Alpha First Look: Video 5 - Quests and Combat

[Alhanelem]

Ffxi had good quest system,

Things got better over time, but up through Chains of Promathia, the quests and the instructions given by NPCs were constantly vague, often not even telling you either what you're looking for or where you're supposed to find it. The only way to know was to talk to someone who had more time to waste than you to actually figure it out. There's a certain amount of time before it stops being fun trying to solve a quest (Actively working out a well-designed puzzle and being left to fend for yourself with nothing to guide you are two very different things). e.g. if I have to spend an hour just figuring out where to go or what to do next, before I even begin to attempt to do it, that's not fun. After the early levels, big flashing signs that say "Kill this thing!" or Go to this exact spot and click here!" are not so necessary, however, it is still good to gently nudge the player in the right direction.

Why would SE show a video of something that doesn't represent the better half of the game?

Well, showing something is better than showing nothing and having everyone complain that they aren't showing anything / aren't communicating or keeping us in the loop. They also (apparently incorrectly) figured that we're smart enough to realize that a level 11 quest is very early on and isn't likely to compare to the quests that you'll be doing at level 50. Remember, the level limit in the alpha isn't even halfway to the regular max level.