Moment of Truth: How do you really feel

[Colino]

It's an underdog story that might not work out, but I'm sure everyone around here would be happy if it did.

I'm with you, but I just wish there was a way to know how this story will end, so I can either keep investing my time and thoughts into this game (because I am willing to play it 8+ years if it does turn out as good as it can be) or just move on and try my best to forget about it.

[Azurymber]

I'm not whiteknighting for anyone. I'll be the first to tell you the development efforts to save FFXIV could seriously be a lost cause. The odds are very much against the development team to make something that doesn't alienate what few FFXI players straggle over (and even among them there isn't universal agreement on hardcore and casual content) while being universally appealing to a broader audience. And all this in the face of a Metacritic score that currently gives FFXIV a 49 out of 100, which will be the first number anyone considering the PS3 version will see when they look up information about the game before it launches (if they didn't already know).

However, that doesn't mean you can't respect the monumental task this is and the tirelessly enthusiastic face the developers have put on while they face it (even though on the inside, they are probably very tired). If they pull it off, it would be amazing. And it would be amazing because it's so damn hard to see how they could make it.

It's an underdog story that might not work out, but I'm sure everyone around here would be happy if it did.

well i completely agree with that, and I'm not trying to argue they don't work hard or suck at their job. I realize how difficult a lot of the code must be. Its just specifically the damage system that has really confused me because that should be the easiest part to fix, and fixing it all at once would be a lot more efficient then fixing it 4 times and re-balancing the world -each- time.

[Crica]

The whole truth and nothing but the truth!

1. How do you feel about the patch frequency? Um... are you trying to suggest that the patches could be faster but Square is just lazy?

2. How do you feel about the changes themselves? Change is good. Things grow stagnant without change.

3. How do you feel this game will fair against current upcoming titles? Um... I have no worries that I will not find 10 players to run instances with or complete hard quests with no one will buy anything I craft.

4. Do you think this game will ever exceed niche popularity? Don't care if it does or does not as long as there are enough players to do content with - and since it only requires about 10 players, that will never be an issue.

5. Do you think the changes are in the right or wrong direction? I enjoy playing the current game, and so far have been able to find about 10 other players who enjoy playing the current game as well, so everything is right atm.

6. Do you think the they have focused on the most important things historically with patches or should the focus have been elsewhere? They doing fine - can't kill mobs unless the battle system works, can't sell things to vendors unless the UI works, etc. Base game functions working and intuitive > content.

[ViolentDjango]

1. How do you feel about the patch frequency?
2. How do you feel about the changes themselves?
3. How do you feel this game will fair against current upcoming titles?
4. Do you think this game will ever exceed niche popularity?
5. Do you think the changes are in the right or wrong direction?
6. Do you think the they have focused on the most important things historically with patches or should the focus have been elsewhere?

1. Its fine. Its exactly what you would expect it to be... no game is rapid fire patches actually has ones of decent quality in my opinion... Terraria, for example, is getting progressively less well-thought out as each patch comes...
2. They are substantial, the game is obviously getting better.
3. Upcoming? its hard to compare something you can play against something you can't. I just started playing Rift, though, and I'll say that FFXIV is a much more unique gaming experience, and I feel its better for that reason.
4. Did FFXI? I don't really think it did, and I don't really think its matters.
5. Nowhere to go but up, really...
6. It'll all get done eventually, so I'm not concerned. What's "important historically" is relative, as well. Some people would be able to say, and support with evidence, that PvP is important -- doesn't mean its something they should be focusing on for FFXIV.

[Nakiamiie]

1. How do you feel about the patch frequency?
2. How do you feel about the changes themselves?
3. How do you feel this game will fair against current upcoming titles?
4. Do you think this game will ever exceed niche popularity?
5. Do you think the changes are in the right or wrong direction?
6. Do you think the they have focused on the most important things historically with patches or should the focus have been elsewhere?

1. It's ok, longer time for bigger patches is fine too.

2. Some good, some are bad, but overall it is ok. I think it is going too much toward idiotic simplicity (loss of physical level, no monster behavior, no more AoE toggle for cure spells, monster level display rather than threat rank, etc.) and elitism (rank and class requirements, crafting and gathering are now secondary classes since the story and other contents will only be available for fighting classes -- the need to have a high war/magic class, upcoming less cross-class actions/skills to equip, etc.)

3. If it keeps improving like this (patch 1.18 and 1.19 being good examples), it will do good.

4. Most likely in two to three years with the upcoming changes, see answer 3.

5. The changes are slowly going in the right direction, some are good while others are not, see answer 2.

6. I believe the focus has been right, but should keep crafting and gathering on par with war and magic classes, not as secondary to them (i.e. allow crafting classes and gathering classes to take part in some combats with their tools to take part in the story content, for example, and war and magic classes to have special actions oriented toward crafting and gathering too -- many threads have had this discussion already and it was rejected by the devs for more simplicity and more elitism).

