People are all so bored of the game and playing BG3

[Lauront]

Yep. It's a great game and something FFXIV could really learn from in terms of offering characters that don't just automatically agree with the player character at every turn and who even clash with each other. There's something for pretty much everyone since there's more of an effort to appeal to a broader range of personal tastes. Something a fair few of us have been requesting FFXIV to provide over the years, I'd note.

It's also pretty normal to look at what other options in the industry are doing because there's always things that businesses can learn from each other.

I've been enjoying it a lot. Although I'm taking a short break to play some other CRPGs in my backlog while they do the usual Larian thing and patch some stuff in that didn't make it on release and tidy up Act 3 a bit. But easily the most fun I've had in a CRPG in a while.

Still hope they flesh out Minthara and that route more generally later on as I intend to go that path on my inevitable drow playthrough.

[Renathras]

I really loved the original BG and BG2.

I never once went to other game discussion forums (Gamefaqs or whatever was the style at the time) to prattle on about them.

I fully suspect BG3 is a good game.

But that doesn't change the fact if it was so earthshatteringly good, people wouldn't come here to post about it, they'd just be playing it. So it's clearly not that good to them that they would rather play it than post on these forms about it. If it was so much fun they couldn't put it down, they wouldn't have time to be here posting bait threads featuring it in a starring role.

I've never had a point in my life where I was so enjoying a game I...would intentionally stop playing it to load up forums for some other game to make posts about this game instead.

That's all I'm going to say about the matter.

[Darkobra]

It's true. I never went to these forums to talk about Divinity Original Sin 2. I just played it. Twice. As Fane. For I am immortal.

[ZephyrMenodora]

I really loved the original BG and BG2.

I never once went to other game discussion forums (Gamefaqs or whatever was the style at the time) to prattle on about them.

I fully suspect BG3 is a good game.

But that doesn't change the fact if it was so earthshatteringly good, people wouldn't come here to post about it, they'd just be playing it. So it's clearly not that good to them that they would rather play it than post on these forms about it. If it was so much fun they couldn't put it down, they wouldn't have time to be here posting bait threads featuring it in a starring role.

I've never had a point in my life where I was so enjoying a game I...would intentionally stop playing it to load up forums for some other game to make posts about this game instead.

That's all I'm going to say about the matter.

Well to be fair, some of us browse forums at work or when they can't be playing BG3 or XIV. Or maybe on their ipads before bed when not playing games. So, it's totally possible to love BG3 (I do) and still have time for forums.

What I don't understand is trying to rile people up that people like a brand new game, and want to spend some of their time on it compared to an MMO they have played for up to 10 years and also probably plan on returning to when they are done BG3. Even in the OP, those people I think are likely made up who were chanting "BG3!" were actually playing XIV and didn't cancel their subs or decide they never will play again.

Pretending that people enjoying a piece of entertainment means another one is bad or something is just, I'm going to flat out say it, dumb.

[Jojoya]

It's also pretty normal to look at what other options in the industry are doing because there's always things that businesses can learn from each other.

And we know they do that. But what works well for one game isn't guaranteed to work well in another, especially when they're different genres.

What the MSQ needs for a change is an over-the-top evil to the core antagonist. No suddenly revealed backstory about how they were abused as children or were just trying to save their people. No moralizing, no shades of grey. Just downright unwilling to negotiate villainous. I think the only time we got that was the Sorrows of Werlyt and it was that nature that probably made the quest line so impactful for many players. While complex antagonists are also good, sometimes it's nice to have a plain villain to sink your teeth into and be able to hate without someone trying to convince you you're wrong for hating them.

Yes, I'm pretty tired of the Wol/Azem worship

So don't worship them.

The Azem worship doesn't even exist in the game's story. That's been manufactured by part of the player base. The NPCs who knew Azem would tell you that Azem is spelled T R O U B L E.

As for the WoL worship, that's what happens when you end up a celebrity. The WoL is too well known in Eorzea and a few other parts of the world. The worship should die out in Dawntrail since there should be very few in the New World with knowledge of the WoL.

[Vahlnir]

The Azem worship doesn't even exist in the game's story. That's been manufactured by part of the player base. The NPCs who knew Azem would tell you that Azem is spelled T R O U B L E.

Yeah. Even in Elpis, they were all like "Oh, that Azem guy? Yeah, he's weird." We haven't really gotten a lot of information about him. Certainly not enough to worship him. I don't think he's bad though, but they suggested that he liked to get up to a little mischief every now and then. Heck, they thought the WoL showing up was his idea of some weird joke they didn't understand.

[Lauront]

I really loved the original BG and BG2.

I never once went to other game discussion forums (Gamefaqs or whatever was the style at the time) to prattle on about them.

I fully suspect BG3 is a good game.

But that doesn't change the fact if it was so earthshatteringly good, people wouldn't come here to post about it, they'd just be playing it. So it's clearly not that good to them that they would rather play it than post on these forms about it. If it was so much fun they couldn't put it down, they wouldn't have time to be here posting bait threads featuring it in a starring role.

