Famitsu Interview - YoshiP 3 Year Anniversary Interview

[AreciaRhi]

I worked so hard to get my MCH rotation and BLM rotation just right. I mean, sure I need to stand in that aoe for my refresh of Enochian.

On a serious note, will it just be like other MMOs that you just smash buttons and win?

[Brannigan]

I wasn't aware the loc team's arbitrary naming decisions dictated how difficult a fight should be. I suppose if the end goal is to completely finish off the raiding community, then they should continue to pump out stuff as hard as Gordias and Midas. I doubt many people will continue to play Kaizo Alexander Bros much longer, though, especially when you get the same kiss on the cheek by just waiting 3 months for upgrade items from Void Ark.

[Velhart]

I wasn't aware the loc team's arbitrary naming decisions dictated how difficult a fight should be. I suppose if the end goal is to completely finish off the raiding community, then they should continue to pump out stuff as hard as Gordias and Midas. I doubt many people will continue to play Kaizo Alexander Bros much longer, though, especially when you get the same kiss on the cheek by just waiting 3 months for upgrade items from Void Ark.

Yea it actually did. Savage is dictated as the hardest mode they provide currently. Normal > Hard > Extreme > Savage. Savage mode of SCoB was very clearly for more hardcore oriented groups. When not everyone can beat a Savage mode raid, then I say mission accomplished. I don't even know why developers care about clear rate numbers. If anything, if too many people won it would be considered too easy. As long as the difficulty is fair and well designed, then let it be hard.

Again, Savage is not the issue, it should be over the top hard. Normal mode is what needs to change. That needs to be on a level that midcore can take on at a decent pace (FCoB level). SCoB to this day still got it down the best, it just lacked rewards at the time.

[Freyyy]

Yea it actually did. Savage is dictated as the hardest mode they provide currently. Normal > Hard > Extreme > Savage.

Then why are most of the max level "hard mode" dungeons actually easier than their "normal" counterpart which are part of the levelling ? And why are the extreme primals' current difficulty more in-line with the old Ifrit, Garuda and Titan's hard modes back in 2.0 (before the massive overgearing) ? I think that the difficulty modes' names make absolutely no sense whatsoever in this game.

[StrejdaTom]

Then why are most of the max level "hard mode" dungeons actually easier than their "normal" counterpart which are part of the levelling ? And why are the extreme primals' current difficulty more in-line with the old Ifrit, Garuda and Titan's hard modes back in 2.0 (before the massive overgearing) ? I think that the difficulty modes' names make absolutely no sense whatsoever in this game.

Because the game became more popular and more weird people slipped in. Everything had to get easier except the raids.

[Velhart]

Then why are most of the max level "hard mode" dungeons actually easier than their "normal" counterpart which are part of the levelling ? And why are the extreme primals' current difficulty more in-line with the old Ifrit, Garuda and Titan's hard modes back in 2.0 (before the massive overgearing) ? I think that the difficulty modes' names make absolutely no sense whatsoever in this game.

I didn't say that developers used it right. Was only saying if it is called Savage, then it should be over the top hard. Their naming convention is pretty screwy and that itself needs to be fixed.

What do you suggest they do for the players that couldn't beat Coil, then? Them complaining about being roadblocked from the story was what gave us Alexander Faceroll Mode to begin with. The devs aren't going to renege on that decision; they're just going to nyerk Savage.

It's like you forgot everything that happened in 2.x.

Either offer three modes or wait for echo buffs/mechanic nerfs when the next tier is released. Worked out pretty well in 2.0.

[loreleidiangelo]

Either offer three modes or wait for echo buffs/mechanic nerfs when the next tier is released. Worked out pretty well in 2.0.

The devs have said that they don't have the budget (or the interest, can't remember which) in making three modes. If 2.0 worked out "so well", we wouldn't HAVE Alexander story mode. This is what you are not understanding. The dev team did NOT feel like Coil story was accessible to enough people, so they changed their raid structure. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean they're going to go back to "how it was".

If participation is the baseline for whether content is added, remains, or gets scrapped, then Savage mode raids are ABSOLUTELY going to be the thing that goes, if the devs can only afford, or only have the desire to create, two tiers of raiding.

[Kallera]

Either offer three modes or wait for echo buffs/mechanic nerfs when the next tier is released. Worked out pretty well in 2.0.

No it didn't. Echo failed to ease difficult, and usually instant kill mechanics that were popular in SCoB. and people become just as impatient about having nothing to do and no parties to do it with. There was still terrible clear rates of Final Coil before going into Heavensward, and not a small amount of it was due to T9. Doing nothing would have been in fact far worse, as there would have been nothing to fall back on in the face of a tier as poorly made as Gordias. Waiting, is not playing, it is not enjoyment, and non raiders can get bored of the same old df, now made worse with 2 dungeons, just as easily as raiders do.

[loreleidiangelo]

Again, Savage is not the issue, it should be over the top hard. Normal mode is what needs to change. That needs to be on a level that midcore can take on at a decent pace (FCoB level). SCoB to this day still got it down the best, it just lacked rewards at the time.

What do you suggest they do for the players that couldn't beat Coil, then? Them complaining about being roadblocked from the story was what gave us Alexander Faceroll Mode to begin with. The devs aren't going to renege on that decision; they're just going to nyerk Savage.

It's like you forgot everything that happened in 2.x.

[Brannigan]

Yea it actually did. Savage is dictated as the hardest mode they provide currently. Normal > Hard > Extreme > Savage.

You're hung up on naming conventions for some reason.

1) Hard and Extreme are only used for dungeons and primals at the moment
2) Those basically mean nothing anyway. More parties wipe to Pharos Sirius normal than Pharos Sirius Hard. Where's Ravana normal?
3) It seems very important to the devs that more people be allowed to access raid stories via DF

Alexander is called Normal Mode/Savage Mode because they don't want people in Duty Finder to feel bad for wiping to "easy mode." Alex Savage is very clearly the main raid attraction, intended for groups of friends or like-minded players to use teamwork and strategy in order to kill bosses and get loot. Alex normal is very clearly balanced for the Duty Finder crowd to go in, kill it easily, and get out without too much trouble.

SCOB Normal was clearly the main raid attraction, intended for groups of friends or like-minded players to use teamwork and strategy in order to kill bosses and get loot. SCOB Savage was an extra challenge mode added by the devs in order to give groups who were already fully farmed and familiar with SCOB something to do. That's why it only gives titles.

Personally, I also think that SCOB Savage was added because without it 2.3 would have been a pretty gimpy patch as far as battle content goes. As I recall it added housing, a primal (Ramuh?), CT2, and SCOB Savage. If you compare it to 2.1, which added ~*three*~ extreme primal battles in addition to CT and PVP(?), it would have looked a little sparse without SCOB Savage.

Anyway I'm rambling here but I'll just say this: Savage SCOB was a lot of fun to learn and progress through. So were First/Second/Final Coil. Gordias and Midas were not. They're okay once you actually know the fight 100%, but there are far, far, far too many super punishing and instant wipe moves during the learning process. I very much welcome a return to anything resembling Coil difficulty and I don't care what stupid name they give it.