Option to unlock content without mandatory MSQ

[Skivvy]

I'm totally with you OP. Also, fair warning, the playerbase rarely responds well to this topic. XIV is the only MMO I've played where it forces you to do a full completion of the story. Even XI didn't go this route (SE's other MMO, for you folks who may be unfamiliar).

Sure, FF as a whole may be known for long stories, but this is also an MMO where it draws in all sorts of people - not just FF fans. I've never completed any other FF title myself, only ever played XI and dabbled in 1.0. I'm glad the story exists for those who enjoy it, but I absolutely think it was a poor decision to force people to complete it just to unlock new content.

And to the argument of "If you don't like the story, this isn't the game for you" - what on earth do you people do once you finish the few hours of story content each patch? For a new player, sure, there is a ton of MSQ to complete (whether or not you want to), but for the large amount of people who are already caught-up, we'd all be stuck twiddling our thumbs if we were only here for the story. Stop hanging onto "THE STORY" as the only reason to play this game.

Did you have to do any of the expansions to do most of what XI allowed you to do? No, but if you want to upgrade like any of the JSE you had to go and do at least CoP. Heck you want to do anything in Rhapsody it makes you go through all the other story lines. Even the three mini dlc make you have to have access to certain zones that you can only access if you've gotten to certain points in those expansions. So while XI doesn't do as much gating that XIV does you can't tell me it doesn't or at least didn't do any form of gating specially if you want some bis parts for certain sets.

Going for BIS was totally up to the person to decide though. If that reward was important enough to them, they would clear the content. The difference here is that SE gave players a choice. They didn't force you to complete 100% of the previous stories just to work on what you actually wanted.

[Packetdancer]

I mean, XI is also A Bit Weird™ by the average MMO standards; using it as your baseline measurement seems to me sort of like judging all automobiles on the road by comparing them to the Tesla Cybertruck.

[dangadget]

I'm totally with you OP. Also, fair warning, the playerbase rarely responds well to this topic. XIV is the only MMO I've played where it forces you to do a full completion of the story. Even XI didn't go this route (SE's other MMO, for you folks who may be unfamiliar).

Sure, FF as a whole may be known for long stories, but this is also an MMO where it draws in all sorts of people - not just FF fans. I've never completed any other FF title myself, only ever played XI and dabbled in 1.0. I'm glad the story exists for those who enjoy it, but I absolutely think it was a poor decision to force people to complete it just to unlock new content.

And to the argument of "If you don't like the story, this isn't the game for you" - what on earth do you people do once you finish the few hours of story content each patch? For a new player, sure, there is a ton of MSQ to complete (whether or not you want to), but for the large amount of people who are already caught-up, we'd all be stuck twiddling our thumbs if we were only here for the story. Stop hanging onto "THE STORY" as the only reason to play this game.

Counterpoint.
Being invested in the story is the only reason the endgame holds any interest for me whatsoever.
I could care less about the Ruby Weapon gear, but I'm very interested in whatever connection Shadowhunter has to it.
Likewise, I don't care about the Edengrace gear in and of itself, but I'm very interested in the continuing story of Rynne and now Gaia.
It works both ways

[SamRF]

----

I agree with what you're saying. However I don't think they are planning to keep this game going for another 10 years (with live updates). Story will probably end after about 2 expansions I would guess and we will get a whole new MMO.

Another suggestion I had made in a previous thread (which was also met with just as much criticism) was to treat this whole story from ARR till whatever next expansion will be as 1 saga and then continue the story with a completely new concept/threat without involving any of the previous story elements so people can safely level boost and story skip to that point and enjoy next saga story to the fullest, even though they didn't experience 2.0 till 6.0 . Potentially increasing longevity of this game.

My concern was that the endgame community would get smaller and smaller with each expansion because the MSQ keeps stacking up. Some players that are up to date with endgame MSQ will stop for whatever reason (bored, switching game, dying irl) while there will be less and less new players coming in due to the hundreds of hours of MSQ. Those new players may be enjoying old MSQ and get to endgame eventually, put it will take longer and longer with each expansion and I'm sure many will never get there because a couple hundred hours is a serious dedication, especially for casual players. It will take many months to get to endgame if you play casually and don't have that much time.

