Why another complex minigame that will probably die in 2 weeks?

[kikix12]

I wouldnt pay a monthly fee for a party game. I'd buy it once, and probably cheaper that what I'd have to pay to keep my sub until SH once I've done every interesting content for me.

You don't pay at all to play Mahjong...so what's your argument here exactly?!

Not only do you pay the sub to play Final Fantasy XIV, with Mahjong just being on the side (would you pay a monthly subscription for the Gate's?! For Chocobo Racing?! For ANY mini-game for that matter?!). There's also a permanent free trial that allows you to play it without spending a dime (technically...so long as you do not actually have a customer account, that is). This argument is kind of nonsensical.

I wouldn't spend additionnal money for a Gwent DLC just to play Gwent, while waiting for The Witcher 4. Would you buy a DLC to play Spider Solitaire with a FF skin, when you can already play it on Windows for free ?

Huh?!...Did you have to pay to get Mahjong?! No...So what are you on about?! It's not a paid DLC. It's part of the core game that everyone that can play Final Fantasy XIV A Realm Reborn in any capacity can use. It is exactly the Gwent that was available in Witcher 3 from the get-go. It's the Triple Triad that was in Final Fantasy VIII from the get go, Blitzball from Final Fantasy X etc.

This game is a subscription based game. That's a fact that ain't gonna change in a foreseeable future. Mahjong is an addition to all that you can do, not a replacement. It's a value added.


Your arguments are in no way relevant to Mahjong as it is implemented whatsoever...

[Reynhart]

It's part of the core game that everyone that can play Final Fantasy XIV A Realm Reborn in any capacity can use.

Gold Saucer is a content made to keep you in the game when you have no more battle content to do, exactly what the game should have in the dry period we'll reach soon. But, in, those mini games, you need to have some rewards, as an incentive. Most of them have MGP, but Triple Triad has cards that are only obtainable by playing Triple Triad.
Mahjong, doesn't seem to have any reward tied to it.

It's the Triple Triad that was in Final Fantasy VIII from the get go, Blitzball from Final Fantasy X etc.

Yes, except that in those games, you only spend a very short time playing it...compared to the lifespan of an MMO. That's what people don't take into account when asking for previous mini-games. Sure, you played Blizball for hours in X, but in your FFXIV experience, this playtime would only be a blip on your radar. That's why Mahjong could end up dead in two weeks.

[kikix12]

But, in, those mini games, you need to have some rewards, as an incentive. Most of them have MGP, but Triple Triad has cards that are only obtainable by playing Triple Triad.

Most of that stuff needs rewards as an incentive because...they're not very fun. Again, Mahjong is played by millions of people worldwide for centuries with no other goal than having fun with someone. Why on Earth would it suddenly need incentive to have people play it just because it's packed in a neat little game?! Believe what you want, but Mahjong does have its own huge fanbase. It's not a niche game. And though, yes, it is also highly notable due to its gambling potential (like poker), even the gamblers play it with no stakes, to train if nothing else.

Yes, except that in those games, you only spend a very short time playing it...compared to the lifespan of an MMO. That's what people don't take into account when asking for previous mini-games. Sure, you played Blizball for hours in X, but in your FFXIV experience, this playtime would only be a blip on your radar. That's why Mahjong could end up dead in two weeks.

People don't take that into account because that's irrelevant. Mini-games will never replace the actual game, it's ridiculous to even think about that. They will never stop you from burning out. They are temporal time-killers that work to keep you in for a short time here or there, not to be the thing to log into the game.

Out of all that, Mahjong actually have the most potential. Because there are at least some regions where it will be sustainable due to its innate popularity. As I said, it's a whole nother game, not a mini-game per se. Why do you think poker is such a popular mini-game?! Not because it's fast or rewarding (in games it usually is far from that), but because there's already a large fan-base interested in it as a game that it is. Mahjong is the same, albeit in the Asian culture. There are several anime dedicated to Mahjong, one of which have several seasons.

You don't enjoy it?! That's on you. No one forces you to. If you won't play something without rewards, then don't play stuff without rewards. Mahjong may or may not get some MGP attached to it. Partially due to its gambling history making it more of a target for anti-gambling regulations, despite it being technically no different than Triple Triad or the other mini-games in gold saucer. But thinking that there is no interest in Mahjong due to no in-game rewards is just ignorant.

[Lambdafish]

My only issue with Mahjong is the time investment. If the cut the round time down to 5 or something it would make me more interested to play. I actually got the hang of it with the novice NPC, but after around round 4 it started to get tedious.

More seriously, the dev team should stop use their money, time and effort doing those things and do more new content, I would have preferred a second dungeon in this patch instead of a mini game that no one will play in a week.

Yoshi P directly refuted your claim. He said that Mahjong was a side project for the dev team during their downtime, and it uses a licensed mahjong engine to run the game. You would have gotten this or nothing. If you want other examples of this, look at 16bit titan, the FFXIV fighting game, and Alexander tactics on youtube, thats what the animation team does in their down time.

[Seraphor]

There should just be a 'short game' option, for half the rounds with half the reward, simple.

[kikix12]

There should just be a 'short game' option, for half the rounds with half the reward, simple.

Yes. This and an actual tutorial are two things that would be welcome. They don't change the rules per se while they make it easier to get into the game for those actually interested. People learn better by doing than by reading after all, so taking advantage of that in a digital format should be a given.

[Alleo]

I also wonder how long Mahjong will stay alive over here, especially with it having asian names and a long playtime for each round. Honestly a mini game was always something that you can do fast, not something which can take over a hour or longer to complete. I am not saying that things should not exist but I hope future mini games will be more easy to learn and faster. (Also if you introduce a popular asian game, please do the same for a western game too I mean we are the majority of the player base after all)

[Raikai]

I - really - wanted to learn mahjong, even though it's a time sink, sometimes I could log in just to play a match.

But.

The rules are presented in texts that are way too confusing to read, like the OP says. The weird asian language names "pon" "richii" etc doesn't help a western player at all too, but that's the lesser of things.

I really wanted a "tutorial" table, in which you play and learn the rules on the fly via tooltips with screen pointers.

[Corue]

I want to like it but as someone who's never played Japanese mahjong before it just feels like Poker but half the rules are made up.
I was hoping the novice table would offer a tutorial and not just be loads of obtuse symbols and words being thrown in my face.
The tutor kind of helps but it's just a wall of text that's impossible to memorise.

[CaptainLagbeard]

Too many rules and too many things to keep in mind while trying to build a hand.. Even after reading through the rules, the first match is pretty much