Your Opinion - Questions to the Community

[SaitoHikari]

1) It's pretty much a glorified linkshell. It may be working as intended in some servers, but it likely isn't in other servers. From what I've seen of the few times I was actually able to get into the Sargatanas channel though, it is actually being used properly here, although that's likely because most of the Mentors have unofficially agreed to keep chat in there to a minimum, and restricted to questions and answers only.

2) No comment. Although I would like to say that I'd like the brilliant blue hue used in the base version of the Saurian Tabard of Aiming to be a dyeable color for other gear.

3) A lot happened in the story that introduced a lot of intriguing questions moving forward, so it was far, FAR better than 3.1 in that regard (which felt like a lot of nothing in comparison to 3.2). I also like that our character is starting to become a lot more expressive in the story, although I'd imagine the roleplayers may or may not be too happy about that. I do have to say that the Antitower's significance may have been very overhyped though. A lot of people were expecting it to be linked to Silvertear Lake and Midgardsmor's secret in some way (and maybe for the Ascians to be involved), but it instead turned out to be a random plot device out of nowhere without much of its own lore (besides 'the Sharlayans made this because reasons, Matoya is conveniently watching over the only remaining entrance, and you need to explore it because reasons').

4) I love the Orchestrion. I just wish there were more music available. That's for future patches I guess. I also liked Lost City of Amdapor Hard, although that's mainly because I'm a WHM main at heart and I'm a sucker for any lore tidbit for my main class. Certainly wasn't expecting the dungeon to go the way it did at all, most of us were probably expecting another voidsent/insect-related boss instead. The two new dungeons overall are also far more interesting in design than the four dungeons before them, although that's likely because some standard mobs had attacks that were different from the norm (and some, like the jars before the final boss in Amdapor HM, were a threat for reasons other than having a Final Sting).

5) To me, it feels as if the developers cannot decide if they want healer DPS to be a thing or not. The vitality change resulted in tank HP going through the roof, but I feel as if enemy damage (in the two new dungeons at least, I cannot speak for the trials/raids) did not really scale up in response. Enemy HP in the two new dungeons also feels as if they have been scaled higher compared to Pharos Sirius HM and Arboretum. What I mean to say is that I found myself having a LOT more time to safely attack as a healer in the two dungeons, and higher tank HP/higher enemy HP seems to encourage it as well, but then there's the significantly higher miss rate for healers in the two dungeons. It leads to me expending a lot of MP attacking while not being sure if I'm really doing much of anything at all, especially for longer casting spells like Holy and Aero III (and ESPECIALLY for Aero III).

While the problem may be rectified in a few weeks by melding Accuracy materia into our new gear, there's also the fact that the materia adjustments haven't been retroactively applied to law and esoteric gear as well. New players down the road may end up being very confused about all of this.

6)
- I am not sure that auto attack indicator above the enemy HP bar is even needed. With the enemy HP bar's default position, that icon will also obscure part of the player's buff tmers. That's a pretty major design oversight.
- Maybe give Culinarian specialists the ability to create food that increases overmelding chance, something like a flat +5-10% maybe?
- Blue scrip costs for the new master crafting tomes are pretty excessive. Nobody really enjoys going out and gathering tons of materials from timed nodes to craft and turn in as collectibles. 420 blue scrips for the first set of tomes was reasonable because players could work on getting the scrips as they level their crafters, but the 700+ for the new tomes means that you'd probably have to do collectible synthesis about 15 times per tome (assuming you're doing collectible synthesis on items that generate 50+ blue scrips per turn in, which isn't very many/the item has to be starred for the day/the item likely requires materials from timed gathering nodes). I suggest lowering the first set of tomes to about 300, and the second set of tomes to about 500.

7) See #4.

[LDR]

1. Im not in it so i asked a friend what its like and even on a low pop server like Coeurl its alot of "end game raid and melds" talk i hear. sure its xiv related and i cant say if anyone helps new people in there but honestly atm i think the general chatting isnt relevant to anyone sub 40 hours. i say its 50/50, not over policing what people say is nice but its the community who arent using it for intended purposes.

2. Unisex, whilst still making "counterparts". more often than not the male version i want on my girls and the female on my boys.

3. a continuation of the story prowess that was 3.0. good stuff, i hope they can keep up to it

4. the way its been structured to make multiple things relevant over time even with higher options in the same release just slightly gated. i like how there is alot of things to do all at once, overwhelming at first but then it settles into a full week of activity which is nice. is it 100% perfect, no, but its 95%.

5. even thought i like how the structure has gated items behind weeks, i guess my least fav is the 7week to get a lore wep. i know why they did it, rotty wpes would be invalid week 3 if they didnt; but i wont go to rotEX so i feel left behind for 7 weeks to get a decent wep.

