Unlocking Content

[Dicejss]

You guys are really focusing on the wrong part here its not about the story .I'm talking about how they lock content based on if you cleared previous content. Which older stuff such as T5, Levi Ex, or Ramuh Ex it's harder to get groups for because people are already on T13 or Shiva Ex. So moving forward in HW are they really planning to keep all that locked cus it's only going to make it even harder to get some of that older stuff done just so you can unlock the others. Then you have to settle for using the Duty Finder. Just as a side note if you think the story they've got going in FF14 is good you just don't know good story telling.

[Gamer3427]

You guys are really focusing on the wrong part here its not about the story .I'm talking about how they lock content based on if you cleared previous content. Which older stuff such as T5, Levi Ex, or Ramuh Ex it's harder to get groups for because people are already on T13 or Shiva Ex. So moving forward in HW are they really planning to keep all that locked cus it's only going to make it even harder to get some of that older stuff done just so you can unlock the others. Then you have to settle for using the Duty Finder.

Well, given that they are implementing it so that pre-formed parties can enter an instance without level syncing so long as they are at least one member short, clearing said old content to unlock new ones will be a lot quicker and easier. Plus with new classes trying to level, a lot of that old content will see a resurgence in members. Yes, even the HM primals, as there will be relics for the classes, (to my understanding at least), which means people will have to run them once they reach that point. Even then, people will be using the roulette more to try and obtain that tomestone bonus again for gear for the new classes which means any trials low on players will have that to bolster their ranks......

Just as a side note if you think the story they've got going in FF14 is good you just don't know good story telling.

It has far better story telling than any other MMO I've experienced, and in fact better than most RPGs on the market now, as well as most certainly better than all but a handful of the FPS market. I constantly play games for the story. I'm not saying FFXIV has the best, but it's by no means bad. You're probably one of those players who it didn't grab during the early "introductory" stages and who then started to skip every cutscene after that without continuing to pay attention to the story as it evolved. I will say that it wasn't until later in the base story until it started to grasp my attention, but particularly everything after "The Ultimate Weapon" serves as far more than passable storytelling, and going into Heavensward I'm more interested in the story than I am the new classes or new area.......

[Belhi]

You guys are really focusing on the wrong part here its not about the story .I'm talking about how they lock content based on if you cleared previous content. Which older stuff such as T5, Levi Ex, or Ramuh Ex it's harder to get groups for because people are already on T13 or Shiva Ex. So moving forward in HW are they really planning to keep all that locked cus it's only going to make it even harder to get some of that older stuff done just so you can unlock the others. Then you have to settle for using the Duty Finder. Just as a side note if you think the story they've got going in FF14 is good you just don't know good story telling.

First you quote baseless statistics and then you speak of personal opinions as if they are a universal truth. You undermine your own arguments with things like this as it discredits your own capacity for logical analysis.

You do make a point on the Ex stuff though personally Ive found very little trouble getting groups for any of the Ex fights or the Coil Turns, particularly with the Primal Ponies in the Ex loot. Most peoples problem I find isn't getting groups but is getting groups that can actually beat the fights.

And in many ways it is about the story. Everything in the game has story and lore. I hold no issue with people wanting to skip that but removing it I do have issue with as it undermined one of the core aspects of the game I really like.

I understand some people don't care about the story. One of the main tanks in my static is like that. He didn't even know who the scions were. All he cares about is the gameplay. Fortunately for him there is a lot of the game that is his type of game. He just has to speed through the story stuff to get there. This is two sided. Just look how many players have asked for gameplay to be toned down so they can play story stuff. There is a middle ground and both sides of the argument just have to put up with it. Its a compromise.

[kyuven]

Just as a side note if you think the story they've got going in FF14 is good you just don't know good story telling.

Then what IS good storytelling?
Please provide examples.
Blanket statements like this are irritating, because the story of FFXIV is actually quite engaging and well-written...
But it's not for everyone.
FFXIV's story lacks any of the elements that would make it objectively bad (such as excessive spelling and grammar errors, gaping plotholes, mary sues, and the like) so if you feel it's bad, it's your opinion.

[Ashkendor]

As a raider? Yes.

Most end gamers only care about the dungeons and loot. Story comes last.

Maybe for you. I thoroughly enjoyed the story behind the Coils, as did the people in my raid static.

You guys are really focusing on the wrong part here its not about the story .I'm talking about how they lock content based on if you cleared previous content. Which older stuff such as T5, Levi Ex, or Ramuh Ex it's harder to get groups for because people are already on T13 or Shiva Ex. So moving forward in HW are they really planning to keep all that locked cus it's only going to make it even harder to get some of that older stuff done just so you can unlock the others. Then you have to settle for using the Duty Finder. Just as a side note if you think the story they've got going in FF14 is good you just don't know good story telling.

It's actually already been eased once; you used to have to clear Garuda/Titan/Ifrit in order to access Levi/Mog/Ramuh/Shiva. I can't see them locking the Heavensward primals behind these any more than they'd lock Alexander behind Coil (which they've already said that they aren't going to do). In any case, it's not hard to get through the old content at all. It just requires effort that a lot of people seem loath to put in for whatever reason. EX primals are probably going to be easier to get through than the Coil content because all of the fights are still pertinent to an extent thanks to the ponies. Even so, I see learning and clear parties for T5 and T9 in PF pretty frequently, which are really the only turns you need to do in order to progress to FCoB. Occasionally I'll see one for T6/7/8 or even one for T1/2/4 offering basically 100 soldiery per clear for your warm body in the party. If you don't see a learning party for the content you want to clear, put up one of your own. Network. Get to know some people and ask if they can help you with it. If they don't know it already, watch a guide then help each other with it. The bottom line is that it's not going to clear itself. You're going to have to work at getting through it just like anyone else that's cleared it.

thirdly mmorpgs are about gearing and gameplay not about watching a CS everytime you do a dungeon or fight a boss.

