What can SE learn from Bioware's failing Star Wars MMO?

[Duelle]

LOL I love Final Fantasy and the series.. but I can't take this seriously. The only reason XIV is still alive is the fan boys/girls that stayed...

This. As mentioned, XIV is not that different from games like TOR. The main difference is that unlike what companies like EA do (abandon their games), SE decided to try remaking the game. Sure, the fact that Final Fantasy is a flagship brand may have had something to do with it; after all, if it had been Mana Online, or Romancing Saga Online, or World of Chrono Trigger, I doubt SE would have pulled as many resources for them as it has for XIV.

For the record, the reason I was driven away from TOR was actually the bullshit that took place over the mod system. May have been my own fault for clinging to the ambrosia of near perfection that was the beta's mod system (two builds before launch), but it was far far better than what we got at launch, and still is a ground-breaking concept the developers chose not to go with.

I actually liked the class storylines, and the fact that it at least tried to tie up loose ends from the Knights of the Old Republic games (though I'll be the first to say bringing Revan into the flashpoints was a huge mistake). I liked the companions and what they added to character dynamics, because unlike other games, we're forced to develop personalities for our characters as we play the story and make decisions (my jedi knight was a by-the-book guy unless there were women involved, for example).

[DeadRiser]

This. As mentioned, XIV is not that different from games like TOR. The main difference is that unlike what companies like EA do (abandon their games), SE decided to try remaking the game. Sure, the fact that Final Fantasy is a flagship brand may have had something to do with it; after all, if it had been Mana Online, or Romancing Saga Online, or World of Chrono Trigger, I doubt SE would have pulled as many resources for them as it has for XIV.

I just love how it's not AS MUCH as a spamfest as SWTOR and other MMO's are. Your current action has to complete and you can't just stop it mid action. I am one of the few that likes the way we are planted to the ground when we select an action (except for self buffs and whatnot). It just makes battle flow and look more beautiful. In other mmo's, I never pay attention to my character. In XIV, I do a lot of the time just to watch the animations. I want SE to build up on that. I don't want them to do what all the other MMO's have done already and I'm afraid that's what they are going to do.

[Duelle]

I just love how it's not AS MUCH as a spamfest as SWTOR and other MMO's are. Your current action has to complete and you can't just stop it mid action. I am one of the few that likes the way we are planted to the ground when we select an action (except for self buffs and whatnot). It just makes battle flow and look more beautiful. In other mmo's, I never pay attention to my character. In XIV, I do a lot of the time just to watch the animations. I want SE to build up on that. I don't want them to do what all the other MMO's have done already and I'm afraid that's what they are going to do.

I'm the opposite, because I enjoy encounters where I have to move around and watch out for things in the environment. I found XI's battle engine and fights very boring for the most part, and at the same time understand that type of design severely limits how you can design bosses; the only thing that attempted to make them seem difficult was the amount of damage flying around and steep resource limits on mages. You couldn't do a Loatheb-type encounter in FFXI, for example. Doubt you could do one in this game yet, as healing hasn't quite gotten there.

[Miliant]

I am perplexed by two things.

The first is the fact that you somehow don't consider Tanaka's convoluting grindfest of a game a failure. FFXIV failed even worse than SWTOR. The only reason FFXIV is alive right now is because of Yoshida's changes and Square's infinite patience with it. These changes were made to make the game more user-friendly (or as you put it, moron-friendly).

The second thing is the end objective of your post. I presume you base it on the assumption that FFXIV is becoming a game "only for casuals" and that's what you want to avoid by means of this post. Still, looking at the game, I fail to see how FFXIV is becoming a game that caters "only to casuals," with most content being added for large groups of Lv50s. Furthermore, several times Yoshida's stated that his idea is to cater to everyone. So, overall, I see no reason for concern.

[DeadRiser]

I'm the opposite, because I enjoy encounters where I have to move around and watch out for things in the environment. I found XI's battle engine and fights very boring for the most part, and at the same time understand that type of design severely limits how you can design bosses; the only thing that attempted to make them seem difficult was the amount of damage flying around and steep resource limits on mages. You couldn't do a Loatheb-type encounter in FFXI, for example. Doubt you could do one in this game yet, as healing hasn't quite gotten there.

Don't get me wrong, I love moving in combat. I just like the idea of planting yourself in the ground for a short amount of time to do crazy damage. It makes sense. Like for Ifrit. You watch what he does and when you think it's safe, you use one of your weaponskills to do crazy damage.