[ffxiv-future] A request for "Player-Selectable Difficulty Scaling"

[Nakiamiie]

There is already an easy mode for Ifrit, it's the 4 man version, go and do that. Oh but it doesn't drop shiny weapons. Of course not, that's what the hard mode is for.

This, also there is Toto-Rak for an easy mode dungeon.

You friend can still experience content as of now.

[Bearforce]

Greetings.

This is a repeat of one of my old threads, but I'd like to bring it up again - and preferably without the trolls, as the world is a fairly diverse place, and there are people of every different stripe imaginable.

I have friends who have difficulties handling stress and anxiety, and they also want to be able to participate in the Lv50 content in Final Fantasy XIV. As it exists now, Dzemael Darkhold and the Hyper Ifrit Fight are too stress-inducing for these people, and their personal health can suffer as a result.

However, they want to experience this content on their terms. Think of it like guildleves. Guildleves have a star system in place that allows you to decide the difficulty level, and with 1.19, it now spells out exactly how many levels above you the leve can be set to.

This is precisely what we need for the endgame content. Don't make everything arbitrarily difficult, it's too restrictive in that manner. Instead, have rewards scale according to difficulty settings. For the endgame content, let's use a three-star difficulty system as an example.

1-Star: Easy Mode, 14 Levels Below Original Difficulty (Grants NG equipment)
2-Star: Average Mode, 7 Levels Below Original Difficulty (Grants +1 equipment)
3-Star: Hardcore Mode, Original Difficulty (Grants Dungeon-Specific Equipment, like the Canopus Guisarme)

I strongly encourage Yoshi-P to examine the feasibility of such a system, because my friends have been telling me that if they can't be given the choice to decide how difficult they want the endgame content to be, they would not remain with Final Fantasy XIV. This is their ONLY major gripe.

Choice matters. Being able to complete all of the content the game has to offer on your own terms is important.

It's not fun when you look at the content, and realize: "Oh geez. If I do this, I'll get an anxiety attack and have to chuff all of my meds - and that's gonna cost me several times more than the subscription fee alone. This sucks."

So I would appreciate it if the FFXIV developers would be considerate in regards to these unique situations.

I ask the thread's respondents to please be thoughtful and polite before replying. Responses such as "Then they shouldn't play this game", are terribly rude and inconsiderate - and consequently, reflects badly on the community as a whole. Also, saying that "Ifrit has an easy mode", is not applicable in this situation as that can only be completed once, and repeated if someone in your party has the quest. It is a very limited option.

MMORPGs are meant to be inclusive. If you want to be rude or trollish, I suggest you go to EVE Online's forums.

Thank you for reading.

silvertearRen your idea,s are gold and iam 100% on supporting it. pretty much it adds incentive to lvl 50 players to help lower players/ or even friends.

[Davorok]

I am OK with Scalable Difficulty on Dungeons as long as the loots are lessened and more importantly, as long as after beating Ifrit in Easy-mode, the Loadstone Achievement portrays your character with a Dunce Hat. ;>P

[KamikazeMan]

I'm against it. The high level content should only be reserved for high level players. They worked hard and should be rewarded by being able to access the content along with the rewards. Low level players can stick to the low level stuff and their friends can help them with that if you guys want to play together.

[Alhanelem]

I have friends who have difficulties handling stress and anxiety

I have no rude intentions in making this statement, but if your friends have difficulties handling stress and anxiety, they probably shouldn't be playing any kind of combat-centric online game. Games like FFXIV and WoW and others were not built to be serene and relaxing.

If you allow the dungeons to be scaled back, one of two things is going to happen:

1)Everyone will do the easy mode because it's easier, or
2)No one will do the easy mode because they can't get the same rewards by doing it.

