Thread: Gameplay Mechanic Suggestions

First off I would I will have to say great job FFXIV teams on patch 1.19. Even though you say the game is at 50% of feeling like Final Fantasy, I would say it feels like 100% more like Final Fantasy since release and this is just the beginning. The R50 Ifrit and other new content is mind blowing good and fun. Anywho with that out of the way there is a few flaws in the systems and of course like with any new patch there needs to be adjustments and tweaks to new algorithms and other mechanics.

1. First and foremost for me is the Leves. I really enjoy soloing leves on my MRD leveling it up and it is Lv38 now and the Lv40 leves I used to be able to do them on 2 and some of them on 3 was a bit of a challenge. Now those same leves I cannot even complete on 1 Star. So I went back to the Lv30 camp and bumped it up to 4 Stars and even those are hard to complete with less of an EXP gain. Somtimes I really like to just do something on my own in this game and not group up with someone and now I can't even effectively solo leves after the change. I suggest that you be more lenient on mobs like 2-3 levels over you especially when they come in groups. Leve mobs should not be as hard as their non-guildleve counterparts. I know this kind of thing can be tricky to balance and it probably will get balanced in the near future, but hopefully it will be sooner than later.

2. I love the new materia craft system but I would like to suggest the option of turning the "Spiritbond Meter" into a "Percentage". I am one of those players who likes to keep track of my progress on the Spiritbond at all times and it is really hard to read that tiny little bar to see if any progress has been made. So I would like it if you would take into consideration of adding something in options that make the Spiritbond bar be a percentage or have a percentage as well as the bar.

3. I have a suggestion to other players, I recommend making a post on your server forums and maybe some shouts in Uldah and try selling some of the new materials and materia in other cities. They are only a click away now and until they decide to give us an AH system I don't see the market wards being stable anytime soon. On Wutai they seem to crash every 10 minutes and are severely overpopulated. Those other wards aren't getting used so much and can help hold the extra support and also help the developers breath new life into the old cities. Now people are in Grid and LL so much it is not a bad suggestion.

In wrapping this up I would like to say if anyone else has a suggestion or counter-suggestion post it in a similar fashion as to make this thread look neat and clean and perhaps we will be blessed by Bayohne's presence or another one of the great Dev team members.

You aren't going to be able to go to a new camp at 25 (doing R30 leve), 35 (doing R40 leve), etc.. anymore. You have the right idea doing R30 leves at level 38. I would suggest putting the leve at or below your level (4 stars = +9 levels I think?) so that's still higher than you. You probably had to fight groups of 2 - 3 level 39 mobs as a 38, which would (should) be tough. I'd bump it down to 3 stars (level 36 mobs) and just try to power through it for completion time bonus.

Originally Posted by RemVye

You aren't going to be able to go to a new camp at 25 (doing R30 leve), 35 (doing R40 leve), etc.. anymore. You have the right idea doing R30 leves at level 38. I would suggest putting the leve at or below your level (4 stars = +9 levels I think?) so that's still higher than you. You probably had to fight groups of 2 - 3 level 39 mobs as a 38, which would (should) be tough. I'd bump it down to 3 stars (level 36 mobs) and just try to power through it for completion time bonus.

There is a problem with that idea though, the EXP gain even with aspect isn't great when they are 2-3 levels under you and still present a challenge. Plus no chain bonuses, the system is flawed for the solo player and should be fixed. I can understand being under par for the 40 camp, but if I have to settle for a 30 camp the exp should be sub par not crappy. Only the reward at the end makes it feasible like before but you spend double to triple the time on a leve now than you did prior patch. Just saying the overall system need alittle tweaking.

I wouldn't go as far as to say it's completely flawed, but allow me to illustrate this via an example using R30 leve's.

30 * 1-star
30 + 3 ** 2-stars
30 + 6 *** 3 - stars
30 + 9 **** 4 - stars
40 * Next camp - 1 star

29 (chain bonus) <-- start doing R30 leve's or 4-star R20's
30 (chain bonus)
31 (no bonus) <-- I'd still do R30 leve
32 (chain bonus) <-- I'd do 2-star R30 now
33 (chain bonus)
34 (no bonus) <--- still doing 2-star R30 leve
35 (chain bonus) <--- 3-star R30
36 (chain bonus)
37 (no bonus)
38 (chain bonus) <--- 4-star R30
39 (chain bonus)
40 (chain bonus possible) <--- 1-star R40

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From this example there is three spots where you wouldn't have the ideal level to get the chain bonus exp, although its still entirely possible. At level 31, 34, and 37... however its still possible for a level 31 to take on level 33 but it might take too long to get the exp bonus, the same would go for 34 and 37. But factor in having a duo partner and this is easily doable.

Short post.... sorry leaving work

Originally Posted by RemVye

I wouldn't go as far as to say it's completely flawed, but allow me to illustrate this via an example using R30 leve's.

30 * 1-star
30 + 3 ** 2-stars
30 + 6 *** 3 - stars
30 + 9 **** 4 - stars
40 * Next camp - 1 star

29 (chain bonus) <-- start doing R30 leve's or 4-star R20's
30 (chain bonus)
31 (no bonus) <-- I'd still do R30 leve
32 (chain bonus) <-- I'd do 2-star R30 now
33 (chain bonus)
34 (no bonus) <--- still doing 2-star R30 leve
35 (chain bonus) <--- 3-star R30
36 (chain bonus)
37 (no bonus)
38 (chain bonus) <--- 4-star R30
39 (chain bonus)
40 (chain bonus possible) <--- 1-star R40

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From this example there is three spots where you wouldn't have the ideal level to get the chain bonus exp, although its still entirely possible. At level 31, 34, and 37... however its still possible for a level 31 to take on level 33 but it might take too long to get the exp bonus, the same would go for 34 and 37. But factor in having a duo partner and this is easily doable.

Short post.... sorry leaving work

The system works if you have atleast 2 man group. My point is I should be able to solo a leve on 1 star if it is 2 ranks above me and not be stuck at that dead spot for 2 levels. Leve quests mobs just need to be weakened abit and not by level. That or they need to allow chain bonuses on mobs that are slightly weaker than you for the solo players but make the exp bonus have a cap. Say 50% is the cap and you would have to have atleast a chain 5 to obtain that if not higher.