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

[MogBeatr]

Please, someone explain to me how memorizing a bosses patterns = skill?

To me, skill is being able go into an unpredictable situation and adapt to the environment and threats on the fly.

[Iriadysa]

Please, someone explain to me how memorizing a bosses patterns = skill?

To me, skill is being able go into an unpredictable situation and adapt to the environment and threats on the fly.

As demonstrated by the community itself, the skill requirement isn't in memorizing the patterns but in executing the required response for those patterns.

Case in point: Titan Extreme.

"But it's lag!"

Case in point: Twintania.

"But..."

Yeah. Ok.

[Gormogon]

snip

Most of the skill comes from being able to mimic what is seen through visual guides and having more awareness of abilities through description you can read or hear. Take those guides away from people downing the content and everyone else would be just as stuck and their excuse wouldn't be because of lag but because they don't know what to do on their own.

Which just like MogBeatr said they wouldn't be able to adapt to that unpredictable situation because that is not the skill they have.

[LadyVal]

I really like a lot of the ideas from the blog. Especially taking away restrictions such as party size and things like that, I think people should be able to tackle obstacles in ways that they see fit, and of course I believe it would be fair for taking the difficulty on yourself, so with less people you get better rewards. Kind of like leves, you increase the difficulty and you get more for doing it.

What frustrates me, is not so much that these battles require memorization, which I believe is a skill, but that that is our only skill being tested. We have nothing that focuses on our reaction speed, figuring out puzzles or riddles, or adapting to random elements. Different people are good at different things. With everything being so mechanic-driven, the game has become "if you can't memorize the mechanics, you aren't 'skilled." I think it is the developer's responsibility to provide content where those with other skills can shine and achieve as well.

[Iriadysa]

Most of the skill comes from being able to mimic what is seen through visual guides and having more awareness of abilities through description you can read or hear. Take those guides away from people downing the content and everyone else would be just as stuck and their excuse wouldn't be because of lag but because they don't know what to do on their own.

Which just like MogBeatr said they wouldn't be able to adapt to that unpredictable situation because that is not the skill they have.

Except you are making this all up to support a position that has no substance.

Do you guys not see how you keep stepping on each others arguments? Your little rhetoric here implies that mechanics are so confusing and obscure that it's impossible that people understand them on their own. Let's not even talk about the chicken and the egg dilemma, since the guides actually do come from players which had no previous exposure, and let's just focus on the idea that "common players" cannot understand mechanics by themselves.

So what is it? Are mechanics so hard and cryptic that they are impossible to understand? (I mean, I can obviously see how landslide is so confusing...)

So according to the sum of all ideas in this thread we have:

1. Mechanics are impossible to understand. If so, it would be understandable that people would want you to see a guide for them, no? Now, observe this thread: http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...ture-looks-dim
Can we make our minds please? Are they hard or are they not?

2. Once you copy them, they are easy to execute. Ok, if they are easy to execute, why do people keep using the argument that "aprox. only 5% of players has beat Twintania, so something is clearly wrong". This makes no sense, can we make our mind please? If you watch a TT video they obviously understanding the cryptic and obscure mechanics of the fight is no longer an obstacle, so what's stopping people from victory?

I don't know, it really looks like you people are just venting your frustration with your inability to finish specific content.

[Bizniztyme]

Now I see why MMORPGS have been dumbed down to oblivion. I'll be the first to admit I suck at gaming but I will never ask any developer to make a game easier for me. I do my best to get better.

[Amberion]

Yup, 8 hardcore players will put 8 mainstream players to shame because get this.......They gots more SKILLS.

While pressing left and right fast is a skill, I would say it's more for DDR like games. And I say that for one reason, your character has no influence on you getting out of danger. If your character can't improve/grow in a way that helps with doing something, it should not have such major part in winning or losing.

BTW, quoted you since I couldn't find the post I was looking for and yours was similar.

