caps on all side quests and missions

[Perrin_Aybarra]

Seconded. Level caps were not a good thing in XI, and they won't be a good thing here.

I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion but I'd like to understand why you say it is not a good thing? It's easy just to state that and not like them because it creates a challenge and doesn't make content instant facerolls, but why is that not a good thing? Everytime I think back on FFXI at the time I was playing, level cap was one of the best thing ever. The missions were fun and challenging, completing them gave me shivers and palpitations when my team and I was able to defeat the boss. In CoP, even after being a veteran of promyvion and taking everyone of my friends and even strangers through those mission, I was still getting that feeling of satisfaction and thrills every damn time. How is that a bad thing compared to now, you could just completely faceroll your way through those places by being 10+ levels over the cap it was designed around.

I don't see your point except that you want everything to be easy for everyone.

[Cutriss]

I don't see your point except that you want everything to be easy for everyone.

You remember COP quite fondly. And I know many others do.

I too had a strong sense of accomplishment when I beat COP, and also when I beat TOAU. However, much of that content requires five competent and time-available friends. Otherwise, you're rolling the dice over and over and over again. How many people got stuck on Promyvions and spend months throwing themselves at it before they finally got access to Tavnazia?

Short version of the above - Static parties are great but not everyone has the luxury of working with one, and pickup parties tend to suck.

So that said, I worked in the system. My wife would have sooner quit than repeatedly throw herself at the wall like that. And once the level caps got lifted, we still had fun with the content. Weird duo setups on Ouryu. We went into 8-4 with 5 people and then I couldn't even enter the battle because I got an extra cutscene in Empyreal Paradox as everyone was entering and by the time I was done, Sehlteus had already engaged and I was locked out. Still a good time had by all.

By incorporating time attack records (that DON'T disappear when the servers reset) and TWEWY-like adjustable challenge levels to droprates for loot-oriented content, you can give players the option for challenge where they want it, and easymode when they don't.

[Anty]

You remember COP quite fondly. And I know many others do.

I too had a strong sense of accomplishment when I beat COP, and also when I beat TOAU. However, much of that content requires five competent and time-available friends. Otherwise, you're rolling the dice over and over and over again. How many people got stuck on Promyvions and spend months throwing themselves at it before they finally got access to Tavnazia?

Short version of the above - Static parties are great but not everyone has the luxury of working with one, and pickup parties tend to suck.

So that said, I worked in the system. My wife would have sooner quit than repeatedly throw herself at the wall like that. And once the level caps got lifted, we still had fun with the content. Weird duo setups on Ouryu. We went into 8-4 with 5 people and then I couldn't even enter the battle because I got an extra cutscene in Empyreal Paradox as everyone was entering and by the time I was done, Sehlteus had already engaged and I was locked out. Still a good time had by all.

By incorporating time attack records (that DON'T disappear when the servers reset) and TWEWY-like adjustable challenge levels to droprates for loot-oriented content, you can give players the option for challenge where they want it, and easymode when they don't.

you didn't need a static to beat it. I had a static on one character and on my other i didn't, actually i beat cop faster on the one without static. You need to organize more perhaps but ... its 6 people, its not that much. Thats what an mmo should be about. - at least the main direction - its so sad that the market starts to de-socialize the mmos more and more.
A lot of the current mmos out there feel like single player rpgs without proper content... and you get the reminder that other people play it looking at the crappy global chat where one brain fart meets the other....

Mmo communities needing each other also tend to be much more helpful, friendly etc. etc. then if you can solo/duo most of your way. Thats a fact.

[Cutriss]

you didn't need a static to beat it.

Of course not.

Similarly, you don't need a tank or a healer.

But it certainly does make it a lot less frustrating if you have them.

At any rate, my original point remains - just because you like it one way does not mean everyone should be forced to do it that way. My suggested solution, along with matching achievements, allows you to get your sense of accomplishment while allowing others to make progress without frustration.

[Alaltus]

Of course not.

Similarly, you don't need a tank or a healer.

But it certainly does make it a lot less frustrating if you have them.

At any rate, my original point remains - just because you like it one way does not mean everyone should be forced to do it that way. My suggested solution, along with matching achievements, allows you to get your sense of accomplishment while allowing others to make progress without frustration.

Maybe im a minority but when it comes to achievements or trying to beat other players time's i couldnt care less. Ultimately there will always be some group who will have found a way to hit the shortest amount of time possible to win said content before you've even begun it. Real incentives/accomplishments are rewards that give you an edge. For example in promies the big reward for that (besides unlocking new areas) were the rings that couldnt easily be matched by any other rings. I think that denying players the rings/best reward at the end if they havent completed the content under cap would be a much more effective incentive, that way the players who just want to fly through can play through the story without being hindered by difficulty. But only those who stepped up to that difficulty get that extra reward.

[Perrin_Aybarra]

Maybe im a minority but when it comes to achievements or trying to beat other players time's i couldnt care less. Ultimately there will always be some group who will have found a way to hit the shortest amount of time possible to win said content before you've even begun it. Real incentives/accomplishments are rewards that give you an edge. For example in promies the big reward for that (besides unlocking new areas) were the rings that couldnt easily be matched by any other rings. I think that denying players the rings/best reward at the end if they havent completed the content under cap would be a much more effective incentive, that way the players who just want to fly through can play through the story without being hindered by difficulty. But only those who stepped up to that difficulty get that extra reward.

I would be willing to compromise that way if people are so bent on getting the easy way out of things. Give them the story but the unique rewards for completion with a cap.

Things like time attack record is kinda crapy, doesn't give any real accomplishment other than saying you outleveled the content so much you facerolled that much faster...

[Cutriss]

I would be willing to compromise that way if people are so bent on getting the easy way out of things. Give them the story but the unique rewards for completion with a cap.

Things like time attack record is kinda crapy, doesn't give any real accomplishment other than saying you outleveled the content so much you facerolled that much faster...

1. In my suggestion, the time trials would be tiered for the "suggested level" and then beyond, so you could compete for best completion time at your capped level, as well as have fun seeing how quickly you can blow it away 20 levels higher.

2. Don't forget that the end of COP was effectively capped for the better part of a few years. You're saying that people who steamrolled Promyvion and Diabolos but did Tenzen/Promathia at the same level as everyone else don't deserve rings?