Current State of End-Game Contents - A Blog Post from A Japanese Player

[jellosnake]

I'd like to make this known to SE, if they ever come across this: this is the opinion of one person, please don't take his advice.

I had trouble getting passed the point where the author kept whining about mechanics. I look at it like this: if a person comes to a fight with a low ilvl, but survives the whole fight, he's more important to the group than the person who grinds for a few extra ilvls and dies. Please leave the mechanics in game, and if you feel the need to make the game more difficult, don't put a wall up of this arbitrary number, but keep bringing mechanics that challenge the players to play in a way that isn't as comfortable as spamming a rotation. That's what makes the game fun.

[NovaUltimatum]

I'd like to make this known to SE, if they ever come across this: this is the opinion of one person, please don't take his advice.

I had trouble getting passed the point where the author kept whining about mechanics. I look at it like this: if a person comes to a fight with a low ilvl, but survives the whole fight, he's more important to the group than the person who grinds for a few extra ilvls and dies. Please leave the mechanics in game, and if you feel the need to make the game more difficult, don't put a wall up of this arbitrary number, but keep bringing mechanics that challenge the players to play in a way that isn't as comfortable as spamming a rotation. That's what makes the game fun.

It's not just one man's opinion. It's a feeling many in the community share. Also he's not saying get rid of mechanics, he's saying that when they are the main focus (including one-shot mechanics), then the game is either boring/frustrating/unplayable by players depending on their play style.

He also realises that this is not the most effective way to handle challenging content in a 'fun' way, and at least he is trying to offer an alternative, adaptive style solution to the dev team aimed at keeping players from leaving the game for the reasons stated.

[Nero]

It's not just one man's opinion. It's a feeling many in the community share.

Source to those "many"? Sorry, but like in this thread, not everyone does agree with it. And even if some do, there is no way in telling if many do or not do. Personally the OP is a good read, but reading between the lines he basically wants to being carried by Gear > Skill and no punishment at all, if doing mistakes. So Easy Mode in all cases, while you can faceroll every single Content of the Game. I am not sure how people can agree to that.

He also realises that this is not the most effective way to handle challenging content in a 'fun' way, and at least he is trying to offer an alternative, adaptive style solution to the dev team aimed at keeping players from leaving the game for the reasons stated.

Indeed, he did a great job on writing it down and that is why he got my like, even if i disagree with his opinion.

[NovaUltimatum]

Source to those "many"?

http://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/commen...s_a_blog_post/

Not everyone does, but you don't have to go far to see many people agreeing with him.

This is pretty much a summation of why I'm having little to zero fun in this game recently.

I agree with everything this person said, and is exactly why I have not renewed my subscription this month

I agree with it all except the time gate thingy

I totally agree... The mechanics often feel forced and arbitrary. While they are fun in some fights, they are generally abused as a system.

That was a wonderful post, thank you for translating it. I agree with most of what OP mentions.

This blog post sums up, with far more logic and detail, why I stopped playing FFXIV.

[Bizniztyme]

http://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/commen...s_a_blog_post/

Not everyone does, but you don't have to go far to see many people agreeing with him.

I'm sure there's many that disagree as well. Just saying.

[jellosnake]

Also he's not saying get rid of mechanics, he's saying that when they are the main focus (including one-shot mechanics), then the game is either boring/frustrating/unplayable by players depending on their play style.

With this in mind, if the mechanics aren't the focus of the boss fight, what makes one different from the next? When I think of other MMO's I've played, the names of the bosses don't come to mind first, nor do the mob models (typically), but the mechanics that made them different from the last fight. The first boss I think of when MMO's comes to mind is from another game where everyone had to "dance" around erupting green liquid from cracks in the floor a few times during the fight. Maxing my numbers didn't define the fight, nor did his wicked beard. It was the uniqueness. For the record, if you got caught as a DPS in the liquid, it was a one shot. Now consider that you had 25 players who all had to do the same thing.

[Garlyle]

When I think of other MMO's I've played, the names of the bosses don't come to mind first, nor do the mob models (typically), but the mechanics that made them different from the last fight.

This. At the end of the day, this.

I honestly love a lot of XIV's bosses - even several of the ones in pre-50 dungeons have some rather neat stuff going on, some of which is fairly subtle. It's the mechanics that make a boss fight to me, which is why I get disappointed at content that's easily overgeared and turns into a tank & spank 'till you win - which is probably 75% of the content post-50 right now, once you're geared enough.

Remember Leviathan Hard Mode? Me neither. But you'll remember Extreme.

Yeah, there's some related issues that do generally come from it. Player frustration (with other players often). Statics falling apart because one person can't keep up (or being necessary because of gear lockouts, although that's a completely different issue. But at the end of the day I remember these fights, they're going to stay with me for a very, very long time, and they're what I'm here for. They're why this is the only MMORPG I've ever even stuck with for more than 3-ish months, nevermind paid a continuing subscription for.

90%+ of the content added to this game doesn't require that extreme level of execution. That's fine. That remaining percentage is aimed at a different crowd, and if that's not you, that's fine, because you're not expected to be in love with absolutely everything the game does. And that's not even talking about just party content either; there are players who will never touch Atmas, never touch FC housing or personal housing, never touch crafting, never touch the Golden Saucer, etc.; and that's okay. There is a portion of the playerbase to whom each of these things is really important, too. It goes the same way with this 'perfectionist' level content.

[Kuwagami]

For the majority of hardcore players, clearing mechanics-laden contents is actually quite boring.

What the? That's the exactly what "hardcore" players strive and wish for. To actually have fights where you have to put your head into the battle and the mechanics..

Wait what ? Hardcore people want content hard for like 2 weeks of trying then becoming faceroll easy content because they know every mechanic ins and outs ?

You cannot be serious. You cannot call yourself "hardcore". Hardcore players want real challenge, not scripted challenge that lasts 2 weeks

[Memoe]

The most accurate post across all forums. Amen to that.

[MartaDemireux]

I'd like a happy mix of mechanics and tank and spank. Basically just ditch the instant death mechanics.