Message from actual new player

[Ultima]

Hi all,

I bought this game and played it for the first time 2 weeks ago. I've been on every day since (loving it!), and just experienced the patch. As you can see, I'm a level 20ish archer and marauder. I've played a few hours since the patch hit, and I'm completely disappointed. I wasn't even attacking mobs much higher than me before the patch, but occasionally I'd hit something 1 or 2 levels above and I'd make it through alive. Now, I get my ass kicked by mobs 2 levels below me and anything higher it's hopeless. All my hand picked gear (mostly by helpful players) isn't helping at all and the game just generally seems way HARDER. Harder than it should be..it just kills the pacing. Sorry, but I play video games for fun, not to be bored and frustrated. I was pretty happy right before the patch with the level speed, combat flow and yeah, I died now and then when I did something stupid, but now the game seems excessively hard. So all you high-level people with lots of experience, I'm glad you are having fun, but I'm going to go play Aion now. I suspect a lot of other new people like me feel the same way. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with this patch at all...it just simply made the game no-fun for me as a new player around my level. I've been severely nerfed playing other MMOs too, and it just kills the fun for me when that happens. It's like someone took away half of everything you've been building up and working hard at. Normally, that is called a punishment.

And yes, I've done nothing but group with other new players since the patch. We get our asses kicked constantly, even when 3 of us gang up on a mob 2 levels above us. Both of my friends logged out with a long goodbye and quit, both claiming they might be back after 1.20, but probably not with GW2 and SWTOR coming out. So there I was alone, at level 20 with crappy gear and nobody to play with surrounded by monsters that I can't kill. Yuck. I guess there is a form of permadeath now in this game after all, in the form of this pretty digital purgatory I found myself standing in.

Maybe you just don't know how to play with the classes, or you could do some crafting classes and get better gear.. or just I don't know, don't try to jump a mob higher level than you. If someone ragequits because a game is hard, then I guess only the easy mode embrace of SWTOR will save them, and they'll probably get kicked by GW 2 and come crawling back.. -Yawns- 14 isn't that hard, just abuse every tactic possible, it's not brain surgery.

[Dubont]

Get better gear, level more classes for better skills, do things with an actual group (2 archers and a LNC is not an actual group)

[Vahzl]

Get better gear, level more classes for better skills, do things with an actual group (2 archers and a LNC is not an actual group)

Dude back in patch minus 18.9826763 this was liek totally the bezt cominations of liek playerz! You could totally solo all of the worldz with liek only 100 artchers cause liek thats soloing with 100 people! Why SE chnage this stuff its leik tehy don wan us to paly¬!

Translation: People doth needing to L2P

[DeadRiser]

We have a new person in my Linkshell and she says she loves the difficulty. I mean, if something is your exact level, isn't it supposed to be a little difficult? That's what this game has been needing, DIFFICULTY and now people want it gone.

Just do like everyone else and ask people to Power Level you... It's the new SP party.

[Betelgeuzah]

I mean, if something is your exact level, isn't it supposed to be a little difficult?

I wish this was the case. Maybe if you try to push yourself to 20 with level 1 equipment... otherwise it's so easy it's almost tedious. On the other hand, though, seeing the growth in power so clearly is pretty bad-ass.

I can't wait to see what happens when we can re-allocate our stats the way we want to. Dump those MND into STR and decimate everything on your way.

[Vaer]

I wish this was the case. Maybe if you try to push yourself to 20 with level 1 equipment... otherwise it's so easy it's almost tedious. On the other hand, though, seeing the growth in power so clearly is pretty bad-ass.

I can't wait to see what happens when we can re-allocate our stats the way we want to. Dump those MND into STR and decimate everything on your way.

Not only this, one thing everyone seems to be missing is the effect of consumable food. It increased your ability by a ton and scaled upwards in XI. It would make the harder things easier. Has anyone been trying to use food regularly? Meat Miq'abob or whatever it's called in this game. (NPC actually sell them for 3-4k a pop) Is it similar to Meat Mithkabob from XI in respects to boosting attack, str and a pinch of agi? Jack-o-lantern for ACC/EVA? Even ginger cookies are in the game as well as juices which gave refresh/mp regen in XI. Guess I'll try a Meat Miq'abob next time I go kill stuff.

Before the "LOL this is XIV" people come out, the old battle designer for XI is now the battle designer for XIV, so there are going to be constant comparisons. Deal with it.

I'm sure once they add/fix the food system or it's figured out, the game will be more manageable on top of the ability to distribute stats the way you want.

[Anapingofness]

Hmm...

I'm still updating for the patch but in about an hour I'll be able to see this difficulty that has a lot of panties in a bunch.

Personally, and speaking as an FFXI vet, I welcome the difficulty. If I overcome something that is hard then I feel more accomplished. I'm not saying make it bloody impossible, not by a long shot, but I think there should be some work involved.

I think far too many games simply hand things out on a sliver platter.

So much like the conversation between Savage and the Alpha in Brave New World, I prefer to go through hardships to get to my goal because otherwise it is meaningless.

In simpler terms- i don't want instant gratification because it has no meaning and it gets old real fast.

Therefore in my opinion new players should be more flexible. They should learn to play the game instead of having the game be dumbed down so that a trained monkey can play it.

I remember how awesome it felt to clear CoP when it came out. Yeah it was hard, gods it was infuriating but the frustration came from human error and not because the game was too hard.
I know that people who had cleared it back then know the feeling I'm talking about.

I think it's safe to say that it is that feeling that those of us who had beat CoP want to recapture.

Also, if you want something that is dumb and has no place in a game look at FFXI's AV or Pandemonium Warden, before the patches.

[ShiroNeko]

On the other hand, in my opinion all Final Fantasy games have been quite easy if you only do the storyline part. Sure, most games in the series takes ~40-60 hours to complete when doing the first run (not counting XIII). And such, I think even this games storyline should be fairly easy to follow through. And honestly, I do believe that the enemies should be hard so that parties have an effect, but in contrast, I want enemies thats supposed to be for your level or slightly below to be rewarding more, so that grind works again.
All Final Fantasy games I've played (VII, VIII, IX, X, XII) have been very grind-supportive, If you'd spend ~4 hours grinding before first boss in FFVII, you can run through 1 disk in no time at all, everything will die at 1 attack anyway.
So not allowing grind in a FF-game seems quite wrong . I do however as stated encourage harder enemies and higher sp gain when in party, I just think that solo should be an option.

Edit: I lost ~250 of 1000 hp with 1.19, as well as my equiped weapon dropped from doing ~150 dmg to doing 19 dmg, but I still play with hopes of improvements to solo capability later on.

//Regards

[Pyrix]

This patch did more harm than progress.

[Aion]

test creating new char in new server, yes the fight took longer, but it is not hard. the leveling feels worthy now. get rid all your habit from pre 1.19. learn to find which mob to kill, and how to improve your char(play-wise and gear wise)