The PS3 killed FFXIV

[captainpicard]

As a result of the recent announced changes to the leve system, I have concluded that this change was made specifically to cater to the console system audience. Why? Because console players in my view, have a different mentality than PC MMOers. Most people I personally know that play console games, don't sit down and play them for long periods of time. Couple of hours, couple of hours there. The changes to the system support a solocentric, login, have something to do, logout mentality. One where you never have to really "get involved" with the persistent world.

Its unfortunate.

I would love to see a FF MMO title developed solely with a PC MMO audience in mind. My guess is the end result would be a much better game.

[Ark_mage2]

You are right! They are making the game better so when it comes out on the PS3 people will actually buy it!

[Eekiki]

You are right! They are making the game better so when it comes out on the PS3 people will actually buy it!

Bahahaha, and done in one. Nicely played, Ark mage.

[Rau]

Yes, your limited view of console players apply to ALL of them.

[Spellbinder]

Most people I personally know that play console games, don't sit down and play them for long periods of time. Couple of hours, couple of hours there. The changes to the system support a solocentric, login, have something to do, logout mentality. One where you never have to really "get involved" with the persistent world.

Aside from every exhausted Japanese salary man I've ever seen on the train commuting to and from Tokyo that plays these games (including the ones I see playing Monster Hunter on their PSP's), what you described essentially is the casual market this game was intended for from the beginning is it not? Not to say they don't also want to appeal to those who want to play for longer sessions.

[Konachibi]

From what I see of the changes they're making the game operate in a way where social players won't be left miles behind if a friend of theirs is a more hardcore gamer and spends hours and hours a day on it.

No matter how much time the hardcore gamer spends on FFXIV, he still can't do more leves than the social gamer, therefore, his friend won't log on one day to find he's 20-30 levels behind, ultimately this will benefit them both as they can share leves of similar rank and do dungeons and other group activities of the same rank.

This is just an example though.

[captainpicard]

From what I see of the changes they're making the game operate in a way where social players won't be left miles behind if a friend of theirs is a more hardcore gamer and spends hours and hours a day on it.

No matter how much time the hardcore gamer spends on FFXIV, he still can't do more leves than the social gamer, therefore, his friend won't log on one day to find he's 20-30 levels behind, ultimately this will benefit them both as they can share leves of similar rank and do dungeons and other group activities of the same rank.

This is just an example though.

I see what you mean, but generally speaking I don't think you can successfully capture both audiences. Hardcore gamers want a game where players actions, economy, persistence of the world, and so forth matter. With this change, anyone will be able to get crafting to high levels without spending much gil, spending much time farming for items, and so forth. Even with the casual audience, if crafting doesn't really add value to your character, then why bother? The only reason is to repair your own gear really at this point, and frankly, gear damage doesn't matter a whole lot today.

Maybe I am confused, but this is what I see happening

1. Materials & Shards will lose what little value they have today because leve's provide materials and shards.
2. Crafting will not be a profitable venture because it will be so easy to get crafts to max level without using any of your own resources. The end result being too many high level crafters, thus, no value in the items they create.
3. The world will feel even more dead outside of town than it does today. The incentive to "leave town" will be even lower, as materials for leve's and leve's themselves are obtained in town. The only incentive to leave town related to the leve system is to turn them in, and how many people just don't turn them in because they don't want to blow anima. Even that is just a quick beam in, hello npc, thanks for the reward, beam out scenario.
4. The system seems to encourage not logging into the game for long periods of time, to build up leves. Perhaps others view it as it frees you from having to do them within a time frame, but when there isn't much else to do in the first place..

Maybe a better solution would be

1. Delete leve's
2. Lower the experience point curve on crafting so that people could reasonably level a craft to maximum level within the same timeframe they could now, using leve's.

The reason I say this as it would at least keep the economy moving from a shard and materials standpoint, insulating some value for those items, rather than destroying their value outright.

I dunno guys.. It just feels like a real sad day for the game.

[Konachibi]

Hardcore gamers want a game where players actions, economy, persistence of the world, and so forth matter.

Not true, hardcore gamers want to get to the end-game content and fight all the big bosses to get loot, then wait around for the next level-cap increase, then move on to the new set of end-game bosses, and also try to see any and all possible content in the game so that they can then say "I have seen anything, next expansion please?"

Also don't forget, in regards to crafting, that S.E have said jobs will be gear specific. This in itself is good news for crafters, as they'll be able to make new things that you can't get from a vendor, armour and weaponry for the new jobs will be in high demand for a good many weeks/months, and with the materia system people will want customised version of certain gear with specific stats.
Crafters will shine with some of these changes, and people who ignore crafting and just do battle will find themselves appreciating the time and effort crafters put into levelling their craft in order to do these things, so that their silver chainmail can have it's extra +10 VIT instead of +10 DEX.

With the addition of chocobos you'll also find more people willing to leave cities and run around in areas, if nothing else then just for the fun of riding a chocobo. The only time I'll be getting off my chocobo is when I need to swing my axe at a tree or smash my pick into a lump of shiny rock.

And as for gaining materials and shards from leves, from what I understand they've scaled crafting leves now to give 'relevant' rewards, not exceptional materials.
Some level 20 Leatherworking leves still give me sheepskin when I'd be far better off with buffalo leather or dodo leather.
Some level 20 Weaving leves are still giving me moko grass even though I'm practically on canvas cloth already.
The changes will make it so the leves wil give me things that are usefull to me now, rather than things that were usefull to me last week.
It won't give me an abundant supply of that though, so I won't be sitting around for hours making 300 canvas cloth. Plus gaining just one material doesn't mean I can suddenly start throwing out robes and hats, I need leather or bronze buckles or other such materials in order to create an item.
And as for changing the crafting recipes, I'm glad they have. Take for instance the current hempen beret recipe. All materials to make a hempen beret can be obtained at level 10 EXCEPT Apkullu Down will can only be aquired by killing a level 40-50 enemy. How in the name of shiny toilet paper is a new player meant to aquire such a material other than the market wards, where it sells for high prices because of it's usefullness in making cool hats?
So S.E have probably changed the recipe now so it only needs something like cotton stuffing, which can be made around rank 12, or perhaps something easier than that, since the hat is after all only Rank 6.

So though I think I understand your worry about them saying they're making crafting 'easier', but I think it's a justifiable 'easier' compared to some of the silly and ridiculous recipes we're currently trying to operate with.

[viion]

As a result of the recent announced changes to the leve system, I have concluded that this change was made specifically to cater to the console system audience. Why? Because console players in my view, have a different mentality than PC MMOers. Most people I personally know that play console games, don't sit down and play them for long periods of time. Couple of hours, couple of hours there. The changes to the system support a solocentric, login, have something to do, logout mentality. One where you never have to really "get involved" with the persistent world. .

Very incorrect, tens of millions play console on hours for stupid amount of hours.

[captainpicard]

Very incorrect, tens of millions play console on hours for stupid amount of hours.

I just don't feel like the audience is the same, at all. You can say you for example are a console player, yet here you are playing a PC game on a PC, so I don't count you as a console player.