The story is great, but it blatantly gets in the way of the rest of the game

[MagicalChase]

It doesn't help when the quests are mostly go talk to x, walk with y, follow z. EW was the first expansion as well where I skipped every cutscene in an entire zone, because how can prepping supplies for people to go to the moon be interesting. At least the other expansions had more frequent interesting duties involved in questing.

You lucked out that section was literal torture. Hell on earth. The area had a 30 second sound loop that didnt match with what was going on in the story. The map was almost designed to hide NPCs in the orange circle. There were even false NPCs you could select. I don't believe EW was playtested because aint no way any playtester played that and went "yeah this is fun."

[TaleraRistain]

The only way in which the game's design "encourages" people to see the story as the most important part of the experience is by making it mandatory to complete to access a lot of the other content.

In all honesty, if the story didn't exist the game would probably be fine. There is a rock solid MMORPG with heaps of content to be played, and MMORPGs were popular long before anyone put stories in them. I personally don't really care for stories in MMORPGs because I'm a roleplayer. I don't get all that much out of the game building up my character as the chosen one for hundreds of hours when I can't actually ever reference those experiences in RP. All characters go through the exact same story so it doesn't make any sense to claim those experiences as uniquely yours while in character.

So, from the perspective of someone who is really into crafting their own narrative and participating in bringing the world to life, having one linear story for every character in the game is actually a significant step down from having a system that chronicles a unique path through life for your character.

I don't mind if people like the story, but the idea that the story somehow makes this game is in my opinion simply not true. There is likely a strong bias in the community to really love the story because if you don't like the story the game drives you away with its insistence that you play the story anyways. The issue is that there is simply no need for that. The people who love the story wouldn't somehow miss out on anything if the people who don't love the story weren't forced to sit through it.

I think the story is OK and I want to see it play out, but it isn't my main reason to play. The story only dominates the play experience of FF14 because it insists on itself to the point where you have to literally pay money to not play it. I don't think that does this game any favors.

The other part of the design you're missing that runs counter to the idea of unique paths is that this is an MMO version of a JRPG. JRPGs are going to have the different players follow the same story. Story is what you are there for in a JRPG. That's what this game is at its heart, with some MMO trimmings.

You don't have to love the story. They provide a means for those who don't. But the devs really didn't want to put that in so it's very unlikely they're ever going to make it free to just skip past the story they carefully put together.

[MagicalChase]

I personally don't really care for stories in MMORPGs because I'm a roleplayer. I don't get all that much out of the game building up my character as the chosen one for hundreds of hours when I can't actually ever reference those experiences in RP. All characters go through the exact same story so it doesn't make any sense to claim those experiences as uniquely yours while in character.

So, from the perspective of someone who is really into crafting their own narrative and participating in bringing the world to life, having one linear story for every character in the game is actually a significant step down from having a system that chronicles a unique path through life for your character.

Dude I was in an RP where one of the people insisted on them being the WoL. I was joining into the group late so I didn't have a say in it. And during shadowbringers it was so stupid beyond all reason. It also was insanely dismissive to everyone else because they were the special and we weren't basically.

[Mirhd]

You should see my SNES and PS1 JRPG collection if you want to feel old.

If Legend of Dragoon and Terranigma aren't in there we can't be friends. /s

The only way in which the game's design "encourages" people to see the story as the most important part of the experience is by making it mandatory to complete to access a lot of the other content.

In all honesty, if the story didn't exist the game would probably be fine. There is a rock solid MMORPG with heaps of content to be played, and MMORPGs were popular long before anyone put stories in them. I personally don't really care for stories in MMORPGs because I'm a roleplayer. I don't get all that much out of the game building up my character as the chosen one for hundreds of hours when I can't actually ever reference those experiences in RP. All characters go through the exact same story so it doesn't make any sense to claim those experiences as uniquely yours while in character.

So, from the perspective of someone who is really into crafting their own narrative and participating in bringing the world to life, having one linear story for every character in the game is actually a significant step down from having a system that chronicles a unique path through life for your character.

I don't mind if people like the story, but the idea that the story somehow makes this game is in my opinion simply not true. There is likely a strong bias in the community to really love the story because if you don't like the story the game drives you away with its insistence that you play the story anyways. The issue is that there is simply no need for that. The people who love the story wouldn't somehow miss out on anything if the people who don't love the story weren't forced to sit through it.

I think the story is OK and I want to see it play out, but it isn't my main reason to play. The story only dominates the play experience of FF14 because it insists on itself to the point where you have to literally pay money to not play it. I don't think that does this game any favors.

If you find other things about the game that you enjoy that's fine; lit no one is saying otherwise. However, saying this game would be "fine" if the story were ripped out would be factually inaccurate - the game was built around the story, not the other way around. The primary reason it has endured is the story. Again, if that were not the case, the devs would focus on it less, not enable easier access to completing it via expansion of the trust system (duty support). They know there is a not insignificant number of people who want to experience it at their own pace without having to spend time in a queue. Going into this particular game as if the story is an obstacle to overcome is approaching it with the wrong mindset. It's better to think of this as JRPG first and an MMO second, not the other way around.

Also, I'd argue that being an rper has nothing to do with it as the game has a sizable rp community as is, and they seem just fine with doing their own thing while enjoying the story. I know you really don't want to hear this, but it seems this just isn't a great fit for what you're looking for. That's fine, and there comes a time when we just have to accept that not everything will appeal to us. If something just doesn't jive with me, I leave it behind. Paying for a story skip is also an option.

