My heart just fell totally...

[pool842]

...seems the horrible systems Blizzard call Cross Realm Dungeons and Cross Realm Zones, which a large number of people playing WOW detest with a passion, is coming to FFXIV:



This is a recipe for disaster, the long experience of the cross-realm Looking For Dungeon has amply shown it breeds excessive greed and ass-hattery, because players can be jerks and then return to their own realm with no repercussions with regard to their community reputations.

Cross Realm Zones has destroyed large parts of the gathering game, now the over-competition for resource nodes makes leveling gathering a nightmare.

Please Yoshi, I beg of you, DON'T inflict this community-killer on us.

Most people do not hate this system in fact most players like it, just because you get a couple forum posts from a couple of baddies does not mean the majority hate it. I for one love killing cross realm people on my server trying to take things like mining nodes and or camping poor lower levels. Are you going to get bad groups in dungeons sometimes probably but does that matter not really you can always spam trade chat to make your own group like the old days. The LFR is there for people that don't have the time or community to find people on there servers. Community's break down because of bad guild leadership drama queens, and thief's not because of cross realm play. That's like blaming Facebook for friends not hanging out as much. It is just dumb go see your friends or build a community on your server. If you don' t have time or don't like the people around you use the LFR.

[drivendawn]

I'm not against cross world grouping,that being said it will be interesting to see how successful said PUG'S will be in dungeon's.

[Siegtaru]

I'd still much rather choose to do something like Crystal Tower with my Free Company if possible over using the content finder.

Blizzard screwed up a bit when they started making "raid finder" raids and then the regular difficulty raids with the same drops, only of a higher "item level" and stats to reflect. Same name and look, though. Basically you would join raid finder in WoW and lose rolls on gear to gaggles of players who you feel didn't deserve it, or just outright afk'd for the entire encounter because they could. That's how dumbed down the difficulty was.

Although I hear with MoP now the loot system is similar to getting Primal weapons in 1.x, at least for the raid finder, where there's basically a small chance you'll get something from your own personal roll on the loot table, server-side, much like opening a chest after defeating a Primal! When you don't get loot, you'd get dark ma-- I mean, some pocket change in gold. The raids have also been scaled to such difficult proportions that even with all of the best gear obtainable up to the point of the first raid (without having looted gear from said raid) many casual raid groups are struggling, even at the first boss. It seems like this tactic to appeal to... I don't even know, hardcore players I guess, will end up alienating those more casual players who aren't "dedicated" enough to master these new encounters.

I just know alot of people I've talked to who are those die-hard WoW players that have played "since vanilla" aren't too fond of alot of these FFXIV1.x-esque new changes in this expansion, and I stopped playing towards the end of Cataclysm from sheer boredom, so I can't say I have nor do I want to go play the new expansion and experience how bad it really is now. Honestly, it sounds worse.

Back on topic though, this shouldn't be some sort of community killer in any sense, because the community is what makes the FFXIV community great. Players who want to play together because they know each other, for whatever reason, will still do so, and if anything this should make it easier. I know during 1.x I had various friends across many servers that I wish I could have played with instead when there was no one around at the time, since sometimes the community on just a single server, and dependant on your play hours (my work schedule fluctuated alot over the summer, so I was often on during Australian times and made new friends around the globe!) can't find someone when you need. Having the ability to group up and enjoy the content this game has to offer without being held back by the limitation of not having anyone online on your server who's willing to group up with you by simply connecting with another player or more that have the exact same goal as you sounds just awesome to me.

If anything, it's an opportunity to make new friends from accross the server border! ;D

[Felis]

4Gamer: I believe the players would be happy to have the dungeons enriched. However with current FFXIV I think the main stress is where you can’t find people to dive into those dungeons.

I understand that. So we will introduce a new system called “Content Finder”. This system can be used to request party for every content existing in FFXIV. And this system will work across several servers instead of within your own server.

4Gamer： Please explain

For example if you wanted to go to Dungeon A you can open up the contents finder tab and select dungeon A. From there you put your characters level and class/job you want to play and your language and from there once the class balance is set it will automatically start matching players. Also you will be automatically sent to the dungeon and upon clearing the dungeon you will automatically be sent back.

4Gamer：So it’s automated matching system? That may be very useful.....

I just gave the dungeon as example but for those stuff that requires party I want to make it where you can use this content finder. By making it world specific it may be possible where you still can’t making the full group so by making several worlds people can group up for the same goal and go back to own world afterwards. For this one I based it on global standards. I believe lots of people quit because they can’t form a party and enjoy the content.

4Gamer：So you will be able to cross worlds to form parties?

Yes. No matter how well the dungeon is created if you can’t form a party it won’t even start. So if we made an awesome dungeon we need to prepare a support system where they can experience this fully, it’s to make a consistent flow.

4Gamer：So for dungeons it’s OK to think that it’s mainly going to be instanced and where you cross servers correct?

Yes. In general you can think that you’ll be playing instanced.

4Gamer：Are there solo based dungeons?

