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  1. #1
    Player
    ZakarnRosewood's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Posts
    1,021
    Character
    Za'karn Riskbreaker
    World
    Zalera
    Main Class
    Marauder Lv 90

    Why should I subscribe?

    I read a post earlier asking if you were subscribing after going on a long rant about all the things they didnt like about the game. I wrote out a good reply but I felt it would better serve the community to make it its own thread.


    Please feel free to answer the thread question yourself. I like to hear all points of view, why you stay, why you are leaving.

    Will I sub? The answer is a resounding yes! I have already subbed for a 90 day recurring subscription. Why? Well I can tell you that it has nothing to do with needing to have content so difficult that I want to chew on my keyboard in frustration, I have Dark/Demon souls for that.

    I am subbing because of the rich and vibrant world, the community, and all the little details. Let me elaborate.

    Rich and Vibrant World:
    The wonderful art style in this game blends realism with fantasy in a way that leaves it feeling like a world you can actually live in. Characters a proportionate, and mostly realistic looking. The lighting is phenomenal. There are so many different areas that are rich in texture and history, just by looking around. From Rocky barren wastelands, to open sprawling sand dunes, to wind swept plains, to tropical jungles, to lush forests, to floating islands in the sky, and so on.

    The areas in the game can tell you of a beautiful history without needing a single NPC to tell you anything. Walking from Horizon to Vespar Bay you can see toppled statues and broken roads. There was once a people who lived and thrived here, what happened to them? Where did they go? There are so many places like this.

    Even more than a beautiful map to explore and ask questions about IS a wonderfully told story woven into it all, above and beyond the main scenario, should you choose to read it and take an interest in it. There are so many nods to other games and pop culture it cracks me up!

    The Community:
    Through the course of the game I have grouped with some wonderful people. I have met some great people through my Free Company that I would almost consider a family. Even through duty finder I have had some really nice experiences. My biggest complaint with Duty Finder is that we are on different servers. When we had a great time its disappointing when we know we might not get to play with that person ever again. I've helped a group of us beat story mode Titan when we were all first timers, we took almost the whole time we were allotted but when we beat itit felt like more of an accomplishment than when i did it later on with my FC and did it in one go. I've partied with someone who was a husband and wife team, very friendly and funny folk.

    Also, as a Free Company we are a great group of creative people, we have several youtube projects on the go. A fandub of 1.0's storyline, a Mog News Broadcast where we do FFXIV news, Risk TV where its done robot chicken style, and a RvB/8-bit theater project. When we get together to play we laugh and joke and take awesome screenshots, discover new places, learn new ways to play, help each other progress story and even Role Play.

    It wasnt until I got near the end game stuff where i saw the community turn sour and cynical. Reasons for which I could make my own assumptions on but I guess we both want something different out of the game. I like to stop and smell the roses personally.

    The little details:
    The way the light streams through the trees. i love the sunburst effects they use and the lens flares. (best part is DX11 client is not even here yet)

    The subtle Music playing softly in the background and how it blends into the next theme. This is the first game in decades that I have actually left the music on intentionally. Almost every other game I play I end up turning it off and keeping the sound effects on.

    The way your characters hair shifts in the wind and their clothes will move as well. The leaves in the trees sway and rustle, the shadow effects as well.

    The gleam off your shiny new armor. i like how there is a difference between how cloth, leather and metal all reflect light differently and the textures show wear, (Pock marks on your blade, minor divots in the metal, slight scuffs on the leather)

    The vast array of emotes you can do. You can do a wide range of physical emotes that are fun to play with but there are also strictly facial emotes that give your character expressive facial expressions. Typing also makes your mouth move like your character is talking. So much fun for recording and role playing.

    The battle charge sounds as a large group of people rush into a FATE.

    The sound of running water and crackling fire.

    The sounds of people talking in a crowded market.

    The weather effects are fun! I remember my first fog, it was actually hard to see. The miasma in Mor Dhona and the snow in Coaerthas we beautiful.

    More to come:
    Another reason I subbed is I know there is much more to come, There is at least 2 years worth of story patches that are incoming plus what they have outlined for the first payed expansion.

    There are things like Crystal Tower, Golden Saucer, Housing, Chocobo Raising, and much more that we probably dont even know about. I see so much potential with this game. I also love all the easter eggs in the story line, including references to things the players did from 1.0 (great goubbu wall of Ul'Dah, That was a player made thing, had nothing to do with the devs)

    In Conclusion:

    Why have I subbed? Because, for me, this game is much more than getting the best gear and doing end game runs. Its about having fun and I am having that in spades. I know not everyone will consider the things I said are fun, most people have probably burned through the content as fast as they could.

    In the end the game, any game, is what you make of it. If you want to make it about end game, gear progression, and rare item epeen rights, and you find that fun. You have every right to it. But just like I dont expect everyone to see the game like I do, Please stop acting like no one is having fun if they arent playing if for things you like.

