Why does everyone complain about STORY based MMO's?

[aveyond-dreams]

That's why there's a literal deluge of side-quests, roulettes, and other content as well. FFXIV has never been about racing through the MSQ to get to "endgame" - the journey itself is intended as the core experience. Mix up the MSQ with other things if you want more combat in the process. There's options for you. But the story approach is a core of what makes FFXIV the game it is. Changing that would alienate far more people.

Make a better story experience then. Instanced battles in the story already have an easy mode option so I don’t see what’s the big deal about including more of them.

[TaleraRistain]

Make a better story experience then. Instanced battles in the story already have an easy mode option so I don’t see what’s the big deal about including more of them.

I don't have as many issues with the story in general, but I would also welcome more solo instances. It's a place they can really do unique things, like the puzzle instance in ShB.

[DiaDeem]

Who even is "everyone"?

[Amenara]

When so many seems to hate the main story of FFXIV, would it be lot better if the main story gets removed entirely in 7.0?

I mean, I think the option for new players should let them start in 6.1 or w/e with a free story skip/level boost with the purchase of the new expansion in 7.0.

[Theodric]

When so many seems to hate the main story of FFXIV, would it be lot better if the main story gets removed entirely in 7.0?

No, removing the MSQ's isn't necessary - and isn't what many of us would like to see happen. I do think the approach TESO takes would be beneficial moving forward, though. Where each new expansion is basically self contained, scales to the player character and can be explored in whatever order they so choose.

[Theodric]

Sorry but i don't know what TESO means when i'm really bad with abbreviations but scailing players level in any content would be really good idea when with that i can do any content without leveling up jobs.

No worries! TESO = The Elder Scrolls Online.

[Amenara]

Isn't this pretty much just the same thing then removing main story until 7.0 when i'm pretty sure almost every player who uses free main story skip and level skip, won't do any older main story quests.

It effectively is, but still gives you the option to do the old MSQ content if you so desire. It also lets people who just want to hop into current content to play do so.

[TaleraRistain]

No, removing the MSQ's isn't necessary - and isn't what many of us would like to see happen. I do think the approach TESO takes would be beneficial moving forward, though. Where each new expansion is basically self contained, scales to the player character and can be explored in whatever order they so choose.

The problem with that design in ESO and most other MMOs before and after it are that there's no inter-connected story so it's very easy for the world to feel disjointed. One story can't reference events from another, because they can't guarantee that you did that part yet. It's like when XIV doesn't make things part of the MSQ so it can't comment on events in the MSQ unless it's special dialogue, but they've stopped doing that as much. It also contributes to the idea that elsewhere in the world doesn't exist and isn't important.

In regards to another comment about XIV being a glorified visual novel, I have to ask what you think is missing?

When playing a JRPG, you go somewhere and talk to an NPC to get some information on opening a temple and that NPC sends you on a quest to go get the Golden MacGuffin from a dungeon before they will tell you what you need to know. So you go through the dungeon and have eleventy million random battles and then a boss fight and you get the Golden MacGuffin then you go back to the NPC. And that NPC says go talk to this other NPC but oh that's on the other side of the world so you'll have to go through the tunnel and its eleventy million random battles and maybe a boss fight and then through the forest and eleventy million random battles and then you go do a fetch quest so you can use a canoe to get across the lake with its eleventy million random battles to the place where the other NPC is. Then they give you half the information and say another NPC in the original town has the rest. So you go all the way back to the original town across the lake and its eleventy million random battles, through the forest and its eleventy million random battles, through the tunnel and its eleventy million random battles and maybe a new boss and then you get to the new NPC who says they'll tell you how to open the temple but you have to go find them materials to bake a cake first oh and you'll also need the Golden MacGuffin or the temple guardians will destroy you.

But when you strip out the eleventy million random battles and grinding for levels, any JPRG is just a succession of cutscenes, fetch quests, and go here and there and back again. And that's exactly the same as what we do in XIV. If anything, XIV streamlines the process because you don't have eleventy million random battles and you don't have to grind for levels to continue the story. But all the other elements are general issue JRPG elements.