What also needs to be considered is the fact that combat will be getting more and more boring at lower levels with each expansion, as they lock abilities behind higher levels. Unless they change the system by next expansion. Keeping old MSQ instances relevant will also get harder (could be fixed by adding alternative solo instance by messing with numbers)

However after this thread I do get the argument for continuous mandatory MSQ, although I don't think the game can last many more expansions with current formula.

[Moonlite]

Just a head up to the OP. Suggesting this on this forums is a bad idea. The more invested player base congregates here. You would be better off saying you enjoy the taste of dog, then suggesting anything that attacks the sanctity of the MSQ. Some people don't think they should even trim the ARR quests since some npc says one line that hints at something that happens 20 quests later.



Also they have a tendency to defend anything that makes SE richer. They barely called SE out when they wiggled out of the no gates for SB to the we just meant no gates for new jobs. Or when all the gates caused the servers to melt in SB.



But hey I guess we all have to have some sort of cause. Some people its sports some people its the MSQ.

[Skivvy]

Counterpoint.
Being invested in the story is the only reason the endgame holds any interest for me whatsoever.
I could care less about the Ruby Weapon gear, but I'm very interested in whatever connection Shadowhunter has to it.
Likewise, I don't care about the Edengrace gear in and of itself, but I'm very interested in the continuing story of Rynne and now Gaia.
It works both ways

I'm sorry, but the amount of time spent in dungeons/raids/trials from the MSQ in order to continue your story is only the tiniest fraction of the overall hours you spend running around with the hundreds of various quests (far too many of these being awful fetch quests to boot).

[Darkpaw]

Alright. I’m going to at least address one thing. It’s hilarious to me that the term white knighting has already gotten thrown around.

It’s not white knighting to state facts. This is a storyline driven MMO that prides itself on being. JRPG first and an MMO second and does both parts equally well. Any one can actually see thats the case.

It’s fact most people pick up Final Fantasy games for story because guess what thats what they are most known for and it’s one of the series’ largest selling points aside from the music.

Did XI do things differently. Yep, probably and if you prefer that style of MMO well it’s still available. This is not XI, this is not WoW, this is not ESO. The playstyle and the style of game is completely different.

XIV is a casual friendly story driven MMO experience wrapped up in a Final Fantasy themepark.

I get wanting this game to be successful and last years and years and years, but with the msq squish, jump potions, ability to skip cutscenes and solo instance difficulty selection. There are enough options within the game for people to go through this game playing the story or not even if you choose not to buy the skip books. By skipping cutscenes and bum rushing msq you can get through in what? A week and some change?

This game doesn’t have to sell out the experience that gave it it’s success to stay alive. If that were the case this game would already be in decline not on the rise. It’s fairly obvious to the passing consumer that this game is doing something right because it is one of the top 3 MMOs for offering a unique experience not just more of the same.

Selling out this game just for commercial success is a quicker way to kill it than staying to their principles and continuing on the path they have chosen. Offering an MMO experience all their own.

[Vaer]

I honestly don't see much of a problem. If you just play one character you just have to do it once anyway then you can level the remaining jobs however you want. If you play more than one character it's a drawback you take to bypass weekly locks that everyone else has to deal with. If they removed it I wouldn't care too much, but since it gears people up for the next dungeon by giving them gear the first time you do it it's almost something you might do anyway even if you didn't care for the story in the end.

[SturmChurro]

25 cents dollars. 25 cents dollars is all it takes.

[linay]

I don't think the game can last many more expansions with current formula.

That's why there is the MSQ autocomplete potion. If they keep at the same price, you get to skip more expansion in one go the more expansion there is.

And if it ends, then I'll look forward to a new Final Fantasy/SE MMORPG for more stories and adventures.