Can we finally please have a proper game client launcher in 2019?

[TheVigilant]

[EDIT]: Welcome. Please note and pay attention, I noticed some people misunderstood, and this was normal, that I want the FFXIV launcher to be exactly the same as the Blizzard app with all the ads to other games and being a launcher to other games when I haven't mentioned that in my post, all I want is what I mentioned in my post, not exactly what is in the screenshot. I don't want (just as examples) Deus Ex or Tomb Raider in our launcher. Everyone's opinions and thoughts are very welcome.

I come from playing WoW and I found the Blizz app launcher to be very convenient and properly utilized to have this:



Whenever I'd like to check on who may be online from among my friends, I'd simply click on the game's client launcher and I would see the ones online, I don't need to login and suck my laptop's battery if I'm mobile, nor do I need to open the entire game simply to chat with them by switching game's window out and back in while doing other stuff I need to do on the same device nor do I need to suck my hardware's power as I do so. I can simply open the client, click on a friend and start chatting with them and I can know when they may need me through that, I may not be in the game but I can still communicate with them in some way through my desktop and login and help them out for example or just chat normally while doing other stuff, I don't need to beg people I become friends with to use discord when they don't want to because of the quality of the game's service, a game that I pay monthly for.

While in FFXIV, all that possible is entry of account details and the Play button:



a username and password information entry bars and a Play button. The client for FFXIV, is using the Internet Explorer to display us a page for login. The companion app does not improve the situation, as we can only chat between companion app to another companion app and the word does not reach the players in game and most of the players in my friends list don't even use it.
I'd welcome being able to chat with my online friends through the launcher on my laptop without unnecessarily sucking out my dear battery or being able to chat with them while doing other things without having to switch to to keep the game actively sucking my device's power or switching out and in the game's window every time every now and then.

Just a concept of what I would expect from a subscription-based MMORPG:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FrnebaD5dM

Thank you for your attention and understanding.

[Fynlar]

It's 2019 and you're complaining about the tremendous amount of battery power drained simply by starting up a 5 year old game?

[TheVigilant]

It's 2019 and you're complaining about the tremendous amount of battery power drained simply by starting up a 5 year old game?

Yes, the truth of the matter is, laptops still exist, and many people use gaming laptops and FFXIV sucks the battery when open.

[Berethos]

The video linked shows a genuinely good concept.

Shame the post linking it so vitriolic that any good suggestions are getting lost.

I mean that seriously. You have good points, and that video concept shows a really good version of what the launcher to this game could be (though actually connecting it to chat is a bit more in-depth than just making a fancier launcher to start the game - Blizzard also had the benefit of having an out of game chat client for years with battle.net, and let's not forget they took a long time to get to the version they have now), but the condescension and patronizing nature of your post basically means all of that won't reach the ears/eyes of those that might look at this seriously.

[TheVigilant]

The video linked shows a genuinely good concept.

Shame the post linking it so vitriolic that any good suggestions are getting lost.

I mean that seriously. You have good points, and that video concept shows a really good version of what the launcher to this game could be (though actually connecting it to chat is a bit more in-depth than just making a fancier launcher to start the game - Blizzard also had the benefit of having an out of game chat client for years with battle.net, and let's not forget they took a long time to get to the version they have now), but the condescension and patronizing nature of your post basically means all of that won't reach the ears/eyes of those that might look at this seriously.

People are free to honestly express their criticism in this forum and there is no condescension here as I don't work for Blizz, as long as the post sends the message what is important has been done.
We are in dire need of a new game client launcher.
Please don't derail the thread's subject from the post to the poster but thank you for your opinion and your cooperation has been appreciated, now back to the subject of the thread.

[Fynlar]

a sarcastic reply serving no purpose

There was enough needless sarcasm dripping in your OP that I figured maybe you would appreciate it.

In any event, if you don't care to actually play the game, just want to see who among your friends is online, and also happen to have a battery on your device that's older than Jesusaurus, things like Discord exist. They really don't need to waste time and resources for launcher bells/whistles. If you and your friends cared enough to stay in contact without needing the game to do it, you'd find ways.

Incidentally, I looked at your WoW launcher screenshot, and one big question came to my mind: What do I hit to actually play the game? You'd think that out of everything featured in a launcher, it would at least make THAT clear.

[Berethos]

People are free to honestly express their criticism in this forum and as long as the post sends the message, what is important has been done.
Please don't derail the thread from the post to the poster but thank you for your opinion and your cooperation has been appreciated, now back to the subject of the thread.

That's my point - you're not sending the message you want.

The message you want to send - The launcher could be a lot better, here's how.

The message you're sending - I'm a patronizing individual who knows better than you, listen to what I'm suggesting.

Which do you really think has a chance of being passed on by the community team here? Though it's no skin off my back if you're choosing to sabotage your own suggestion posts from the get go.

[TheVigilant]

Another thing which would be nice but is not of the necessary is if it was also interconnected with the companion app, as the Blizz messenger is interconnected through the phone with the client and the game.
So the messages in the phone's messenger can also be seen through the client and in the game as far as I remember.

[Berethos]

Incidentally, I looked at your WoW launcher screenshot, and one big question came to my mind: What do I hit to actually play the game? You'd think that out of everything featured in a launcher, it would at least make THAT clear.

That update button will change once you can play (ours updates as soon as you log in to your account, Blizzards has you indicate when you want the update to happen since launching the Blizzard app to that point requires logging in). It's actually pretty easy to use, though it's worth pointing out that it's not just a launcher, but a full fledged app meant to support all of Blizzard's modern/online titles, and a couple Activision ones as well. It's closer to a mini-Steam client than a launcher, honestly, mixed with being a mini-Discord.

I've also not found it to be used all that much out of game, especially since Discord really became popular. It's nice, and if FFXIV were to liberally be inspired by it if they chose to redo their launcher that would be great, but I don't think many consider the ability to chat when not in the game to be quite as big a deal as the OP.

[Fynlar]

That update button will change once you can play

Fair enough, I didn't think of that and honestly probably should have. >_> I was too fixated on looking for the words start/play/open, I guess XD