Materia system should be streamlined and based on FFVII.

[Chinook]

I have to admit that I was a little bit disappointed with how materia was implanted.

It isn't that bad, but it could be much better.

[Arkine]

Hmm... how to keep this thread in the front page to get more attention... /think...



bump?

[Asiaine]

I like the idea of +1 items adding a slot, this encourages gathering of HQ materials, and skilled crafters.
I like the idea of rare dungeon drops having +2 or even +3 slots. This keeps a lot of value in getting those rarer items and encourages adventuring.
I like the idea of rare materia dropping from dungeons encourages adventuring (and discourages repetition if the materia is not going to be lost on meld attempt).
I like the idea of materia progression (which is what I hoped spirit bond was meant to be).

Lots of good ideas that meld nicely between FFVII materia system and the present mechanics of an FFXIV MMORPG.

Let's do it!

[Bobjohnson]

I'm not a fan of the current materia system, so I'm all for something like this. Seems a lot more engaging.

[Denmo]

I enjoy the current materia system for what it is and does in the MMO setting. Fixed a lot of issues. Made crafting have more of a point.

I think you're asking for serious exploits and balance issues if you make the system more like VII's. Put yourself in the dev's shoes when trying to implement a system like that that's truly fair and balanced.

Not that I hate VII's materia system. It's really enjoyable. But it's not necessarily the best way to go for an MMO.

It may have even been a mistake to name it Materia. Much like it was a mistake to put "Final Fantasy" in the name "Final Fantasy: Spirits Within". All it did was disappoint fans.

It does but ultimately an MMO is about battle classes.

Maybe in PSO, Borderlands, or Guild Wars.

I dunno about you, but I like the idea that every other piece of equipment you come across was player-made with time and effort put into them, and not just some drop from some mob that some DRK happened to kill repeatedly.

[Veltaine]

I dunno about you, but I like the idea that every other piece of equipment you come across was player-made with time and effort put into them, and not just some drop from some mob that some DRK happened to kill repeatedly.

I love crafting. and find myself doing it farr more than anything else in the game,
its also made me stay here a lot longer than any other MMO i've played, and i'm still engaged with whats going on.


- the materia system is a gamble, which makes it more difficult, if it was skill, you would have a huuuuge player gap, and guess what, people with less time on their hands (casual gamers) will have no hope of playing with others because they had more time to hone their skills

=this would cause casual gamers not to play an already dangerously dead game. with such huge potentials, gambling is the best way to go. after all, Final Fantasy made a company by luck.

why not take a chance and roll the materia dice. it sounds a lot safer than risking your business over it.

[Arkine]

I love crafting. and find myself doing it farr more than anything else in the game,
its also made me stay here a lot longer than any other MMO i've played, and i'm still engaged with whats going on.


- the materia system is a gamble, which makes it more difficult, if it was skill, you would have a huuuuge player gap, and guess what, people with less time on their hands (casual gamers) will have no hope of playing with others because they had more time to hone their skills

=this would cause casual gamers not to play an already dangerously dead game. with such huge potentials, gambling is the best way to go. after all, Final Fantasy made a company by luck.

why not take a chance and roll the materia dice. it sounds a lot safer than risking your business over it.

The current system is not difficult its just random.

Someone can get a triple meld on their first try, others will burn through millions of gils before getting a double, and it already creates a gap between players since the ones with less money/time to make money won't be having the double/triple melded gear which is slowly starting to be the standard for good gear.

A slot system will keep crafting relevant since you need a crafter to stick materia to the slots and gatherers to get the catalyst to stick it and the gap between casuals and hardcores will be something like:

Casual: wears NQ gear with NQ materia (Body 2 slots, HP+55 materia on both)

Hardcore: Wears HQ gear with HQ materia (Body 3 slots, HP+65 on all 3)

And the middle ground like (HQ Body 3 slots, HP+55/HP+60/HP+65)

You can add HQ catalysts too for the ultra hardcore that uses top tier materia (HQ Body 3 slots HP+75/HP+75/HP+75)

For dungeon gear it of course should be good but it should also have stats on it that cant be recreated with materia like Body +50 enmity. (you can't stick enmity on bodies)

That should make everybody happy, crafters are needed to meld and their HQs will be more important and lucrative for them, gatherers will still be farming catalysts AND HQ catalysts for even more dough, Materia farmers will still farm materia but the HQs will be even more voluble.

Casuals will be able to catch up and not be put off by asshats/random number generator as much, hardcores will still be ahead of the curve and those in the middle will be moderately satisfied and maybe even strive to be better.

If anybody sees a downside, do let me know.

[Jinko]

Agree with the OP, I would have much preferred a FFVII style materia system, something similar to WoW/Diablo III's socketing system would also work.

I can't see it being changed though.

Someone suggested a while ago a system with different shaped materia that would fit into socketed items, I thought that was a great idea.

For example a sword with one square socket and one round socket, and different materia with both different colours and shapes which can be fixed and removed with a small fee so that players can customise their gear more readily.

[Radav]

Yeah.... I know this is probably asking for a lot from the devs with all that they have on their plate but, The ideas outlined here pertaining to gear having materia slots. HQ gear increasing the slots on said gear. This would be much preferred to the system we currently have in place. Please take a hard look at making this change. The more reliance on the RNG gods we can take out of the game the better for everyone IMO.

[Fated]

OP's version of the materia system sounds way better than what is in the game right now.