Wife unable to do alliance raid roulette once she hit 60.

[Rika_Isshoku]

The idea is that an NPC-assisted/story-only version of Crystal Tower would be condensed/simplified to a 4-man version of it, similar to what they did with Ifrit/Titan/Garuda back in the day, thus making that version the mandatory unlock for MSQ progress while making the 24-man we have right now the optional unlock. They could even toss said 4-man version into the MSQ roulette at that point, thus negating the issue of needing to wait up on 24 people.

It would also come with the added bonus that they could then ramp the 24-man Crystal Tower back up to being comparable to the other 24-mans in challenge because they don't need to keep the barrier to completion low anymore, which would hopefully negate the dreadful boredom that so many vets have for running it because now it's spicy again.
+++



I mean... I'll be 42 this year, so I already have the issue that I can no longer "git gud" because aging makes the reaction times and manual dexterity go down, not up.

I do see that idea being interesting, I have concerns on the idea of it being specifically a 4-man due to issues with having to rework mechanics, but I haven't done CT unsynced to know if that low of a player count is already accounted for. If not, I'd suggest a 12-man system for it instead, which would still work well with duty support while opening it up to the possibility of it being ran with squadrons.

[Rika_Isshoku]

The required number of NPCs can be any size I suppose, the main goal is to give people a story option while keeping the 24-man Crystal Tower available and even improving on it because I'm almost certain the reason why it's been made so easy is because Square-Enix wanted it to be a story gate, not a skill one, and they'll never dial it up so long as it remains mandatory. And given the #1 complaint vets have about CT is that its too easy and boring, that maybe they would start enjoying it (or at least tolerating it) in their roulettes because it posses a challenge now.

I'm just generally in favor of MORE options for everyone across all skills levels instead of Square-Enix trying to crowd everyone into a single difficulty and then acting shocked when they can't play well together and never will. Chaotic for example SHOULD have been a harder full alliance raid for those who wanted it instead of being just another boss room.
+++



If other people my age and older manage just fine and even soar, all the more power to them, but I don't operate under the delusion that I personally can be as good as anyone else and that I hit my skill cap a long time ago if I'm dying on the "sooo easy" normal content while playing "sooo brain dead" jobs. People making everything out to be a constant breeze doesn't make it more approachable, it just makes the failures feel that much worse.

And I try to make it a point to NOT speak up in-game because frankly a sizable chunk of this community isn't all that nice to deal with, and in the case of Dynamis, it just doesn't exist at all. So I'm just trying to play what I can while not being a bother to others at this point because even day one of playing I was being pushed to just over-level/gear and unsync solo to progress the MSQ because even 4-mans were taking 30+ minutes to pop back then, so I've just kinda given up on the social element of this game beyond the forums. (And even then nothing said here really matters in-game.)

I agree there should be more options for people, and I found it strange that Cloud of Darkness Chaotic was just that boss (to be fair though it was in the name).

As for your struggles with content, what is the biggest thing in common you struggle with? Like is it movement, skill usage, etc? Depending on the issue there are a number of things that can be done to help improve that that are not tied to skill.

[AmiableApkallu]

So I'm just trying to play what I can while not being a bother to others at this point

Except that this isn't true. You're spending time typing out self-defeatist commentary on these forums instead of doing literally anything else that might make you a better player.

And I try to make it a point to NOT speak up in-game because frankly a sizable chunk of this community isn't all that nice to deal with

Pot, kettle, say "hi" to each other.

If you'd like advice on how to improve, I'm happy to offer my own perspective. So would many others. After all, my first run of a dungeon with other human beings, Lv.15 Sastasha, had a wipe because I didn't know what I was doing at the time. (Imagine being the healer who didn't know what "line of sight" was.)

Or if you don't like my takes, ask a question, and maybe someone else will chime in.

But if you'd rather wallow in self-pity, more power to you.

[AllenThyl]

Except that this isn't true. You're spending time typing out self-defeatist commentary on these forums instead of doing literally anything else that might make you a better player.

You are talking with a poster who deleted a significant number of their posts in a fit of paranoia after SE announced their policy that they will not stand idly by while their staff gets abused online. To use that poster's words, "tyrannical". And so they left the forums. But alas, here we are again. The truth is, you just can't argue here, the whole "I'm old and not able anymore" has become a self-soothing statement for this poster, who somehow "strives" in PvP which is much more hectic and even less readable / learnable, but somehow completely overwhelmed by even the easiest mechanics in normal content.

[Mawlzy]

You are talking with a poster who deleted a significant number of their posts in a fit of paranoia after SE announced their policy that they will not stand idly by while their staff gets abused online. To use that poster's words, "tyrannical". And so they left the forums. But alas, here we are again. The truth is, you just can't argue here, the whole "I'm old and not able anymore" has become a self-soothing statement for this poster, who somehow "strives" in PvP which is much more hectic and even less readable / learnable, but somehow completely overwhelmed by even the easiest mechanics in normal content.

Isn't that part of the point, though? PvE is a memory/speed test whereas PvP is dynamic, reactive, and to many of us far more interesting.

[AmiableApkallu]

PvE is a memory/speed test whereas PvP is dynamic, reactive, and to many of us far more interesting.

Yes, PvP in FFXIV is a memory/speed test cranked up to 20. By comparison, PvE is Baby's First Time Playing a Video Game.

You can have a valid, defensible opinion about whether FFXIV PvP vs. PvE is "more fun", but anyone who's minimally competent at PvP can clear the MSQ and normal-mode content just fine.

[Mawlzy]

Yes, PvP in FFXIV is a memory/speed test cranked up to 20. By comparison, PvE is Baby's First Time Playing a Video Game.

You can have a valid, defensible opinion about whether FFXIV PvP vs. PvE is "more fun", but anyone who's minimally competent at PvP can clear the MSQ and normal-mode content just fine.

The memory test in PvP boils down to remembering a 4-button combo typically. While movement is fast, the reaction time required is much less than that in DT dungeons and trials.