Live Letter XXX Discussion Thread

[Kaurie]

Fun loses its fun when it's repetitive, and SE has yet to demonstrate any ability/willingness to create a puzzle that requires more than reading a 3 sentence guide.

True, but it being fun for the first few times is infinitely more fun than it being never fun and incredibly frustrating every time.

However, you are definitely right, I have yet to see SE demonstrate the ability to implement a fun, dynamic and engaging puzzle. I have seen quite a few decent ones in WoW, actually. It can be done, if they put their minds to it.

[MilesSaintboroguh]

True, but it being fun for the first few times is infinitely more fun than it being never fun and incredibly frustrating every time.

However, you are definitely right, I have yet to see SE demonstrate the ability to implement a fun, dynamic and engaging puzzle. I have seen quite a few decent ones in WoW, actually. It can be done, if they put their minds to it.

Until the player base throws a fit over it. Steps of Faith. Never forget.

[Kaurie]

Until the player base throws a fit over it. Steps of Faith. Never forget.

To be fair, Steps of Faith was neither a puzzle, nor fun =P

So you see them as a waste of time, yet you had fun during map-days with your FC. I'll go with the assumption that it's because the maps are a great thing for social FC events, where you're just hanging around, digging up treasure, killing some monsters. Doesn't really sound like you wasted your time, if you indirectly had fun, despite the fact that you don't consider maps fun.

As for your last sentence, are you trying to make it sound like you no longer have an issue with the RNG in the Aquapolis?
Sometimes you get something nice and rare [continuing on to the next room, getting more rewards], sometimes you don't. [wrong door, you stop getting rewards until the next time you enter]

I see Treasure maps in and of themselves as a waste of time, and would rather spend time doing other content with people. We had fun doing maps, but we also had fun doing other content. What was fun was doing stuff with friends - similarly to cleaning dishes with friends can be fun as you joke around. Cleaning dishes on its own is not a fun activity.

As for my last sentence, as mentioned, I do not have an issue with RNG in and of itself, I have an issue with how RNG is used in terms of the 50% chance that you choose the right door. It could even be made around speed - maybe if you finish the floor in X seconds, you have a 90% chance of choosing the right door, but if you finish in X+20, it's 80%. X+40 = 70% etc. *shrug*

[MilesSaintboroguh]

To be fair, Steps of Faith was neither a puzzle, nor fun =P



I see Treasure maps in and of themselves as a waste of time, and would rather spend time doing other content with people. We had fun doing maps, but we also had fun doing other content. What was fun was doing stuff with friends - similarly to cleaning dishes with friends can be fun as you joke around. Cleaning dishes on its own is not a fun activity.

As for my last sentence, as mentioned, I do not have an issue with RNG in and of itself, I have an issue with how RNG is used in terms of the 50% chance that you choose the right door.

But it's the result of what happens when you try to do something different.

[Yasuhiro]

To be fair, Steps of Faith was neither a puzzle, nor fun =P

Assuming from your join date and you might not be playing an alt like I am so correct me if I'm wrong, you never did Steps of Faith before it was horribly nerfed because XIV's playerbase can't handle difficult story line bosses that require team work, now people just shoot cannons at the dragon and wail on it til its dead.

[Kaurie]

Assuming from your join date and you might not be playing an alt like I am so correct me if I'm wrong, you never did Steps of Faith before it was horribly nerfed because XIV's playerbase can't handle difficult story line bosses that require team work, now people just shoot cannons at the dragon and wail on it til its dead.

Nah my join date I think must be my forum join date? I created my character in 2013. I have played on and off, but I was actively playing on Steps release. I cleared it on the first day of its release.

I am not asking for anything difficult here, just something fun to do. Again, Steps of Faith is neither fun nor a puzzle - not at all what I am asking for =P

EDIT: Correction, looks like I started at the very start of 2014 - my 30 quests achievement date is in Feb 2014.

[Nezerius]

As for my last sentence, as mentioned, I do not have an issue with RNG in and of itself, I have an issue with how RNG is used in terms of the 50% chance that you choose the right door. It could even be made around speed - maybe if you finish the floor in X seconds, you have a 90% chance of choosing the right door, but if you finish in X+20, it's 80%. X+40 = 70% etc. *shrug*

Again, this would just force people to go with a full group of people, just to make it way easier to ready those time limits, as anything less would be considered a disadvantage.

Just leave it the way it is, and avoid it if you don't enjoy running this type of content.

[Nezerius]

However, you are definitely right, I have yet to see SE demonstrate the ability to implement a fun, dynamic and engaging puzzle. I have seen quite a few decent ones in WoW, actually. It can be done, if they put their minds to it.

Current discussion about the Aquapolis aside, I'm curious if you can list some of these decent puzzles from WoW?

I've played that game for years, up until the SoO content drought made me quit, and again after realizing that WoD was garbage on every front except raiding, and I can't recall any decent puzzles.

[Kaurie]

Current discussion about the Aquapolis aside, I'm curious if you can list some of these decent puzzles from WoW?

I've played that game for years, up until the SoO content drought made me quit, and again after realizing that WoD was garbage on every front except raiding, and I can't recall any decent puzzles.

Um I don't know the game well enough really to name locations lol - I just leveled up a Priest to 100 (haven't played in 6years previously to that) about a month ago. That said there were some with statues that you had to turn to tether to each other and things like that. In all honesty, I didn't really record them or devote to memory, I just remember leveling and think "hey, this is a fun little puzzle! I wish FFXIV did stuff like this."

Here are a few vids
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxJ9M_RZ0G4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlAP4l0DLSU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqZx3ppCEVY

They're not amazing, but it's a nice little break from the usual

[Nezerius]

Um I don't know the game well enough really to name locations lol - I just leveled up a Priest to 100 (haven't played in 6years previously to that) about a month ago. That said there were some with statues that you had to turn to tether to each other and things like that. In all honesty, I didn't really record them or devote to memory, I just remember leveling and think "hey, this is a fun little puzzle! I wish FFXIV did stuff like this."

Here are a few vids
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxJ9M_RZ0G4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlAP4l0DLSU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqZx3ppCEVY

They're not amazing, but it's a nice little break from the usual

Oh right, now I remember the Warden's/Sentinel's Game. I'll agree that those are pretty neat. Never really thought of the ropes part of the Timeless Isle as a puzzle, though. (probably because I was an engineer, and simply glided to the treasure chest, lol)
I also remember the statues one in Talador, but I'm not sure if I'd call that much of a puzzle, as it simply involved turning 3 statues around. (also felt stupid to only just now realize that it was a reference to FF6, with the treasure containing the Signet Ring of Gehs'taal)

It'd be difficult to add puzzles that'd require some thinking, without being too easy. As well as it being difficult to add them to the Aquapolis, with it being less than 2 weeks from release.
It might be cool for a future patch, like some kind of Allagan Labyrinth filled with puzzles, or perhaps puzzles related to quests like the ones from Matoya's Cave, or "The Greatest Story Never Told."