Fighting Desperately...

[Xoo]

Just because you don't like the way some people play the game, doesn't mean it's the way that EVERYONE should play the game. It's their journey, and they can take whatever path they Goddam please.

You really think so? Perhaps you weren't the person with multiple Linkshells, 165 people on their Friend List, a working knowledge of the party search function, no reservations about shouting for an hour on the streets of Ul'dah for some party members to go out and grind with. For 3 days I did this, all in vain, and for the simple fact that everyone, I kid you not, everyone that could have otherwise went with me was either in Mun-Tuy or Nanawa, sitting AFK/asleep while a Lv50 THM or CON played their game for them.

So you tell me where the choice is in that?

[JakeRoon]

Go do some solo stuff, craft, call your Rl frinds that play, set up a scheduled time to do your static parties......

lots of things to be done about it. Work on achievements I can see you like to do that...

[Crysten]

And as Galoot pointed out, what I AM talking about is more the game value from Lv1-50. There is content for Lv50 that is growing as time passes, but for those of us who enjoy playing through this period with other people in an MMORPG - we feel a bit short-changed.

This point of view has less to do with preference of play-style and more with the mass who choose and have chosen to abuse Powerleveling to the point where the remainder are 'forced' to convert and given little choice to stand in one spot while someone else progresses their character for them.

So this boils down to "baaw PLing?"

You do realize you don't HAVE to PL and are perfectly capable to soloing or partying to 50, right? Ive seen dozens of shouts for exp parties since the merge, y'know. If people wish to PL to 50, who are you to say they can't/shouldn't?

I played with my girlfriend's character from 1-50 on my 50 job, and we were just happy to play together.

Not sure where you got the idea that I want everyone to play a certain way...Your point about anyone can play how they want, I certainly agree with that as my gaming changes day to day with RL in the mix, sometimes just wanting to hop on for a half hour or so. Also, you're a fellow Gungir and Gridanian, look forward to crossing paths.

Was more directed to the OP on that point rather than yourself, there. Hope to cross paths too!

[Xoo]

So this boils down to "baaw PLing?"

You do realize you don't HAVE to PL and are perfectly capable to soloing or partying to 50, right? Ive seen dozens of shouts for exp parties since the merge, y'know. If people wish to PL to 50, who are you to say they can't/shouldn't?

No, it boils down to this. Please read carefully:

You can tell people this all day but they're not going to stop until they cause MMOs to go out of existence. I've seen it in other types of media, things are made to keep you on the hook and take a while, then something comes along that makes that experience instantly gratifying. Then everybody tries to copy, quality of the whole genre goes down and everybody gets sick of it then BAM the whole genre is dead.

You really think so? Perhaps you weren't the person with multiple Linkshells, 165 people on their Friend List, a working knowledge of the party search function, no reservations about shouting for an hour on the streets of Ul'dah for some party members to go out and grind with. For 3 days I did this, all in vain, and for the simple fact that everyone, I kid you not, everyone that could have otherwise went with me was either in Mun-Tuy or Nanawa, sitting AFK/asleep while a Lv50 THM or CON played their game for them.

So you tell me where the choice is in that?

Fact of the matter is, those who say mid-game play should take a backseat to end-game play are only out there for the thrill of victory over others and apparently care little about the journey and adventure it takes to get there. They make games such as Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter for these kind of people. They don't belong in RPG's at all in the first place.

Exactly this sentiment that I believe is going to become a reality that resulted in my OP. Specifically, the first paragraph. Anyone who has any appreciation for anything in life knows that the journey is not just a means to an end. It is the defining characteristic of those ends.

[Xoo]

Article borrowed from the following link which pretty much says what this thread intends to convey:LINK

Why am I being such a Debbie Downer?

Why? Because I love video games, that’s why, and over the last couple of years I’ve become increasingly upset with the direction that the industry is taking. These days, I find myself dreading that my favorite hobby will sink so far into douchebaggery and corporate bullsh*t that it will cease producing the kind of games that I like altogether.

