#nofunallowed

[Purrfectstorm]

I'm not sure why everyone is bashing the OP since they're right. A lot of 'for fun' gameplay systems have been added with deliberate timesink gating mechanisms that make them entirely not fun.

Triple Triad, for example is a fun mini-game in its own right but getting new cards is such a chore that most people have simply given up on even bothering. If a gameplay system that is supposed to be fun is so unrewarding that players have largely given up on it then there is something seriously wrong with the design behind that system.

The same goes for chocobo racing and the sightseeing log, as the OP points out. In fact the sightseeing log is a great example because the new sightseeing log in Heavensward areas actually is fun since there are no ridiculous time and weather requirements... you simply have to find the location and work out the correct emote to use. The very fact this changed in the new log suggests SE is aware of how self-defeating the absurd gating on the original log was.

'For fun' content should not be a timesink. It should be something fun to do when you're tired of the countless other timesinks already in the game.

I agree with this completely. I've found myself losing interest in FFXIV because every new mini-game has a ridiculous grind attached. Yes, MMOs have grinds but a) not necessarily to this level and b) they are more enjoyable grinds. My definition of a more enjoyable grind would be one where there are less repetitive tasks. For example, grinding each dungeon 5 times feels a lot different than grinding 1 dungeon 100 times.

I also don't enjoy so much time gating. The argument "but people would burn through content" rings hollow when people log on and have nothing they enjoy doing because of all the time gating. For me options are:

- Grind Triple Triad - Most NPCs have the random rule. This is unfair when they "randomly" get 5 of 7 amazing cards and you get 5 of 60+ so-so cards. SE should have at least given those NPCs the Plus rule so you could technically beat them if you pull all low number cards. Also, super low drop rates.

- Choco race - A fun but ultimately repetitive task made obnoxious by the fact that it takes forever to rank up (3-4 matches per rank x 3 min x 40 ranks = 6hrs, 20 min per pedigree).

- PvP - Seal Rock is a good PvP format (my favorite of the 3 Frontline formats) but the GC system needs an overhaul. I think SE should have red team, blue team, yellow team, and link achievements to whatever GC you're in regardless of what color team you're put on. "Lore" should never trump fun gameplay (faster queues, for example).

- Level alt jobs - the most enjoyable grind of the bunch due to the variability of the jobs and leveling methods.

There is no endgame to speak of. Alexander normal takes about 2 hours per week to farm and because of time gating Alexander Savage is reserved for a couple nights a week at most.

This game has incredibly shallow content with undisguised, unfun time sinks. It could be more fun but it just feels like there's some easily foreseeable, easily fixable problem with every piece of content. For example, Triple Triad tournaments. SE still hasn't fixed the cheating issue. One of their previous "fixes" actually made cheating even more profitable (lowering NPC points). Literally all they have to do to fix it is make it so players cannot choose their opponents. As an aside, Jumbo Cactpot needs to be 1/day instead of 1/week. MGP/achievement issues solved.