That would depend on balance. It’s not hard to make it where you can challenge solo but for example for a dungeon which was balanced for 8 players by challenging solo I believe the enemy will be too strong and causes stress

4Gamer：So for dungeon you want them to use the content finder to form a party and play correct?

Yes, I believe using the content finder to play is extension of solo play. You join up with players with same goals and say “Hello!” at beginning and after taking down the enemy say “Thanks for party” and that it. I think it’s ok for party play to be casual like that. The system is very easy, if you have gone to the dungeon even once you can choose from the list and play any time.

4Gamer：So you can join anytime from anywhere to join the dungeon or other contents?

Yes. You can login open up the content finder and choose the dungeon and put up a request, it will display waiting for other players so you can just read magazine and stuff to kill time, once everyone is grouped it will automatically start. For the first time I want them to go out on an adventure.

4Gamer：So for first time, you want them to actually walk the world map and find the dungeon correct?

Yes, that’s it.

4Gamer：I see. I understood the function of the content finder. However when you form a party the next issue is the chat. For PS3 users not all will have keyboards ready so they can join easily but compared to those PC players with keyboard and you don’t speak, the PC players may think “Why doesn’t this player talk?” I believe there will be cases where communications are required.

First off, why is chat required? That’s because before joining content you need to be able to communicate right?

4Gamer：…. I see.

For example if I was the party leader and didn’t have the content finder, when I want to form a party I would ask my friend “Hey I want to get that item so want to go to dungeon B, what you think?” and first talk to them. Even if my friend says “Sure” if it’s 4 player content we’re still 2 short. If other friends log in the only method left is to shout or use party search, so we need to end up talking to strangers.

4Gamer：Yes, that step to talk to stranger is pretty hard.

On top of that you have to get people with the same goal. Just getting players out of nowhere will end up players joining not knowing why they are there. Content finder is to help ease this type of situation. In the request you can put “Want to go to dungeon B to get clear reward” so once that goal is sam with others they have the same goal and everyone will know lets hurry up and take down the mobs and clear. And on top of that the party balance is already set so much communication isn’t even needed.

4Gamer：But with that wouldn’t that shrink the community?

Even if the goal is same when you join the party you would at least say “Hi” right? To chat depends on if the communication. If there isn’t any talk then you know this party is silent. But if there is one player that talks a lot communication would start from there. I believe that’s ok based on those different occasions, first is be able to offer a system where you can meet others casually. In MMORPG I think it’s really hard to match everyone’s goals and believe the finder’s major point is it can do that automatically.

4Gamer：To have same goals is indeed hard. When joining at party going after much EXP they may say “You can wipe all the mobs by just casting fire over and over”

Yes, even if you need technique/skills it will change depending on the parties situation. If you want to take down dungeon efficiently or requires high level of teamwork it’s better to be with community you’re used to. Therefore for content finder would be happy if you can use it casually. Also the finder can be registered while already in a party so for example when you have 7 people already and short on 1, you can use the finder to look for that one last person.

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...l=1#post727006

[KyahAlmasy]

The only down side I see to cross-realm "LFG" option is that it destroys a server's community. If the game isn't popular enough that you can't run out and gather players for a party than it probably isn't going to be much of a successful game. But that aside, and getting back to the community.

Dungeons or "instances" promote player relations within a server, and help grow a fun environment to play in. WoW has become a stale, barren game because no one bothers playing with people from their own server when they can join a queue and find a group in 5 minutes. This is why the WoW crowd largely dislikes the function. This is good and bad, good because.. well everyone's playing the game! But bad because the game relies heavily on player relation, and with a mechanic like a "Cross-realm" search function acting as a poisoned apple, players will flock to it and the result would be segregated community (Especially for newer players. )I remember playing WoW back in it's vanilla day; I leveled with other players who I logged on to every night, gathered together to reach a common goal and recognized names and even personalities on a daily basis. The community made me love that game.

FFXIV 1.0 had a LFG function that was so underdeveloped that most players didn't even knew it existed and thus it plummeted and failed. Make an in-realm LFG function that is easily accessible and if the game debut is successful it will blossom and do just what it was designed to. Or at least, that's what I hope for.

Again, I offer this post as just my mere opinion from my experience on MMOPRGs.

[mekia]

In WoW no one gives two tosses about the server "community". If i want to do a dungeon i don't care with who i just want to spend more time in the dungeon than outside hoping for a tank or dps to join.
I'm all for cross realm LFD/LFR whatever they gonna do.

[A_Hortensia]

Content Finder won't hurt linkshells or static parties.

It will help all the moms, dads, full-time students, and XI Dragoons/Beastmasters.

CAN YOU DIG IT!?

[Galliano]

Don't use words like "we" to back up your opinion

He didn't.

[Gentaro]

Hurray for playing with random people, screw the bonds you make in parties you form yourself \o/

[Syrokko]

Hurray for playing with random people, screw the bonds you make in parties you form yourself \o/

Nobody said you HAVE to use it.
You are aware of this, right?

Yoshida himself has said several times that he aims to produce a "world-class MMO".
Options such as a Cross-Server Content Finder are (unfortunately for some people who disagree) are quite necessary for it to qualify, considering most competing games already have it.