Thread: Is 2.0 doomed?

I apologize if the title of this thread is a bit misleading. From what I have seen so far, 2.0 looks amazing. But at the same time, the dev team seems to be making the same mistakes that have been made for the past 10 years. The following is a neuroscience based approach to leading this game to success (I'll avoid using complicated terms). The arguments here are based on behavioural sciences (neuroscience, psych, economics, etc)

Step 1: A Community Approach
FFXI did an amazing job in creating a community. But FFXIV seems to be dropping the ball. Community is a HUGE neurological incentive for people to continue to play and pay. If you have friends in a game, you are a lot less likely to stop playing or to quit the game, solely based on your social connections.

So how can SE use this to their advantage?

They can PROMOTE FRIENDSHIPS!

How?

First:Create A Mentor Program
Have a way for experienced players to tutor, help, and become friends with new players.

Second: Implement Level Sync
This should be a priority. Level sync will allow players to join up with each other regardless of level. This allows friendships to be created, and fun to be had.

Third: Have an achievement system with two tiers.
Tier 1 is for new players. As they level up, the achievement system should promote exploring the world and fighting different things (while being a certain level). The reward should be the best gear in one slot in the entire game at different levels. This will also act as an incentive to not abuse the level sync feature.

Tier 2 is for experienced players. This would promote teaming up with new players to get enhanced versions of the same achievement. Rather than reward equipment, this should award a certain type of "helper currency" which when accumulated will allow the player to purchase some of the best gear endgame in a certain slot.

Lets use an example:

Achievement: Gone Banana's Tier 1: Kill 100 Gridanian opo-opo's while you are between lvl 5 - 15.
Reward: 100 blue achievement points

Achievement 2: Gone Banana's Tier 2: Unlockable with 1 job at level 50 - kill 1000 Gridanian opo-opo's while you are between lvl 5 - 15.
Reward: 3000 blue achievement points

Items attainable with blue achievement points (you get the item when you hit the level of points):
Best level 10 helmet: 200 points
Best level 20 helmet: 1500 points
Best level 30 helmet: 5000 points
Best helm for para resist which is best helm for 2 end game bosses: 200,000 points

So what does this system actually do?
This system allows new players to work towards a goal, by experiencing more of what the game has to offer. It also creates an incentive for experienced players to become a mentor and help newer players. Level sync makes this possible even for those with all jobs leveled.
As a result: new players feel less alone in the game, especially if they don`t join at launch. It allows new and old people to form long-term relationships what will be an incentive to continue playing. It creates an incentive to keep playing because you know that in a few achievements more and you will get that really hardcore looking helmet. And it promotes experiencing the game and exploring as opposed to the current "grind as fast as you can to 50" mentality.

Step 2: Separate solo from group

All individuals should be able to play and enjoy the game without ever doing end-game or group content.

Why? Because it will prevent people who suddenly get busy with school or work from quitting, and increase the amount of people who play and pay.

FFXIV already has a system that will allow this to easily occur. Classes can be turned into solo-specific. Meaning that in most solo situations (leves, future ffxi-esque campaigns, behests, solo nms, etc) using a class should give a huge advantage.

There should be relic weapons specifically for classes, designed for solo only. And these relic weapons should be attainable solo (mind you with hours and hours of grinding)

Also, most achievements that get you good end-game-group-gear (ex. a resist paralyze helmet that is the best for 2 major end game boss fights) should be easiest done while solo

That isn't to say group should be ignored. I'm just saying, a lot of people leave FFXI and FFXIV because they feel they don't have time for it or because they don't want to grind endgame. There should be plenty of content for these people to do while they are in their busy phase, to prevent them from leaving the game and maybe going to a more casual and solo-friendly game.

Step 3: Eliminate Luck from -most- End-Game content

Rather than repetitive grinding end-game, events should have a longer cool-down period and give currency instead of items.

A longer cool down will help linkshells avoid spamming content, which at the moment creates a serious issue. If everyone spams content and gets all the gear within a month, they have little reason to do it again. They get bored and demand more content. However, if people are limited to doing something once or twice a week, it will take a lot longer for them to get the gear (meaning the content will last longer) and it will get linkshells to do more things, meaning the game will seem less boring.

However there should be one stipulation: Timer doesn't get reset until you WIN. meaning if you lose a dungeon you can go right back into it.

Having currency drop instead of random items would be a massive benefit to any mmo. From a neurological perspective, there is usually heightened emotion right before a desire is to be fulfilled (opening a chest with random items) and then if that desire is unfulfilled there is serious disappointment. This can be demonstrated with a lot of book-to-movies where people get all hyped up that their favourite book is now a movie, realize how much the movie sucks, and spend an hour to write a horrible review on imdb about how the movie didn't meet their expectations.

By having a currency system in place of random items you do the following:
-Prevent people giving up or quitting due to continued disappointment
-Reduce linkshell drama and individual strife, as everyone gets the same amount of currency, and there are no fights over who gets what gear
-Create a neurological incentive to keep playing. When you can feel you are advancing to a goal, your brain is less likely to stop you from reaching that goal. You also look forward to reaching that goal, and will enjoy doing the dungeon that gets you the second last 10 currency you need.
-Balance out the player base. There is no reason why one person should be super elite, while others in their LS play just as much and just as well but aren't. This systems lets everyone know "if you play and do this you will have a chance to get the elite gear," which can be a huge factor in player retention and willingness to do certain things.

If 2.0 continues the XIV tradition of "do this dungeon 500 times as speed runs to get gear" or "kill moogles 200 times and never get the drop you want" I can't see the game going far. If casuals are ignored, and new players feel left out, the game will probably lose new members fast.

Friendships and Incentives are what will keep individuals playing and paying for this game. And while I respect SE for redesigning an entire game, sometimes it is the simple things that make all the differences. This game has proven that lots of quests and all the prettiest graphics in the world are not what most players are interested in.

I really hope SE doesn't make the same mistake again.

Originally Posted by tymora

A long cooldown is not good either. It makes schedules rigid and prevents PUGging.
Think Dynamis in FFXI and how many LS leaders went emo when their members ran an event with another LS.

Makes sense. So they could have like 1 day or 2 day cooldown, just so no one spends a night grinding the same dungeon 15 times.

And 4-man content makes perfect sense and would be an incredibly beneficial addition to the game.

Originally Posted by Talus

The only problem with that achievement example given, is that if you level all DoW/M passed the lvled range you no longer will be able to unlock it. Other than that most of those ideas are pretty good. Im anxious to see the core changes of loot in 2.0. Fortunately I got my skirmish axe already! I'm stocked!

This can be solved easily by allowing people to leve sync to any level solo. This would also let solo players challenge themselves and re-experience parts of the game as they are intended if they ever want to.