'Raids', really?

[Morticous]

Copy the other games but put the FF style on it please.. SE has to find that small thing that IS new and revolutionary to set them aside from the rest.

[Oscillate_Wildly]

So then in other words, by being dead, you mean to say in context to the thread that interesting, powerful and meaningful unique to final fantasy storytelling is dead and we should all just stand by for the next batch of copy-paste bullshit? Will do. But this game cannot sustain itself on a battle system now re-routed around auto-attack and the removal of the AoE targeting system which by the way, what the f***?!

Those who came to XIV were probably not looking forward to or expecting an HD version of WoW, but another great MMO with the Final Fantasy Moniker. If the team wishes for it to live up to its title franchise they need to do a bit more than to spit out bi-monthly patches with meaningless content just meant to keep us preoccupied. The battle system isn't the only thing that needs to be re-thought out, but the direction of the game's main arc as well. Without the story and intricacies of FF, all you've got in the end is another hack and slash MMO that's a patchwork of ideas.

Story driven content was what made XI great, not the senseless grind. The use of such blasé terms to refer to a content patch in general is just disheartening. If all those interviews hadn't explicitly stated they wished for the title to live up to the expectations of the genre I might just be with you, but until they've come out with an official statement that FF is dead then they still have big shoes to fill and these expectations are real.

Money and subscribers are a factor yes but I think any game company that wishes to beat out Blizzard in numbers is just asking for failure. It's only slightly better and well thought out than any F2P MMO imo. However it is better managed with a ton of media coverage.

[Tenkenkobra]

Ohoho, unpopular opinion time.
Am I seriously the only one who reads that term and cringes as of late?

First off, before I get trolled into the ground, I am aware that many many many games include raids, XI included.

But hey! Here's a difference, they all had names and a point to them, and something great tied to it. Nyzul Isle, Besieged, Campaign, Dynamis, Sky, and yeah they were brilliant. Who wouldn't want more spontaneous Besieges, or campaigns like in WoTG?

Now, my problem isn't with them implementing dungeons, because that's great. I'm really looking forward to it. The one thing I'm not looking forward to is this...generic...'raid' terminology going around especially with the official translators. Is this going to stick? And why should it?

I had a discussion with a LSmate of mine who could hardly believe the team was calling a 4-8 person dungeon run a 'raid'.

A little transparency perhaps? Yes I am a WoW basher, I cannot stand the game, yes I've played it, and it's like how I felt about a F2P game I couldn't believe I actually had to pay a subscription to it. The quests were horrible, it was boring, it looked disgusting, and it was basically aesthetically and mentally disgusting. Everything that XI wasn't.

XIV is a bit empty now, leves and quests with pop up boxes to accept, nothing inventive, or involved. Flavour text that doesn't sync up with the game lore and contradicts itself. The game itself and all its text can't even decide if it's been 15 years or 30 since Ala Mhigo fell.

I could deal with the difficulty and time sinks because the storyline, cutscenes, and mid to end game content was all worth while. It was nice to get away from the generic and play something that was common but at the same time unique.

But now with XIV going in the direction that it is, almost seems as though they're trying to appeal as much to the western players as they possibly can by implementing easily accessible content with the most common of terms. I was super keen on a new MMO by SE, but the more western it becomes the less pleasing it's getting to play. 'mounts'? 'raids'? Blech.

Is this because the game itself lacks a solid cohesive story?

I do hope by the time the patch is out I'm not hearing "lfg for r25 raid"

Yes this is a bit nit-picky but as this is general discussion, why the hell not. Let the "this is why we need a thumbs down button" comments commence~.

I feel your pain... its annoying. I hate that "raid" term. Makes me feel im playing wow. Yes, i am also a wow basher. Oh well...

[Wolfie]

Nomenclature is unimportant. Fun and content is.

[Oscillate_Wildly]

I would disagree, to an extent that if all future content shall be referred to as over simplified bullshit terms, then what are we to distinguish it from? A little thought and cleverness like those behind campaign or brenner, that's ideal. Something to distinguish one activity from the next, rather than to use broad term like "raid" when in fact, a 4 person dungeon could hardly be considered such.

Words and terms are powerful, like brand names, which is an argument brought up in the past. An iPod will sell better in the end, even if an mp3 player is an mp3 player. Half the fun is in the story behind the content anyway.

I understand that it's just mid-level content, but it just seems to feel right now, the game is setting a poor precedent.

[Oscillate_Wildly]

Ahahahah. I think it's because of the over saturation of the word's usage in WoW that turns people off of the term. It holds a lot more meaning than a simple instanced system that WAS present in XI and many other games, but that's not the point.

The word has been cheapened, and holds as much allure as a root canal.

[Zantetsuken]

The word has been cheapened, and holds as much allure as a root canal.

That pretty much sums it up.

[Wolfie]

You distinguish them by their actual names and not the term used to describe something from a very broad perspective.

You're going to have "Toto-rak groups" and "Darkhold parties" the same way WOW has "BRD groups" and "Bastion of Twilight groups". Raiding and raids are generic terms used to reference group-based end game activities. It's terminology that never entered FFXI, but was replaced by some other word like 'running' ("I'm running Dynamis/Limbus/whatever").

Notice how the names of the dungeons (and I use that term as a blanket term) are still brought up in conjunction with a verb that's usable for any of those dungeons. You didn't say "I'm going Dynamising tonight".

Bashing on the terms "raids" and "raiding" is nothing more than WOW bashing and splitting hairs over issues that don't matter.

[Joeking]

"I'm going Dynamising tonight".

I like it... Lets get this toto-raking party started!!!!

For those of you which have attached a stigma to the word "raid" only therapy can provide you peace of mind which I can provide for a price.

[Wolfie]

It like it... Lets get this toto-raking party started!!!!

I'm sorry, "party" is a generic MMO term that's been seen in WOW. You have to come up with something new. How about a coterie?