    People like me will be here longer than those who burn through content then quit till the next patch/expansion. I think SE has done the right thing in creating a world that will draw in creative folk like myself. In general Role Players are a more welcoming and friendly bunch, as such will build a strong community. Community is what kept people going back to WoW and why it was so successful moreso than any other in game feature.

    Quote Originally Posted by Steeled View Post
    Why gloss over all the negatives though?
    For one, I think the negatives have had their fair share of time on these forums. But I'm not blind to them. RMT's, Lag, Lack of end game stuff, lack of variety in leveling, and the dregs of the community.

    I have experienced my fair share of all of these. I guess it only fair I provide my views on these too.

    RMT:
    They are a nussience and a I have given a more flushed out view on them here. but in a nutshell, They only really have the power that players give them. They only come here because people buy it. At this point I have my ways of ignoring them and reporting the JoHo's that send me tells. I know SE is aware of their blight and it ruins the game for them as much as it does for the players. Its an ongoing battle that they will have to deal with and i don't envy them at all. I wish them luck and I hope to see them fade away in time.

    Lag:
    I used to have terrible server lag and I know FC mates have had more issues with this than I. I'm also aware that others still experience this problem but not everyone is. That tells me that it is being worked on and I'm sure there are many more factors at play than what we see from this side of their closed development doors. For me, I dont have any issues with lag anymore, it seems to have been fixed. I wish the SE team the best of luck with a swift resolution to the issues that still plague others.

    Lack of end game stuff:
    Thus is the nature of MMO's I always hear "the game starts at (insert level cap here)" I find thats where things have usually died off for me but I'm fully aware that this is not the case for many players or that phrase would not even exist. Forgetting the disaster of 1.0 and treating this like the brand new game it is, it is a month old. By November, 3 months after release, they are already adding in more end game stuff with plans to do so every 3ish months after that in their major patches.

    There is also the extra, non end game stuff they are still adding in like the Golden Saucer: a minigame casino with, at its start, will have 3 minigames with more to come. a Card game, possible snow board game, and another minigame. They also want Chocobo Racing some time after the Chocobo breeding comes in.

    Which brings me to the housing system: This will have a variet of parts to start with much more to come with their own dev team that focuses only on developing the housing system. We will get a basement for crafting, a yard for gardening, and stables for raising chocobos. This is what I am aware of that will be coming in later patches if not included in the initial installation of the system

    There is also the end game battle content, Crystal Tower, more Binding Coil (not sure if this is the same thing they used to refer to as "Labyrinth of Bahamut" or if that is yet to come.), more end game dungeons, Hard mode dungeons, Extreme primal battles, and as always, more gear.

    Then there is PvP. I like this because it will be a different challenge and will have separate skills that are PvP only, I hope this helps with the balancing nightmare of trying to have a fair playing field for PvP while not breaking the PvE. This too will have its own team working on it and adding in more ways for players to kick each others asses. I'm both excited and nervous to see how this affects the game.

    Then there are new primal battles and the Free Company Summoning system (which I want some more new news on this damnit!).

    This game is in its infancy and I'm not worried in the slightest. Not everyone shares my outlook but you can't please everyone and you would drive yourself insane if you tried.

    Lack of variety in leveling:
    There is a variety of ways to level and the community does it to themselves every time. They crunch numbers and calculate efficiency all in an effort to find THE fastest way to get to the golden end game where it all "begins". Now if thats your playstyle then have at it. SE is aware of the in-ballance in FATE leveling and are looking to add more incentives to do the other content. Tokens from more dungeons and DF are a start that I am aware of and exp bonuses for preforming admirably. More than just making more ways to level they need to balance out the ways that are existing in the game. The big one that I feel needs attention are the guildhests, only worth a single go through. After that, no one does them.

    But I'm willing to let SE have time to work these things out while I enjoy whats in the game as well as the things they have planned for the future. I know not everyone is but to each their own.

    The dregs of the community:
    I've recently started Arum Vale and I'm beginning to see this toxic community people are experiencing. Unfortunately its in some people nature to behave like this. In an environment where you can re-create yourself and be anyone you want to me, its sad to see that so many people choose to become an asshole. This is a societal thing as well and there is very little that can be done to control how people behave towards one another. But they are trying. They are taking measures to group people better, adding in vote kick, MVP system, and other ways to try in encourage players to behave better towards one another. But there is only so much you can do, the rest if up to YOU. Don't feed the trolls and lead by example.

    Quote Originally Posted by Furio View Post
    You consider people you met in your FC like family?

    Jesus Christ almighty what's the world coming to.
    I have emphasized the word in that post that makes should hopefully make things sound better. They are like a family, I look forward to seeing whos online when I log in, we laugh and joke together, share how our days were, and we in general enjoy each others company. We are a tight knit group how are like minded in the way that we are more interested in being kind and helpful towards one another than being concerned about how quickly we can defeat the binding coil or get our full DL gear.

    We work together to better ourselves both in game and out of the game.

    Just my 2gil.
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    Last edited by ZakarnRosewood; 10-02-2013 at 11:19 PM.