Perspective of a returning player

[Eiyaya]

let me stat that:
1. I am a returning player with collect edition from retail, played beta and the following 5 months after release or at least until free monthy ran out.

2. I am an active MMORPG player, played latest "pay" subscription games and even some free 2 play. My mmorpg experience dated back to asheron's call to latest Tera online.

My perspective so far on FFXIV as a returning player.

Game play improvement? No, at least not apparent. As most player claims leveling is indeed faster, but it still does not kill the repetitiveness of this game. You have increased level to 36 max, but running leves definitely not a vital option for players.

The quests are fine, but to me it feel like a bunch of talk quest and nothing particular innovative. Grand company is not as expect either, it feel more like "leves" with more reading involve.

The new job classes seem unique but personally i feel it just there to cover what it is lacking and cover it up not fixing it. You removed many skills, split them across and using new job class to add back these skill and give them fancy names.

UI improvement? None, it did eliminate the lag back then which i am perfectly fine with it. However UI did not improve as much as expected. Scalable and movable UI is somewhat expected for MMO these age. However, target system still give me trouble consider the target somehow end on myself time from time , When enter passive to active target seldom lock in (i am sure you can adjust these). And movement still feel sluggish at least on caster with spells AOE sometime hit sometime not hit the range or sometime overlap the area too much. Not to mention the trait UI and gear UI is too small and i really detest the fact i have to click on item, click that square space click it again to confirm.

I also found loading really long compare to before, i never had this problem before.

I hope 2.0 will fix these issues.

However, will FFXIV be popular is another issue i see. Consider Tera online's combat is really fun and active. With FFXIV's combat, it feel like i am click a repeat combo in an office working. While lack of innovative ideas and most of all a PVP system that encourage player/motivate them to keep playing.

FFXI motivate player to play because it really have a hard story line and players are encourage to level several jobs in order to complete them. FFXIV in current stage lack what FFXI had...Multiple good story line.

I do hope FFXIV dev team bring back Wing of goddesss's way to level in frontier and Valor leveling instead of leves.

I also hope to see something similar to assaults and NM challenges and especially besieged/nizle isles tower challenge.

I want to continue put faith in FFXIV, but right now, i can't get myself to play (i got a legion member ship) unless i fill my character with full rested bar. This is how i felt with current FFXIV. It is absolute no different from releases.

Maybe i am not too high level but if FFXIV cannot motivate me to level, it means it fails in its motivation even if all the goods are in endgame, because you will lose 99% of the players and keeping 1% who endured it. Just like FFXI in the beginning. Losing the general North american audience (please read some youtube comment, you would see out of 5 players claim played FFXI, 1-3 would say "i played 1 month and i quit FFXI)

[Ryans]

Your opinion might not be different from release but the game sure as hell is. Each job has a unique feel instead of a mesh of every class into one. The combat system is a lot more engaging now than when you pressed 1 until you had TP to hit 2. The market is undeniably more fluid than the original Ward system. There is actual end game to participate in that, for me, is actually fun.

Complaining about the UI and server lag is like complaining about your beat up car while you are a few months away from buying a new one. Change is coming, forming an opinion on the current structure is just a waste of time.

As for comparing the combat in ffxiv to Tera, I would quit playing if they introduced the same system. Tera was fun to play at first and then I got to point where it felt like I was playing a button combo game, like street fighter. I was mashing buttons in a certain order as fast as I could. I prefer a slower paced combat system that requires more planned thinking rather than "how fast can I hit this combination of buttons."

While ffxiv isn't fully there, it has the potential whereas games like Tera will never be able to satisfy my desires in an MMO.

[Eiyaya]

I do agree on the first paragraph, which i never mention the benefit because that is something everyone know.

However, the UI and server lag is something i never had before. the now loading takes over 5 min for me to enter the game and disappear once it is all load. If i reload it will just be quicker. How can i have server lag? consider i am running a 60 mbit cable line downloading normal bitorrent at 1-2m/sec. It is definitely something wrong with their side either they limited the bandwidth or something.

