Concern on the current state of FFXIV, and future content

[Usho]

Let's be real here. The game needs a boost in creative content...content that has longevity. Content that isn't rendered outdated 3 months later. FFXI delivered great content and pushes the limits with creativity for its era. I loved the Delve ptyies with my linkshell mates, Campaign was fun and kept me engaged, besieged was amazing as so many players joined forces to defend Al Zahbi. FFXIV needs to break out of it's safety zone. I appreciate Yoshi-P for reviving the game but what has he done since then for the game? I know I'm not alone in expressing my utter disappointment with Eureka, content that was delayed numerous times...and what we got was a "sh*tty grind zergfest Diadem 3.0" that even FFXI would be saying "I'm old and my era while not perfect, did it right. What's going on dude?" I love the game, but the only thing keeping me subbed right now is my house. Something's gotta change. The formula is stale. We need fresh blood for the game's future.

[Naria]

Here's the thing though: As has been stated before, the forums only represent a handful of the playerbase. While everyone here may be practically rioting over how the game is going out of sheer disappointment, so many others continue to enjoy the game. There will always be those that like how the game is going and dislike how the game is going, and SE (or any other company for that matter) will never be able to satisfy everyone. People keep requesting "new" content be added to FF14, but what is new exactly? Something completely original? Something from other games? Something different the game doesn't have yet? Perhaps all of the above? SE tries at least one of these things, and it can be hit or miss to individuals, but only time will tell if more than half the playerbase considers it hit or miss. So long as the game's direction isn't overall a miss they will likely have no reason to change it, and stick to what they have planned in advance.

If the dev team is really that uncertain was to what players want and enjoy they have ways to reach the playerbase beyond just reddit, the forums, etc. by sticking surveys in the launcher which can be as detailed and specific as they want or need. FFXIV did several of surveys of the 1.0 playerbase when they were starting development for 2.0. FFXV did a survey several months ago that resulted in new content both free and paid for to meet the desired results. To be honest I wish they would do something like this as it seems a lot of the feedback that the playerbase is giving is getting "lost in translation" figuratively speaking. While I still enjoy the live and written letters, blog posts etc, it seems like there is an increasing disconnect between the playerbase's desires and the development teams understanding of those desires.

[DrWho2010]

Hildebrand doesn't have trials anymore because too many people complained that they were restricted by them. They didn't want to have trials associated with Hildebrand. Now you're saying the public wants it?

[Hestzhyen]

Hildebrand doesn't have trials anymore because too many people complained that they were restricted by them. They didn't want to have trials associated with Hildebrand. Now you're saying the public wants it?

It's a sign that SE took ease of access too close to heart IMO. When roulettes are locked behind clearing content you generally want that content to be easy to access (if not necessarily easy to complete). But now the Hildy quests are just humourous side quests, and if we want more unique and silly trials like the ones that were introduced as part of those quests in ARR, we'll have to keep on hoping. Forever. Because doing new and different things is too risky for SE, sadly.

I'm very worried that this game is wearing out its welcome. SE doesn't seem to understand what makes things fun and interesting- they're just copying other games and systems and hoping it works out. The dearth of content in SB compared to the past is really killing my enjoyment, and I can't really ask my friends to come back for Eureka since it's basically the worst parts of old-school MMOs with only a pretty backdrop for entertainment. I wanted to like Eureka, it was my biggest hope that they'd finally do something new. But now I'm wondering if I should even get excited for 5.0 since they'll probably double down on what we've had for years now... and that's almost preferable since Diadem and Eureka show they can't afford to do anything else.

[Jijifli]

It is just one content that S/E developed for old school FF11 players and you are immediately going to declare the death of this game....
If you dont like it, you are not forced to do it.

To be fair, you probably put more effort in this reply than Square did in 17 months making Eureka, and you didn't even read the post.

[dinnertime]

I already lost hope on this game mid-Heavensward. Ever since Diadem, they've released "new" categories of content that end up being a blunder in its inception. Diadem, Palace of the Dead and Squadrons were either a monotonous grind, recycled or lackluster. At least the last two they improved upon and yet in my opinion it still doesn't cut it.
Eureka proved that the developers do NOT listen. People complained about how much of a dull grind Diadem and PotD was for lacking in variety, yet they do the same for here. What's worse is this took 17 months and yet the only fresh thing about it is the area itself. Just...why?

