Just want to walk around

[Adeacia]

If I started the game today, having never played it before, I'd love how much story there is to do. I actually got mad when the story ran out on me for the first time. I just wanted to keep going. Of course I'd think that being that I joined the game FOR the story, as that's why I play RPGs. Even as an MMO, it's a Final Fantasy game, and story has always been the focus after all.

[EtherialOne]

I'll just note in closing that you really shouldn't naturally feel guilt for not liking something "everyone else" does. If you are feeling genuinely "crushed" then you need to really examine what's going on here. Possibly if you are having a properly difficult time accepting that you just don't like this game, a friend or family member could help you with the pain. You come off as genuinely upset and feeling tangible loss because you don't care (or think you will care) for this game.

I've been wondering why I've had a pretty extremely disproportional emotional response to a game too. After all, it's just a silly game like any other. And I don't normally get more than mildly annoyed at games. But this one has thrown me for a real emotional loop. And I think I finally figured out why last night. I'm not going to say a whole lot about it except to say that I did read quite a few spoilers. And there are things in the MSQ ahead that have happened to me in my real life right down to the point where some parts of it are basically verbatim. I think it's hitting way too close to home. And basically what I'm doing is the "flight" part of a "fight or flight" reflex.

Having realized this, I do actually feel a lot better. Maybe I'll even make it back to the game at some point. And I'll try to keep an open mind about actually doing the MSQ at some point if I do. But it may be a "never do" for me because some things should be handled in therapy (and, in my case, have been handled there and continue to be handled there), but not relived in MMORPGs. If I'm going to play a game, the purpose is to have fun. Better to focus on the fun parts and not retraumatize oneself.

With that, I'm going to not say anything more in this thread. But I will acknowledge again that FFXIV does have one of the best player bases I've ever seen in an MMORPG. I wouldn't have dared to say as much as I have in an open forum on any other game. And when/if I do make it back, that's going to be a big part of why and of what I'll focus on instead of the MSQ. Thank you all.

[MilkieTea]

I've been wondering why I've had a pretty extremely disproportional emotional response to a game too. After all, it's just a silly game like any other. And I don't normally get more than mildly annoyed at games. But this one has thrown me for a real emotional loop. And I think I finally figured out why last night. I'm not going to say a whole lot about it except to say that I did read quite a few spoilers. And there are things in the MSQ ahead that have happened to me in my real life right down to the point where some parts of it are basically verbatim. I think it's hitting way too close to home. And basically what I'm doing is the "flight" part of a "fight or flight" reflex.

Having realized this, I do actually feel a lot better. Maybe I'll even make it back to the game at some point. And I'll try to keep an open mind about actually doing the MSQ at some point if I do. But it may be a "never do" for me because some things should be handled in therapy (and, in my case, have been handled there and continue to be handled there), but not relived in MMORPGs. If I'm going to play a game, the purpose is to have fun. Better to focus on the fun parts and not retraumatize oneself.

With that, I'm going to not say anything more in this thread. But I will acknowledge again that FFXIV does have one of the best player bases I've ever seen in an MMORPG. I wouldn't have dared to say as much as I have in an open forum on any other game. And when/if I do make it back, that's going to be a big part of why and of what I'll focus on instead of the MSQ. Thank you all.

We look forward to your possible return, Warrior of Light.

[Striker44]

I feel like there was also a clash here between the expectations of the OP and the expectations of the genre. The OP seems to be looking for an open-world sandbox style of game. I think of something like Minecraft where you can jump right in, go anywhere you want, and just freely explore or do things with other people on the server as you please.

FFXIV, on the other hand, is an MMORPG. Yes, it contains those open-world and social interaction elements of an MMO, but it's also just as much an RPG at its heart (many even refer to it as an RPGMMO given how core the RPG part is). And I'm very hard-pressed to think of any RPG where you can just boot it up, make a new character, and have complete freedom to explore the entire world right from the start. That's just not how RPG's work. You usually start with a very limited portion of the world available to you, and then as you progress further through the story, more and more of that world opens up. There are sometimes towns underwater, entire villages and caves to explore on islands...but you can't get them to until you gain access to a boat, airship, etc..

So if the OP at some point down the road decides to give FFXIV another look, I'd highly encourage you to take into account that it's an MMORPG. You will eventually have a ton of freedom to explore and create social opportunities of your own, but there's also a story at the core of the game, and like any other RPG, playing through that story is what ultimately opens up the world.