MMO on Rails

[Seif]

This game is already on rails. We have a journal and map showing the very spot to go. Can it get any easier?

My thoughts exactly. These flashing arrows everywhere make listening to NPCs completely pointless and they take away all exploration and adventure from the game.

Also they ruin the community. There is nothing on the game for us to figure out or talk about here. The depth is skin deep.
Compare this to Monster Hunter 3 for example that has an awesome community and it's not even an MMO. Mh threads are stock full of strategies and crafting knowledge.

None of that is in XIV as absolutely every activity boils down to:

1) follow the marker
2) hit the action button until the activity be it combat or cooking is over


Repeat the same thing endlessly.

[Wobi]

My thoughts exactly. These flashing arrows everywhere make listening to NPCs completely pointless and they take away all exploration and adventure from the game.

Also they ruin the community. There is nothing on the game for us to figure out or talk about here. The depth is skin deep.
Compare this to Monster Hunter 3 for example that has an awesome community and it's not even an MMO. Mh threads are stock full of strategies and crafting knowledge.

None of that is in XIV as absolutely every activity boils down to:

1) follow the marker
2) hit the action button until the activity be it combat or cooking is over


Repeat the same thing endlessly.

You might want to wait until you actually do some of the more challenging content to make such accusations.

I've recruited quite few new players in the past few days and unless you come from FFXI and hunt down Wiki articles the game does not exactly hold your hand. It could use a little more direction on what to do but certainly not the overboard quest hub to quest hub you find in say Tera.

[Seif]

You might want to wait until you actually do some of the more challenging content to make such accusations.

I've recruited quite few new players in the past few days and unless you come from FFXI and hunt down Wiki articles the game does not exactly hold your hand. It could use a little more direction on what to do but certainly not the overboard quest hub to quest hub you find in say Tera.

While that sounds promising in theory I'm rank 30 for the love of 12!
That's more playtime than almost any single player MMO in it's fullness.

I hope interesting content you speak of starts at level 1 and lasts to the cap in 2.0.

So far the amount of variety and thought required by this game is like they're assuming we can't handle even fifth of the complexity found in any other FF title including CCs and XI.

[Curcio]

The game story and missions should be on rails while the actual content shouldn't be. The story they have down pretty much completely. Make some areas that are challenging to get through with a group (Like CoP and the aqueducts/riverne sites/etc) and I'll be happy story wise. Journal can take care of you if you get lost.

Leveling and exploring should be freeform. You should be able to group up with a small group of people and hunt a camp of monsters. You should be able to team up with a band of linkshell members and explore a cave (Sposhae) and level up while adventuring. And you should even be allowed to solo in a forest while looking for trees to chop down.

Quests should be done as they are now, but I wouldn't mind quest hubbish towns or NPCs. I'd rather you do quests for the material rewards than the EXP ones.

EXP should be the side factor: You level up as you have fun. It shouldn't be: You have fun when you level up.

End game should be also factor into the exploration. Having to find a HNMs inhabiting a pond in the middle of a forest or knowing that in a certain part of a zone when you see a sandstorm a Sandworm is ripe for the killing.

I don't mind direction, but let's be honest: The only direction you really need is for the quests/missions in your journal. Maybe some starting camps or locations to check out for new players, recipes for crafts, etc for people who are overwhelmed.

[SuzakuCMX]

While that sounds promising in theory I'm rank 30 for the love of 12!

>_> You can get to 30 in less than a week.

That's more playtime than almost any single player MMO in it's fullness.

I'm not sure you know what an MMO is. You can get to 30 in like 15 hours of gameplay if you stick to leves only/parties (though there are no low-level parties since most of the playerbase is already 50 and there's hardly any low-level players that want to party or aren't being Pleveled).

I hope interesting content you speak of starts at level 1 and lasts to the cap in 2.0.

There is interesting content at low-mid levels, just nobody actually does them. I'm talking about the lower-level NMs and the public dungeons. Those start at ~17, which is easily doable in 2 days. So you can start doing content after 2 days of playing.

So far the amount of variety and thought required by this game is like they're assuming we can't handle even fifth of the complexity found in any other FF title including CCs and XI.

Wait for 2.0. CC was sorta overcomplex to the point of being prohibitive (at least the first one). XI scared a lot of the players away because of a lack of guidance and "complexity." If you're looking for something complex to the point of scaring a lot of players away, FFXIV isn't the MMO for you. Of course, the guidance will probably be toggled off just like the current pop-up messages, optional leve tutorial, and mouseover help text....so you can have your "complexity" if you want it.

[Seif]

>_> You can get to 30 in less than a week.



I'm not sure you know what an MMO is. You can get to 30 in like 15 hours of gameplay if you stick to leves only/parties (though there are no low-level parties since most of the playerbase is already 50 and there's hardly any low-level players that want to party or aren't being Pleveled).



There is interesting content at low-mid levels, just nobody actually does them. I'm talking about the lower-level NMs and the public dungeons. Those start at ~17, which is easily doable in 2 days. So you can start doing content after 2 days of playing.



Wait for 2.0. CC was sorta overcomplex to the point of being prohibitive (at least the first one). XI scared a lot of the players away because of a lack of guidance and "complexity." If you're looking for something complex to the point of scaring a lot of players away, FFXIV isn't the MMO for you. Of course, the guidance will probably be toggled off just like the current pop-up messages, optional leve tutorial, and mouseover help text....so you can have your "complexity" if you want it.

Whoops I meant a single player rpg sorry.
But yeah I have to say if not for the one single dungeon there isn't any content that has diverted from those 2 points.

I don't think previous FF games are impossibly complex as you seem to think but different folks different strokes I guess.

Also adding depth to gameplay isn't as simple as toggling hud elements as some seem to think.
Again I'd look at previous FF games because there's endless ways to do that.

They said 2.0 will not be as leve sentric but I really hope these new quests aren't just like leves and give the player more freedom to do them in their own way.