Good Criticisms about FFXIV Leveling for Newcomers

[Chiramu]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-JerpoKAgU

From FreeMMOStation.com. I thought the criticisms he had were quite fair. This is from someone completely new(to FFXIV) and very experienced in MMORPGs.

I hope some development team can watch this and take the criticisms to make FFXIV the best MMORPG .

[JunseiKei]

Not sure I want to take advice from someone who never seeming read the tooltip for Heavy Thrust or maintain it. *Eye twitch*

[Chiramu]

Not sure I want to take advice from someone who never seeming read the tooltip for Heavy Thrust or maintain it. *Eye twitch*

So you don't want to help newbies at all? Newbies are just suppose to know? How many people have you helped in this game?

[JunseiKei]

So you don't want to help newbies at all? Newbies are just suppose to know? How many people have you helped in this game?

Video is 23 minutes, the amount of time it'd take you to get to level 10. Claims they played over 8 hours to get to level 15 to do their first dungeon. Seriously. Just do MSQ. They also don't mention anything about leveling- just how long it took for them and implying it's slow. Implying getting to level 60 will take a month and be boring- easily done in a week on a fresh character (you just need to know how, which there are tons of guides and tip videos/websites on this that are just a Google search away).

As a mentor, it's my thing to actually teach newbies about the game. First thing I'd tell him is stop running away from mobs- you're not getting the damage from auto attacks as well as keep Heavy Thrust up for damage buff. >_> Then when they changed to doing only Heavy Thrust from behind, losing their positional bonus (since it's a flank move) while having mentioned moves have positionals. So, he knew about it. Popping Keen Flurry for no reason- guy seriously did not read tooltips or simply didn't care while recording their review.

This is more a rant video steeped in opinion and biased than good criticism. The only thing they said that is honestly correct is that the early game doesn't do the game justice, yet all they are "reviewing" is the free portion.

~snip~

Always possible, I will admit. However, anyone that moves their skills around are immediately greeted with a tooltip on their skill, just before you grab the skill and immediately when you set it. This is the case even when cross classing skills and even on controller. They just aren't there while you drag the skill or drop the skill in the same place as it was before on a controller (which is a little odd).

[seekified]

Not sure I want to take advice from someone who never seeming read the tooltip for Heavy Thrust or maintain it. *Eye twitch*

The game doesn't teach you to maintain Heavy Thrust. You have to remember that a significant amount of FFXIV players have never played an MMO before in their lives, and don't know what a tooltip is. I'm sure the game's Active Help explains that much, but still - this game does an absolutely terrible job of actually teaching players how to play their jobs.

[Bourne_Endeavor]

The game doesn't teach you to maintain Heavy Thrust. You have to remember that a significant amount of FFXIV players have never played an MMO before in their lives, and don't know what a tooltip is. I'm sure the game's Active Help explains that much, but still - this game does an absolutely terrible job of actually teaching players how to play their jobs.

To be fair, the tooltip flatout says it "increases damage dealt by 15%" and lists duration. It shouldn't be hard to figure out. I agree, XIV doesn't do a great job teaching players their rotation, but at some point, we have to fault the players for simply being lazy.

[Shougun]

To be fair, the tooltip flatout says it "increases damage dealt by 15%" and lists duration. It shouldn't be hard to figure out. I agree, XIV doesn't do a great job teaching players their rotation, but at some point, we have to fault the players for simply being lazy.

I really think people have a hard time imagining having zero gaming sense. This sort of logic is pretty default to any person with a gaming sense, oh a buff I can keep up forever that will forever boost my stuff by a substantial amount?? Sign me up for eternity!!!!

That sort of stuff isn't going to naturally play out for those new to MMOs and gaming in general, candy crush background not counting. I've played with people who are intelligent (general capacity, comparative capability within studied fields) but easily fail "gaming intelligence". I mean to say, I think for some its less about being lazy (at least for a while) and just that the game is basically congratulating you endlessly for not learning your role and you won't need to if you don't do certain content. Unfortunately pop up tutorials are like EULA/ToS for some people and will be closed even when they should be read, which is why I believe job quests and Halls should be pushed, polished, and expanded to teach what the game doesn't teach and what people ignore through the easy dungeons and pop up text. Basically taking away the ability for people to learn it wrong, as the game definitely lets people do (which is why I don't think its because everyone is lazy, I believe many know no better).

The game gives you enough info, usually, if you're a natural. I disagree with people, in any sort of to be fair scenario, that the game teaches you well enough if you're truly an untouched new person.

Games that make you figure it out yourself, that works fine when you narrow down your audience to the incredibly perseverant and the naturally adapt; however, it will work less fine in FFXIV's case because you don't really need to be perseverant until much later and can easily be carried through much of the content. So 100 hours in you could/should have learned 100 hours worth of mastery but only really effectively learned 5 and making matters worse depending on what content you do you'll never have to improve either (or the real push either, since you're already used to people doing it for you).

This game isn't hard enough, and focuses on too large of a audience, to be "just learn it as you go". A tooltip is not enough if you want everyone to learn, some people starting FFXIV will be incapable of comprehending what the tooltip means for their gameplay (until a scenario forces them, through testing, interplayer actions, or too difficult content) and will likely focus on the most immediate return actions especially as the response the game will give you for doing short sided choices is "good job! next dungeon!" (since the game won't challenge you to the point you need to do it, at least until much much later and usually only optionally so).

On another note. "WoW leveling. Cinematic and explosive"
Can I get paid by blizzard too to claim such garbage

Not sure I'd say explosive, but I did find significantly more interesting quests, both in quantity and intensity of said mold breaking style, and the combat is a bit smoother (very responsive and fluid, some abilities are also more movement based as well). Fluid/responsive != pretty, of course FFXIV's is far prettier lol.

(Although WoW has had a lot longer to polish, Vanilla WoW was much slower and less explosive than 2.0 Vanilla FFXIV).

[dragonseth07]

I really think people have a hard time imagining having zero gaming sense. This sort of logic is pretty default to any person with a gaming sense, oh a buff I can keep up forever that will forever boost my stuff by a substantial amount?? Sign me up for eternity!!!!

On the contrary, I remember being a youngin and picking up my first games. Pokemon and some PS-era FF titles are what I think back to. In both, I had the sense to read what the abilities did and figure out how to use them. Frustratingly, Pokemon never did a good job telling you how much buffs and debuffs did. I remember being upset about that, wishing that was clearer. FF was always bad about that, too, actually...

Anyway, yeah, I do remember being young and brand new to games. And it's not like I went around hitting random buttons.

[bass9020]

Only thing ill agree with him on is the textures, instancing and overall graphics issues. Most of the other things I don't agree with though soz.

[Chiramu]

Only thing ill agree with him on is the textures, instancing and overall graphics issues. Most of the other things I don't agree with though soz.

It doesn't matter on what you agree on, it is criticism for the Dev team to take back to think on. You are already a fan, the Dev team wants to net more players.