Is the game built based on the wrong perspective?

[Anonymoose]

I do think that many players consider the leveling process as content, placing way too much emphasis on the sense of achievement that comes with it.

This is a great way to rephrase one of my core points. There are players that consider the time spent leveling to be a core part of the experience while others seem to grind it out and write it off immediately.

I agree completely; IMHO, that part of the content isn't meant to have the much of a sense of achievement placed upon it. I think the people who do are people who tend to compare themselves to others far too much, striving to be the people they see ahead of them so hard that even just getting the same level is an achievement when in fact all it has done is open the DOOR to becoming that progressed.

You're right, it is merely a gateway, and I spend more time trying to open the door to the room and stopping it from closing on me than I do getting to play with what's inside. The latter is driving me insane; maintenance alone takes longer than content. It's like using one of those sinks where you push the knob down and it sprays until it automatically raises - but it's worn out so it stops spraying by the time you get your hands back in the sink. Pisses me off, lol.

I don't think the inclination to feel that way should be emphasized as so important to the DEVELOPMENT of the game, only the PLAYING of it. I just don't have fun anymore.

[Physic]

This is a great way to rephrase one of my core points. There are players that consider the time spent leveling to be a core part of the experience while others seem to grind it out and write it off immediately. I agree completely; that part of the content isn't meant to have the much of a sense of achievement placed upon it. I think the people who do are people who tend to compare themselves to others far too much, striving to be the people they see ahead of them so hard that even just getting the same level is an achievement.

I don't think the inclination to feel that way should be emphasized as so important to the DEVELOPMENT of the game, only the PLAYING of it. I just don't have fun anymore.

see my problem with what your talking about is,

i dont really see what it has to do with this game right now, if anything it feels like exp will soon become an afterthought, with some adventures and what not, a bit of an exciting thing sometimes, but with how much and how fast you can get it, or the means to do it fairly steadily and slowly through leves, without much time, It really doesnt seem exp is the focus of the game anymore.

Seems to be more focused on content, even the gear changes make it so you can actually feel accomplishment hunting midlevel gears. The other focuses seem to be on content, in terms of job development and exposition being a quest/content based thing. Even dungeons and ifrit battle, chocobos etc seem to focus more on the adventuring aspect of the game.

Dont really see the game going sp grind heavy, in fact seems to be going away from that.

[Anonymoose]

i dont really see what it has to do with this game right now, ... It really doesnt seem exp is the focus of the game anymore.

Seems to be more focused on content, ... Dont really see the game going sp grind heavy, in fact seems to be going away from that.

In many of the biggest areas, you have my assent. I should clarify that what I'm referring to are the little things - the handling of the mechanics that are required of an online game to be social-multiplayer experience.

Check out the questions asked in the current hot topics:

• Why can't I solo anything?
• Why so much downtime?
• How are new players going to function?
• How can the non-rich get by anymore?
• Why can people power-level other so fast?
• Why am I not having fun?

These are all things related to how to function through the phase of the game that opens the gateway to actual content, like that to which you refer.

It's not the the grind is the focus, it's that the mechanics used to do it now are balanced in respect to the wrong perceptions and thus incredibly difficult to achieve and maintain without a specific set of resources that not everyone wants to put in / has time it put in the effort to monotonously grind out - all to balance Hardcore v. Casual instead of what parts of the game people find fun, meaningful, and integral to the MMO experience.

[Physic]

In many of the biggest areas, you have my assent. I should clarify that what I'm referring to are the little things - the handling of the mechanics that are required of an online game to be social-multiplayer experience.

Check out the questions asked in the current hot topics:

• Why can't I solo anything?
• Why so much downtime?
• How are new players going to function?
• How can the non-rich get by anymore?
• Why can people power-level other so fast?
• Why am I not having fun?

These are all things related to how to function through the phase of the game that opens the gateway to actual content, like that to which you refer.

It's not the the grind is the focus, it's that the mechanics used to do it now are balanced in respect to the wrong perceptions and thus incredibly difficult to achieve and maintain without a specific set of resources that not everyone wants to put in / has time it put in the effort to monotonously grind out - all to balance Hardcore v. Casual instead of what parts of the game people find fun, meaningful, and integral to the MMO experience.

i think this is a big misconception due to the shift in difficulty, and shift in exp curve and formulas

first off

the overal exp curve has been shifted, to a much flatter curve, they did this by not changing the tnls, but making exp scale with your overall tnl.
The end result is the trip is a much more balanced one, instead of spending 5 hours on 1-20 and 2-4 weeks on 20-50, its a more balanced ride. In fact as you learn the game and meet people you can probably get a bit of acceleration at the end there.

And next, you dont solo the same things, they made it so an even match is closer to an even match, you dont attack something 10 levels higher, you aim for things equal to 1 level higher.

far as downtime, in actuality, its less, your mp recovers faster than before, and you still get it while moving, outside of battle.

far as the economy, i dont really know how that will work out, because its a lot of changes at once, we really wont know what the real ecomony is, until a lot of the new things settle. Yeah people need more gear, but they also get materia people might want to buy, and gear is a lot cheaper to make for most crafts, even the good ones. Its really still to early to tell.

The plevel issue is weird, i kind of get it, but why on one side make it pretty balanced to level, and then have a way where you can just get super sp super fast, I can definitely see catching people up, but ehhh kinda defeats a bunch of the other work they did.


I think one big issue, is this is all a huge change, its turns the game on its head, in a lot of ways its start over, and people dont know what is what, but exp wise, i think we are sitting prettier than we have been for a long time. Overall grind time is down. Even solo, especially compared to 1.18.

Anyhow im really having more fun here than in a long time, even the travel time sinks are gone, and the desire to immediately turn off the game after doing a leve, Doing long quests is a lot less tedious with personal chocobos, and fast airships, combined with judicous, or non judicious anima use.


long post but really, i think people are getting caught up on changes, and not seeing the new direction is actually a pretty hassle freeish one. (comparitively)

[Anonymoose]

DISREGARD THIS POST; SOMEHOW MY LAPTOP DOUBLEPOSTED MEH. /kanyelockoff