Guildleves get around this problem because they are primarily used for training and currency, not item drops and the currency obtained is only somewhat modified by the difficulty, so people choose the best difficulty for their EXP gain, rather than just going straight for the easiest or hardest. But with dungeons, you can't make them easier without also making the drops harder to get (or there's no motivation to play on a higher difficulty). Then you will have people complaining that they can't get the same items as the hardcore players because they chose easy mode.

I honestly have to ask, what's the point in playing a game like this if it never challenges you? If anything that's difficult triggers a stress attack....

MMOs really AREN'T meant to be "inclusive." Many of them gradually became more inclusive as people who the games weren't designed for played them and complained, but they weren't originally designed to accommodate every kind of game player. MMOs are the only genre I've seen where games get altered to accommodate people for whom that genre probably isn't the best choice.

[Blarp]

Comments like these are not welcome in this thread. I specifically asked for you people to be more considerate, and you're failing quite horribly at that.

I'd try to justify everything, but the point of this is to give people flexibility and choice. This isn't about just my friends' health, but a fundamental aspect of the game that needs to be addressed.

I don't like it when games force a tough battle on me without the option to adjust the difficulty - I don't always have time to spend one whole hour on a single boss.

I think it's pretty ridiculous to ask the developers to implement a system to reduce stress in a video game when it's not a problem for the vast majority of the playerbase. Most people find the challenge and "stress" of a difficult boss fight appealing. I'm sorry your "friends" have issues, but maybe they should just go find a different hobby that doesn't cause anxiety attacks. SE already started adding tiered difficulties. Ifrit easy mode and Ifrit hard mode. If hard mode is too much, then go do easy mode.

Video games don't have to cater to every type of gamer. That's why there's such a huge selection of them. If one doesn't satisfy you, then you can simply go and find another one. Why should the developers attempt to cater to every demographic?

This would be like me telling SE, "I only have one arm. Please make content easier so I can play with one arm." It's absurd. Instead of demanding the game change to meet your needs, why don't you go find a game that already does that.

[Alhanelem]

Video games don't have to cater to every type of gamer. That's why there's such a huge selection of them. If one doesn't satisfy you, then you can simply go and find another one. Why should the developers attempt to cater to every demographic?

Quoted for truth. Why do you think we have so many thousands of video games out there? Why not try to find the one that's right for you instead of forcing yourself to play one that isn't and asking that they change it to fit you?

[Warm]

this is stupid
please this game is already too easy
dont make things anymore easier

[indira]

the skill scaling should only go up

[SilvertearRen]

Well, to my surprise that this thread got necro'd, and by whom?

Trolls.

Thanks, guys. You're real jerks.

Also, On Topic:

In theory, because dev resources are limited and this would take away from other stuff that might be more important.

In practise, because haters gonna hate. (Also a legitimate in my view desire to not see people walking around with Ifrit weapons unless they've done the difficult fight, which would be solved by multiple loot pools based on chosen difficulty.)

My answer? Use the code from the GuildLeves' difficulty scaling system and tweak it to work for dungeons. Simple as that.

And as Teakwood earlier said: haters gonna hate, just 'cause they wanna hate. Hatin' because you can't accept an added level of flexibility to the game, makes you an extremely narrow-minded troglodyte. I have had my fill of narrow-mindedness, I'm about ready to go take a royal sh*t in a box and mail it to the biggest offender of them all. (And you won't even be able to guess who that is...)

P.S. To address the people providing a counterargument about time limitations on playtime, you obviously did not account for the amount of time it takes to prepare for a dungeon, instance, or raid. Therefore, your position is invalidated. Social circumstances can vary from day to day, some days you'll get lucky and land a party within a half hour, giving you time to do one raid, other days you end up spending an hour or more trying to assemble a party...

P.P.S. People who cannot read, and assume that I'm asking for the game to be altered on a world-shaking level - GET A GRIP. All I'm asking for is a system that lets you adjust the difficulty level, with variable reward pools. You're not losing the original difficulty level at all, only getting different difficulty levels added to the game. Holy f*ck, people.

English Comprehension 101, do you has it?