It's Been Fun

[Selsix]

With the amount of "break in case of emergency" glasses they're smashing recently, I imagine they're pulling out all the stops for 8.0. I think it's a little premature to think it's joever because of one bad MSQ, and recently they've told us that they're going to be commited to making content that can be enjoyed by all types of players, not just ultra-casuals and ultra-hardcore (we'll just have to see if that ends up being true). As for the MSQ, they just need to put miss Ishikawa at the helm again and we'll be drowning in kino. Everything that woman writes is either gold (SHB) or not-quite-gold-but-damn-its-still-rather-nice-and-i-cried-anyway (EW but strictly 6.0). Also congrats on finding your SO in such a cute way

Keep in mind we're due for that fabled "job identity rework" they promised us

If Natsuko Ishikawa isn't personally writing 8.0 I'm already prepared for it to be garbage. She seems to be the only person at this company who can write a decent story anymore. No idea why they didn't have her write 7.0 when she was entirely the reason ShB and EW (aside from the patch cycle) were considered successful. My hope is she asked for a break for one expansion to write the next few all at once or something, but admittedly I am just huffing some PREMIUM copium there.

[0blivion]

We know why Ishikawa didn't write DT tho. She got a promotion and she wanted to give other writers a shot at writing MSQ. To everyone's dismay.

[Selsix]

We know why Ishikawa didn't write DT tho. She got a promotion and she wanted to give other writers a shot at writing MSQ. To everyone's dismay.

If that's the case, this was a massive failure on SE's part. I'm happy she got a promotion (she deserves it) but they should at this point offer her an even bigger raise to take her old position back. The fact that they'd promote their only good writer out of the writing position without first knowing they for sure have a new golden goose is insanely reckless. To my knowledge, the DT guys previously worked on the Sorrow of Werlyt which wasn't much of a good test considering players never even really talked about it from a story quality standpoint. It was "fine" at best imo and DT was an absolute disaster for the game and company. I'll honestly be surprised if those guys even still have jobs come next expansion.

[0blivion]

Oh, don't get me wrong, I fully agree. In fact, it's my pet peeve that people keep insisting on rewarding competence with promotions that make them just straight up do a different job. Ishikawa did supposedly supervise the story, but... I have my doubts lol. But yeah, double Ishikawa's salary to bribe her into returning to her old position, lol. The sentiment about passing on the torch to the new writers was something Ishikawa herself expressed at 2023 fanfest btw.

[SkankyRoe]

If Natsuko Ishikawa isn't personally writing 8.0 I'm already prepared for it to be garbage. She seems to be the only person at this company who can write a decent story anymore. No idea why they didn't have her write 7.0 when she was entirely the reason ShB and EW (aside from the patch cycle) were considered successful. My hope is she asked for a break for one expansion to write the next few all at once or something, but admittedly I am just huffing some PREMIUM copium there.

Ishikawa personally writing 8.0 won't safeguard it from being "garbage". If anything it'd make it more likely to be "garbage" when you consider she personally oversaw and approved DT's writing as good enough to release. Don't forget that Smile was her idea as well.

[Valence]

If that's the case, this was a massive failure on SE's part. I'm happy she got a promotion (she deserves it) but they should at this point offer her an even bigger raise to take her old position back. The fact that they'd promote their only good writer out of the writing position without first knowing they for sure have a new golden goose is insanely reckless. To my knowledge, the DT guys previously worked on the Sorrow of Werlyt which wasn't much of a good test considering players never even really talked about it from a story quality standpoint. It was "fine" at best imo and DT was an absolute disaster for the game and company. I'll honestly be surprised if those guys even still have jobs come next expansion.

I consider Sorrow of Werlyt to be the epitome of sidequests in XIV and it hit me a lot harder than anything the msq actually threw at me. I've only heard but praise for Werlyt and seen people constantly ask for more like this.

If the same people worked on DT, then it's not a problem of writers - bur perhaps management/direction. You can't seriously compare Werlyt's tone and writing with DT can you? They're literally at the opposite of the spectrum.

[SkankyRoe]

If the same people worked on DT, then it's not a problem of writers - bur perhaps management/direction.

You know that has me thinking about Ishikawa's overseeing position now. We know that Smile is the sickly sweet Disney number that everyone hates because Ishikawa directed Soken to make it that way. I wonder then, if various disliked aspects of DT's writing could be the result of her similarly directing the writers? Don't get me wrong I'm not saying she's a bad writer herself, just that she may be more responsible for DT's "bad writing" that people want to admit. Personally tho I think it's just an issue of YMMV, the writing being good or bad is entirely subjective. I personally like Smile and enjoyed the shounen anime adventure that was the 7.0 msq.

[hydralus]

Sometimes authors, even the best, put out crap. It happens.

[Veritas-Ancora]

We're all praying to Hydaelyn that the game gets better.

Sadly people will leave. And that's justified.

The rest of us who are waiting, patiently/impatiently, have a modicum of hope that the game will turn around.

It would be nice if we could completely erase Dawntrail from the game, but we sadly cannot. And new players will also leave with this slug of an expansion seemingly wasting our time.

[Basteala]

Ishikawa personally writing 8.0 won't safeguard it from being "garbage". If anything it'd make it more likely to be "garbage" when you consider she personally oversaw and approved DT's writing as good enough to release. Don't forget that Smile was her idea as well.

Eh. I don't hold Smile against her. It's a song. Not a narrative (even if the music sets the tone for the narrative). Bad taste in music doesn't a bad writer make.