MSQ Needs Further Condensing

[van_arn]

As much as the XIV community is notorious for slinging vitriol at people that don't do the MSQ the "right" way, I take comfort in the knowledge there are plenty of people that enjoy XIV every day that ignore the story.

To those of you that skip cutscenes, the Twelve bless you. If you skipped the cutscene that explains the Twelve, that's ok.

[TaleraRistain]

Sauteed, something else you are failing to see here is that the story often goes back to things that seemed trivial or filler. Avoiding spoilers as much as possible, 5.4 is a perfect example of this. An NPC we previously took as filler became instrumental to a major plot point.

[Sauteed]

Sauteed, something else you are failing to see here is that the story often goes back to things that seemed trivial or filler. Avoiding spoilers as much as possible, 5.4 is a perfect example of this. An NPC we previously took as filler became instrumental to a major plot point.

That npc needed to be brought back tho. He was never filler. And somewhere in the back of my mind I knew he'd be coming back into the equation before this. I wondered where he was. 5.4 was "ok" all the way up til Fandaniel started talking at the last bit. Even the "Garlean" towers that look like something out of the heavensward raid series. And it isn't the writing quality that is "in the way", what gets in the way is clicking on something sometimes multiple times and taking it to someone to watch a cut scene of them telling you you didn't click on something enough times ( example), or trying to make sure kids got their cookies when you're on a mission to investigate some ruins for bandits or whatever else. Little trip ups (like previously mentioned Tataru) in the midst of massive escalating wars, after trudging through days worth of quests to try and get to the massive escalating wars and hopefully new jobs like dark knight and astrologian and some new areas to explore. Being held back because you didn't pass go or whatever, that should be handled a little better imo. One can make the argument tho that lore reasons are why you can't go to Ishgard "early", there's a war going on and they're secretive! But by that same token, why are people still in Little Ala Mhigo if Ala Mhigo is back and in action? I don't need to know why , I'm just saying we can let lore be some kind of road block or we can let people explore a little and when the time for that part of the story comes for them to deal with war/famine/whatever let them run through that part of the story. Allow a litlte more freedom detached from MSQ progress.. again, not asking for people to go day 1 to Norvandt and spam shared fates, but it woudl be nice to see players getting a little earlier access to a larger portion of the game.

[kaynide]

I think all they really need do going forward is plan quest clusters for the MSQ where you have 1-2 important to the story and 5-8 filler that is part of the MSQ..with the intention to make those filler into optional side quests once the content gets old.

The moogle section in HW is a good example where you could do 1-2 errands for them and get the idea without slogging through it.

Also I wouldn't be opposed if they just didn't go so nuts on the XP rewards, or made ALL MSQ level-independent (or something like 2.0 is anything under 50; 3.0 anything 50-60). An alt of mine is almost 70 ONLY doing MSQ, just finishing Heavansward and a few random roulettes.. would rather finish a quest but collect rewards on an second job so slow that down a bit.

[StriderShinryu]

I think all they really need do going forward is plan quest clusters for the MSQ where you have 1-2 important to the story and 5-8 filler that is part of the MSQ..with the intention to make those filler into optional side quests once the content gets old.

The moogle section in HW is a good example where you could do 1-2 errands for them and get the idea without slogging through it.

Also I wouldn't be opposed if they just didn't go so nuts on the XP rewards, or made ALL MSQ level-independent (or something like 2.0 is anything under 50; 3.0 anything 50-60). An alt of mine is almost 70 ONLY doing MSQ, just finishing Heavansward and a few random roulettes.. would rather finish a quest but collect rewards on an second job so slow that down a bit.

This is a very solid idea and, really, it already sort of feels like they are doing this in the design. The proof will be in the pudding as for what they do with it in the future but you can already feel that divide between the obvious "Big Quest" parts of the MSQ and stuff that could easily be pushed to optional side quests in the future.

[Rasler_Heios]

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.

Though I agree that there should be improvements in terms to the story presented in the MSQ and the amount of catch-up a player has to do to arrive endgame (in fact I agree to some of the solutions presented)... . the specific above statements are simply not something I agree to.

As SE themselves said so, this is not just an MMORPG, it is a Final Fantasy MMORPG... it is a Final Fantasy game too, a main numbered one to top it... the story needs to be there even if it practically resembles a single player story focused RPG. I think they are already trying to balance both as much as they can though there should be improvements.

[glitteringcosmos]

As SE themselves said so, this is not just an MMORPG, it is a Final Fantasy MMORPG... it is a Final Fantasy game too, a main numbered one to top it... the story needs to be there even if it practically resembles a single player story focused RPG. I think they are already trying to balance both as much as they can though there should be improvements.

THANK YOU. I'm not here to preach and say MSQ is perfection (especially not ARR), but XIV is, before anything else, a Final Fantasy game. People need to get that through their heads. Without the story it wouldn't be what makes FF games so great. And my problem with pruning, even though I acknowledge that ARR is a slog, is that not everyone is going to agree with what gets cut out. For example: the quest "The Warden Works in Mysterious Ways." They cut that from the MSQ for utility, because it was a quest which gave you no significant reward utility wise and made you trek across the span of the map. But I argue that it was one of the quests that SHOULD have been left in, given the emotional impact of that scene and its relation to the story arc then AND the revelations we know now, with post 5.4-o-vision. They're never going to make everyone happy no matter what or how much they prune out, so I say they should just leave it as is now. No more cutting, because inevitably someone, somewhere is going to wish they hadn't done it, and I think leaving it as-is is the fairest way to go about it.

If you don’t wanna play the game buy a skip, don’t wanna spend money play somthing else don’t have the whole game bend at your whim

This is it. This is the comment that sums it up.

[Jirah]

If you don’t wanna play the game buy a skip, don’t wanna spend money play somthing else don’t have the whole game bend at your whim

[Reyketi]

If you don’t wanna play the game buy a skip, don’t wanna spend money play somthing else don’t have the whole game bend at your whim

Again, that's easy to say, as a player, on a forum.

But, the chances are that you won't be able to convince executives at SE, who've already made the decision to lower the burier to entry, that raising it, again, is a good idea.

Personal preferences, again, are not always marketable.

Best Wishes

-Reyketi

[Iscah]

Again, that's easy to say, as a player, on a forum.

But, the chances are that you won't be able to convince executives at SE, who've already made the decision to lower the burier to entry, that raising it, again, is a good idea.

I don't know what you're trying to argue. Executives wouldn't want people to be able to pay for a skip? And how does recommending a skip equate to re-raising a barrier to entry that has already been lowered?

If players use skips, that's good for the corporate side of the company because they get more money upfront.

Also you don't need to sign off in every single post. Stick it in the signature field.