Request: More challanging / difficult content. PLEASE

[AndySolace]

I don't really ever post in these forums; I don't bother because i'm too busy actually playing the game.

I love FFXIV, but it seems recently that we ever hear in game is how some kid has posted here complaining that life is too difficult and that the game content should be made simpler! Honestly, I don't think anyone would care about the complaints IF it didn't seem that every single one ended up in some element of the game becoming nerfed and pointless. Directly below this thread at the time of writing it is an example, where one player is complaining that DoL achievements are too hard for him to get. Which bit of the phrase "Disciple of Land Achievements" has he failed to understand I wonder, but either way, its a worrying sign.

I know The Dev Team is working extremely hard on preperations for the re-release, and for that I and the whole subscribing playerbase is truely thankful but please don't forget that for the time-being we're playing with version 1.x and this needs to be kept interesting too. The major patches are great and while the mechanics of the game are evolving all the time the content is remaining so static. The Dev Team i'm sure know already what they want to achieve over the next 12 months, but please make sure that some worthwhile challenges are included? Some more difficult, more satisfying content NEEDS to be released.

Honestly, look at some of the last events that have been included; Throwing 5 snowballs at a snowman and... That's it. The new year's follow up? Talk to the same NPC again and... That's it. Again. Finally, all the hype over the new Goobbue mounts? You can see where i'm going with this.

If come 1.21 et al people start whining about how they can't get their shiny new AF because they only play 20 minutes a day DON'T MAKE IT TOO POINTLESSLY SIMPLE FOR THE REST OF US. PLEASE! If Artifact gear is following the same vein as Prime weapons it'll be great stuff, beaten only by HQ melded equipment. I want sets for all my DoM and DoW. I also want to work for it; To have something to aim for when I log on.

@The Dev. Team: I'll still be playing (and paying for) this when 2.0 comes around, and I expect so will many other more "hardcore" players. Tailor v1.x to the casual gamers though and you will lose us through bordem. Then you'll lose the casuals too, because that's what they do.

To end this thread on a lighter note I have a specific request. Kind of a cheeky question really, but since you gave away the Goobbue mount to all-and-sundry, and you've already shown images of a Drake.... Can you make that a REAL challenge to aquire? Or make a second tier for either that takes a lot of personal effort? I don't mind if its nothing more then a different skin for the same mob that gets rewarded, just make it fun to aquire.

Thank you all though, sincerely, your hard work is appreciated.

[DoctorMog]

I am having trouble finding a reason to log in now myself.

With no long term goals, no fight I haven't accomplished, no task left undone (except grind grind grind) I don't have motivation to even play until new content comes.

+1 From me Andy, we need some content with some complexity, a good reward and not just a grind.

I'm still of the opinion that crafted gear should NOT be better than raid gear. It makes the content useless. Darkhold was great for what? A month? I would still be doing it if there was a good reward (gear), or a repeatable quest in there. Wasted development time. I don't even have to go in there. Ever. To have better gear than comes from there. Who decided that was a good idea, and a good use of development time? Is every patch going to be that way? Will 1.21 crafted items make Ifrit and Moggle weapons useless? If so, why am I even doing them?

As it stands now:
Sit in town. Craft the best gear.

It makes for a great story to tell my friends who play other games asking about FFXIV.

WoW player "I killed the last boss in the hardest dungeon and got the best epic sword in the game, god it was badass, we died 100 times, but I got it!" "How is FFXIV coming along?"

FFXIV player "I crafted a sword." "Yeah raid gear is trash"




Edit: Holiday events need to be simple for all players to have access, (Even new ones) so I can understand SE's decision for making them extremely simple.

[AndySolace]

Thanks Mog, its very much appreciated to have received a backing so quickly after posting.

The Dev Team are doing a great job with their responses to player-feedback, I just wish so much that the feedback wasn't all about making life easy.

[Xoo]

People have been asking for more difficult content from the beginning and have only been answered with easier content. Sorry Andy, I really think you're playing the wrong game.

[DoctorMog]

People have been asking for more difficult content from the beginning and have only been answered with easier content. Sorry Andy, I really think you're playing the wrong game.

There are a LOT of people playing the wrong game then.

Is FFXIV destined to be casual only?

I would love to know now before I waste any more time playing it I guess.

[yukikaze_yanagi]

If you think goobbue it's a content, then yes the game it's easy.
Actually dzemael, ifrit and moogle aren't so easy until you understand how to do it. And, as much i want durable content, i don't think will come in the 1.xx era

[Velhart]

I can agree with both Andy and Mog.

I don't believe crafted gear should ever be better than raid gear.

In WoW's structure, the best gear ultimately is in hard mode raids, where the ilvl is slightly higher than normal version. Now you can pick up patterns in those raids to make gear that is on par with normal mode.

How FFXIV should be setup is that you can make gear that can be good enough to get you into major content, but really shouldn't go beyond that. Rare/ex. gear should ultimately be better. Materia system is good, but it shouldn't be able to go beyond rare/ex.

I know FFXIV's main aspects are making crafting as important as battle classes, but if you don't make a proper balance, people will not care about going out and getting a rare/ex. piece when they can just sit in town and craft a better piece.

As for a request for harder, more engaging content, I can't really judge what they have in store till I see more content. Primals don't really give me a good idea on this. Overall however, if I see the best piece of gear on someone in this game, I want to know it was hard as hell to get and not just anyone can get it.

[DoctorMog]

I can agree with both Andy and Mog.

I don't believe crafted gear should ever be better than raid gear.

In WoW's structure, the best gear ultimately is in hard mode raids, where the ilvl is slightly higher than normal version. Now you can pick up patterns in those raids to make gear that is on par with normal mode.

How FFXIV should be setup is that you can make gear that can be good enough to get you into major content, but really shouldn't go beyond that. Rare/ex. gear should ultimately be better. Materia system is good, but it shouldn't be able to go beyond rare/ex.

I know FFXIV's main aspects are making crafting as important as battle classes, but if you don't make a proper balance, people will not care about going out and getting a rare/ex. piece when they can just sit in town and craft a better piece.

As for a request for harder, more engaging content, I can't really judge what they have in store till I see more content. Primals don't really give me a good idea on this. Overall however, if I see the best piece of gear on someone in this game, I want to know it was hard as hell to get and not just anyone can get it.

Well put

+1

[AndySolace]

Even introducing an element of competition would enhance the difficulty a touch, but with everything instanced anyone can access everything all of the time. Hasn't been that edge either in this game since Great Buffalo was released.

@Xoo: Someone just pasted your reply into my LS chat; his response was [to paraphrase] that its sad, and that perhaps we all are.

EDIT: Velhart - Didn't see that reply sorry, and yes when you and Mog put it like that I can thouroughly (sp?) agree with you both. My perspective was attempting to keep the DoH classes up there as equals to the DoM/DoW classes as you rightly point out. However I know that Yoshi-San has asked everyone to level a battleclass to play the main storyline, so perhaps the equipment stats could be looked at. Though a 5x melded HQ weapon is an incredible force to be reckoned with - AND its a difficult challenge to aquire in its own right.

[Xoo]

If you think goobbue it's a content, then yes the game it's easy.
Actually dzemael, ifrit and moogle aren't so easy until you understand how to do it. And, as much i want durable content, i don't think will come in the 1.xx era

It's not just the Goobbue - it's e v e r y t h i n g. If at all possible, SE leaves very little mystery to the game and more and more they paint bright red arrows on the path for you. There is no immersion; Rather than playing an adventure, it feels like you're playing a big game of connect the dots.