Each have their opinion on a game, tera feel like doing streetfighter while i do found FFXIV like office works.

The fight start click enter, F, click 5, wait abit, wait abite. click 4. wait abit wait abit click 3 wait abit wait abit. Click 9 (heal), wait abit wait abit. enemy dead Click F and stand until hp/mp recover.

Next fight i do the same. Go on with the same after that. Nothing changes.

Tera i would do the same, but i can move around while doing this things goes instantly without pausing. I dodge and i run.

I am not saying FFXIV should take Tera's combat system. What i am saying is FFXIV is really boring compare to FFXI. FFXI at least, i would coop with teams on weapon skills do some random stuff, shadow up but everything is FAST and instantly but to me FFXIV is more like office works. FFXI is not a single solo game like FFXIV but yet FFXIV's responses are TOO SLOW to even feel the excitement.

There is always a pause between skills, there is a pause switch target... FFXIV is slow combat even slower then wow or any MMORPG i ever faced. It is one of the biggest flaw for this game. This can be fix, make monster attack faster, make player response faster.

Potential is nothing, they could put blizzard in charge of FFXIV for all i care. I only want results, if they can't fix these little stuff, there is no future to speak of. Just like investment, any company have potential, doesn't mean they will make it to the top.

[KaplanHomahru]

I do agree on the first paragraph, which i never mention the benefit because that is something everyone know.

However, the UI and server lag is something i never had before. the now loading takes over 5 min for me to enter the game and disappear once it is all load. If i reload it will just be quicker. How can i have server lag? consider i am running a 60 mbit cable line downloading normal bitorrent at 1-2m/sec. It is definitely something wrong with their side either they limited the bandwidth or something.

Each have their opinion on a game, tera feel like doing streetfighter while i do found FFXIV like office works.

The fight start click enter, F, click 5, wait abit, wait abite. click 4. wait abit wait abit click 3 wait abit wait abit. Click 9 (heal), wait abit wait abit. enemy dead Click F and stand until hp/mp recover.

Next fight i do the same. Go on with the same after that. Nothing changes.

Tera i would do the same, but i can move around while doing this things goes instantly without pausing. I dodge and i run.

I am not saying FFXIV should take Tera's combat system. What i am saying is FFXIV is really boring compare to FFXI. FFXI at least, i would coop with teams on weapon skills do some random stuff, shadow up but everything is FAST and instantly but to me FFXIV is more like office works. FFXI is not a single solo game like FFXIV but yet FFXIV's responses are TOO SLOW to even feel the excitement.

There is always a pause between skills, there is a pause switch target... FFXIV is slow combat even slower then wow or any MMORPG i ever faced. It is one of the biggest flaw for this game. This can be fix, make monster attack faster, make player response faster.

Potential is nothing, they could put blizzard in charge of FFXIV for all i care. I only want results, if they can't fix these little stuff, there is no future to speak of. Just like investment, any company have potential, doesn't mean they will make it to the top.

It's their servers, which have always been crappy. Always. Also, slow combat wut?

[Mirage]

However, the UI and server lag is something i never had before. the now loading takes over 5 min for me to enter the game and disappear once it is all load. If i reload it will just be quicker. How can i have server lag? consider i am running a 60 mbit cable line downloading normal bitorrent at 1-2m/sec. It is definitely something wrong with their side either they limited the bandwidth or something.

Server lag doesn't have much to do with your home connection. The laws of physics put a speed limit on how fast signals can travel, and the distance from japan to the US is significant. No matter what your home connection is, you are unlikely to get low server lag unless you live in Japan, and this is exactly why other MMOs have regional servers. I have a 40/40 Mbit fiber connection myself, but it's never helped for any of SE's MMOs.

