Retainer Level?

[Rylock]

I would rather the retainer be used to do something unique, rather than just do what players can do, but crappier. Maybe be able to send them out, and they will occasionally come back with a rare doodad to be used in a synth, or some consumable with a unique effect, or a pretty rock you can put on a table in your new house. Someone was talking about letting them take care of your chocobo, or have them take care of your house, or go fight in the Colosseum for amusement and advertising purposes (big logo on the back for cheap darksteel! best prices in town!). Something players cant do on their own.

If they go out and come back with 10 iron ore, the crafter will be disappointed because its not enough to be worthwhile, and they will still have to buy more, the gatherer will be disappointed because they could have just gone and gotten way more on their own, and the fighter wont care and will just sell them anyway.

[Celia]

I'd rather not have retainers getting involved in activities like gathering and crafting. I played Star Wars: The Old Republic while it was beta and again briefly after it was released via a trial version.

In that game you had companions who could obtain crew skills which could be used to gather and craft items, I was constantly sending these companions out to just get junk for me to sell, and the crafting and gathering of the game were really cheapened by the lack of any hands on approach that we have in FFXIV. I liked crafting and gathering in 1.0, and I loved it even more in ARR's alpha.

[Zenaku]

I'd rather not have retainers getting involved in activities like gathering and crafting. I played Star Wars: The Old Republic while it was beta and again briefly after it was released via a trial version.

In that game you had companions who could obtain crew skills which could be used to gather and craft items, I was constantly sending these companions out to just get junk for me to sell, and the crafting and gathering of the game were really cheapened by the lack of any hands on approach that we have in FFXIV. I liked crafting and gathering in 1.0, and I loved it even more in ARR's alpha.

SE is not dumb they would fix any issue i don't know why people so worry. SE is known to release something and it just not as good as you think it was. This Retainer system to get item i bet they just gather junk for the most part and very few good item. It be good for casual players to have small gil to get by but for rest of the player base they be doing the work themself and using the retainer to make junk cash to have when needed.

[Celia]

SE is not dumb they would fix any issue i don't know why people so worry. SE is known to release something and it just not as good as you think it was. This Retainer system to get item i bet they just gather junk for the most part and very few good item. It be good for casual players to have small gil to get by but for rest of the player base they be doing the work themself and using the retainer to make junk cash to have when needed.

I'm sure it depends on how well they gather, but when we're simply told "gathering" it leaves a lot of guess work and a lot up to the imagination in terms of how useful, good, or bad it will be. Better to discuss the way we feel it shouldn't work so that the developers get that feedback than to wait until they've put a lot of very hard work into an aspect of retainers that ends up being disagreeable because there wasn't any cautionary examples for the developers to be wary of.

[Zenaku]

I'm sure it depends on how well they gather, but when we're simply told "gathering" it leaves a lot of guess work and a lot up to the imagination in terms of how useful, good, or bad it will be. Better to discuss the way we feel it shouldn't work so that the developers get that feedback than to wait until they've put a lot of very hard work into an aspect of retainers that ends up being disagreeable because there wasn't any cautionary examples for the developers to be wary of.

will remember we can pick what we want to gather i have a feeling the NPC would just pick at random. So one night you could end up with nice item and then for 2 weeks it's just feathers and junk.

[Celia]

will remember we can pick what we want to gather i have a feeling the NPC would just pick at random. So one night you could end up with nice item and then for 2 weeks it's just feathers and junk.

Sounds like scratchy card lotteries, first Gold Saucer and now that, I think Yoshi-P is trying to turn us into gamblers.

[HiirNoivl]

I take exception to your assertion that just because people botted in 1.0 it's ok to do it. I made a great deal of gil in 1.0 by gathering things myself and yes I had to contend with botters

It was my hope that they would crack down on bots not give everyone license to use them.

They should make retainers do something else besides bot gather.

[Andrien]

its better than just having a retainer stand idle all week in a market with an over priced water crystal for 9999999 gil.

I'm looking forward to see how this works. Also I'd rather SE change all retainers into moogles.

[Mihana]

I think people are going overboard here. This is what my guess is they have in store for it:

A retainer can be sent to a certain area within a level range. As their level goes up they can gather in more higher places. For example, let's say they have 5 levels: Lv. 1 lets then gather from spawn points in level 1-10 areas, Lv. 2 is 11-20 areas, Lv. 3 is 21-30, and so forth up to Lv. 5. You can choose a few items you want them to specifically look for and as their level increases so does their chances of successfully finding that item. They'll pick up random junk along the way as well of course. Now the catch of this is while a retainer is out gathering their storage is inaccessible to the player and they cannot run a bazaar. The more dangerous/difficult the area you send them the longer they'll be away.

So overall it really evens out, you can have your retainer gather items for you but while they're off doing this you lose the rest of their functions. It's either set up shop and have access to your storage, or send them off foraging. Full/Part time gatherers will still have a job because after all, people will probably only send one retainer out at a time to gather and it's unlikely they'll come up with a big haul anyway. This might just be for potential areas where you've got nothing to sell and might want or need a specific item but nobody's selling it. Send your retainer off to go fetch it for you.

[Zenaku]

I think people are going overboard here. This is what my guess is they have in store for it:

A retainer can be sent to a certain area within a level range. As their level goes up they can gather in more higher places. For example, let's say they have 5 levels: Lv. 1 lets then gather from spawn points in level 1-10 areas, Lv. 2 is 11-20 areas, Lv. 3 is 21-30, and so forth up to Lv. 5. You can choose a few items you want them to specifically look for and as their level increases so does their chances of successfully finding that item. They'll pick up random junk along the way as well of course. Now the catch of this is while a retainer is out gathering their storage is inaccessible to the player and they cannot run a bazaar. The more dangerous/difficult the area you send them the longer they'll be away.

So overall it really evens out, you can have your retainer gather items for you but while they're off doing this you lose the rest of their functions. It's either set up shop and have access to your storage, or send them off foraging. Full/Part time gatherers will still have a job because after all, people will probably only send one retainer out at a time to gather and it's unlikely they'll come up with a big haul anyway. This might just be for potential areas where you've got nothing to sell and might want or need a specific item but nobody's selling it. Send your retainer off to go fetch it for you.

yep i forgot the part they be useless to they come back lol. So if you send both out to get item you can't sell anything for hours/days. Which end up even out so your right also i don't think you can pick the item i think they may just be random stuff that be more fair and they wont get much HQ.