Main Scenario Restriction Bloodstorm - Very Very Bad idea.

[TarynH]

Doesn't matter. That isn't what is being discussed. You are attempting to equate the two when they aren't the same thing nor have I supported that aspect.

But isn't it? You're asking for a potion that would skip not just old content, but also any relevant content to date. Sure, they would have to gear up, but that's the content they want, right? They want to skip to those end-game gearing-up raids? Well, what if I only wanted to craft end-game gear? I shouldn't have to craft my own gear to do that. That's a lot of effort. And if someone skipping to 50 gets ironworks, I would like to skip to 60 and have ironworks crafting gear. Also, any gil I "would've made" having crafted other lower recipes. *wink wink*

Also, what happens when they skip to 60? Do they get enough gil to buy new gear in Stormblood areas? Do they get awarded scripture gear? What special "reward" do they get for buying that potion from the shop? I mean, after all, they are entitled to it right?

[Bourne_Endeavor]

But isn't it? You're asking for a potion that would skip not just old content, but also any relevant content to date. Sure, they would have to gear up, but that's the content they want, right? They want to skip to those end-game gearing-up raids? Well, what if I only wanted to craft end-game gear? I shouldn't have to craft my own gear to do that. That's a lot of effort. And if someone skipping to 50 gets ironworks, I would like to skip to 60 and have ironworks crafting gear. Also, any gil I "would've made" having crafted other lower recipes. *wink wink*

Also, what happens when they skip to 60? Do they get enough gil to buy new gear in Stormblood areas? Do they get awarded scripture gear? What special "reward" do they get for buying that potion from the shop? I mean, after all, they are entitled to it right?

Sigh. For the last time, no. They skip to Stormblood not endgame content. The potion implemented in the Chinese/Korean version puts you nowhere near ready for Alexander. You also still have to do Heavensward. It merely skips you through A Realm Reborn because none of that content is relevant anymore. You can attempt to spin this will false equivalents all you fancy. That doesn't make it so. The intent of the potion is so you aren't gated by the MSQ, hence only gifting you the bare minimum at level 50. What you're saying is it'll gift you actual relevant gear with your crafter example. That doesn't happen even in the Chinese version.

Whatever the near equivalent to Ironworks (battle) gear is. In essence, it'll be junk gear you replace almost immediately. And this has nothing to do with entitlement. It's simply business. The larger the content bloat you put in front of new players, the less likely they are to keep playing or start to begin with. This will inevitably lead to a sub decline as less new players means no one will replace veterans who unsub. That lack of revenue isn't something Square Enix will just eat. They'll pass it back onto us by adding more cash shop exclusive content. A jump potion will happen. It's simply a matter of when.

[Khalithar]

I didn't watch the fanfest stream, but I seem to recall some time ago they said you wouldn't need to complete the MSQ in HW to get to the next expansion. Did they say they changed their minds during the fanfest?

[Chiramu]

I didn't watch the fanfest stream, but I seem to recall some time ago they said you wouldn't need to complete the MSQ in HW to get to the next expansion. Did they say they changed their minds during the fanfest?

I wonder how they can do that when you meet the Stormblood girl in 3.5.

[TarynH]

Sighs.

My crafter example may seem delusional at first glance, but in retrospect it's really not that far off. When you start inviting cash-bought elements into a game to skip ahead, it starts a trend. You can try to claim that it doesn't, but look at other games that implemented the same. Some games are even destroyed by it.

I personally don't want this game to turn into something where you can run and get your CC to skip content. Despite how "irrelevant" you determine that content to be. (By the way, all content is relevant, if there is a purpose for it being there. Story is relevant to a story-driven game. The content required is relevant to the story.)

But there are compromises. Instead of a cash shop item, or a pay-to-win item, you could resolve it in-game. They could, as others suggested, take most of the fetch quest bloat out of the MSQ. Anything that doesn't drive the main story. They could also give the player a choice once they reach a certain part in the MSQ. They could be asked to continue, or to skip ahead.

But honestly, what does the token "new player" have to look forward to with a new expansion? It's just more MSQ in new zones, with a couple of new jobs. No matter what they would do to try to resolve the issues, it would not please everyone. People would still get bored and quit. People will always get bored and quit, especially if they find something more entertaining.

The story really does drive this game, regardless if someone likes it or not. It opens new areas. It opens new privileges (chocobos, buying property, etc.) It opens new content. Even Alexander has a story. FFXIV is a story-driven game.

You accuse me of painting a doom and gloom picture with the RMT, but aren't you doing the exact same? You talk of sealing wax, and ships, filled to the brim with cabbages and kings abandoning FFXIV. If anything, subscriptions went up with the release of HW. I imagine they'll do the same with SB. The players that leave will more likely be the ones that get bored of repeated content. Or friends of those who complain how awful the MSQ is, while they're trying to get through it.

[Lewtskie]

I wonder how they can do that when you meet the Stormblood girl in 3.5.

It's possibly from here on towards 4.0 all given stories are isolated within themselves. We may very well meet this girl, or other key figures but any plots running may exist to provide structure to the lore and only once the story for 4.0 begins does the actual plot start moving. Basically, good to have as it might flesh out characters and settings, but not 100% necessary to follow the story at the start of Stormblood.

[Reynhart]

Now i have to tell my new players they have to make 400 main scenario quest and spend almost 300 hours to do it to reach content with all players want.

Here we go again...
Poor poor new players, they have so much new content to do before exhausting what the game has to offer...
May I remind you that, for them, ARR is entirely new content...HW is entirely new content.

If you give them level 60 right away and acces to Bloodstorm, they'll just be bored like every veteran players, and without the years of connection to the game, they'll just quit few months after.

The thing they can do, however, is not gating the jobs behind the new areas. In HW, no job is really tied to the story or to Ishgard itself...

[Sparktacus]

It would most likely be streamlined to just the very important parts and not the abundant amount of errand quests. There was a huge backlash over this during HW launch so I am sure they have an idea of how to handle it this time around. I assume that their intention is really to immerse every player into the story aspect of this game as that is what is (probably) most important to the devs.

[TarynH]

It's possibly from here on towards 4.0 all given stories are isolated within themselves. We may very well meet this girl, or other key figures but any plots running may exist to provide structure to the lore and only once the story for 4.0 begins does the actual plot start moving. Basically, good to have as it might flesh out characters and settings, but not 100% necessary to follow the story at the start of Stormblood.

I've always felt that the MSQ would branch out after we leave Eorzea. Like everything that involves Eorzea would be self-contained, ending with Ala Mhigo and the Garlean Empire in Stormblood. Then a different story would begin (5.0 would be the start of a new self-contained story on a new continent). At least, that's how I imagine it happening.

The thing they can do, however, is not gating the jobs behind the new areas. In HW, no job is really tied to the story or to Ishgard itself...

I've always felt the gating of jobs was a mistake. Someone might have enjoyed the story far better if they'd been able to play DRK, for instance.

[Khalithar]

I've always felt the gating of jobs was a mistake. Someone might have enjoyed the story far better if they'd been able to play DRK, for instance.

I can agree with you here. They definitely could have (should have?) put the new Jobs in Coerthas Central Highlands instead of Ishgard. A bit of changes to the initial quests and the questgivers could have made it work fairly well.