Good Criticisms about FFXIV Leveling for Newcomers

[Shougun]

That's not something exclusive to games - A great many people prefer to not think and understand and instead be told and learn. Studies are a great example of that - Most students simply learn whatever content the lecture has. Only few truly understand it and are able to apply it. Math lectures are notorious precisely because simply learning the stuff by heart instead of understanding it is prone to fail whenever the tasks are slightly altered.

Excelent way of putting it. I've met a lot of intelligent people that are incapable of learning through some of the school's more experimental self taught styles - but could easily be told, retain, and use something if they were guided. Simultaneously some people loathe being hand held when it doesn't help them.

Having very cleverly designed tutorials is a big plus for both parties, as if you make things optional or text box then it'll probably be skipped even if the group of people who should have read it as it would have been helpful didn't but at the same time it being designed in an interesting way makes it not soul crushingly boring for the other group.

As for the video in OP, since I didn't really respond before (although still a cursory listen):
The noob zones that WoW has is sort of convenient in really guiding people down a particular path (although due to lack of job system, can be annoying once you want to make an alt lol), and I haven't tried all of the startings in WoW but my personal imo is that SE does have some things they could learn in comparison to their own. There are a number of unique mold breaking quests, faster into combat/action, and some of the starting stories are actually pretty neat - as well there is something special about going from bigger and better things especially earlier on (going from a small area to "first time I'm in the big city"). From trying it long ago, and now, they just modified the flow and added a few things to break and spice it up. I see people laughing like it isn't unique or different, but imo FFXIV's start could definitely be improved quite a bit. Game's job system is a massive (freaking massive) draw for me, but thats not really something you get to really feel and understand how great right away and you don't want to overwhelm new players either so that's a good thing.. I wouldn't say its bad but I would agree with this point that its not as memorable as it could be, the great things FFXIV has to offer don't really shine until much later.

I am confused on some of the things he didn't understand or failed to complete since he is used to WoW and its not like SE is pulling a fast one on him, a number of his issues just seemed like bagging on FFXIV because he could (meanwhile WoW would be utilizing and behaving very similarly). It did feel like he either didn't want to have patience, had it out for FFXIV, or was just expecting something ground breaking - as the first 20 isn't bad but he complained endlessly and much of it is stuff that he should probably have not had issue with (like 8 hours thing lol). But I still think its valid to listen to his feedback since I do think the intro is one of SE's weak points, specifically in comparison to other games.

I would say the combat in certain jobs don't feel slower, and imo feels much more explosive in some, than WoW (like BLM is /amazing/ in terms of boom, fireworks, pow compared to WoW's mage lol) but I would also say that if you were playing SMN or were getting to later skills like the tank ultimates/LB, or lack of movement abilities that feel smooth.. then I would start to agree that's something Blizzard has perfected. The movement abilities feel very smooth in WoW, and things really snap in response - especially the pets. Demon Hunters sweeping attacks and Monks rolls feel very responsive and either don't exist in FFXIV or are much slower/locked down.

Some of his points seem to be played out as factual negatives rather than subjective preference, but I still believe SE has quite a bit to learn from their Western competition. The beautiful graphic style (like in everything, all things lol) and job system is enough for me to still personally recommend FFXIV over WoW, but I would strongly suggest that FFXIV's western competition still has some things FFXIV could learn from (and why shouldn't they, WoW is much older and has had a lot more money to toss around to try and fail/succeed at things).

The big issue remaining, I think, is I imagine he is using an entire history of experience with one game (WoW) to compare with the repetitively short and 1% of the iceberg experience of another (FFXIV). But I would still suggest SE improve it's beginnings :P.