The MSQ defeated me

[Atelier-Bagur]

I disagree. There's by far more combat in the average JRPG than what FFXIV has on offer. In the most recent patch the only mandatory combat takes place in the dungeon itself. Whereas if I fire up, say, the FFVII remake there's a much healthier balance of combat and story to be found.

You're comparing full blown single player games to an MMO though. Granted we joke around the fact that FFXIV is a single player game especially with its msq but the fact is that due to development resources having to go all sorts of avenues this game tries very hard to handcraft the experience akin to single player FF game but despite its efforts it cant do so without fully sacrificing the MMO aspect. This is why we have quests that just involved talking to npcs because it has to adhere to the game design of an MMO and thats really not that fun. It does have its strentghs as an MMO story you have more means of side content to do in-between breaks in the story.

But yeah its still tricky business. I'm saying this as an avid old school FF veteran, the presentation for the single player experience is an admirable attempt...but it cant ever fully embrace it like the older titles that manage to do it much better. And thats not on FFXIV's fault, its just how it is for an MMO game.

[StriderShinryu]

I disagree. There's by far more combat in the average JRPG than what FFXIV has on offer. In the most recent patch the only mandatory combat takes place in the dungeon itself. Whereas if I fire up, say, the FFVII remake there's a much healthier balance of combat and story to be found.

That's a pretty poor comparison though since FF7R is more of an action game than anything else in the typical FF mainline. It's like saying you do less platforming in Super Mario RPG than you do in other Super Mario games. Of course you do, they're platformers and SMRPG is an RPG.

"But what about old school FF games then? There's lots of combat in those!"
Sure, but how much of that combat is really meaningful? How much of it is just random encounter bloat of the same 3 enemies in each zone thrown at you repeatedly to just pad out time and feed you XP? Or take a game like Crono Trigger where you can literally avoid almost every single encounter in the game perfectly legitimately and just fight the bosses. Most people put CT near the top of their best RPGs of all time lists and yet it had almost no actual forced combat in it.

I can understand liking games with more combat (or liking combat enough to prefer games that let you do more of it), but the idea that you need a ton of combat encounters to have an RPG, even an "old school" one is just silly.

[TaleraRistain]

I disagree. There's by far more combat in the average JRPG than what FFXIV has on offer.

JRPGs require a *lot* of grinding because they're not a genre that is designed so you can progress through just something like a main story. XIV is vastly different there because you can progress without the sort of excessive grinding needed in JRPGs. So more combat doesn't necessarily mean more combat of substance.

[Krithas]

JRPGs require a *lot* of grinding because they're not a genre that is designed so you can progress through just something like a main story. XIV is vastly different there because you can progress without the sort of excessive grinding needed in JRPGs. So more combat doesn't necessarily mean more combat of substance.

If you have to grind in a RPG, you're just bad at the game. Never run from a fight from the current area, and actually explore the dungeon/area before going where you need to go and you'll be at a suitable level. I've been playing RPGs since I was a kid, the only time I felt I had to grind some was the original Dragon Quest.

[Jirah]

MSQ is whatever, some solo instances really improved in SHB/EW but besides that what else is there for gameplay? Going to the place and talking to the thing?

Yea dungeons but they are notoriously undertuned, trials? Same thing but not to a harsher standard, beyond that what else is there? The fan base needs to ask the big questions

[Driavna]

Balance between gameplay and just watching something without doing nothing it's an issue with FFXVI, in particular when you want to unlock something and you are not in the mood to dealt with long cinematics but still want to enjoy the MSQ.

Once you finish the main MSQ of each expansion it gets a little bit better since a a good junk of side content opens.

[Caurcas]

Yeah the story isn't that good to be that long. Also is far too passive from a gameplay stand point.

[Denji]

It's a final fantasy game.

Y'know. The thing that used to come on 4 discs.

I'm here for exactly this.

[Atelier-Bagur]

It's a final fantasy game.

Y'know. The thing that used to come on 4 discs.

I'm here for exactly this.

man I miss those ps1 days where they paced out major arcs within a story based on discs. FFIX did this masterfully always leaving a big cliffhanger between every disc.

[Shibi]

I just take it slow, lots to do apart from the MSQ.

The hardest trick... avoiding spoilers.