I've never had a point in my life where I was so enjoying a game I...would intentionally stop playing it to load up forums for some other game to make posts about this game instead.

That's all I'm going to say about the matter.

But that logic just doesn't follow. It doesn't take much effort for someone who plays both games to make a post about it here and you can make the exact same argument regarding XIV... if it's so good, why are you posting about it rather than playing it? Liking a game doesn't mean I'm playing it 24/7 and doing nothing else. That'd be very strange. Given that we're often told Yoshi encourages people to go play other games, it's hardly unsurprising that people do that and then relay their experiences here. Was the thread started on a bad faith basis? Perhaps, but it doesn't prevent discussion on this from unfolding organically.

And we know they do that. But what works well for one game isn't guaranteed to work well in another, especially when they're different genres.

Doesn't need to be "guaranteed" for it to be either considered or to be discussed. They already reach into genres outwith the usual MMO fare in search of inspiration; in fact, the mainline titles alone would be candidates for that here, but even then they don't restrict themselves to those.

What the MSQ needs for a change is an over-the-top evil to the core antagonist. No suddenly revealed backstory about how they were abused as children or were just trying to save their people. No moralizing, no shades of grey. Just downright unwilling to negotiate villainous. I think the only time we got that was the Sorrows of Werlyt and it was that nature that probably made the quest line so impactful for many players. While complex antagonists are also good, sometimes it's nice to have a plain villain to sink your teeth into and be able to hate without someone trying to convince you you're wrong for hating them.

It's one of my least favourite quest lines, but perhaps that was down to execution more than anything. With that said, I do agree with the spirit of that - not every antagonist needs to have sympathetic motivations, and the game is at a point where it could introduce one to change the pace a bit.

For an antagonist to be bereft of redeeming qualities I think they need to be a credible threat to be interesting. I'd get bored rather quickly if we're due yet more expansions where we're stuck with an immortal main cast and the only causalities are the occasional throwaway character or other antagonists.

Zenos was - by Yoshi-P's own words - intended to be utterly lacking in redeeming qualities and yet in the end he never once actually killed anyone of note. He was just exploited as a convenient plot device to help deal with Garlemald off-screen and devolved into fawning over the player character like so many other characters already do already.

Personally I quite like shades of grey and nuance - I just prefer it when a setting can commit to it with consistency. A good game also arguably pleases fans of both the protagonists and antagonists alike - since personal tastes differ significantly and it's often quite subjective as to who is a 'hero' and a 'villain' when a story is complex enough.

Yup, I'd agree with all of those points. I can't really see them taking the main cast and exposing them to a villain like Valens who may actually be allowed to get a kill shot in to build up hatred towards him, so I'd expect it to be more throwaways.

[Theodric]

For an antagonist to be bereft of redeeming qualities I think they need to be a credible threat to be interesting. I'd get bored rather quickly if we're due yet more expansions where we're stuck with an immortal main cast and the only causalities are the occasional throwaway character or other antagonists.

Zenos was - by Yoshi-P's own words - intended to be utterly lacking in redeeming qualities and yet in the end he never once actually killed anyone of note. He was just exploited as a convenient plot device to help deal with Garlemald off-screen and devolved into fawning over the player character like so many other characters already do already.

Personally I quite like shades of grey and nuance - I just prefer it when a setting can commit to it with consistency. A good game also arguably pleases fans of both the protagonists and antagonists alike - since personal tastes differ significantly and it's often quite subjective as to who is a 'hero' and a 'villain' when a story is complex enough.

[Toutatis]

I play BG3 and I play FFXIV because I like both games. They are not mutually exclusive.

I did a bit of savage a couple of years ago but I didn't like it. I came to FFXIV burned out from raiding in another game and every time we were running our scheduled savage I wanted to be elsewhere. I realized that bashing the same bosses for 6 hours/week ad nauseam, week after week and showing up at specific times on specific days was no longer for me and meant total boredom. On the other hand I like other content, including Deep Dungeons (made it to 196 solo PotD last week, hoping to get Necromancer soon)...I help other people, do some pvp and I fish too.

It's good to revisit old style rpgs and BG3 does it extremely well. I've been longing to have such a game since a while and happy that it exists.

If you don't like FFXIV anymore, then just stop playing. That's what I do when I am no longer happy with a game. You don't "need" to do savage every week. You do so because you want to.

I've been in the same position as op with another game, having raided for almost 10 yrs. The hardest part was to make the firm decision to stop (you are attached to people and the game and probably telling yourself "what will I miss?") and say to the team sorry but "I've had enough and am no longer having fun". It lifted a weight off my shoulders and I never looked back. Gaming should be fun, not a chore. You won't miss anything if you no longer like it.

[myahele]

If you don't like FFXIV anymore, then just stop playing. That's what I do when I am no longer happy with a game.

This I agree with. I was bored with this game so I took a break a while ago and only came back thanks to the free log-in campaign + events. I am not quitting this game (yet) just taking a break especially since the next expansion will be next summer.

While I don't have a house, I do feel sorry for those who do since they do have to sub in order to keep their house.