6. only thing that comes to mind atm is "better preperation" by which i mean the servers. Coeurl is like, 5th lowest pop in game i think? and the slow down in places is amazing, i cant imagine what its like on high pops. guess SE didnt realise how many would return for 3.2 after the desolation of 3.0-3.1. my system is decent and things can get laggy, i cant imagine it on lower machines and ps3.

7. Anti and Ruins are pretty; but honestly i still preffer Saints over them atm, idk why. Midas is fun; not sure which i like most but i do like them.
but lets be real
fav/best thing was the Grand Melee
replayable when, i want to try on other classes.

[Reinha]

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 3.2 dungeon/raid?

1. General chat should be allowed, but story spoilers should not. I was under the impression that spoiling is against the rules. Chatting can create a friendly environment but helping should be the first priority for all in the channel.

2. Counterparts. The unisex is already causing robes and armor to cover everything from head to toe and makes my character look shapeless. I like feminine outfits on my female character. An equal amount of male and female counterpart gear is a good way to make that happen. If unisex changes appearance based on gender then I'm up for that too. I also believe that getting unisex gear (identical for both genders) is letting the devs off easy. We woudn't be getting 2 different unisex sets but only one per theme. That's less variety than gendered versions.

3. Very much so.

4. Midas is my favourite so far because the fights are quite fun. I also like bug dailies and Stone, Sea, Sky. The vit/str tank update was nice too. Now the gear I roll need on is the best on my tank and as healer it gives me more flexibility to add dps.

5/6. The mentor system could do with some improvements. And the hotbar update needs reversed or at least given an option to turn off.

7. I like A7 and Antitower the most. A7 has great mechanics and Antitower has the best theme. I've never wanted to kill the last boss so badly.

[KaijinRhada]

1. Not in it myself, but I've heard some disparaging things about it from FC members and others, so it sounds like a crapshoot.

2. Counterparts or dynamic gear (one set, two looks).

3. Not finished it yet, but so far yes.

4. Hard to say, but loving the new instances and Alex. The fluff content and adorable Vath dailies are a good runner up.

5. The CD circle malarkey and the fact it can't be turned off.

6. The VIT/STR change on tanks, mostly for the fact that I feel the change should have made VIT more heavily weighted. I usually hop on a WAR to tank, so my self healing is a bit down. I need to test PLD and DRK, and while WAR was pretty ridiculous, I prefer buffing what is lacking rather than an across the board nerf, but I go back to my first thought on the new weights. Also the sad state of parry still exists. QwQ

7. Instances are tied, so for raids, probably A8 or A7.

[Morningstar1337]

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

I have no intention of being a Mentor regardless of the state of the Novice Network (I don't think I'm cut out for it), but if what I'm reading about the subject is true then I would have to say...no.

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

No preference. SE has done all they can to appease that crowd (well the part of it that isn't obsessed with the bunny headbands)

3. Did you enjoy the 3.2 storyline?

Yes. I liked how much doubt this patch has cast on whether we are doing the right thing or not. As well as Emmanulein's development.

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

Gonna say the Story, MSQ, Primal and Midas. It seems that the gears are moving forward and we might have a resolution to the Dragonsong War soon. Plus it also sets up a position to ask what it means to be The Warrior of Light? And how it would affect the realm at large.

Though The new source of income Materia from BTs are a very close second

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

The Mentor system, though more out of disinterest and certain abuses of a certain chat channel, though the gating of most orchestration rolls is a rather close second.

6. What would you improve about patch 3.2?

I would add some Guidelines to the Novice Network to ensure it does its intended purpose of helping new players.

Outside of things implemented in the patch, I would also add new syntax to the /macroicon command to emulate the old system. And add new dye colors.

7. What is your favourite 3.2 dungeon/raid?

Gonna say Antitower, there's something charming about fighting creepy dolls and musical refernces inside an upside down castle close to another plane of existence.

[Synrin]

1. Do you believe the NOVICE channel is working as intended in regards to general chat being allowed? Don't know, didn't join the network.
2. Which would you rather have, unisex gear, or counterparts for each piece of gear released for both male and female? Unisex gear. Best example I can put out right now is the esoterics scholar gear. The boots' appearance changed depending on your sex, but it is not gender-locked.
3. Did you enjoy the 3.2 storyline? Very much.
4. What is your favourite aspect of the patch and why? New stuff, of course. I love seeing things moving forward.
5. What is your least favourite aspect of the patch and why? Bad mentors. Bad mentors everywhere.
6. What would you improve about patch 3.2? Que times for the new content. They are way too long.
7. What is your favourite 3.2 dungeon/raid? Midas is very fun, I think!

[Selli]

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

Yes. It allows both the Mentors and/or Green Leaves to bond. The chat would be really impersonal if people were only allowed to ask/answer questions. Allowing general chat allows everyone present to talk like equals instead of being restricted to having a student/teacher relationship.

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

I personally think counterparts would be better, just because a copy and paste from one to the other might not look that nice and I think flattering the features of both genders would be best.