If this was true at all then game companies wouldn't waste time and money designing the raids, making the cutscenes, or writing the lore. They'd just put a dungeon that consists of a couple of of plain gray corridors out there and tell you to have at it. The bosses could be generic gray cubes or something. It'd save a ton of time on development, that's for sure!

MMORPG's are about entertainment. If your product isn't entertaining, people aren't going to play it or subscribe to it.

[Dicejss]

If this was true at all then game companies wouldn't waste time and money designing the raids, making the cutscenes, or writing the lore. They'd just put a dungeon that consists of a couple of of plain gray corridors out there and tell you to have at it. The bosses could be generic gray cubes or something. It'd save a ton of time on development, that's for sure!

MMORPG's are about entertainment. If your product isn't entertaining, people aren't going to play it or subscribe to it.

Yes they are about entertainment and that is doing the dungeons and gearing your character. I don't care about the lore of a dungeon or a boss I just want my loot or exp from it. That's how most mmo players are but of course there are those who do enjoy the lore so they have both elements to please everyone.

My biggest thing I want changed is the having to unlock everything by clearing the others first it's a real big speedbump to trying to get the higher ilevel gear. Also my original post is also meant about the quests that unlock Materia converting, Dying Gear, and Glamour are the main ones I'm talking about.

[Ashkendor]

Yes they are about entertainment and that is doing the dungeons and gearing your character. I don't care about the lore of a dungeon or a boss I just want my loot or exp from it. That's how most mmo players are but of course there are those who do enjoy the lore so they have both elements to please everyone.

If you don't care about the lore and you just want your loot, you may have chosen the wrong game. Given that FFXIV is heavily story driven, I don't expect that the Coil lockout will go anywhere anytime soon. The same goes for the x primals. It doesn't make any sense for you to hit level 50 and suddenly have a veritable smorgasbord of raid encounters magically unlock themselves in Duty Finder. You have to face those fights one at a time, proving that you can best them before you're able to move on to the next challenge. Like I said before, put some effort toward clearing them. If you don't see a learning party for something, make one. Go make friends and kill things together with them!

[SirDiscoFrog]

It doesn't make any sense for you to hit level 50 and suddenly have a veritable smorgasbord of raid encounters magically unlock themselves in Duty Finder.

Adding onto this, it would also be VERY overwhelming for many. Where would one even start and for what reason? Gated content are also in a sense goals to move forward and progress, giving you a path to go on. Idk about your server but on mine people are still doing clear parties for older EXs and while there is the stigma of Duty Finder, some trials are able to be beaten in DF (Rahmu EX and Shiva EX from personal experience). It wont be instant and may take time, but contrary to popular belief that those who did content fresh out the gate had it easy, it took a decent amount of time for some of them as well. As you make these PF's people might start recognizing your name and may even start joining you quicker based off of doing previous parties with you.

Many raids/trials also use tweaked versions of other mechanics. You start learning Divebombs in T5 and it remains relevant even in Turn 13. Tank swap mechanics are pushed starting with Garuda EX and there is slight tweaks to it in many of the EXs that even trickle into Coils. It even goes as far as making 'Heal Swaps' for a few of the fights. Seeing and learning all this comes from experiencing the older content.

If you still are gunho about not wanting to do older content and just gear asap, get Poetics gears or Coil. This game has multiple ways of gearing to the highest ilvl possible even if you can't do the raids. And at least with Coil you only have T5 and T9 to do, and from what Ive noticed T9 is still quite popular. But removing the gates behind certain content would cause more harm than good.

[Dicejss]

If you don't care about the lore and you just want your loot, you may have chosen the wrong game

No I did not as an mmorpg has the gameplay that I am looking for so your statement that I should only be playing a mmorpg for the story really is moot. MMOs have and will forever be about the gameplay itself not about the story. Secondly I'm not trying to be selfish but you all are trying to burn me at the stake for stating my opinion on how the content is locked behind all these quests at end game. Clearly some of you need to take a chill pill and stop being so angry.

[SirDiscoFrog]

MMOs have and will forever be about the gameplay itself not about the story..

However that's the thing, FFXIV is different from many MMOs in that aspect, hence Ashkendor's comment. They are playing off of their main fans being players of their FF games and catering to that trying to make a story that is at least somewhat appealing and hiding in extras revealing more lore in the harder raid content. Yes gameplay of course will be important to them, but its not like the story is put on the backburner either.

In terms of the burning at the stake, you only have your sweeping generalizations to blame for that lol

EDIT:

Yes they might but considering how future patches will continue to add more content to clear that ladder of previous content you have to clear is just going to get higher and higher.

In Heavensward the only thing required from 2.## is finishing all of the Main Scenario, everything else you can access right off the bat once you enter in Ishgard. Alexander will be out weeks after the release so that's more time to complete older content, and now with their being an option to do duties un-level synced or with lesser people there more options to finish older content. However at that point the 2.## gear will only be helpful for leveling/glamor. 3.0 will have their own BiS gear which you can get without the previous trials. It doesn't need to be completed to stay up to date, gear wise or content wise besides having all the dungeons unlocked for Tomes.