Infos on the Real game Direction? WHEN?!

[Velhart]

While I can't speak in others perspectives nor pretend to know how they feel of the situation, I will truly never understand why people over react when they see or obtain new information in regards to 2.0. Every day there is some discussion around "FFXIV becoming WoW.". While I think (remember...opinions folks...nothing more!) the best route the game can take is inspiration from a highly successful game as FFXI took inspiration from Everquest.

I would like you to go back and find truly original concepts from a Final Fantasy game. The only thing I can think of is the Active Time Battle system from FFIV, which may I remind you, derived from the turn based battle system which FF did not create. What Final Fantasy does is take what is good in the industry and puts their own take onto it. Final Fantasy takes what is good, adds neat features here and there to display it's own unique RPG concepts, and sticks a great story and characters on top of it.

I think FFXIV may have been the first time they went out of their way to be very unique, which bit them in the ass. Now before people start bringing pitch forks and torches, I do agree that not "everything" can be copied from WoW. This is in fact the reason that many MMO's are not succeeding today. They make a good game, but they don't provide features that you already get in WoW. However, contrary to popular belief, I know the FF team has a standard they have to uphold and cannot simply copy and paste another MMO and slap the FF name on it. They have to bring something that games like WoW cannot. So far I am seeing a lot.

* The Armory System itself is a feature not practiced in many MMO's. Being able to be whatever you want whenever you want as long as you put the work into getting the class/craft/gatherer stronger. This is a very strong selling point to new players.

* Limit Breaks and Skill Chains are a very unique feature, instead of just sitting there spamming a rotation all day, you rely on friends to perform chains to maximize damage potential. Meaning you have a stronger communication with your fellow team mates beyond the overall strategy. Not only that, communicating with 8 people to summon a giant meteor is pretty damn awesome! This was a major plus for FFXI and I am glad it is being brought back.

* Game is still at a more tactical pace than action. From what I see, yes, the game will require more movement and will be more fast paced than the previous titles, but from what I see (Alpha at least), the game doesn't look like a complete button spam fest. In WoW, as a Death Knight DPS, all I really do is spam two abilities and then waste my rune power with one ability. While WoW offers strategy in it's own way, its simplified to a point that I am just spamming so much my fingers get cramped. By the alpha video alone, it looks like you are more precise and take advantage of most abilities with the combo system in place, making that global cool down a potential good thing.

* Multiple forms of gaining EXP. I see many methods of gaining levels here that you could really just do what you like instead of doing fetch quests. You can do the quests, participate in FATE's, do guildleves, and grind through dungeons. You could possibly grind of mobs like the old days (Maybe, honestly I hope not, haha. ***opinion!****)

* Content and lore truly makes the experience. I know for a fact that they will deliver in this area, I don't think there is much to worry about on this. They said they are even in development of future content, even though the main game itself has not yet been released. Not only that, the nostalgia this game is going to provide will be more than enough to keep me in the game.

Do note, this is all simply speculation. However, it isn't completely fair to call this out, calling it a complete WoW clone when most of you haven't even really played it yet. You are within your rights to look at it that way, and honestly it does so far, which I cannot argue with you on. However, I am sure when beta comes around, opinions may change here and there.

So the direction I see it as gaining inspiration while bringing concepts you may not find from others. They proved us wrong with thinking FFXI would just be an Everquest clone. Lets see if they can do it again.

[Cendres]

So the direction I see it as gaining inspiration while bringing concepts you may not find from others. They proved us wrong with thinking FFXI would just be an Everquest clone. Lets see if they can do it again.

Lovely post thanks for putting it so well. \o/

[Nadrojj]

This. Apart from server issues, I enjoyed playing the end of 1.0 (since 1.23), and at first I assumed 2.0 would be pretty much 1.23 with better server structure and some cosmetic enhancements (UI, character creation etc.). However, at this point it seems like they'll be changing pretty much everything 1.23 was, and most of the things I've read and seen so far haven't pleased me. This saddens me as I'd really love to commit to another FF MMO for years to come. What troubles me is that as I wrote, I really don't know what the game will be like compared to 1.0 (or 1.23). I can't hype the game, can't plan anything for our 1.0 LS, can't really do anything but wait for the launch and hope for the best.

People are telling others to wait for the beta to experience these things for themselves. However, not all content will be included in the beta version and things may change a lot between beta and launch. And even if I would be able to try all the content in the beta, I'd like SE to tell us what are the ideas behind the content we're testing, where they're going with certain mechanics, what kind of content additions they're planning for the future etc.

NDA isn't there to keep things secret before beta, it's there so that SE can control how they portray their game. It's a completely different thing to play some class by yourself a bit and to see that class portrayed by the game company on a video, telling their vision for the class' role, showing the high level skills in group play and so on. And this is what I'd like to see them doing.

You also have to remember that not everyone will be in the beta, and many potential players won't even bother to apply for a beta of a game they know nothing about. If I heard about this game for the first time today, I would take one look at the official site, find no information on the release date, how classes work, what kind of content there will be... I'd probably just forget about it.

Can you elaborate please on what exactly they are changing that you don't like. I'm curious.

[Momita]

Can you elaborate please on what exactly they are changing that you don't like. I'm curious.

