Quote Originally Posted by Lauront View Post
I don't disagree really, but the issue you run into IMO is that MMOs which place such a focus require the linearity in order to be able to maintain it, due to the increased work load (as well as issues about which outcome is canon or not as the world moves forward) it entails. Faction-based MMOs (WoW, SWTOR, WAR etc.) tend to be a bit different because you're then tweaking the story a bit for each faction, and I don't think it's an accident that these tend to be the MMOs I enjoy most story-wise. If an MMO could devote the resources to both a story focus and a reasonable degree of non-linearity I'd agree with your point but I think it's difficult to disentangle them in practice.
FFXIV's focusing on the player character for the narrative is actually a spin that I have appreciated more and more, especially with Shadowbringers. It's a nice twist on most MMOs I've played where you're just there and the most you do is run around letting the important characters get together. I think FFXIV's take on it is more influenced by the fact that it's a JRPG than anything else. JRPGs have fewer RPG elements, and less character creation control, if they even have any at all and your character isn't already established with their own appearance and even name and personality. The stories are much more linear and their worlds are less open. Though an MMO, I think a lot of that carries over into the bones of FFXIV since it sits atop a mountain of previous FF and DQ games that the developers and company have made.

FFXIV took a lot of inspiration from WoW and GW2, but abandoned the factions and instead have a storyline about the previous factions uniting together. FFXI does sort of the same thing as the factional storylines converge into the MSQ. This is despite the fact that Yoshi-P was a WoW player, and FFXIV already had existing factions that fought each other, so it seems like that's the direction he wants to take. Being the head of the division that would be making any future FF MMO, we're stuck with him and his ideas so that might be what a future FF MMO would look like if there even is ever another one.

From all your posts in other threads complaining about the narrative and lack of choices, it seems like JRPGs just aren't the genre for you and you might be better suited playing Western RPGs and MMOs.