[YukikoKurosawa]

Have you considered playing a different game, perhaps one better tailored for your sensibilities and interests rather than attempt for force a different kind of game to fundamentally change to cater solely to you?

[Faafetai]

Have you considered playing a different game, perhaps one better tailored for your sensibilities and interests rather than attempt for force a different kind of game to fundamentally change to cater solely to you?

It is like this with every mmo, so people playing an mmo are use to the grind. Most mmo's have stories, but you can explore the world to unlock them naturally instead of them being shoved down your throat. I love the story, but being forced to do it just feels disrespectful to the story. It as if the devs think people would not enjoy it unless they were forced to do it, which is completely wrong. You don't need to force a story on someone for them to enjoy it, it just makes people have more contempt for when the story is literally wasting your time with filler especially in ARR. You can tell when things would be important later like haukke manor, but it did not need to be the main story but tied to actually picking up just the dungeon quest as a enclosed story. They even had cool horror moments, but it felt extremely rushed even in before the cutdown version. Why was this through the main story and not a side story for the dungeon and allow for it to have more time spent on it with better quality? Telling people to go play something else because they can see a better pacing for the story and offer constructive critism or an opinion does not mean they want to play something else. Everyone can already do that. I know why people say this and it is just a low brow jab at others. At least be creative with an insult to the op besides go play something else and just buy a skip potion lol xD

No one is asking for the game to cater to them. They enjoy the game and the story but everyone cherry picks literally one critic in a post and jump to the standard same posts instead of reading the entire thing.

[Mirhd]

snip because character limit

Creating an overarching narrative for players to experience in your story based game is in no way "disrespectful to the story." You honestly lost me, here. People seem to ignore all the times seemingly "trivial" elements are brought up again in later story beats, with various levels of importance. Haukke Manor was yet another piece in the trail leading to the Ascians and their meddling, the people that were major players from 2.0 all the way to EW. At that point in time you couldn't just have it be a side quest as it was yet another important link in the story.

Further, saying no one is asking the game to cater to them is dishonest and ignoring what's been posted. OP, and others in the past, have straight up stated that the story should be made irrelevant (non-mandatory) because they want to get to the "real game"... whatever they think that may be, when the bulk of the game is the story. It's a theme park MMO yes, so there's lots of other things to do, but the story is such a fundamental aspect of it that if you striped it from it completely it would become something else entirely and wouldn't have nearly the same pull... nor would it have grown as much as it has, regardless of what certain people tell themselves.

Numerous posts have been made by various users over various threads carefully stating as to why this just wouldn't work, yet they're constantly treated in a dismissive manner by people like the OP or yourself as "being rude" "mean" etc., when all they are saying is lit "not everything will appeal to everyone, and that's fine. If what you enjoy doesn't outweigh what you dislike, it's time to move on rather than think the game should be changed to cater to you." There is nothing "rude", "mean", etc., about that. Granted some could phrase it better, but good grief...

[MiaShino]

snip

Would you please if do not mind outline how the sequence of quests before Haukke in Fallgourd Float involving the four characters moping at a table enhance the overall plot about Ascian meddling?

Further at which stage of the elemental crystal attunement arc before Garuda were you most entertained?

For others who wish to engage and have memories most sharp. Favorite story moments during post ARR? For those specific moments which elements of the journey most peeked intrigue?

Feel free to weigh in on which quests before Sirensong Sea hooked you into Stormblood's story.

Mah. Now fricken finally for those reeeeing about playing another game, get this through your thick skulls. Some of us disliked certain parts of the story but enjoyed greater narrative. Others find the gameplay compelling enough to continue playing despite road blocks. Had much much more detailed post and cannot even find the energy to finish typing it. Welcoming community my posterior.

[DPZ2]

I think the story is OK and I want to see it play out, but it isn't my main reason to play. The story only dominates the play experience of FF14 because it insists on itself to the point where you have to literally pay money to not play it. I don't think that does this game any favors.

Alas, you are under the impression that this is a game where story should be optional, while the producers of this game consider it essential. You can never be satisfied, since the primary objective, the reason this game exists in the first place, is to tell that story, using the trappings of an MMORPG.

If you cannot reconcile that with yourself, you're going to be playing the wrong game and disliking it.

[Jeeqbit]

Yes, the story gating access to the latest content is a known problem. Because it is a continuous story, you now have to get through ARR, 4 expansions and all of their patches to get to the current content. That's ignoring all of the blue sidequests which contain desirable stories that relate to the main story and eventually become a direct part of it.

It looks like there might be a plan to allow people to start from 6.1 or later when the next expansion releases, but it won't be starting with new characters and it won't pretend that the previous expansions didn't happen. What I think they are doing is making it so that 6.1 is good enough to introduce you to the characters we already know in the event you skip to it, but it's going to spoil the previous story so it's still desirable to start from ARR if you care about the story enough.

You can get a story skip to the start of 6.0 and then replay the previous content with New Game+, but you will come across spoilers while doing the higher level content.

The story gating does make it daunting to get to the end of the game, but it's a story-driven game and the story makes the rest of the content in the game better. If you fight a dragon then it's just a dragon, but if you have done the story then it's not just a dragon, it's a lot more exciting with the context of the story.