The general player base needs to improve

[Shouko]

I've been making my way through this game without a guide, and it's very hard to learn some fights by trial and error - especially due to the multiplayer aspect, which leads to a 'responsibility' to play well and not let the team down. (It's not you that suffers if you stuff up and die.)

It's not always clear what is going on, what the marker above your head is warning you of, what the boss just did that left you with 1% HP or whether there was an action you were supposed to perform to prevent it from happening. It can take multiple times through a dungeon to begin to understand what is actually going on.

It's a bitch to learn it with others that know it, I understand all too well, one of the few reasons I don't really raid in this game.

Just so you know if you die because of the mechanics and not knowing them it's not your fault, it's theirs for not explaining it, they also don't have any right to bitch if they don't give you a rundown first. Don't worry so much about dying at first, it's natural.

[Vahlnir]

It's a bitch to learn it with others that know it, I understand all too well, one of the few reasons I don't really raid in this game.

Just so you know if you die because of the mechanics and not knowing them it's not your fault, it's theirs for not explaining it, they also don't have any right to bitch if they don't give you a rundown first. Don't worry so much about dying at first, it's natural.

This is the problem with gamers of today, instead of figuring it out via trial and error they let someone else tell them how to play their job, aka they go to a guide and do rotations, BIS, what jobs are "meta" what aren't, what's the best for this or that. Millennials tend to rely on guides far too much.

I'm sorry, what? You want people to learn by trial and error, but are fine with party members explaining an entire fight? Confused. There...isn't much of a difference between this and looking up a guide, video or written.

[RiyahArp]

This is the problem with gamers of today, instead of figuring it out via trial and error they let someone else tell them how to play their job, aka they go to a guide and do rotations, BIS, what jobs are "meta" what aren't, what's the best for this or that. Millennials tend to rely on guides far too much.

...you know, back in the NES days, you actually would pay money to call up a telephone service that had game counselors that would help you through games.They were 1-900 lines, and companies like Nintendo and Capcom each ran their own, and printed the numbers in game manuals. Around the time of the SNES/GENESIS, we also had strategy guides start. Nintendo was so afraid that gamers wouldn't even understand Earthbound that it was the first console game with a strategy guide sold with the catridge on a one to one basis.

Not only that, but there were tips and tricks sections in multiple magazines like EGM, Gamepro, and others, and dedicated magazines solely for tips, cheats, and strategy guides. One was even named Tips and Tricks. Also at that time Galoob created what was known as the Game Genie, which more or less went in between your system and the catridge, and let you hack the game to give infinite lives, level selects, debug options, and even let you play unreleased content still in the game. You got the codes from the above magazines.

So really, don't even say that this generation relies on guides too much. One of the things that makes me mad is how people seem to forget the past over and over.

[thegreatonemal]

This is the problem with gamers of today, instead of figuring it out via trial and error they let someone else tell them how to play their job, aka they go to a guide and do rotations, BIS, what jobs are "meta" what aren't, what's the best for this or that. Millennials tend to rely on guides far too much.

Please mmos relies on guides if you aren't googling a guide for an mmo you are playing your class wrong. thing in most people play this game cuz it has Final fantasy in the name and most games don't require you to goggle how to play it right only mmos do that and they need to stop doing that

[Shurrikhan]

Sadly, I think nothing can be done about it.

I don't think that's remotely true.

Sure, we can't do anything about player's the minimal amount of (additional) effort so many NA players are willing to make to improve.

But, the game's design can do more to coax that effort out (such as through increased difficulty and an actual difficulty curve) or reduce the effort seemingly required to improve (not by decreasing the control available to a player or the manipulables in a fight that contribute to skill gap, but through the tools for learning that UI might provide (be it by forcing the tooltip at least once into the side of a player's screen, a revised combat manual in place of the Actions & Traits menu that does a more thorough and intuitive job of describing our skills' effects, rotation-making tools, guildhests or class/job-specific trials that take a closer look at uptime or ability use, or even -- dare I say it -- in-game parsers).

[TaleraRistain]

But, the game's design can do more to coax that effort out

They have to be careful with this, though. This isn't like EQ times where that was the only game on the block. There are a wide variety of MMOs that remain accessible to a wide range of playstyles. Make your gameplay too restrictive, and players will move to one of those competitors instead.

[Shurrikhan]

They have to be careful with this, though. This isn't like EQ times where that was the only game on the block. There are a wide variety of MMOs that remain accessible to a wide range of playstyles. Make your gameplay too restrictive, and players will move to one of those competitors instead.

...through the tools for learning that UI might provide (be it by forcing the tooltip at least once into the side of a player's screen, a revised combat manual in place of the Actions & Traits menu that does a more thorough and intuitive job of describing our skills' effects, rotation-making tools, guildhests or class/job-specific trials that take a closer look at uptime or ability use...

I don't believe I've suggested otherwise...

A proper difficulty curve hurts no one.

[Vahlnir]

It mostly depends on one's experience I guess. In Rabanastre at least I haven't had that many problems. First week what a bit chaotic, but that's to be expected. After that I think most people got it down pretty well. Most, not all. However, some people simply didn't...and still don't wish to learn. This applies to any and all content that requires just a fraction of a brain. They're happy going in and making things awful for their fellow party members. Such players are out there, and they always will be. My personal experience though is that there isn't quite as many as people would think.

[Vnolan]

what else can the devs do to get the playerbase on a much higher level?

Damage meter and tips on loading screens that can also be accessed through menus.

[RiyahArp]

Why? because you had three bad runs out of how many hundred good ones? Two of which can be seen as decently hard content? (synced garuda ex, o5s.)