MSQ

[linayar]

An auto-complete is a skip. Thank you for the insightful response.

It's a skip for your experience of the story, not a skip to the game. I'm not concerned about other player's preference in the story.

IThe position of "but it might change the story" doesn't hold water to me

Just FYI, I'm voicing my opinion in case the devs might see it, not necessarily to change someone else's opinion.

since the story changes every patch and every expansion and every time a new Main Scenario writer comes along. It'll change, anyway.

Change in the actual story is not my concern either.

That, and MSQ content is the primary driving foundation for how the team develops content in XIV, which puts it in, likely, the safest spot relative to the rest of the content involved in the game.

It is now, but not when you make it optional.

it's asinine for new players to be told that -- before they are allowed to experience the MMO part of this RPG -- they have to slog through 80+ hours of single player story content, that offers 0 value to that player, just because. This game is not in the visual novel genre. It is an MMORPG, people tend to expect to be allowed to play with their friends through the content of the game, which the MSQ actively negates. Those who want to do MSQ still can. Those who take, for example, an optional free Story Skim or Story Skip still have access to New Game+ if they decide they want to go back to see it. Functionally, one does not impact the other.

Well, I already disagree with that. The moment the players can see other players, they are already experiencing the MMO part. They can socialize with other players, they can start doing FATEs together if they want. They can start running dungeons at level 15. If they don't find value in any of it, that's on them, but I certainly did my first time playing.

I understand forcing that commitment translates into subscription time for the period of actually doing it, and translates into story skips and job boost purchases, though; I still find it weird that this playerbase will point to those as if being taken advantage of by a company that created a problem that mountainous in the first place is the Good result instead of asking for that company to do better.

Yeah, maybe they shouldn't offer any boost. After all, they can now use the MSQ as part of the free trial.

That all, and, eventually the story (if it hasn't already) will become a massive roadblock to more players who might be interested in the game due to seeing the Ultimate or Savage content. Or the Gathering and Crafting content. Or who saw the housing content, or who were excited to do things like treasure maps and hunts and so on. Which means, less new players. And while Shadowbringers did have a boom, I still feel like that surge would've been larger without all the arbitrary gates that cost an extra fee to get past if you have no interest in running amok in the ARR story line for 50+ levels spamming whatever terrible frankensteined Job Kit SE decided to give you. (And, additionally speaking -- if you were interested in, say, Astrologian you need to get to level 50+ just to get to level 30).

And, for current players, having the option to Skip the MSQ on an Alt should just be baseline.

I think seeing most of the game as a roadblock is a player issue. I certainly didn't, but SE will decide if they think it is. For now, considering they're being very conservative about changing the ARR MSQ, I'm guessing they see it the same way as I do, for now at least.