Another interview question about Ultimate

[Jeeqbit]

Pretty much. They've been cutting corners for awhile, it was just more evident in Shadowbringers, at least to me. If they plan to keep the game going for as long as they say they want to, something's gotta give.

I think it's more evident to people who skip the relic questlines and the crafting, gathering and RP content, which is where the resources seemed to have gone to.

[Arillyn]

I think it's more evident to people who skip the relic questlines and the crafting, gathering and RP content, which is where the resources seemed to have gone to.

Agreed. This expac they did Ishgard Restoration and completely overhauled crafting and gathering - all things that were not done in previous expacs. All of that took a lot of resources. I know people are going to say "but people working on battle stuff don't work on those things" and that may be the case. But the dev team as a whole did put a lot of resources towards these particular things this expac. I don't expect something like that in the next expac.

[Vahlnir]

I think it's more evident to people who skip the relic questlines and the crafting, gathering and RP content, which is where the resources seemed to have gone to.

I've taken part in Ishgard restoration and the relic questlines, even going as far as getting the Beatus title, getting a bunch of items with scrips, grinding Bozja a ton and completing 2 relics (so far). It's still very, very obvious.

[ForteNightshade]

Back when we stopped getting two new dungeons, Yoshi indicated this was because the team was taxed. Also, this is an expectation difference. The players want reason to play 24/7, Yoshi he wants people to take breaks.

It isn't that people want to play 24/7. They want a reason to be active for more than a few weeks when patches last for nearly four months. Yoshida may suggest breaks, however several systems do not actually encourage them. Look no further than housing, which specifically forces you to resub before 45 days. The whole staggered content release is another way to people players subbed, especially as you'll often have a much harder time getting things done the longer you wait. Case in point, look at EX Primal that isn't Emerald. Even Emerald has slowed down considerably since 5.4 released.

Ultimately, I want a reason to keep active on my character but I'll often have everything done within the span of a week. And no, that isn't me "rushing".

I've taken part in Ishgard restoration and the relic questlines, even going as far as getting the Beatus title, getting a bunch of items with scrips, grinding Bozja a ton and completing 2 relics (so far). It's still very, very obvious.

I'm about to finish my third up to i515 and nearly have enough tokens for every single job in the previous steps. I even have DRS completed ten times. The only thing I've been less active with this expansion is crafting due to how much I loathe many of their changes. There simply isn't enough long term content, especially in Shadowbringers.

I get they wanted to add more RP features. While I don't oppose this, I play games for, well... their gameplay as much as their story. Often times through Shadowbringers, I feel the game lacks in that department.

[Delily]

I think it's more evident to people who skip the relic questlines and the crafting, gathering and RP content, which is where the resources seemed to have gone to.

Back when we stopped getting two new dungeons, Yoshi indicated this was because the team was taxed. Also, this is an expectation difference. The players want reason to play 24/7, Yoshi he wants people to take breaks.

[Alaray]

Back when we stopped getting two new dungeons, Yoshi indicated this was because the team was taxed. Also, this is an expectation difference. The players want reason to play 24/7, Yoshi he wants people to take breaks.

Some people would like to play a game they enjoy longer, I don't think it's a fault on them for wishing there was more to do in a title they enjoy playing. Especially when MMO's are intended to be that sort of genre of game.

If it's coming down to the team being taxed, the team not having enough resources or time or people, then it's on SE to hire more people and provide more resources. If everyone is just kinda waiting to say "well, guess this improvement is impossible now" SE as a corporation has 0 incentive to actually fix that issue. The dev team needing more resources + people being pissed at SE for the content cuts can coexist, just the solution would predominantly be the corporation giving those resources to the team so that they can create more content instead of removing it.

There'll be inevitable situations, but cutting content has more or less be ShB's theme from beginning to end (including Pre-COVID). (Ex: Deep Dungeon, removing an extra dungeon from EXDR, the inability to fully finish Viera/Hrothgar, pushing Ultimate to a .5 patch initially when it was to be slated for a .3 patch; PvP didn't get cut, but man did they get basically nothing except a map from last expansion). Ultimate fits specifically in the COVID-situation, but not having a dedicated team for it is something Square Enix can fix, and should be expected to.

Regardless of how people feel, Ultimate is popular content -- not everyone necessarily clears it, or does it, but it is something enough people look forward to and participate in (in some capacity) that not having a dedicated team for that content is more of an insult to those players, since SE could provide the resources for that if the company wanted to.

[Theodric]

A lot of people can't take a break, though, unless they want to lose their house...and if they lose it due to inactivity then there's a good chance they won't get another.

I've taken part in Ishgard restoration and the relic questlines, even going as far as getting the Beatus title and completing 2 relics (so far). It's still very, very obvious.

Same here.

I dabble in every aspect of the game to varying degrees. I also maintain other hobbies (playing other games, going hiking, working out). So it's not like I only play FFXIV.

Yet for a while now too much of the content has felt either too grindy or too quick. I'd like more middle ground.

[Hyperia]

A lot of people can't take a break, though, unless they want to lose their house...and if they lose it due to inactivity then there's a good chance they won't get another.



Same here.

I dabble in every aspect of the game to varying degrees. I also maintain other hobbies (playing other games, going hiking, working out). So it's not like I only play FFXIV.

Yet for a while now too much of the content has felt either too grindy or too quick. I'd like more middle ground.

Take breaks but keep paying your sub and check into your house once a month is what they mean.

For the first time in SIX years, I have taken a break from the game due to lack of battle content. Crafting is just not my thing, no matter how much I have tried. I already got half way through the relic when I saw I was going to have to do the void ark and Ivalice raids till I passed out. I don’t mind reusing some content but that is just excessive.

So.. I’m taking a break in Genshin Impact and I don’t know when I will return full time. Maybe October when 6.0 comes out? But if they go back to very little battle content, I may just unsubscribe for an extended period and use that money on another game.

[Jeeqbit]

Content does not require you to play 24/7 but gives you the option to. You have the option to collect all mounts, relic weapons, minions, TT cards and orchestrion rolls, or just do the new quests once and logout for a month. I think there is still plenty of 24/7 content if you try to collect everything.

[Vahlnir]

Content does not require you to play 24/7 but gives you the option to. You have the option to collect all mounts, relic weapons, minions, TT cards and orchestrion rolls, or just do the new quests once and logout for a month. I think there is still plenty of 24/7 content if you try to collect everything.

If your goal is to 100% the game then sure. An MMO usually tries to appease a few different audiences, so not everyone is going to want to get literally everything there is to get in the game. Certain things don't appeal to me, or appeal to me enough to make me want to do them, so I don't do them.