Now, I’m not a complete moron. I know that the ’80s and ’90s weren’t some magical time where corporate greed and unscrupulous marketing didn’t exist, and we all lived in a utopia where everyone involved in video game development actually CARED about the consumer and the artistic merit of their medium…

…but it was better than this, goddamnit.

Soaring game budgets, DLC, “casual gaming”, cover systems, yearly installments, mergers, GameStop, Activision, motion controls, Tetsuya Nomura, “next-gen” graphics, Kotaku, “special editions”…

…it’s all just a swirling vortex of BULLSH*T being sucked down the drain, leaving behind all traces of artistry, originality, innocence and simplicity.

It’s not just nostalgia. I honestly have a more difficult time finding games I like these days, and that’s a problem I NEVER had until this console generation. I can’t open a gaming news site without being instantly depressed by some executive’s marketing jargon or some developer’s explanation for why his five hour, bloom-lit, brown-paletted game about a bald space marine is a f*****g revolutionary masterpiece.

So now you get to hear about it, if you want. I know you probably don’t agree with me. If the things I say offend you, or you think I’m an idiot, you don’t have to read any more than you want to…

…but if you share my pain, and if you’ve had enough, feel free to take some time and join me in a hearty “F**K YOU” to the rejects ruining our fun.

[ThePatriarch]

Why? Because I love video games, that’s why, and over the last couple of years I’ve become increasingly upset with the direction that the industry is taking. These days, I find myself dreading that my favorite hobby will sink so far into douchebaggery and corporate bullshit that it will cease producing the kind of games that I like altogether.

Now, I’m not a complete moron. I know that the ’80s and ’90s weren’t some magical time where corporate greed and unscrupulous marketing didn’t exist, and we all lived in a utopia where everyone involved in video game development actually CARED about the consumer and the artistic merit of their medium…

…but it was better than this, goddamnit.

Soaring game budgets, DLC, “casual gaming”, cover systems, yearly installments, mergers, GameStop, Activision, motion controls, Tetsuya Nomura, “next-gen” graphics, Kotaku, “special editions”…

…it’s all just a swirling vortex of BULLSHIT being sucked down the drain, leaving behind all traces of artistry, originality, innocence and simplicity.

It’s not just nostalgia. I honestly have a more difficult time finding games I like these days, and that’s a problem I NEVER had until this console generation. I can’t open a gaming news site without being instantly depressed by some executive’s marketing jargon or some developer’s explanation for why his five hour, bloom-lit, brown-paletted game about a bald space marine is a fucking revolutionary masterpiece.

So now you get to hear about it, if you want. I know you probably don’t agree with me. If the things I say offend you, or you think I’m an idiot, you don’t have to read any more than you want to…

…but if you share my pain, and if you’ve had enough, feel free to take some time and join me in a hearty “FUCK YOU” to the rejects ruining our fun.

Thanks.

amen, /thread

[Lux_Rayna]

I still say just make the best with what you have lol. Can't say I disagree, but honestly I think fun can be had anywhere, and it is a player's responsibility to take a world they like and make it "fun". I've played a loooot of technically crappy mmorpgs, most of them free ones. I've played a lot of supposedly crappy console rpgs too (FFVIII/FFIX, which I still say are the best in the series). What I've learned is that the game is only a vehicle, and the fun comes from what you do to enjoy it. Of course, every person needs a vehicle they like to be in and look at. The world, races, combat system, other features...the look and feel of the game are all generally very important in terms of "hooking" players.

What many players don't realize is that it is up to them after that. If I'm in a world I like, in this case Eorzea, I'll do whatever I can to make it fun and enjoy it. Course if you can't enjoy the game the way you want to, due to community or whatever, then obviously its a problem. Unfortunately, you're paying for a game you knew would be effectively dead until its mainstream 2.0 release...so I'm having a hard time understanding why you tried so hard. You would have been better off waiting until 2.0, from the sounds of things.

