MSQ Needs Further Condensing

[Reyketi]

The condensing of the MSQ by Square Enix is greatly appreciated, but it is not enough.

With ARR, HW, SB, and ShB, it is getting quite lengthy, even with the reduction.

The game suffers greatly from trying to be both an MMORPG, and single player story focused RPG.

The fact is this game is an MMORPG, with a large focus on end-game content, that being trials, raids, gearing, ect.

The game should not be putting new players in a state of perpetual catch-up, having to choose between skipping all of the cutscenes, and missing all of the story, just to play with their friends, and not be dead-weight, or taking their time, and spending an eternity going through the now-slog of a narrative.

To Square Enix, I ask: What is the length at which you will consider the content gap 'too large'?

If, Square Enix, you intend to preserve the JRPG style narrative, will you set a standard of time for a fresh character to go from 1-80 or 1-90?


Possible Solution Proposal


Introduce a new metric: Time-To-Cap (TTC) (Level 1 to max level)

Standardize the time is takes to reach level cap.

Apply this to every expansion that increases the level cap.

Shape the presentation of the MSQ around this time with questing, and cutscenes (perhaps still frames, with narration) bridging the gaps.

Of course, this should be OPTIONAL, thus allowing players to level in the manner of which they choose.

Unabridged, and abridged.

The Unabridged MSQ condensing nothing. The Abridged MSQ always conforming to the standardized TTC.


Best Wishes

-Reyketi

[Sauteed]

Honestly, another 20-30 quests taken out of the 2.1-.5 area would be sufficient to get people into Heavensward without many complaints. And by taking out another 20-30 quests, I mean legitimately taking it completely out of the game and deleting it out of any progression blocks and adding absolutely NOTHING else back in it's spot to pad out game time, or anything else. No more you need to go do raids or dungeons or any of that. Nothing would be lost, everything would be much more palette-able and would be less of a lull to slog through.

That being said, I doubt we'll see any of this "soon", as it took literally years for them to recognize this was an issue, and the answer was implemented in pretty bad fashion imo. Deciding to make the crystal tower series mandatory also was not good in my opinion. I'm not opposed to raid content etc, but why release the shadowbringers expansion and leave it like that for a year, before retro-actively making it mandatory? If people were that invested in the lore and wanted to know more, the raids were there, the story line was there, and there were plenty of indicators toward its existence. I don't mean to just gripe, I'm glad they did prune the 20 quests out, but adding something that would roughly equate to that amount of quests anyway is not expediting anything. Revisiting the cutting block though, and chopping off the 30'ish other quests that are completely needlessly tacked on there would do wonders.

[Vickii]

When I was playing the 5.4 MSQ, which I enjoyed as someone currently playing at max level with little to do before it came, one of my first thoughts was ‘this will be a slog going through it for new players’.

Can’t remember any others off the top of my head but both SB and HW had some real filler patch quests too.

To me I think the best solution would be to make most patch content optional. The ending would need tweaking but the Limsa story could have been done as a blue quest really, and then the other stuff that’s more relevant to the wider plot could be MSQ.

They could also maybe unlock dungeons a different way than just going through a MSQ.

[TaleraRistain]

This game isn't like other MMOs. It's very story-focused which is not typical in MMOs. People playing this game shouldn't come into it expecting the typical MMO experience. I personally like that it's not like others. That's one reason I play it.

Story and level skips are there for those who just want to jump in and play with friends. We don't need anything else.

[Reyketi]

This game isn't like other MMOs. It's very story-focused which is not typical in MMOs. People playing this game shouldn't come into it expecting the typical MMO experience. I personally like that it's not like others. That's one reason I play it.

Story and level skips are there for those who just want to jump in and play with friends. We don't need anything else.

If the length of the MSQ were not an issue, Square Enix would not have condensed it. Skips regarded.

Best Wishes

-Reyketi

[TaleraRistain]

If the length of the MSQ were not an issue, Square Enix would not have condensed it. Skips regarded.

Best Wishes

-Reyketi

We used to have a quest drought at (I think it was) 47 and couldn't continue MSQ. Had to turn to FATEs back in the day. But then they streamlined how they were doing leveling in ARR. This made the fetch quest padding that we relied on for exp no longer needed, so they could toss it out. They really didn't remove much story stuff. The design of this game is around telling a story. That's why everyone has a main storyline they must follow and even have some optional content locked behind doing it. They want people to experience that.

[Tuska]

All they have to do is make the MSQ not mandatory like pretty much every other mmo.

People that want to read the story will. People that want to grind to end game are going to ignore the story anyway.

I have absolutely zero clue what's going on lore wise and don't care to know. So what good did forcing the story on me and players like me do?

[glitteringcosmos]

All they have to do is make the MSQ not mandatory like pretty much every other mmo.

People that want to read the story will. People that want to grind to end game are going to ignore the story anyway.

I have absolutely zero clue what's going on lore wise and don't care to know. So what good did forcing the story on me and players like me do?

Because it's a Final Fantasy game. Its main selling point is MSQ. If you aren't here for story go play one of those other mmos, simple as that LOL. The developers don't WANT to be like other mmos in this regard, and for good reason. Even if you're not into it, that's the whole selling point of the franchise. They offer the option of the skip for players like you if you REALLY don't want to play the story, but MSQ is their bread and butter.

[MilkieTea]

A point I wanna make separate from my other point: The quests themselves need a bit more streamlining in ARR. Especially Post-ARR.

IE: In the quest Into the Heart of the Whorl, you speak to Merlwyb. Right next to her is Yugiri. After speaking to Merlwyb, you then have to click and speak to Yugiri. Both of these trigger a cutscene.

I like the story and I dont think it should be cut down. But the quests themselves need a bit of work.

[Masked-dingus]

If the length of the MSQ were not an issue, Square Enix would not have condensed it. Skips regarded.

Best Wishes

-Reyketi

well, story and level skips are mostly there because SE knows people are gonna pay for them, that's it

on the concern of lenght, there's sometimes things i don't understand with the way they chose to ell their story, like, i come to some NPC, talk to me, trigger a cutscene, in wich he tells me to talk to the NPC sitting NEXT TO HIM wich triggers another cutscene... Was it really too hard to make 1 single cutscene during wich both NPC are sying what they have to say ?

i don't know, just sometimes ( for me at least ) the way MSQ is presented feels long and tedious for the sake of being long and tedious