
Originally Posted by
Hulan
I may be diverging slightly from the OP's point, but what I have taken away from the original point is this: Fundamentally, FFXIV lacks spice such as dialog. Now in SquareEnix MMOs, you play the part of a silent protagonist. This does not exclude the possibility of dialog, however. The best example I can think of off the top of my head from FFXI would be the Sleepga II line of quests (because they are neither main storyline missions, nor super important quests such as AF quests). In these quests, you follow the exploits of two Tarutaru who are competing streetvendors in Jeuno. The quest introductions are full of dialog between the two NPCs; sometimes they will turn to you, asking for your advice, pausing in the place of your response.
These scenes are quite long, much longer then the posted example by the OP. However, they are for lack of a better word, eventful. Writing, literacy, interest in lore, these things are not limited only to the quantity of text, but the delivery.
I would like to add also, that I love the stories in FFXIV. They are expertly designed in my mind. However, I completely agree with the OP that they are not well delivered when compared to other things we have seen from SE.