[ChiefCurrahee]

Each have their opinion on a game, tera feel like doing streetfighter while i do found FFXIV like office works.

The fight start click enter, F, click 5, wait abit, wait abite. click 4. wait abit wait abit click 3 wait abit wait abit. Click 9 (heal), wait abit wait abit. enemy dead Click F and stand until hp/mp recover.

Next fight i do the same. Go on with the same after that. Nothing changes.

Tera i would do the same, but i can move around while doing this things goes instantly without pausing. I dodge and i run.

Are you like level 10? Are you not doing combos?

Because even at lower levels you have a couple 2-3 step combos to pull off. Where it is more like:

Engage target wait wait press 1 move to the rear press 2 (combo) use Triggerable def skill - > parry/dodge/block attack -> use triggerable attack skill. press 5 move to side press 6 press 7 (combo) . wait. press 1 move to rear press 2 (combo)....

All in short order.

It's not action packed, but it's not a snoozefest. So i'm not sure what you're doing wrong.

nevermind found it: http://lodestone.finalfantasyxiv.com...cicuid=3046204

you've been back for 4 days and your highest class is 33 conj. followed my 23 polearm and 20 thm.

You've yet to experience any of the "JOB" Classes. A majority of the Grand Company quests, Class Quests ect ect.

FFXIV ver 1.x isn't geared to aquiring new players, or catering to returning low level players unfortunatly. It's aimed at lv 40+ players.

Try again when ver 2.0 is launched and there is more content in place for level 1-40 for new and returning players to expereince.

[RathSkybreaker]

At this point he has a point in his last paragraph, we're all hoping for this huge miracle patch, and believe me I'm as excited as anyone. But this time they HAVE to deliver, for many it's been a unbearable task playing this game in hopes that it will all have been worth it come 2.0. Results are definitely required at this point.

[indira]

the game is a hell of alot better now but it still sucks, 2.0 cant come soon enough.

[Ryans]

Response time needs to be faster, combat does not. There are plenty of games with fast-paced combat, FFXIV does not need to be one of them. If you aren't going to keep yourself up-to-date with what is planned for 2.0, or at the very least know the biggest reason for 2.0 is the absolute necessity for new servers because of the fundamental flaws in the current ones, your views and opinions of the game are going to be very short-sighted.

Potential is everything. Not everything has the potential to be something successful and something that you are personally interested in. From an investment standpoint, I'm not going to give money to an organization that does not share the same viewpoint as myself. There is a reason I'm not playing WoW or Tera and that is because there is very little potential for those games change into something that I would enjoy for more than a fleeting moment. FFXIV, being the only game on the market that has said potential, is going to get my support until such a day that their viewpoint differs from mine in an uncompromisingly way.

[Loony_BoB]

Should anyone else be interested in the thoughts of returning players, there is a thread I made elsewhere (effectively to keep my fellow forum members at EoFF up with how things are progressing) here. To summarise, I do see the differences and I think this game is really going places.

One thing I will say about FFXI that I think FFXIV can learn from is that the quests could be much better. I think it's partially down to the little quest summary that you get when you begin quests. I feel this makes us all very lazy and can take away a bit of immersion. In FFXI, I could go up to someone who would tell me that they are really wanting a certain item but they don't have it. Now, I learn this from what they are saying, not some quest that I have been told to do. I can go and get the item, and give it to them, and get my reward. Simple and realistic. In FFXIV, I know there will probably be a very long-winded explanation but I just want to see the quest summary because quite frankly FFXI is, well, very long-winded! If this quest summary didn't occur, I'd not have a clue what to do next without, you know, "listening" to the person who gave me the quest. I think FFXIV could do with adding some simple little tasks like you can get in FFXI that don't require you to use up one of your 16 current quests, stuff where an NPC you talk to just tells you about how much they wish they had an item, and you can trade it to them and they can be all happy about it, perhaps trading you back a reward, but without the need for you to officially start an official sidequest. If that makes sense...