I used to be one of those people that wished this game was different, but I learned it's wrong. It's just how the game is. The next expansion is going to be another ARR and you know it. It's why I accepted this game won't change its ways. Not that it's entirely a bad thing honestly, they can do the same things over and over but spice it up more and they've been doing a good job improving some of the more important features of the game, but the "new" content they've been releasing feels severly unfinished that it's insulting.

Other than that, there's still problems that need to be addressed since ARR like the pace of the gear treadmill, content longevity, the uselessness of open world zones, the linear design of dungeons etc. and I'm tired of it.

[Aylis]

I'm right there with you. I was also making the same arguments back during HW, and that was before Diadem was even out and still presented some glimmer of hope. But you put it into words better than I could, "He did nothing with it". Its been 5 years and the game has gotten the fluff and spectacle of fights down, but the actual substance is missing without a shred of new systems in sight.

A friend and I had talk sorta related to this he said to me "If only FFXIV had Wildstars housing, GW2's transmog system and the combat of Tera/BnS" My reply was "So what you're saying is...sell the rights of Final Fantasy to NCSoft?"
I've thought about how that could go, if SE colabed with Blizzard or NCSoft. SE can do the graphics, lore,setting, world and music. Things they know how to do well, and leave the actual game play side of things to the other side. Just how would FFXIV be then.

[addz3]

I haven't read all the posts because there are so many and so apologies if this has been said but this is what happens when a game is created to be one dimensional.... It ends up being repetitive. I played XI for a long time and one of the best aspects of that was customisation. There were no set party formats other than the basic of tank/healer/dps. And what I mean by that is that through macros and gear changes jobs become more than there sum parts. RDM is a fine example of this. Give /nin and you have a excellent soloer. Give it /whm and it becomes a healer. If you've played XI then you'll understand what I'm trying to say. Basically this game is hostage to it's own created limitations. Unless they change the basics then it's doomed to repeat itself each expantion. I'm already waiting for the next FF MMO. Hopefully it will be a combination of XI and XIV. I truly think XI was such a better game make that modern and id jump right back, a lot of people would.

[Bourne_Endeavor]

Here's the thing though: As has been stated before, the forums only represent a handful of the playerbase. While everyone here may be practically rioting over how the game is going out of sheer disappointment, so many others continue to enjoy the game.

Yes and no. While the forums comprise only a small portion of the playerbase, general averages usually take small numbers for their assessments. Specifically relating to games, I can point towards Mass Effect 3's ending controversy. The hatred was so immense, BioWare caved. Likewise, look at Star Wars: Battlefront. Reddit alone pushed EA because enough people spoke with their wallets. The forums may be small but they can still echo an overall sentiment.

[Mejingjard]

The more I went on with FF14, the more I realise they try to copy what they could have seen elsewhere, but without thinking about it. it pains me a lot as I played since the opening of ARR and found the game almost flawless in everyway at this time. But since stormblood, it has been let down after let down. And i really think man power as well as the root of how things are coded are the main cause of why everything is so clunky.
I apologise for what I will say next, as it will surely feel harsh and painfull to hear. I like this game. I really enjoyed playing FF14 for years, but the more we move forward, the more things feels halfway done.
I know some will tell me to take a break an, guess what, I 'm already sharing my play time with 2 other MMORPG so I will do something i dont like, comparing things

First of all, the first time I lost a bit of faith in their ability to enhance their gameplay was when flying was added. I will tell this without artifices : flying in FF14 is meaningless. There is no gameplay tied with it, maps are bigger but uglier as well, empty, no verticality that can be played with, we just fly through them without any fun. Around the same time, GW2 was releasing their take on flying and, all the expension was revolving around it. Maps are huge like far far wider than those of FF14. Abalathia spine is only a tiny fragment in comparaison. Maps in GW2 were enormous, and with flying added they were as well scaling far in skies to underground places. And you could not fly like here without danger. You had to unlock aptitudes to fly as you were progressing through the content, and the more you progressed, the better the flying experience became. You could fly for a longer time, ascend with aerial streams, and litteraly changing the way you were traveling through the maps. Maps were revolving around enhancing your ability to fly.

Then they added underwater, why not, but again... clunky as hell , it does not feel like i'm diving through water, i feel like I'm loading another map. a map were my mount can flap it's wing like if it was in air. Many other mmo handle this without any transition. Some even have underwater combat. It is not nececerly good experience, but it is tied to the gameplay. here, it is exactly the same as flying, and nothing is tied to it.

