Your Opinion - Questions to the Community

[Jatoi]

1. Do you believe the NOVICE channel is working as intended in regards to general chat being allowed?

I haven't played with that feature because well, I couldn't even bother.


2. Which would you rather have, unisex gear, or counterparts for each piece of gear released for both male and female?

Unisex all the way, I don't care for people's lame excuses with "immersion" and "that's not how x is supposed to look". Glamour is not high on my list of concerns and priorities though.


3. Did you enjoy the 3.2 storyline?

Shit got pretty heavy, so yes.


4. What is your favourite aspect of the patch and why?

Probably the new dungeons/raids. More stuff to do, more to conquer!


5. What is your least favourite aspect of the patch and why?

Mentor system as I couldn't care less about it.


6. What would you improve about patch 3.2?

Eh, not certain about that.


7. What is your favourite dungeon/raid?

Probably Sephirot and the new Amdapor. The latter is really beautiful to go through.

[Serilda]

1. Do you believe the NOVICE channel is working as intended in regards to general chat being allowed?

I can't join it so I'm only going by secondhand reports, but thinking back to when I was new I wouldn't have liked to be in a channel full of older players chatting about things I didn't understand and distracting me at a time when there's an awful lot to take in already (it's also why I never join a FC/guild until I feel comfortable with a new game - but isn't the novice channel supposed to be different?) Strictly barring all casual chat seems excessive, but discouraging it to let the newbies find their own voices would be better. Some kind of invisible, reward-free 'helpfulness' rating system for the mentors might be good. However, I'm not part of the channel so my opinions are only worth so much.

Perhaps the issues with the mentor channel are highlighting the need for more opt-in chat channels in general which aren't disruptive (like shouting) or reliant on player-run systems (like linkshells)?

2. Which would you rather have, unisex gear, or counterparts for each piece of gear released for both male and female?

The former is more convenient and the game can handle cosmetic differences on the same piece of gear, so that. Either works for me, though; I'd gladly take separate pieces over the female+unisex set pattern.

3. Did you enjoy the 3.2 storyline?

Yes!

4. What is your favourite aspect of the patch and why?

It's fun revisiting old content to pick up music sheets and any other drops my FC members missed the first time around; between music, cards, ponies and minions I feel as though we're all getting plenty of rewards for taking trips back to the past. I also enjoyed one of the activities which took place in the later part of the main story.

5. What is your least favourite aspect of the patch and why?

Those infamous gloves and the continued glamour imbalance situation they represent, of course. Oh, and the fact that all of my most-played jobs (caster/healer) use the exact same models for most gear. A little disappointed that the PVP updates have been so tunnel visioned on The Feast that some much-needed boosts in other areas are still overlooked (gear, the fact only one gameplay mode is rank 60 right now, the fact that different people will want to play different modes even if The Feast is good, PVP ranks being a disaster in general, those seven-hour queues I know will be returning outside of prime time very soon). But overall, I'm happy; the things which bother me don't come close to spoiling the good parts. Well, except for the queues.

6. What would you improve about patch 3.2?

Implementing some of the suggested feedback about Stone Sky Sea (which I like) would be appreciated. And on that note I'd like to be able to enter new dungeons undersized (but not unsynced, and with no new balancing required) with my friends for fun and training as a small group rather than waiting for 4.0. We'd enjoy the challenge and silliness.

7. What is your favourite dungeon/raid?

I haven't done everything yet but The Antitower was probably the most entertaining; going in for the first time with three friends using Skype was a fun experience and I liked the feel of the place.

[Kurogaea]

1. The first few days, yes. Week later, too many mentors with the knack of calling new players noobs not giving any help.

2. I wouldn't mind both but I'd say unisex gear.

3. It was more funner this time around, could be from sensory deprivation doing the same things waiting for something new.

4. Calcabrina. May be a reused monster in the Final Fantasy franchise without a hint of originality but the creep factor was still kinda cool.

5. Removal of rank requirements for PvP gear. Its literally a kick in the balls to devoted PvPers who worked hard for that gear thinking it'd be useful in the next patch, but nope, didn't matter, and no longer matters. Thnx SE.

6. More rewards in PvP such as cosmetics, furniture, and purchasables. Removal of GC restrictions in PvP, removal of player restrictions when queing up for new extreme and savage instances (so players can get practice anytime), Adding aoes and mock mechanics in Sky Sea and Stone, add those farthings (the ones that give you materia and upgrade your gear) to the Crystal Tower runs so people would have more options, Allow players to skip whatever phase they want on the 2nd relic when they turn in their first one, make diadem able to be entered on your own (bare with me) and allow parties to be made inside of diadem, increase the spawn times of fates, when sending tells with "/r" make the reply automatically lock your chat target so you may continue the conversation without /r, and finally, lower the price for those relic items now that the tomestones updated.

