A game for 2 year olds.

[ArcaviusGreyashe]

There are probably also some people who won't be happy unless everything is childish, bright, and simple to the point of insulting our intelligence.

I've never understood why the desire to leave one extreme is always interpreted as a desire to sprint towards the other. Someone wanting the story to be competent and logical does not mean they want the story to be grimdark. (although those are not necessarily mutually exclusive, some people might genuinely want that as well) Right now, the story is definitely leaning towards one extreme, that being the extremely safe, simple, and childish side of the storytelling spectrum. A good balance between the two is the best place to be, and we need some seriousness to balance out the silliness.

Not sure about that when half the playerbase still think there are good guys and bad guys regarding the end of the Ancients, and so on. FFXIV's story is not extremely safe, simple and childish, it just doesn't appeal to some of the playerbase, that resort to using that argument instead of "I just don't like this". I'm not saying it's a masterpiece either, it's just... what you can expect from a "standard" video game. There are way poorer narratives that are praised by people, way better narratives that are despised... It's just average, and it doesn't really need to be deeper.

Except if you're talking about loporrits, which are meant to be a breather in an otherwise darker expansion that what we had until now (except for HW, which tried hard to be grim, but where writers constantly backed off after each patch because they didn't want to be too dark I guess), and beast tribes, which... always have been dumb.

Really, I do think you're all way too invested in the game, if you really think it's that big of a deal.

[BRVV]

(...) Really, I do think you're all way too invested in the game, if you really think it's that big of a deal.

1. FFXIV's story is praised by many to be one of the best ones, here you defend it as a "standard" story. Interesting how this happens when someone takes a more detailed look on the story and doesn't hand wave it
2. What poorer narratives and also What-aboutism
3. How is the story not extremly save and childish? No one of importance can ever be harmed anymore, even mass murderers (Zenos, Mommy Crystal, Meteion) get a methaporical hug and are forgiven. Killed half the universe? Here, have your favorite flower. There also wasn't anything more serious going on in EW. It's just show. What did the "Final Days" actually do? It's like a children's show telling them not to be afraid of the dark.
4. So the loporrits are a breather... from what though? Honest question. Do we get an EXPAC and then get "breather" "relax" "chill" content for 2 years?
5. We are on the forum. We all are a little too invested in the game. You too. Most players wouldn't have written that much text

[ArcaviusGreyashe]

1. FFXIV's story is praised by many to be one of the best ones, here you defend it as a "standard" story. Interesting how this happens when someone takes a more detailed look on the story and doesn't hand wave it

Yeah, and that's a concern, really, but more about what players consider a good narrative. It's pretty standard, as in "the average RPG is pretty much of the same quality".

2. What poorer narratives and also What-aboutism

Pretty much every hyped netflix show, and many RPGs (including Witcher 3 and such). I'm only mentioning it because FFXIV is not "a game for 2 year olds" but "a game for the average joe". Always have been. And that doesn't meen it couldn't be better, but why would it ? People are buying average, timid and nonsensical narratives all the time and love it. FFXIV at least tries things, and use that as an excuse to offer a little variance.

3. How is the story not extremly save and childish? No one of importance can ever be harmed anymore, even mass murderers (Zenos, Mommy Crystal, Meteion) get a methaporical hug and are forgiven. Killed half the universe? Here, have your favorite flower. There also wasn't anything more serious going on in EW. It's just show. What did the "Final Days" actually do? It's like a children's show telling them not to be afraid of the dark.

Yeah, redemption arcs do come too often, but we did have the end of the Zodi-arc and the final days, which are what they are, but are supposed to be traumatizing (even though it's... pretty much forgotten by every NPC we talk to ever since 6.1

4. So the loporrits are a breather... from what though? Honest question. Do we get an EXPAC and then get "breather" "relax" "chill" content for 2 years?

In 6.0, it was supposed to be a breather before the final days, and right now... eh, simply gonna say they want to ride on that ? They do are kinda popular. Plus, nightclubs ambiance really are what some part of the community are after, so... probably wanna ride on that too ?

5. We are on the forum. We all are a little too invested in the game. You too. Most players wouldn't have written that much text

Don't take my "being bored" as "being too invested"... If I cared about the game that much, I would be triggered by the amount of content we just got for a relic, the bugs in Orthos, and pretty much everything else. I'm just saying "eh, things could be worse", and logging in to do my daily quests that I don't even read, and hangout with friends.

Which is, in itself, an issue, and it does probably have something to do with the story, but let's not pretend it was anything better at any moment during the game, or that it's really that important at all.