7.0 MMO to a Single Player Game

[ValkyrieL]

SE has already mentioned that they want players to be able to complete the story as a single player and has already made several adjustments to old dungeon mechanics so NPC can do them. Personally I'm NOT a fan of NPC been able to complete 8 man trials. I would say though that I didn't mind as much for Scions 8 man in Endwalker because it seems thematic and it was a 10 year journey.

My question is, how would everyone feel if 7.0 was DESIGNED from the start to be 100% done with NPC on mind? (Including 8 man)

I'm Personally not a fan of it, base on adjustments SE made to dungeons, they dumb down several mechanics so an NPC can do them. My fear is that 8 man raids would be dumb down as well so it can be complete with NPC.

[Saraide]

I genuinely dont think they are dumbing down dungeons so that trusts can do them. There is just no way trust AI couldnt have handled the elemental towers in castrum abania. We know trusts can handle standing in a circle. They can handle different variantions of the same mechanic. We've seen that in numerous dungeons already (dead ends for example).

[OperaMorgana]

then it would be the end of ff14, i started to play this game because it was an mmo, the problem is those people that keep saying they have anxiety with playing with other people, well, then dont play mmo, simple as that

[Zebraoracle]

I dislike the idea of taking an MMO and catering to the single player community. If you wanted a single player FF, then don't make an MMO. A lot of people play 14 because it is an MMO with a Final Fantasy skin.

[Nebelheim]

If it becomes even more of a single player game ill probably spend more time in ff11 for a mmo fix and spend less time on this game.

[Kes13a]

I am not a fan of the single player direction, if I want that kind of game I have plenty, and none of those I need to pay a subscription for.

while the current direction is certainly concerning to me, it has not yet reached the point that it no longer resembles an mmo, but we will have to see what the future brings in. Yoshi needs to clearly understand the game is not all dolly dress-up and RP venues, some of us actually came here to play things with others, if we wanted a FF single player, there are plenty of offerings in the franchise to play solo, FF14 should not be made in to one.

[Theodric]

There's far better single player games out there to be enjoyed so it really does strike me as very strange for the game to essentially step away from what it advertised itself as primarily being - an MMO.

It's not like it has the sort of broad choice that single player games are known for with their overall narrative. Our character is given very little agency or ability to make decisions after all - and even with the move to a single player focus, I doubt that is going to change. FFXVI certainly didn't tap into the amount of choice afforded with the likes of The Witcher 3 or Baldur's Gate 3.

My best guess is that the game is just going to pander more and more to the crowd that essentially want a visual novel that tells them how amazing their self insert is with ample ship teasing even as more content designed to be completed with other players is chipped away at.

I'm sure some of the usual suspects will show up to downplay the problem but the more the game panders to venue goers and gposers the less those of us who want more than that seem to get.

[Kaurhz]

I don't mind it provided it is stuck exclusively to the main story - However, if the elements of solo-play branch out into the non-main story elements, e.g., the 8-man raids then I think it is going too far.

The thing to keep in mind is that it is currently:
a) Stuck exclusively to the main story-related instances.
b) It is entirely optional for the player. If a player wants to progress through the story with NPCs then they can do so. Equally, if players want to go through the story whilst queuing up regularly then they can do so.

The game is hardly telling you that you must progress solo, but rather you can progress solo if you want to.

Edit: If I'm being brutally honest, I don't think this game ever was a 'true' MMO, just a co-op game masquerading as an MMO.

[sharknado]

I'm Personally not a fan of it, base on adjustments SE made to dungeons, they dumb down several mechanics so an NPC can do them. My fear is that 8 man raids would be dumb down as well so it can be complete with NPC.

Logged in yesterday to do the MSQ I had left, could not get a group for Voidcast Dais for over 30 min They made 8-man MSQ trials that drop no rewards and aren't in a "spam me" roulette. If people are to progress MSQ it has to be NPC-compatible. On the other hand, dungeons are fine due to roulette and their exp/(gear) they drop. Maybe they should return to ARR style of single boss MSQ variant being 4-man and in dungeon roulette? Yet they do add more mechanics/challenges to current 8-man MSQ encounters.

[ValkyrieL]

I just don't really know how many people actually enjoyed playing solo and how that could affect queues etc. Data center travel for example has destroyed some raiding PF in certain data centers.

Personally I think 7.0 will be 100% solo MSQ experience including 8 man AND they will revamped ALL trials from based game up to 7.0 to be a solo experience. There will be a huge marketing push to *Experience the award winning expansions with friends or as a single player*