Are MMOs and storytelling incompatible?

[Fhaerron]

Am I the only one that liked 2.x better?
Heavensward was also really great but since SB the game has been going downhill for me.

One could say that the story was better with ShB/EW but personally thanks to keep dumbing down the jobs and gameplay I've had more fun during ARR & HW.

[Kyrj]

Idk, but if we get another expac where it's 10 seconds of combat or actual gameplay followed by 20 minutes of cutscenes for every single quest, I'm going to punt Tataru into the sun.

Knock it off with that shit SE.

[Xirean]

Idk, but if we get another expac where it's 10 seconds of combat or actual gameplay followed by 20 minutes of cutscenes for every single quest, I'm going to punt Tataru into the sun.

Knock it off with that shit SE.

That's kinda what FF games do a lot.

[CrownySuccubus]

Am I the only one that liked 2.x better?
Heavensward was also really great but since SB the game has been going downhill for me.

One could say that the story was better with ShB/EW but personally thanks to keep dumbing down the jobs and gameplay I've had more fun during ARR & HW.

I love Shadowbringers, but I'll flat out admit that it was almost entirely carried by Emet-Selch.

Without him, ShB would just be "That Time I Got Reincarnated on the First".

[Insertusernamehere]

IMO you cant make a unique hero character in MMORPG.. single player FF series characters have identity but it is impossible in a MMORPG because some heroes cats, some heroes lion, some of them bunny etc.. impossible to bind a personality every type of character.

Player character often praised, feared but feels like a person with no identity, it is a expected outcome in MMORPG.
Also FF does not have deep lore like elder scrolls or dragon age.. most races does not have distinct features or culture (excluding aura) and their history shrouded in mystery hinted only with a few lines..

Story it self average (characters uninteresting some of them have kid's appearance hard to take them seriously) but FFXIV good at story telling and makes average story enjoyable.
If you have played previous FF games you are probably already predicted some parts of story, story it self mix match of previous FF games.

My personal opinion Regards.

[Jojoya]

This formula is working just fine for me. I'm getting a good story, a good mix of content types, and a good mix of friends who have lesser or greater interest in those content types.

People who complain about games getting easier over time forget that they also know a lot more about how to play the game and what to expect. Someone coming in with prior MMO experience is going to have some general idea of what to look for (assuming the game is not designed in a completely different fashion) while someone new to MMOs will not and be more challenged by the content.

The best way to find challenge is to play single player games that can afford to appeal to a niche crowd since their development and operating costs are generally much less than the costs that MMOs have. MMOs are more expensive to develop, and that means they need to continue to appeal to a broader crowd.

[Kyrj]

That's kinda what FF games do a lot.

FF14 is literally 20 minutes of cutscenes to tell me to go to some purple circle and fight 2 mobs and then run back to the NPC for another 10 minutes of cutscenes. Where as just about every other FF game is cutscene followed by you running and fighting for about an hour until you reach your destination. I could get about 15-30 fights in FFX before the next cutscene takes place.

[MiaShino]

FF14 is literally 20 minutes of cutscenes to tell me to go to some purple circle and fight 2 mobs and then run back to the NPC for another 10 minutes of cutscenes. Where as just about every other FF game is cutscene followed by you running and fighting for about an hour until you reach your destination. I could get about 15-30 fights in FFX before the next cutscene takes place.

Even MGS games have hour or more of gameplay between cutscenes and they are practically movies in game form. My favorite part has to be when the npc sends you right back where you left to lick on something then look left and right.

[Ilisidi]

FFXI is quite nice in that regard. It has a base game story line (integrated into the three starting city story lines) and then each expansion has its own story line with variable requirements as to how much of the base game you have to have completed to do them.

[Lauront]

As can play in Japanese or English (I have JP voices but English text so can see the difference for translation) the English. The verbose way everyone insists on speaking tries my patience. Talk talk talk blah blah blah some characters need fifteen paragraphs to say hello. Other times (accepting jobs anyone?) you are given long winded speech about entire history of something. Show do not tell works but all some do is tell. This is different in JP where character might only say "I disagree" while spewing forth two paragraphs in English.

Can relate to this - it's how I felt today. I don't mind longer dialogues when I feel there's a point to it or it's conveying useful or interesting information, but this verbosity for the sake of it grinds my gears.