Square Enix has given up on real gameplay

[Physic]

You can sit there and have your character powerleveled to almost 50.

You can press one button 1000's of times to level your craft to 50.

Has SE given up?

Think of a single-player RPG whose combat and leveling experience was so enjoyable, you actually craved more! Think of how satisfying it was to gain a level and have access to more powerful abilities, spells, equipment. Think of what drove you to attain more for your character.

This type of experience is completely lacking in FFXIV and instead of fixing it with superior gameplay, SE has simply thrown in the towel. They've decided to simply make leveling a stupid easy no thought required process which is only a means to an end. In doing so they have sucked the life out of the RPG experience, which is to grow your character and gain satisfaction from doing so - to take your character on a journey.

There are no journeys in FFXIV, only destinations.

for crafting its because, apparently not enough people wanted a more complex crafting mini game, they just wanted to get through it to make items. Since the alpha phase crafting has gotten less and less interactive.

as far as the powerleveling, thats not really a gameplay issue. In fact id say with multi monster fights, and the skill systems, the battle is actually pretty entertaining, and in many situations very challenging. Powerlevel is an example of people going outside the challenge and gameplay that is set up.

As far as the single player rpg idea. You are thinking your idea is the norm. Some people play rpgs and forge ahead in battle, completing content when it is most difficult and challenging, and some people level up until they can murder all opponents with insane ease. This is just the difference in how different people want to play a game. Because this is an online game, you get a clash of these idealogies, and strangely each side wants to force everyone else to play their way. There are journeys, you choose how you want to get there.

[Denmo]

Has SE given up?

If you actually read and paid attention to the threads that have been discussing this topic (with 800 posts and now a Dev Response I might add), you'd have your answer.

Can we lock this?

[zaviermhigo]

People think pl'd charcters are such a big threat, they're just gimp people who didn't even think to get fast cast or crucial things on the way. There people who have to now go do leves on another class just to build up money, since they've never crafted. They will either be twinked out on gear by the pl, or they will be gimply geared. If you want to get a pl'd character to the content, its honestly so much work for one person or one ls, they should of just leveled up with him legit. Pl'd characters may be morally wrong, but they're just a bunch of gimp people you'll never play with because they aren't in your ls lol.

[Gramul]

I have one opinion and anyone who holds a different opinion is a blind fool.

I personally don't care about power leveling, because I never use it and thus I don't actively support it.

If they take it out somehow, or or keep it in, the way I play the game won't change a bit. There's plenty of ways to play the game normally and they'll be adding even more content as the game updates, so saying "Square Enix has given up on real gameplay" is grade A tomfoolery!

[Quanta]

You can sit there and have your character powerleveled to almost 50.

You can press one button 1000's of times to level your craft to 50.

Has SE given up?

Think of a single-player RPG whose combat and leveling experience was so enjoyable, you actually craved more! Think of how satisfying it was to gain a level and have access to more powerful abilities, spells, equipment. Think of what drove you to attain more for your character.

This type of experience is completely lacking in FFXIV and instead of fixing it with superior gameplay, SE has simply thrown in the towel. They've decided to simply make leveling a stupid easy no thought required process which is only a means to an end. In doing so they have sucked the life out of the RPG experience, which is to grow your character and gain satisfaction from doing so - to take your character on a journey.

There are no journeys in FFXIV, only destinations.

Levelling was never the focus of any RPG, and you're foolish to make it seem bigger than it actually is. The most important part of RPGs has always been the adventures you have, not the numbers on some sheet of paper. The growth of your character should be a fluid one that you only really take note of when it actually happens, and forget about it the rest of the time; unfortunately, the lack of content at pretty much every point of the game only serves to remind the player that they're on a road that has very few detours and little waiting for them at the end. Still, what little there is at the end is about the only thing that makes the game worth playing, but not to the point where people should have to slog through the barren wastes that is currently the early and mid games.

The problem, in other words, is that the journey is a long and boring one.

[grandm]

leveling up and working your way around the sphere grid in FF10 was so addictive it should have been made illegal. i can see the OP's point. but no1 is forcing you to power level. i won't be

[Quanta]

People think pl'd charcters are such a big threat, they're just gimp people who didn't even think to get fast cast or crucial things on the way. There people who have to now go do leves on another class just to build up money, since they've never crafted. They will either be twinked out on gear by the pl, or they will be gimply geared. If you want to get a pl'd character to the content, its honestly so much work for one person or one ls, they should of just leveled up with him legit. Pl'd characters may be morally wrong, but they're just a bunch of gimp people you'll never play with because they aren't in your ls lol.

You're right in regards to new players, but if we're talking about existing players, it's likely that they're PLing classes that they don't ever intend to play and just want to have access to additional skills for their mains, so nothing is lost there, while much is gained.

for crafting its because, apparently not enough people wanted a more complex crafting mini game, they just wanted to get through it to make items. Since the alpha phase crafting has gotten less and less interactive.

They just turned crafted items into consumables, the intention being that you will either convert items into materia, or try and meld extra materia onto an item, which can fail and take all your hard work with it. Simplifying the recipes makes this whole song and dance easier, as failure no longer means having to collaborate with half a dozen different crafters and gatherers making all the individual parts (as opposed to simply asking them for base materials, like cloth or leather) just to make a new piece to try melding again. It's otherwise as "interactive" as its ever been.

[neorei]

has anyone beat hyper ifirt? cause last time i checked only one LS did it.

[TonyMontana]

has anyone beat hyper ifirt? cause last time i checked only one LS did it.

Multiple LSs have done it.

[Physic]

You're right in regards to new players, but if we're talking about existing players, it's likely that they're PLing classes that they don't ever intend to play and just want to have access to additional skills for their mains, so nothing is lost there, while much is gained.



They just turned crafted items into consumables, the intention being that you will either convert items into materia, or try and meld extra materia onto an item, which can fail and take all your hard work with it. Simplifying the recipes makes this whole song and dance easier, as failure no longer means having to collaborate with half a dozen different crafters and gatherers making all the individual parts (as opposed to simply asking them for base materials, like cloth or leather) just to make a new piece to try melding again. It's otherwise as "interactive" as its ever been.

oh i dont mean the part synth, i can see why they simplified it, and killed parts, the essentially wanted to create a large amount of finished products on the market, weapons/armor as you said are like consumables now.

I more mean the actual minigame itself has become less and less involved, with standard being the only button you need to press 90% of the time, and instabilities, and color having less of an effect on failing. While the mini game was never the greatest thing in the world, and i would have welcomed a newer more interactive one, they seem to have gone the other way, because a lot of people wanted crafted to be fairly straightfoward, with success being more predictable and less based on strategy skill or luck, basically a guaranteed win, with a focus on time invested