That's how I view the changes and the direction FFXIV is going to: more mainstream unoriginal content, less experimentation to built up new standards. Sadly, everything is about money.

[Esk]

1. Bit slow, but then few bugs so its horribly slow. (smaller more frequent patches would be nice)
2. Some good some bad, some fail.
3. It looks better generally, its not stupid OMG! spiky armour!
- Its slowly becoming more just another generic mmo so fairly well once ps3 happens. (some of that is needed, but not all)
4. Yes as its not really that different now and getting less so.
5. Both, improvements are good, making it just another mmo not a FF game isn't.
6. Focus is on fixing, so that is right. As long as all the areas get a look at and we get a lot of deep story content.

[Haibel]

1. How do you feel about the patch frequency? I think the patches have been coming very quickly considering all the
things that happened in Japan this year and the share volume of changes that have been in the patches.

2. How do you feel about the changes themselves? Mostley Good. Somethings have been taken out or played down that I liked. some could have been fixed verses removed. as a whole the changes have all been positive.

3. How do you feel this game will fair against current upcoming titles? Don't Care, I play FF titles. Call me a fan boy if you'd like. As a whole I love FF games. while there has been FF game's I didn't like (FF8, FF10-2) as a whole I play FF games because I Love the lore that SE brings and their art direction is second to none.

4. Do you think this game will ever exceed niche popularity? Nope and still don't care. I would prefer the game to be Niche. FFXI was Niche and it did just fine and continues to do so. I myself have out grown that game, however that game is still a thriving community and I do not see that changing. People that fall in to the niche of this game will be easier to get along with as they won't be complaining every five seconds that this game doesn't do something that another game does.

5. Do you think the changes are in the right or wrong direction? Generally the right direction. as I side before I believe somethings could be fixed but the two things that I really didn't like changed hasn't happened yet so I have no reason to be really upset about it yet. I don't want to see shield guarding changed to and auto block. Active Defense for a tank was one of the nice differences from XI and I don't wanna see the
AOE toggle taken out. with the limited amount of space you have to set spells I don't wanna 150 spells because of the aoe versions and you only have 30 spaces to put them in. All because I subset of players complianed about a new mechainc that they were not use to, I great part of this game may be taken out.

6. Do you think the they have focused on the most important things historically with patches or should the focus have been elsewhere? Really not for us to speculate on. We are not the ones coding this game. I think a lot of peoples misconception of the patch contents come from not understanding whats going on in the development process. Some stuff they have patched is surely just quick stuff they could do just to show work and keep the player base somewhat pacified

[Haibel]

I'm betting if this was Bioware fixing up the game, it would be a shining star right now.

And if Bioware was developing this game I wouldn't be here. No Offense to the People at Bioware, They have not and probably will
Never make anything that appeals to me.

[Sephr]

1. How do you feel about the patch frequency?
2. How do you feel about the changes themselves?
3. How do you feel this game will fair against current upcoming titles?
4. Do you think this game will ever exceed niche popularity?
5. Do you think the changes are in the right or wrong direction?
6. Do you think the they have focused on the most important things historically with patches or should the focus have been elsewhere?

Good idea for a thread, some nice simple feedback for them.

1. Fairly average post-1.18, I think considering the volume it's pretty decent and I'm fine with it.
2. Excellent, besides a couple of little things like perhaps over-instancing (in the future, if Yoshida's posts are anything to go by) I'm going to be pretty happy with this game in a year's time I'd say.
3. If it can establish itself as a true final fantasy title with *story missions and quests* as well as basic MMO elements, I'd say it should be able to do alright.
4. I think it should do, if they continue to consider the community and keep producing such a high standard of content.
5. Definitely the right direction, sack of the MW's and I'll be set on that.
6. I'd say it's been a bit dubious until now only because some things need longer to develop, but they're really getting there and if some of the more extreme characters in the community would relax and give them the time of day, they'd see it's for the best in the long-term.

I'm betting if this was Bioware fixing up the game, it would be a shining star right now.

I lol'd. Reaction to the TOR beta has been anything but solid, lots of complaints and I'm not expecting a huge amount from it other than a large star wars fan base supporting it.

[Azurymber]

I lol'd. Reaction to the TOR beta has been anything but solid, lots of complaints and I'm not expecting a huge amount from it other than a large star wars fan base supporting it.

weird, i've been following on a few boards and mostly see incredibly positive feedback. the only complains i've been seeing are limited races + people who are desperate to get into the beta.