[Raenryong]

I have only ever watched a video once (and that was for working out a Twintania divebomb strategy, since you can't work those out on the fly) and have no problem executing all mechanics in the game. Granted I also have a lot of experience raiding in other games... the amount of times you'll see me messing up mechanics or dropping considerable dps/hps to them is also approximately zero. This sounds arrogant as hell (and hey it kind of is), but either I'm uniquely "lucky", or there are a hell of a lot of transferable skills which I have picked up.

Hell, mechanics such as Blighted Bouquet are standard in other MMOs so it was literally a case of taking what you have learned before and transferring it directly.

[Kuwagami]

If your character can't improve/grow in a way that helps with doing something, it should not have such major part in winning or losing.

heh, actually, it could be a good concept for meaningful korean-style grind.

Want more attack ? hit mobs till your attack goes up.
Want more hp ? serve as a meat shield long enough
want more speed to balance poor reaction time ? go marathonian style and run across the world for a long time.

You can see it as FF2 grind maybe.

Classes/jobs then would only give advantages for some stats (ie, PLD's growth in HP and defense would be 3 times faster than other non tank classes, while its healing potency would have a 1.25 ratio. On a same basis, BLM would have a 2 ratio on scepters & wands, 1.5 ratio on rods, 0.1 ratio on axes ?). Would be fun. Really hard to balance before the launch, but it would give a real sense of personalization. Want a tank swinging a wand and able to burn his enemies ? Sure you can, you'll just grind 100 times more than the one who does the pre-set grind.

[Gormogon]

Except you are making this all up to support a position that has no substance.

Yeah I made this all up.

There's absolutely no "watch video" requirements and those that aren't part of the top 10-100 that don't have the luxury on relying on guides aren't relying on them either. I see too many times from none top statics and in DF/PF that don't know what to do in a tough stop have since they have no situational awareness and reflex to go with it. Their overall skill is based on that video awareness and those videos don't say in case this happens consider the following.

I've seen many healers and bards not use the tier 3 LB to prevent a wipe and get a clear at 2% hp.
I've seen many bards neglect using their songs.
I've seen many players prefer to take a beating from a melee mob than kiting it instead and die for it.

None of this ever happens and is just a myth.

Do you guys not see how you keep stepping on each others arguments? Your little rhetoric here implies that mechanics are so confusing and obscure that it's impossible that people understand them on their own. Let's not even talk about the chicken and the egg dilemma, since the guides actually do come from players which had no previous exposure, and let's just focus on the idea that "common players" cannot understand mechanics by themselves.

So what is it? Are mechanics so hard and cryptic that they are impossible to understand? (I mean, I can obviously see how landslide is so confusing...)

So according to the sum of all ideas in this thread we have:

1. Mechanics are impossible to understand. If so, it would be understandable that people would want you to see a guide for them, no? Now, observe this thread: http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...ture-looks-dim
Can we make our minds please? Are they hard or are they not?

2. Once you copy them, they are easy to execute. Ok, if they are easy to execute, why do people keep using the argument that "aprox. only 5% of players has beat Twintania, so something is clearly wrong". This makes no sense, can we make our mind please? If you watch a TT video they obviously understanding the cryptic and obscure mechanics of the fight is no longer an obstacle, so what's stopping people from victory?

I don't know, it really looks like you people are just venting your frustration with your inability to finish specific content.

1.) Take the guides away and see how many none MMO vets can improvise strategems that make sense to tackle mechanics from first and second binding coils of bahamut that aren't obviously pointed out like with the primals.
2.) Mechanics are for the most part in this game simply artificial difficulty. Insta death isn't hard it is simply a punishment to the group if someone wasn't able to tackle those mechanics with 100% timing and accuracy.
3.) It's not a made up fact that only a very small percentage makes the cut to do the content before it is fixed and nerfed and it is as small as 5% within the first 5 weeks if not more.
4.) If you're gonna resort to playing that superiority card you are no better than those you claim to be venting.