7. Anti-Tower. Creep Doll ftw.

[Kallera]

Hello all,

In relation to the last patch, there has been a lot of debate and discussion regarding features that were implemented (or not implemented). It would be interesting to see people's clear opinions on these matters without filtering through debate, and it might help the devs also.

1. Do you believe the NOVICE channel is working as intended in regards to general chat being allowed?

2. Which would you rather have, unisex gear, or counterparts for each piece of gear released for both male and female?

3. Did you enjoy the 3.2 storyline?

4. What is your favourite aspect of the patch and why?

5. What is your least favourite aspect of the patch and why?

6. What would you improve about patch 3.2?

7. What is your favourite dungeon/raid?

Thanks all, this is all in good fun. Please don't take it too seriously ^^

- Lu.

1. I am not a mentor at this, so I cannot answer this. From what I hear it looks like it isn't working, with too many "mentor"s misbehaving and spoiling content freely.

2. I'd like both, except when they are shoes and gloves then make those unisex. Its not like men and women have naughty bits on their hands and feet.

3. I liked it. It inclided quite a few things I originally were hoping they'd bring in to the main character's responses and feelings towards the ongoing trails heaped on them. I thought they would stop exploring it outside of the DRK quest, I'm glad to see I was wrong. I'm also in anticipation for how this all plays out in 3.3 and hoping that the fireworks don't end when Nidhogg dies.

4. Um, I'm not sure. Its all very new, so I guess I'll have to see what happens if the polish stays after a bit. Universally, I say the tanks adjustments were sorely needed, and now I feel like I'm in proper form to take the bosses by the horns.

5. Um, girl and guy boots and gloves? Really? In addition, I'm still no fan of scrips. But at least there are some recipies I can do... And I Still don't care about pvp.

6. I think Stone Sky and Sea was a weak addition that doesn't deliver. It should be worked on to incorperate tank and healer situations, as well as mechanic training.

7. Favorite raid is A7, so many cool things going on.

[Jim_Berry]

1. Do you believe the NOVICE channel is working as intended in regards to general chat being allowed?

2. Which would you rather have, unisex gear, or counterparts for each piece of gear released for both male and female?

3. Did you enjoy the 3.2 storyline?

4. What is your favourite aspect of the patch and why?

5. What is your least favourite aspect of the patch and why?

6. What would you improve about patch 3.2?

7. What is your favourite dungeon/raid?

1. I haven't used it much, since I'm usually always unable to get into the Network due to max users.

2. Not of a concern to me, so N/A.

3. I did.

4. More things to do. I like to spam content, new and old. The content we received just adds on to the content I was already doing. This adds huge replay value.

5. While not a huge deal, I would have liked the Tome requirement to obtain an Unidentifiable item for relic was lowered, since the Eso dropped in price. Since Farthing can be granted for each completed Void Ark run, and since Yukimitsu (NIN Eso weapon) is better than Kannagi (NIN Anima weapon), I have no morale to push for the Anima weapon currently, because I'd rather spend the Eso to gear my jobs. I'd get Kannagi > alt class gear if Relic items were cheaper.

6. We were in a stage where dps mattered heavily. With that, many people are forgetting how to pay attention attacks from enemies. I see a lot of people not moving when they don't see an attack indicator on the ground (Mega Beam from A8 boss), because they focus on dealing damage. I'd like the community to improve on this.

7. For 3.2, it's "The Burden of the Sun" (A8 Normal), simply because I love the music for the final phase. Otherwise, Thordan Extreme is still my favorite due to the music.

BONUS:
I like how this content is focused on mechanics. Prior, I spent more time pressing my buttons harder and faster hoping I can push more dps lol... With the current patch, that is no longer the case. My damage is on point for the most part, and I am VERY good at doing mechanics. Pushing high dps numbers (1200-1300 being my highest on Faust) was always a flaw for me.

[Kaurie]

1. Do you believe the NOVICE channel is working as intended in regards to general chat being allowed?

I have not been in it, but from what I have heard no. 100 mentors, 10 newbies - chatter about endgame stuff etc

2. Which would you rather have, unisex gear, or counterparts for each piece of gear released for both male and female?

Both, just like in real life where there are outfits specifically designed for each gender, and some things which are more unisex. I like it as it is currently.

3. Did you enjoy the 3.2 storyline?

It was OK, I felt it was the least interesting story patch since 2.3. It was executed well, but the actual story was fairly meh. I personally found it weird that a Grand Melee was supposed to raise the spirits of all of Ishgard when there was like 0 spectators present.

4. What is your favourite aspect of the patch and why?

Tough call. I really like that we have materia slots for customization, and I think this will have the most long lasting benefit to the game for me. However, the Midas encounters currently sit as the best part of 3.2 for me.

5. What is your least favourite aspect of the patch and why?

Stone Sea Sky (Sea Stone Sky, Sky Sea Stone? I never remember the order). This just feels like a middle finger to people who want real parsers. I went in and did it myself and it felt fairly useless. We already have dummies for practicing rotations, what we needed is a parser that can show us how well we are executing damage in real encounters.

