell this is someone on the team's pet idea (probably Yoshida himself). It's being forced and it's not working, they need to stop. You can't put this cat back in the bag.

[Kandraxx]

This guy saying 'in WoW you're a nobody and not the main character go play that' lmao. You realize that all the big ticket characters literally licked the player's boots ever since WotLK 2008 right?

How about stop talking about a game you obviously never played and only refer to as a means of perceived +coolness factor?