[Xoo]

I still say just make the best with what you have lol. Can't say I disagree, but honestly I think fun can be had anywhere, and it is a player's responsibility to take a world they like and make it "fun". I've played a loooot of technically crappy mmorpgs, most of them free ones. I've played a lot of supposedly crappy console rpgs too (FFVIII/FFIX, which I still say are the best in the series). What I've learned is that the game is only a vehicle, and the fun comes from what you do to enjoy it. Of course, every person needs a vehicle they like to be in and look at. The world, races, combat system, other features...the look and feel of the game are all generally very important in terms of "hooking" players.

What many players don't realize is that it is up to them after that. If I'm in a world I like, in this case Eorzea, I'll do whatever I can to make it fun and enjoy it. Course if you can't enjoy the game the way you want to, due to community or whatever, then obviously its a problem. Unfortunately, you're paying for a game you knew would be effectively dead until its mainstream 2.0 release...so I'm having a hard time understanding why you tried so hard. You would have been better off waiting until 2.0, from the sounds of things.

I have my reasons for hanging on for as long as I have, but surely enough those have worn to a near-invisible thread. I'm sure you can understand why, no matter how much you've grown to dislike something, the sheer time and effort you've vested in it keeps you holding on. Like I said in the OP, and to the extreme disbelief of some, I think I enjoyed the game more as it was in late 2010 - sans general latency issues.

For me, this game doesn't grow on me as it should, it just sheds away.

[Lux_Rayna]

I have my reasons for hanging on for as long as I have, but surely enough those have worn to a near-invisible thread. I'm sure you can understand why, no matter how much you've grown to dislike something, the sheer time and effort you've vested in it keeps you holding on. Like I said in the OP, and to the extreme disbelief of some, I think I enjoyed the game more as it was in late 2010 - sans general latency issues.

For me, this game doesn't grow on me as it should, it just sheds away.

Well hmm...best I can say is to cut yourself off and wait until the new game is released. Then try and see if its a brand new experience for you. Good news is this game will be killed off in due time, once they finish the new one.

[ArnoMorley]

Why? Because I love video games, that’s why, and over the last couple of years I’ve become increasingly upset with the direction that the industry is taking. These days, I find myself dreading that my favorite hobby will sink so far into douchebaggery and corporate bullshit that it will cease producing the kind of games that I like altogether.

Now, I’m not a complete moron. I know that the ’80s and ’90s weren’t some magical time where corporate greed and unscrupulous marketing didn’t exist, and we all lived in a utopia where everyone involved in video game development actually CARED about the consumer and the artistic merit of their medium…

…but it was better than this, goddamnit.

Soaring game budgets, DLC, “casual gaming”, cover systems, yearly installments, mergers, GameStop, Activision, motion controls, Tetsuya Nomura, “next-gen” graphics, Kotaku, “special editions”…

…it’s all just a swirling vortex of BULLSHIT being sucked down the drain, leaving behind all traces of artistry, originality, innocence and simplicity.

It’s not just nostalgia. I honestly have a more difficult time finding games I like these days, and that’s a problem I NEVER had until this console generation. I can’t open a gaming news site without being instantly depressed by some executive’s marketing jargon or some developer’s explanation for why his five hour, bloom-lit, brown-paletted game about a bald space marine is a fucking revolutionary masterpiece.

So now you get to hear about it, if you want. I know you probably don’t agree with me. If the things I say offend you, or you think I’m an idiot, you don’t have to read any more than you want to…

…but if you share my pain, and if you’ve had enough, feel free to take some time and join me in a hearty “FUCK YOU” to the rejects ruining our fun.

Thanks.

amen, /thread

It's not over yet either, next gen they're blocking used games and scrapping backwards compatibility entirely.