The MSQ defeated me

[Knot_D]

You can tell a good story without turning it into a movie. XIV has spectacularly failed at that.

I love how you assumed it's failed because of turning into movie, while that's my only reason I still subbed to this game...

Also I wonder what's that other good game that's telling good story without turning it into a movie? Because EW already beats other game's story IMO.

[Theodric]

If a game doesn't have a lot of combat it usually compromises by allowing for dialogue options to change the outcome of quests...which isn't something that FFXIV sees fit to do because - conveniently - it both wants to be a single player game more often than not but also force specific outcomes at every possible turn. Even in terms of looking at other MMO's, however, many of them manage to balance opportunities for combat even as they tell a story.

I guess a lot of people really do want this game to be little more than a visual novel, though.

[Darthgummibear]

If a game doesn't have a lot of combat it usually compromises by allowing for dialogue options to change the outcome of quests...which isn't something that FFXIV sees fit to do because - conveniently - it both wants to be a single player game more often than not but also force specific outcomes at every possible turn. Even in terms of looking at other MMO's, however, many of them manage to balance opportunities for combat even as they tell a story.

I guess a lot of people really do want this game to be little more than a visual novel, though.

While I do really like the story it feels like this expansion overall was kind of half-baked. It looks like they cut an entire expansion and tried to cram the story together with what we have resulting in a relatively shallow mess going in too many directions at once. We are now at what is arguably the height of the game's population with all the new players, and they are obviously making more money now so if this continues going forward it won't end well.

[Espon]

If you don't like the story but enjoy the gameplay then use the Esc key.

[Snowdove]

If you don't like the story but enjoy the gameplay then use the Esc key.

I didn't say I didn't like the story. In fact, I specifically said I DID like the story.


What I don't like is a metric ton of story between seven seconds of gameplay.

[VirusOnline]

Recently got back into WoW and I gotta say, XIV could learn a few tricks in dealing with the MSQ.
I sadly prefer the story system developed in BoA and Shadowlands. It brings you up to speed and tells the story in real time rather than cutscene after cutscene after cutscene. There's quite a lot of choice and control over how to level and what story one chooses to experience.
XIV on the other hand ... sheesh ... I've almost considered investing in a PS5 just to watch cutscenes if I dare level another character xD

[LisSquid]

Recently got back into WoW and I gotta say, XIV could learn a few tricks in dealing with the MSQ.
I sadly prefer the story system developed in BoA and Shadowlands. It brings you up to speed and tells the story in real time rather than cutscene after cutscene after cutscene. There's quite a lot of choice and control over how to level and what story one chooses to experience.
XIV on the other hand ... sheesh ... I've almost considered investing in a PS5 just to watch cutscenes if I dare level another character xD

Got to talking with some people about how both have their ups and downs. I sort of wish the MSQ was its own campaign you can do at your own pace and it wasn't locked to content. You can make arguments up and down about how there's not enough active gameplay in 14, or that having big boss fights in sequence make the story..

However nothing dumps a bucket of cold water than having to wait 30min to an hour to do your trial because you didn't complete the MSQ the week it came out.

Edit to add a thought:
This is why I binge the patch content on 14. Not because I'm scared of spoilers, but I'm scared my enjoyment of the story is going to be weighed down because I no longer enjoy tank and healer ques.

[LaylaTsarra]

However nothing dumps a bucket of cold water than having to wait 30min to an hour to do your trial because you didn't complete the MSQ the week it came out.

I think they will address this with Trusts for story based trials which are 8 person. I agree some Main Story trials take forever to queue.

[YukikoKurosawa]

Recently got back into WoW and I gotta say, XIV could learn a few tricks in dealing with the MSQ.
I sadly prefer the story system developed in BoA and Shadowlands. It brings you up to speed and tells the story in real time rather than cutscene after cutscene after cutscene. There's quite a lot of choice and control over how to level and what story one chooses to experience.
XIV on the other hand ... sheesh ... I've almost considered investing in a PS5 just to watch cutscenes if I dare level another character xD

Now lets not use WoW as a good example for anything, least of all storytelling. WoW doesn't tell you a story at all, it just has you skip 90% of it to get to the latest expansio and basically gives you next to no context for what is even happening, relegating much of the actual plot into external media. That is probably the absolute worst way of telling a story. XIV just needs to learn to interweve story and gameplay better, or just keep the same amount of cutscenes but insert more gameplay segments into the MSQ.

[VirusOnline]

Now lets not use WoW as a good example for anything, least of all storytelling. WoW doesn't tell you a story at all, it just has you skip 90% of it to get to the latest expansio and basically gives you next to no context for what is even happening, relegating much of the actual plot into external media. That is probably the absolute worst way of telling a story. XIV just needs to learn to interweve story and gameplay better, or just keep the same amount of cutscenes but insert more gameplay segments into the MSQ.

I'm talking about the entirety of XIVs MSQ from start to end.
I loved ShB story but the cutscenes and copious dialogues are a drag.

From ShB to EW, innovation took a deep dive into wtf land.

At some point we need an MSQ TLDR and allow new characters to play/start at the expansion before the current.

WoW doesn't force that on you.
I should clarify that I meant zone quests in terms of storytelling.
IE Kul'Tiras storyline is quite enjoyable and you can level in that entire story plotline from 10-50 and start the most current expansion at 49 and be able to experience all plotlines in each of the new zones.

Neither side is perfect, but there is one I personally prefer.