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

[Anyssa]

Punishing content = good?

Time to read up on game design!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ea6UuRTjkKs

I really liked that video. Demon Souls, Dark Souls, and Dark Souls II were difficult, but I could always feel like a solution was right around the corner if I just knew what had to be done. Some of these boss fights - it's not knowing what has to be done and doing it, it's relying on an entire group of people to do it flawlessly that is imo wrong.

I'll have to watch more videos in that series though, I liked his points.

[Clavaat]

I really liked that video. Demon Souls, Dark Souls, and Dark Souls II were difficult, but I could always feel like a solution was right around the corner if I just knew what had to be done. Some of these boss fights - it's not knowing what has to be done and doing it, it's relying on an entire group of people to do it flawlessly that is imo wrong.

To me, this is a bit of a stretch for comparison's sake. The DS series is primarily a solo game. It's mechanics are driven by the fact that most of the game, you are alone, and cannot rely on friends. The solution is around the corner in FFXIV, also. Relying on the team, is the truly difficult mechanic. It requires coordination and managing your team, often consisting of friends, which a lot of people are not willing to do, or properly for that matter. That's where, I feel the challenge comes from. For me, dodging/handling mechanics are not that difficult, but to others it may be. I'm not one to give up on people, so I try to help them out on an individual level until we get it. That's a challenge.

I may have just made a logical stretch as well, but I think you'll understand my point.

That being said, I would appreciate a bit less pattern, and a bit more forgiveness for mistakes in certain fights, as others are asking. To some extent, both of these things already exist (you never know who conflags are going to target, landslides are going to aim toward, etc), but it wouldn't hurt to balance it a bit more.

[Yukiko]

Mechanic driven like we have in FFXIV is no fun because: (trying to sum up a bit)

1) once knowing, it becomes easy and boring because always the same - we are just machines playing a product
2) unforgiving mechanics and death of one mostly is death of group - machines are perfect and they can stay focused for hours
3) avoid, avoid, DPS, avoid, avoid, DPS... - machines do not need variation just plain simple
4) interaction between players or player and objects is limited - machines do not need social content

[OSUBuckeye4]

Mechanic driven like we have in FFXIV is no fun because: (trying to sum up a bit)

1) once knowing, it becomes easy and boring because always the same - we are just machines playing a product
2) unforgiving mechanics and death of one mostly is death of group - machines are perfect and they can stay focused for hours
3) avoid, avoid, DPS, avoid, avoid, DPS... - machines do not need variation just plain simple
4) interaction between players or player and objects is limited - machines do not need social content

For me, it boils down to...

1) Mechanics are fine, really, go one step further... they are necessary.

2) Scripting is also fine, to a point.

3) Battles that are the same script every time without deviation are not fun for all.


You end up either in a static that breezes through everything, or, you end up wanting to throw your controller through the TV because someone in your 12th PF group that day messed up and yet another group disbanded despite you doing everything correctly according to script.