Square...Bethesda has the right approach.

[Kyra]

Ive recently been taking a break from FFXIV (for over 2 months now) just waiting to see what they add. I have been playing oblivion (clocked 242 hours so far and still nowhere near finishing) which is a bethesda game, I really love the way they make thier games and how much there is to do in them, fallout 3 is another example.

Just 1 side quest in oblivion completly obliterates most of the quests in FFXIV (and ive done a lot of them trust me). Quests in Oblivion are clever, involving, have great storys and are FUN. Another thing Oblivion does well is the sense of exploring, I have never felt any sense of exploration in FFXIV. At least in FF11 you could collect maps. The lore in FFXIV has never got me hooked either, its boring, dull and uninteresting. The only time ive truely been interested in the lore of FFXIV is in some of the cutscenes on the main story (namely the final one). The sidequests in FFXIV are a joke and so boring, how anyone can find them interesting idk.

Also people talking about bugs, id rather play a really great game with some bugs than a crappy game with no bugs and no content.

I know these are 2 different types of games but I feel FFXIV could learn a lot form bethesda games. I eagerly await Skyrim on 11.11.11

[MariyaShidou]

Just 1 side quest in oblivion completly obliterates most of the quests in FFXIV (and ive done a lot of them trust me). Quests in Oblivion are clever, involving, have great storys and are FUN. Another thing Oblivion does well is the sense of exploring, I have never felt any sense of exploration in FFXIV. At least in FF11 you could collect maps. The lore in FFXIV has never got me hooked either, its boring, dull and uninteresting. The only time ive truely been interested in the lore of FFXIV is in some of the cutscenes on the main story (namely the final one). The sidequests in FFXIV are a joke and so boring, how anyone can find them interesting idk.

I think you play the wrong game, or playing the heavily modded, or playing mod's quests. 85% of the quests in Oblivion are a joke, with the exception of Dark Brotherhood, half of Thieves Guild and one or two investigation side quests. Unless you think "talk to generic NPC, run to farm with 2 generic NPCs, kill some goblins" is clever and involving. Fallout 3 is not much better, although Fallout New Vegas is much different because it's not Bethesda's. New Vegas is much like Vampires the Masquerade: Bloodlines, usually you are not locked to one single way to proceed with the quest, you get three options: violence, stealth or diplomacy. And, branching storyline owns.

The sense of adventuring, sorry but I would prefer New Vegas. Even though most locations are within sight of each other, there is usually a nice little story behind each of them (which is quite most of them are very small in size, they are not intended as dungeon crawler like). Oblivion's are mostly boring, generic Oblivion Gate # 5672 or generic Cave # 2361, no thanks. They did try to change it in FO3, but again most of the caves and *gasp* metro tunnels are so generic, boring and empty. Bethesda game is more or less sand-box dungeon crawling. They are good, I like them, but comparing them is misleading. As much hyped as I am about Skyrim, I am not so sure about it. Oblivion level scaling is VERY BAD compared to FF VIII level scaling, and FF VIII was made years before Oblivion.

There is a rumour of TES MMO in the making. FO Online is not made by Bethesda. It's made by Masthead Studio of, um, Earthrise "fame". As much as I love Fallout series, I fear for the worst because Masthead's Earthrise was a miss, very bad one, if anything comparable to FFXIV except without a brand name nor a big Dev/Publisher backing it.

[Cairdeas]

I think you play the wrong game, or playing the heavily modded, or playing mod's quests. 85% of the quests in Oblivion are a joke, with the exception of Dark Brotherhood, half of Thieves Guild and one or two investigation side quests. Unless you think "talk to generic NPC, run to farm with 2 generic NPCs, kill some goblins" is clever and involving. Fallout 3 is not much better, although Fallout New Vegas is much different because it's not Bethesda's. New Vegas is much like Vampires the Masquerade: Bloodlines, usually you are not locked to one single way to proceed with the quest, you get three options: violence, stealth or diplomacy. And, branching storyline owns.

The sense of adventuring, sorry but I would prefer New Vegas. Even though most locations are within sight of each other, there is usually a nice little story behind each of them (which is quite most of them are very small in size, they are not intended as dungeon crawler like). Oblivion's are mostly boring, generic Oblivion Gate # 5672 or generic Cave # 2361, no thanks. They did try to change it in FO3, but again most of the caves and *gasp* metro tunnels are so generic, boring and empty. Bethesda game is more or less sand-box dungeon crawling. They are good, I like them, but comparing them is misleading. As much hyped as I am about Skyrim, I am not so sure about it. Oblivion level scaling is VERY BAD compared to FF VIII level scaling, and FF VIII was made years before Oblivion.

There is a rumour of TES MMO in the making. FO Online is not made by Bethesda. It's made by Masthead Studio of, um, Earthrise "fame". As much as I love Fallout series, I fear for the worst because Masthead's Earthrise was a miss, very bad one, if anything comparable to FFXIV except without a brand name nor a big Dev/Publisher backing it.

Uh. Last I checked, Interplay was in full creative control on Fallout Online, any other devs working on it are working for them.

[MariyaShidou]

Uh. Last I checked, Interplay was in full creative control on Fallout Online, any other devs working on it are working for them.

Essentially the same really. Since 2007 till now what new game has Interplay released? Most of the original development team left long time ago, and even now they don't have enough funds. Masthead screwed up Earthrise, joined together with an Interplay mostly in name only, what are you expecting? If Bethesda get back the MMO right and Obsidian + Bethesda making it, there might be some hope.

[Cairdeas]

Essentially the same really. Since 2007 till now what new game has Interplay released? Most of the original development team left long time ago, and even now they don't have enough funds. Masthead screwed up Earthrise, joined together with an Interplay mostly in name only, what are you expecting? If Bethesda get back the MMO right and Obsidian + Bethesda making it, there might be some hope.

You do know, Interplay, Obsidian, Troika Games, Etc. Are all the same people? Its all the same staff members mixed and matched about to make different games half the people who work at Interplay/Masthead/Obsidian probably worked on the original Fallout games before Bethesda.

[MariyaShidou]

You do know, Interplay, Obsidian, Troika Games, Etc. Are all the same people? Its all the same staff members mixed and matched about to make different games half the people who work at Interplay/Masthead/Obsidian probably worked on the original Fallout games before Bethesda.

No, the current Interplay has barely a few who worked on original Fallout. Inxile Entertainment and Obsidian are where most of the rest are. Masthead has nothing to do with original Fallout, it's a Bulgarian game studio with Earthrise as the first game. In case you haven't figured it out, Fallout New Vegas uses a lot of plot element, game mechanic and setting from original planned and canned Fallout 3: Van Buren. The Burn Man, NCR vs Brotherhood war, the Legion, Stealthboy MK II etc. Ever wonder why? Because many of the original team left Interplay and went to Obsidian. When Troika dissolved, many from Troika also went to Obsidian, the rest to Inxile. The current Interplay is very very empty.

On the other hand, there's a big rumour that is partially confirmed of Wasteland II in the making, the spiritual predecessor of original Fallout, by Inxile.