6. What would you improve about patch 3.2?

- Remove SSS
- Remove mentors / novice channel
- Add in a real parser
- Make materia melding do-able by anyone
- Add in interesting materia that may be more targeted for certain jobs
- Make the dungeons less linear, remove pointless blocks for mass pulls (that said I loved the two new dungeons)

7. What is your favourite dungeon/raid?

Toss up between Midas floor 7 and 8

[Atoli]

1. Yes, it's working as intended. From the start the whole system was meant to be self-regulating, and that works well on several servers. If this regulation fails on some servers, that just means a big enough part of the community has an "open for all" stance on the matter, which is fine in itsself. I also am not of the opinion that a bit of general banter hurts the newbies in any way but actually tends to make them feel more involved most of the time.

2. I find unisex gear a bit boring, especially since you can't go all out on the frills, garterbelts and the like because you have to be mindful of guys who want to wear the new gear too, so I'd prefer counterparts for both sexes.

3. Not finished yet, will edit once I did anything past Antitower (after which I stopped).

4. The new recipes, because I'm part of the "glamour/housing is the real endgame"-crowd and my endgame just got a lot bigger because everything is so lovely and a must-have

5. That it takes at least 2 months until one can get the new weapon instead of the 2-3 weeks it took before. I don't mind that things take long, I just want my choice to matter. If I want to go for the weapon first, let me. I don't want to be forced to get pretty much all other gear first. Oh, and obviously the general fact that materia is needed again to be any useful in endgame =.= Thanks for bringing back my most hated feature about 1.x >.>

5. Keep materia out of my game.

6. In general or just in this patch?
In general it's still Final Coil with a nice midcore level of difficulty, fun mechanics and an epic, wonderful story. If I had to pick one turn, T11 I guess? Although I honestly love them all.
In this patch, Alex Midas. Alex still falls short on many levels, but the story DID get better (AFTER you beat it..xD) and the fights are fun and engaging with many nice mechanics too it. Can't say much for difficulty yet since I had no time for Savage, but normal mode is just fine for pug groups.

[Niroken]

3. Did you enjoy the 3.2 storyline?

It seems very tense but oddly forgettable, the only aspect that I can recall is a certain battle.

4. What is your favourite aspect of the patch and why?

The quality of life fixes, most of the added on content is usable and enjoyable. Collectable music. Midas and Seph Ex are very fun fights even though the Alex story is very lackluster (which I ignore).

5. What is your least favourite aspect of the patch and why?

There is a lot of cutting corners that are very noticeable like redyed gear from dungeons, dungeon length being shorter, story seems shorter that is only lengthened by a lot of back and forth quests, specialist classes being jammed down crafters throats, accuracy materia needed from healers to be able to DPS properly due to having no accuracy on gear.

6. What would you improve about patch 3.2?

It seems that patch content is getting shorter even though they are adding new things. They need to hire more people to keep the quality up.

7. What is your favourite 3.2 dungeon/raid?

All of Midas was pretty good, Antitower's Boss made it worth while going through but both of the new dungeons are short, bland and forgetable mechanics wise.

[Adire]

1. No. Judging by what I've read, it's everything except a helpful place for newbies to be on most servers.

2. Counterparts.

3. I don't usually pay attention to the story, so no comment.

4. Midas. It's a lot more fun than Gordias and has some interesting new mechanics.

5. The Vit/Str change. I tanked just fine as a Str Warrior. My self heals more than made up for the minor difference in HP and I felt like more than just a meatshield. Now, I'm essentially getting the same result but with far less efficiency. My self heals are also pathetic now. I hate that everyone is pigeonholed into vit, even str tanks that did fine. Now we're forced to do the same thing but less efficiently. And I actually have to be healed more now since my self heals are crap. I don't even want to tank anymore, even if this limited view that tanks are there to absorb damage and nothing more is "true", though I disagree with it strongly.

6. I'd undo the str/vit change and ditch the circles on the hotbar.

7. A7 for raid, Lost City of Amdapor HM for dungeon.

[Dyvid]

1. Do you believe the NOVICE channel is working as intended in regards to general chat being allowed?
Don't know, I'm not a mentor.

2. Which would you rather have, unisex gear, or counterparts for each piece of gear released for both male and female?
I think it's fine as is.

3. Did you enjoy the 3.2 storyline?
Yep, enjoyed the action event too.

4. What is your favourite aspect of the patch and why?
Tough one. I would say materia on end game gear. It's a step in the right direction for horizontal progress into the game.

5. What is your least favourite aspect of the patch and why?
PvP and the fact that it's still limiting. GC restrictions and older content not being raised to level 60.

6. What would you improve about patch 3.2?
I would add one Light Party dungeon and one Full Party dungeon each patch.

7. What is your favourite 3.2 dungeon/raid?
Don't know, haven't experienced everything yet.