For example there was a thread about the Thavarian dress on males, and rather than just copy and paste it as is onto the male model, it was adjusted slightly to highlight the chest rather than hide it and I think that ended up looking much better.

3. Did you enjoy the 3.2 storyline?

Yes! The facial expressions were really well done, WoL being more expressive is really enjoyable. It's really nice to see objects actually interacting with the characters becoming more frequent (ie arrows, coffee mugs, tears when crying, ect). Thancred's punch was also really well done, that must have taken quite a while since it looked flawless and natural.

But also from a story stand point, I feel like a lot happened and it felt really smooth. 3.1 felt to me like not much happened, but 3.2 was full of activity. I think I spent 4 hours doing the story and it honestly only felt like 5 minutes.

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

Hmmm.

I really like the new dungeons, the mechanics are interesting and they're designed really well. I'm also really fond of the armor even though it's just a recolor (healing gown is gorgeous). Sephirot is a really fun fight, but Bismark is still my favorite HW primal. A5-8 I find much more enjoyable than A1-4, though I'm still unsure about stepping into Savage.

I also really like the addition of the /vpose and /bstance, it's really nice to see longer and fluid emotes like that. Shows how much the game is growing!

I'm most excited for the Feast, though, as a PvPer. However we don't actually have it, so I can't really comment on it yet.

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

Not including PvP ranks onto the i205 PvP gear. :\ Glamour farmers in PvP are the most irritating people to deal with. They're far more common than Eso farmers were, and they have 0 interest in the content and tend to just stand there and argue and vote kick people who call them out.

6. What would you improve about patch 3.2?

RemoveGCrestrictionsinPvP

7. What is your favourite 3.2 dungeon/raid?

Definitely LCoA HM! I love the bosses and their mechanics and I think the really holy feel toward the end of the dungeon is delightful. I also really want Cure IV. o3o Such a pretty healie circle~

[CGMidlander]

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 3.2 dungeon/raid?

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

- Lu.

1) I can't speak for other servers, but the novice channel seems to be doing more good than harm on my server. I see lots of happy sprouts every day.

2) I don't really care either way.

3) Yeah

4) New instances; 3.0 content was getting a tad stale.

5) This might be an unpopular opinion, but I would have appreciated it if Midas Savage had a staggered release, like Gordias Savage did. My static had some bickering over what to do first, Sephirot or A5S? We ended up working on Sephirot first, but the whole time there was a feeling that we should have been doing Midas Savage instead. If the release was staggered, this would not have been an issue.

6) The Hildibrand episode was a bit short and underwhelming. I wish it was a bit more substantial. Also, the new red scrip accessories suck and should have better stats.

7) Overall I enjoyed Sephirot EX. The most irritating part about it was listening to first phase music repeatedly during practice. I ended up turning off BGM because it was grinding on me.

[Sailysium]

Only spent enough time on the new patch to give my opinions on the first 2 topics.

1. Do you believe the NOVICE channel is working as intended in regards to general chat being allowed?
While many were hoping for a novice system that is more job and endgame specific I think the system as is is a step in the right direction. Would have liked to participate in it when i first started out as a sproutling since I had no one to really talk to about the game for quite a time prior to joining an FC (note, started playing in beta 3). Could use some QoL changes though. Dislike the auto join feature as a mentor even when my mentor status is toggled off.

2. Which would you rather have, unisex gear, or counterparts for each piece of gear released for both male and female?
More unisex please. As a Femroe I prefer to look more cool and tomboyish rather than OT feminine attire, prefer to wear unisex. The new unisex hairstyles were a step in the right direction as far as I'm concerned .

[Zaylan]

1. Do you believe the NOVICE channel is working as intended in regards to general chat being allowed?
On Siren, the channel is used for all sorts of things but it has been helpful to some people. Not sure how else to handle it. People use hunts LS for requesting help in dungeons and raids. People use Novice channel for spaming hunt coordinates and idle chit-chat. It's the way people are.

2. Which would you rather have, unisex gear, or counterparts for each piece of gear released for both male and female?
I don't mind gender specific gear but I don't think it needs to be to the extent that we see now.

3. Did you enjoy the 3.2 storyline?
It was good. The epic battle was great but I am ready to see this story end.

4. What is your favourite aspect of the patch and why?
All of the QOL improvements. Quicker melds, retry meld option, adjust sub menus, etc.

5. What is your least favourite aspect of the patch and why?
Sure it's minor and a nit-pick but that extra notification that comes up to assign a job to your retainers every time you open them? I really dont want to spend seals to get rid of this but I may have to.

6. What would you improve about patch 3.2?
See above (5). I love crafting and could craft HQ 2star gear with ease but the new 3star requirements make it so you have to do some serious overmelding. This wouldn't be as bad if we could get the materia easier like they did for all the battle materia. [FC ship isn't high enough for crafter materia sectors]

7. What is your favourite 3.2 dungeon/raid?
I liked the boss fights in Lost City HM but love the look of the Antitower