Wy XIV is failing as it's improved...

[FromZanarkand]

Now I know my title may not make sense but just give me a minute to explain.

It's no secret that when XIV launched it was a major cluster f**k. In fact it was the biggest disaster in the Final Fantasy franchise. Ever. The game has definitely undergone some improvements and i really like Yoshi-P, respect him and think his reconstruction is a great thing. I look forward to seeing how the future improvements play out and I want SOOOO much to like this game. But here's why this restructuring is a dangerous thing.

The game needs improvements. That's obvious and I love how the team is working so hard for us. But, despite these efforts, this is why the improvements are succeeding while at the same time failing. This is an MMO but it is firstly a Final Fantasy game. And this isn't even a FF spinoff. This is an official numbered entry in the amazing franchise. With that said it needs to be a Final Fantasy and not just another MMO that has some FF familiarities. That's where the new adjustments are hurting the game.

This post was mostly inspired by the new video showing off the new auto attack feature. While the current battle system is very flawed and desperately needs improvement, in my opinion (and this is indeed a hard core FF fan's opinion) the current battle system was the best and most unique feature of the whole game. Again, like everything else in the game needed work but it was an interesting concept: meshing together the active time battle system of classic FF games with MMO style fighting. This concept I very much so respected. FINALLY we had an MMO that tread on unfamiliar ground and tried to make something that, if perfected, could have been ridiculously fun, addictive, strategic and, well, Final Fantasy-like. But because the amazing concept was so flawed, its promise will never be fully realized and it's being trashed for a regular old MMO auto attack system.

Now obviously we haven't played this new auto attack system yet and maybe (and hopefully) upon it's release I'll take this back. But going by the video it looks just like every other MMO battle system out there. The hatred towards the original crap that was the notorious XIV shouldn't be used as an excuse to just throw out everything in the game but instead evolve it and revamp it. Sure some elements of the game could probly be thrown out (like the market wards) but I truly believe that with some work the ATB/MMO battle system hybrid could have been something special and unique to not only FF but MMOs.

So the question I have for the community is: is the current team's solution to FFXIV just modeling it after MMO systems that have already proved successful in other MMO's, making it yet another copycat MMO? I know they're going by the feedback they received but is this really the solution? Will this really make it successful? And to the current development team: If you are just revamping things based on other MMO's systems (like the auto attack) what will make FFXIV unique? What will make me want to play FFXIV's auto attack instead of another MMOs auto attack system? Many believe that FFXIV isn't failing but ALREADY failed. Is making FFXIV resemble other MMO's really what's going to put this game on the map and revolutionize it?

I believe at its heart, Final Fantasy XIV has the chance to be something different, unique, fun and classic Final Fantasy. I'm not saying everything in the game could be amazing. (like the market wards. That really needs to just be dumped. It's just a longer, more tedious auction house) But I just don't want to see it's potential be traded in for WOW mechanics and just become another MMO clone. I hope it one day reaches its full potential. Thanks to Yoshi-P and the entire FFXIV team. i know you're working hard and I hope for the best.

[giftforce]

The new system doesn't even look like every other MMO out there. It looks worse.

Even Mabinogi had a more engaging-looking combat system than the one SE is about to give us. (If I may be so presumptuous as to say).

[Punxsutawney]

Nope the battle system is garbage. SE didn't decide the battle system was dodo turd, the players in the polls did, and SE listened. I can not agree with you that the battle system is the best thing in this game, as I find it horribly flawed and tedious. Battle system overhaul is much needed, but honestly is not the most pressing issue. I find the patcher, actionbar, and UI to be detrimental, this game, having the game check everything server side, is the number one issue with this game, hands down. But if they make a fun battle and job system, I think it will help them to keep and maybe increase player population, and then they can tweak on the other issues. So I kind of see why they went the route they did.

[Bita]

Letter from the Producer, XI. i am upset that i've waited this long for SE to make changes to something that is not going to effect the way i experience Eorzea again. The design of the world and lore is significantly lacking for a FF title. This is coming from someone who thought the character creation was a disappointment. During beta i thought character creation was neat and that it was going to be so much more on release.... hahaha

[Adol]

My stance on this is if they manage to make it popular and well received by MMORPG players after all the changes made to the game, I don't mind what they do with it. To me, the game already has enough features which seem to be unique to the MMORPG genre for me not to call it a copy-cat MMORPG just yet.

It might be the case that they're taking out the FF in FFXIV in some areas but they still have plenty of opportunities to put it back in other areas. Personally, I'd like to see a proper turn-based system being implemented in to the game to really bring the Final Fantasy/ JRPG feeling back to home.
Although it's going to take a very long time, I feel that the current team working on the game know what they are doing and we can probably see the game becoming a grade A title next year.

The only problem is that there will still be the negative stigma attached to the game due to its launch and there probably always will be. Games such as APB got over this hurdle quite successfully by relaunching the game as a free-to-play with no need to buy the game or pay a subscription. I know I'll most likely get flamed for this but if SE really want FFXIV to be well received by the MMORPG community, I feel they might have to make the game permanently free-to-play with micro-transactions. This is only if they care about having large amounts of people playing. If they don't need millions of people playing the game around the globe, then stick to the current pay-to-play plan they currently have (once they actually start charging us).

[Wolfie]

This game isn't failing because it's not Final Fantasy, it's because of the half assed and not-thoroughly-analyzed systems that have been put and continue to be put in this game.

Lowered collision with terrain? Now the game looks weird AND jump won't be implemented.
More features on MW? We're now moving further away from a window/text only display that's stable and user friendly, AND wasting time with a system 90% of customers, current and potential, dislike.
Sped up levels 1-20? Instead of making early game fun to charm new players, they're pushing everyone to mid and high levels. They will not be making low level content anymore, and levels 1-20 will remain a boring, pointless grindfest that nobody likes.
Quests with mediocre story, mediocre item rewards, and NO exp rewards? Does anyone but the most devoted fanboy even care about these?

Every step of the way, the developers have been shooting themselves in the foot with this game, Tanaka and Yoshida alike. It took 3 attempts to get a good targetting system going.

wtf man?

[FromZanarkand]

Oh I agree with you. To clarify I didn't mean the current battle system in its current state was the best part of FFXIV. Like I said it needs a LOT of work. But i do think with some serious effort and fixing it could be fun and unique (in a good way. not the current "Unique"). I just think that out of all the different things they tried in XIV, the battle system had the most potential IF it was given the love it needed. I just liked the concept and hate to see it totally trashed. Now it will really be a long while before someone attempts a unique turn-based type MMO hybrid system =(

[Adol]

Now it will really be a long while before someone attempts a unique turn-based type MMO hybrid system =(

From what I hear, Wakfu is a turn-based/ strategy MMORPG. I would go and sign up for that but I didn't find the art style too appealing.

[Gath]

There is A LOT of lore in game....you just have to have half a brain, and since nobody is as awesome as me, they won't figure it all out until it's handed to them, luke-warm.

[Wolfie]

There is A LOT of lore in game....you just have to have half a brain, and since nobody is as awesome as me, they won't figure it all out until it's handed to them, luke-warm.

If you have to be a licensed detective to find the story in this game, will your average person even give a **** about it? Every other popular MMO, FFXI included, throws lore at people's feet because that's one of the biggest reasons why people stick to a particular game. What does the average person get in the first 10 hours of FFXIV? An intro cut-scene, like 2 main storyline quests with zero cut-scenes, and maybe half a dozen sub-par item fetch or kill quests. Woo boy, really exciting stuff man.