Writing Style

[TyroneWoods]

Does anyone find the writing style ungainly to read? It doesn't create atmosphere for me because it's quite different from normal speech patterns. So I end up skipping quests and cutscenes because it's a lot of work, ... just like crafting.

The translator for Yoshi does a wonderful job. He comes across as friendly, sincere and engaging. Why can't everyone write like that?

[Gracious]

The only issue I have is many of the NPC's dialoge is rude and insulting.

[Leowilde]

I agree that sometimes it's actually hard to understand what they are saying because of the cumbersome way the NPCs talk, but I don't mind it. It's setting the atmosphere for me. About the dialoge being rude and insulting, it's not insulting the player, it's just rough talk in general. And I like it - it's not something you see much of in many of the popular MMOs, and it creates a more realistic feeling. Instead of "Please good Sir Knight, can you save the princess?" it's more like "Get your ass over 'ere and listen up: we need you to save the stubborn lass, who has run off again." It's entertaining.

[MarkH]

I think she is refering to the like of that Galka Local Leve NPC in Ul'dah offering to "re-educate you on the finer point of crafting" should you fail his leve. Or the Quest NPC in Limsa talking about how you don't have any loyalty to the city state if you turn down his request for help. Or that cutscene NPC for Pugilist quest that throw all his gambling debt money on the floor telling you to pick up the money he drop. Very rude, very condescending.

Make me want to punch the NPC in the face, rather than help them. Especially with the leve npc, whom I will have to unpleasantly deal with every 1-2 days. His dialogue make it clear to me that unlike in FFXI where when I do quest, I'm doing the NPC a favor and in the end the grateful NPC decides they should reward me with something, in FFXIV, the NPC basically is employing me, acting as the ever bad boss, the leve reward is the remuneration, paid out of neccessity rather than any gratitute. Doesn't make Eorzea a world I want to live in.

[Eruantien]

I dont have an issue with the way the npc's speak, very understandable to me. But maybe I just understand pirate XD

[Gramul]

Es' pre'y clear tae me, gov.

[Meridian]

I think it's actually pretty good and engrossing. It wouldn't be a Final Fantasy game without some offensive content. It also wouldn't be a FF game without NPCs that think they're better than you. You'll sure show them when you're a big hero.

[Onji_T]

From all that I've seen of the npc dialog it is very engrossing. It gives the npcs we interact with much more personality. I don't want to go up to every npc and have them spew naught but rainbows. People are all different and some will rub you the wrong way. Why should npcs be any different?

[Viridiana]

Depends on the NPC, really. Most of them speak close enough to normal for me to not be bothered. Then you've got the Lalas who love alliteration, which comes off a little silly. . .

Then there are the leve NPCs who make me want to punch them in the face, but that's not bad writing, per se.

[RemnantWolf]

I personally like the way they talk. It just feels like it fits. Although I have gotten used to reading odd speech patterns over my time playing games where differing dialects are actually shown in text. You get used to it after a while, the key is to keep in mind who you are speaking to. Once you get used to thinking in a certain dialect it gets pretty easy.

As for insulting and degrading NPC's I like them. If all the NPCs were all rainbows and sunshine there would be very little diversity. These kind of characters add to the overall world and it's society. That plus it makes sense when you take into account the general populations feelings about adventurers according to the lore.

The only thing I would change is add a fame system and make it so NPCs change dialog towards you depending on your fame. People don't typically insult you after you have helped them with a problem in their life.