Please Stop Making Content-Less Grinds

[Talraen]

I have grown very frustrated with this game's insistence on wasting my time. I have no problem grinding every job to 50 and the like, but when a grind offers no actual content, that's too much. I've capped out my materia on Fisher, so now the game expects me to sit there, beholden to the RNG to catch silver sovereigns in a mind-numbing grind for 20+ hours. There is no skill involved, and it isn't fun. I already have a job, and they pay me to spend my time doing boring tasks.

A really good example of good vs. bad design is the original crafting master books. Having to make five HQ two star materials is a good test for mastery. They're expensive to try, so you have to make each attempt count, and getting lucky and HQing one isn't enough. You need to be able to make HQ two star materials fairly consistently to get a master book. And if you only make an NQ material, you can use it for something else. That's great design!

Then, to get the next tier or tool to make three-star stuff you need to... HQ fifty of an item. Which has a virtually worthless NQ version. This isn't even something you'd attempt unless success were virtually guaranteed, so again it's just a mindless, repetitive, time-wasting grind.

To put it another way, if I could master a crafting or gathering class in six hours or so, I would probably try to master them all. Making each one take 20 hours means I won't bother with any. By increasing the time required, you are actually reducing the amount I will play your game.

My time is valuable. I've decided to spend it playing your game. So why do you insist on wasting it?

[Thaliss]

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...418#post492418

Thoughts on Solo Play

Before I begin, I want to state two facts. First, I really enjoy the gameplay of FFXIV. Second, I am cancelling my subscription. I'm not doing so because I'm mad at the devs, or want to make some kind of dramatic statement. I'm doing so because the simple truth is that I don't actually like MMO's.

Before I go, though, I wanted to make a few observations about "solo" play. I've seen several complaints about the lack of solo content in FFXIV, especially going forward, and my gut reaction tends to be agreement. The counter-argument is that one of the M's is for "Multiplayer," which is a pretty sound argument.

For me, it's not actually about solo vs. multiplayer. It's about guilds, or in this case, linkshells. I have had awful luck with linkshells in FFXI, largely because I uncomfortably straddle the line between casual and hardcore. I like the game, I play a lot, and I care about what I do - but I refuse to play on a schedule, I have no desire to repeat content for gear, and I'm not interested in bragging rights.

All this content requiring eight party members effectively requires a linkshell. Sure, you can get a pickup group in theory, but between the time that takes and the rate of success, it just isn't fun. The only thing I've ever wanted to do in FFXI is finish all the plotlines, and I still have ToAU and WotG to go. Not being able to accomplish anything without a linkshell is extremely frustrating.

Many will argue that joining a guild is part of the point of playing an MMO. But multiplayer is not the same as guild play. Some solo content would be nice, but what I really want is the ability to actually accomplish things without having to join a guild. I hope the dungeon finder feature that has been mentioned resolves this problem, and maybe I'll give the game a shot at that point. In the meantime, I'll keep an eye on the game and probably break down and start playing again. (I'm weak!)

Good thing you changed your mind and like MMOs again, true it was 2 and half years ago just found it to be funny.

Any activity accessible to everybody in a game is grind. "Skill" (fast and/or precise reaction) or knowledge would stop most content to be accessible to everyone.

[Haibel]

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...418#post492418



Good thing you changed your mind and like MMOs again, true it was 2 and half years ago just found it to be funny.

Any activity accessible to everybody in a game is grind. "Skill" (fast and/or precise reaction) or knowledge would stop most content to be accessible to everyone.

Damn son, taken him to school. this has got to be one of the single greatest post I've seen in a while.

[Kallera]

Damn son, taken him to school. this has got to be one of the single greatest post I've seen in a while.

She still hates fundamental aspects of the game.

[Fawkes]

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...418#post492418



Good thing you changed your mind and like MMOs again, true it was 2 and half years ago just found it to be funny.

That's some quality ad hominem right there.

[Yurai]

Maybe deciding to spend your limited time on a game that you consider a waste of time is a mistake

Not trying to defend the game though, some elements are indeed tedious and time-consuming. The simple solution is just to skip those parts. If all the things you want to do are like these and you're unable to have fun with the game while accepting that some parts of it just take time, then there are tons of single-player or limited-multiplayer games that might be a better investment of your time. The moment you start to stress out over a game is when you should take a step back and have a long, hard think about whether or not this is something you want to keep doing.

[Xenor]

I think there are many people who feel the game has become more of a chore than fun since 2.2. If you don't like excessive grinding the game isn't for you, yet that wouldn't hold true before 2.2. Completely different game.

[Tupsi]

Welcome to what MMORPGs are supposed to be and how regardless more than enough people will continue to play and therefore SE will continue to make money. MMOs as of late have died out very fast because there was truly nothing to keep the players invested after the game gave you everything on a silver platter. Why do you think TERA had a complete turn around? it went F2P/Slightly P2W and threw in some "contentless grinds" compared to when it was P2P.

Why do you think most MMOs that still run to this day are usually older ones and came from an era before MMOs were mainstream? 2.0 and 2.1 were a weird time for XIV since it was a relaunch, it was too standard, now it looks like they found a good direction. MMOs will have grinds, got to face facts.

My time is valuable. I've decided to spend it playing your game. So why do you insist on wasting it?

Technically, you waste time by simply playing video games at all if you have such little time. We're all humans with the same value of time.

[Riion]

Yeah, everything is becoming an absurd grind. It's really disheartening that by playing moderately every single day there are pieces of gear I still wouldn't see for months. I like the game, but I don't want to live in it 24/7 to accomplish something of worth.

[Tupsi]

Yeah, everything is becoming an absurd grind. It's really disheartening that by playing moderately every single day there are pieces of gear I still wouldn't see for months. I like the game, but I don't want to live in it 24/7 to accomplish something of worth.

Did you know? Second Coil has a 1 week lockout, thus it will take a month or more to complete a set of armor for your main? Just like it did for the first coil of bahamut back in 2.0? Did you know, Labyrinth of Ancients had a 1 week lockout and it would take 1 month or more to complete a set for your main/alt/whatever you wanted to complete? Did you know, Syrcus Tower has a 1 week lockout on gear/tomestone and will ta...you get the idea.

Taking awhile to get what you want is nothing new to XIV, FF or MMORPGs. You don't have to be on 24/7 to do the Hildebrand quests, or to try primals and such.