Omega is another huge let down for me. When I first saw that massive gap piercing through the ground of Gyr Abania, I felt really excited about it! It felt overwhelming to stand in air in the center of that deep abyss, I felt small and in danger of being engulfed in it. I was expecting a slow dive into the bowels of the earth, facing terrific foes while progressing through, something like coil could have provided in 2.0. But no. we got that pink goo that literaly covered the gap, making it seems ... almost comic. And we got those trial only fights. No more exploration, no more sense of scale. Nothing . bland fan service fights. Mechanics were nice, but design wise... I felt really deceived by it.

Eureka... months of development for this... It pains me too, because more than anything, I think it shows how in a bad shape the team working on the game is. And I love grinding. I enjoyed a lot of Korean MMO since I started the genre : Ragnarok, Lineage II, Aion, Cabal, and now I'm playing Black Desert. Where I kill mobs by THOUSANDS when i go grind some exp! But guess what, the world here is huge as well, an immense open world with hundreds of mobs roamings together, and they give me like 0.002% exp each. But killing them is great, because you take them by dozens, fighting like in a beat them all (take a quick look at classes presentation, it speak for itself). Aside for this, the huge difference between korean mmo grind and eureka, is that the grind is to reach a goal, either enhancing your gear, getting some xp, whatever.
Eureka : we grind lvl that are only used here, for stuff less interesting than those you can get in less than an hour. What's the point ?

I can even talk about FATES! have some ever seen the EVENT system in GW2? map scale events that can litteraly change the map ? sure it mostly stay a zergfest for most of them, but at least you have great chains of event that leads to some really great world boss. Just search for Mordremoth Maw for exemple.

I dont say those other game are in overall better or whatever than FF14, they are very different, the difference is that they do some things, and they do them fully. GW2 added mounts in the latest expension, they are not just the same with different skins. They have a gameplay tied to them. And like flyings, mastering them will change how you move through maps. One will make huge forward leap that will make you cross canyon and move fast, another one jump very high so you can reach high place, and from them, swith to your flying ability and cross other distances. that kind of things that make exploration a blast !

BTW, maps in GW2 or even more in Black Desert are huge, and they are gorgeous. When I see how empty the latest maps are because of flying, it pains me too. ARR maps are far far better looking. Special mention to Ruby Sea, which is for me the ugliest map they ever done.
I am pretty happy that they try to copy what is working in other mmos, I'm fine with it. What i don't like is copying without really looking the feature in depths. What I can tell about all the mmo i played (and they are many) it is that they evolve at a point, they reach new horizons. New ways of playing, new ways of discovering old content with your new abilities, the gameplay complexify itself so everything goes wider and wider. FF 14 is for now the only MMO I ever played were the game SIMPLIFY itself with expension. That is exacly the opposite of what should be done !
It is fine to try to please the most player possible, it is a very nice way of thinking in a way. But here it is done with far to few man power. So everything feels harshed and clunky.
To this you can add that ... ideology of never putting the player base in danger except for savage content, that force them to create content designed around being far too easy. For a chunk of player that will struggle on it, there is a huge part of the playerbase that will rush through it without effort and left with nothing again. It tooks me less than an afternoon to get all the weapons I wished on Byakko Ex....
The easiest content is, the less it will be played. It's been now a while since I dont even want to do expert roulette. Because it is so brain dead i take absolutly no pleasure in tanking these dungeons. Nothing scratches me, and i'm not even max Ilvl. I went in Continuum fractal on the first day, blind. I could take huge packs of mob, my life barely even moved : some cd, Blackest night, DA Abysmal Drain, get some MP back with blood aoe and blood price, Blakest night, DA abysmal drain. I almost dont need a healer at this point. I play a tank to endure slaps in my face, not to just have ants trying to bite my armor. I felt pleased when I survived Holy Surge from Alexander Prime savage.
That's why I play other MMO, MMO where if I make a mistake, I will pay it. I said earlier I kill mobs by dozen on Black Desert, but if I dont avoid foe's attacks, i can quicly be stunned and having that dozen of mobs tearing through me. yes you are powerfull, but you need to stay aware. In FF, I can stand in almost everything as a tank, I dont care.
Take a risk. Make content resist us, make things interesting. The more they cater to the lowest denominator, the more they will be hand tied to create new content. It is a vicious circle.