[Sorel]

Truth be told, the fear many in the community hold (as do I to a small extent), is that FFXIV:ARR will be the latest failed World Of Warcraft clone in a long line of failed World of Warcraft clones. At least with FFXIV 1.0, it failed on its own unique terms. What is worse, failing a test using your own answers ... or failing a test copying answers from someone else??

Many of the previous MMORPG failures released after World of Warcraft fall into the category of "Copy World Of Warcraft + Add a Novelty/Gimmick".

IF FFXIV:ARR tries to do the same, it will suffer the same fate.

But if Producer/Director Yoshida can re-establish a foundation of well designed and redesigned features like the Armory System, Materia, Retainers, Crafting, Guildleves, FATE, Chocobos, and Airships ... at a certain point they stop being gimmicks and become unique content.

For example, chocobos can easily be considered just another gimmick; just a universe specific mount. A "horse-bird". Except in FFXIV:ARR, this "horse-bird" mount can fight along side you.

So it's a pet then ... that you can also use as a mount. Slightly more interesting now, isn't it??

Building off that foundation, maybe you can also have your chocobo compete in races at some sort of gambling amusement park ... shaped like a Gold Saucer because of the large racing track it has. Maybe you can even raise your own chocobos, and breed in either more combat traits (like strength and accuracy) or racing traits (like speed and control).

At this point, chocobos are no longer a one-dimension mount replacement gimmick. They are a cornerstone (one of many), of an interestingly different world. String enough of these cornerstones together ... and you have another Final Fantasy.

[Exn]

stuff.

Well said sir. And that is exactly is why I hold on to hope inspite of the overall direction ARR was taken. Time will tell if they pulled it off, or came up short.

[Radacci]

In regards to the OP, SE have already given details on the game direction: "WoW themepark with more FF feels." That's not a direct quote, but close enough.

I think the reason they probably don't talk much about the features the game boasts nor the general direction of the game is purely because there's nothing much to boast about. Again, many things won't make it to release either, so talking about a bare-bones game may not be worth speaking about and that's why there is dead silence.

I think SE definitely need to work on their pitch though to evolve it beyond "WoW with more FF feel" well before release time, even if it's a lie, simply because it will generate sales. They need to sell it to an untrusting audience.

Even FFXIV 1.0 devs launched a pretty sales pitch. The original FFXIV website was raving about its new Armory play-anything-you-want System, and the new active battle system where each weapon would have a different range, and tanks would active block, and there were even diagrams and everything, and the guildleve system was positioned as a new way to quest, etc. None of these ideals may have been realised in actuality, but SE certainly made a marginal effort to convince people the game was developed with a certain philosophy in mind that went a little deeper than "we increased the FF feel, kthx."

The current website just re-uses the same FFXIV images (which is tantamount to fraud since the graphical engine has been replaced so its no longer a fair representation) and is devoid of any meaningful info. The dev blogs spell nothing out about the game beyond superficial features. And maybe that's because the game is designed superficially. That's the take-away message I get.

Or because Yoshi is off to promotion tour 10th Feb, and will reveal more then?
And because they just want to keep stuff a secret?
If they didn't even believe in the project, there wouldn't have been a ARR
They'll obviously update Lodestone etc during Phase 3, when the game isn't under NDA anymore.

The problem is, if Yoshi only appeals to those who stayed and FFXI veterans, then the game will flop. It already has. Like my above cake analogy, People want chocolate cake, Vanilla is the most popular and "safe" so Yoshi is trying to make a Marble cake. The only problem is with people perception, all some people hear is there is going to be vanilla in the cake and then they freak out.

Yoshi himself has already said he took inspiration from other games, like WoW, to make the game more appealing, to a bigger audience, so why would anyone be worried he's only catering to XI and 1.0 players?
I dunno why people are always crying about WoW clone this or that; It's not gonna be more of a WoW clone than when servers went down. To me the game looks quite the same, but more fast paced, and user friendly; if that is WoW clone, and bad...people are just retarded.

[ZakarnRosewood]

Yoshi himself has already said he took inspiration from other games, like WoW, to make the game more appealing, to a bigger audience, so why would anyone be worried he's only catering to XI and 1.0 players?
I dunno why people are always crying about WoW clone this or that; It's not gonna be more of a WoW clone than when servers went down. To me the game looks quite the same, but more fast paced, and user friendly; if that is WoW clone, and bad...people are just retarded.

I think you misunderstood my comment. I wasnt worried about only catering to XI and 1.0 players. I'm quite glad he is not. I'm also not worried about a WoW clone. My comment was actually directed at these people and pointing out they are too focused on being upset to see what they are really doing.

That aside, I agree with pretty much everything you said.

[Radacci]

I think you misunderstood my comment. I wasnt worried about only catering to XI and 1.0 players. I'm quite glad he is not. I'm also not worried about a WoW clone. My comment was actually directed at these people and pointing out they are too focused on being upset to see what they are really doing.

That aside, I agree with pretty much everything you said.

yes i figured my comment was also generic, and aimed at no one in particular.
i agree, they are blinded by their worry, and think the shit they make up in their heads is real ^^
we just need to relax, and let beta speak for itself, rather than bash at the game, before we know the details.

[Blackpearlguy]

The JP and EU Forums don't seem to be concerned over the direction. I think it's to the point we're over analyzing. Yoshi never ever said this would be a WoW clone if he did PLEASE quote it. He said the UI would be similar if I recall properly. If anything it's closer to a GW2 clone with some of the similar systems in place(FATE is my prime example).