Yoshi-P on changes in next expansion: “I don’t want to take a conservative approach”

[Tunda]

Look at Black Myth Wukong if you want to see a passion project.

Dawntrail feels like a mandatory handover of homework for monday morning "Oh sorry it's still a bit unfinished." and the story didn't even come to attend that monday morning class, but is absent from school until further notice.

Please look forward to a complete game and actual innovation at 9.0

bUt sToRy iSn'T fInIsHeD yEt

[DiaDeem]

I want to provide an experience that contemporary gamers can enjoy

What is this?? What does this even mean??

Is he gonna turn the game into a Battle Royale? a Hero Shooter? is he gonna introduce Gacha mechanics like Hoyo? Is he gonna make the combat real time like Elden Ring? Is he gonna remove all combat and turn the game into Animal Crossing??

If he's gonna give such non-statements, I wish he just didn't say anything. Not until there's something of substance to actually discuss.

[Raikai]

As much as this subject hypes me a bit to hear what they'll have to say in the Live Letter next week... I shouldn't hold my breath.

1/3 of the LL is just "Oh let's recap what we've done so far with Wuk Lamat" and show a schedule of things we mostly already know it's coming, another third will be used to discuss very minor details, like why they chose Koana's hair color to be turquoise, and the last third will be discussing or showing actual new things but taking a long time in each slide.

[CaedemSanguis]

Designing jobs with focus on how they're played in high-end raids is completely stupid. For most players the content you run more regularly is not the raids. The majority of your time spent interacting with combat content shouldn't be tedious just because "it works for savage/ultimate raids".

yeah, we should design jobs for people that dont play them the way they are intended

[Voidmage]

Achievements!

You know I would actually love achievements being more implemented in the game as a tool to “challenge” in the right way other than grind.
Something like Genshin with Achievements like:
Not being hit in a Alliance Raid or dungeons,
having Bozja duels (without the annoying unlock criteria and player traffic) hidden in normal zones like local legends,
overcoming specific damage numbers in the training dummy areas (would also teach how to master a job from a damage perspective),
why not an achievement for climbing Kugane tower?

Give more titles or little rewards through that and it would be a little and nice evolution of what we have now like a gearset part for glamour for every duel you win.
Or maybe give you different animation effects for attack animations depending on what job you use to win.

I think they already have the correct base but just not use it.

Don’t know how popular that would be or how it could be used for things outside solo stuff but I would like it.

[Valence]

yeah, we should design jobs for people that dont play them the way they are intended

1) Does it have to be one or the other?
2) Do you mean only players not playing jobs as intended play non savage raid content? Casual content is literally the big glue that ties all kinds of players together and is shared across the whole player base.

[BabyYoda]

one thing that is good in every expansion is how animations and effects are for jobs and encounters..
I feel like 99% of developers are just VFX animators.. they are excellent.

1% is thinking of how to add another finisher to summoner without making it obvious

[kiotsukete]

Those dungeons got simplified because of Duty Support compatibility, it's a lot harder to code trusts to aim a snowball at a yeti or not let Aiatar stand in the green goop than it is to just tell them "don't stand in the bad spot".

I figured that coding for Duty Support is what led to the simplification/DDRfication of older dungeons. Probably easier to program Trust AI bots to handle predictable, scripted mechanics rather than variable or team-based mechanics that require situational decision-making or party coordination since you can’t plan battle strategy with bots. At least not yet.

I wonder if programming Trust AI actions is also factor in how linear and inflexible job rotations are now. No room in current job design for player creativity or variations in playstyle, just rote memorization or hit the glowing button at the right time like some Guitar Hero rhythm game.

.
As far as making the MSQ content more solo-friendly. We already have that. Pretty much everything can be done with trusts. To be honest, I think that's a pretty bad experience too as its led to further encounter homogenization so the AI can handle mechanics. That's not to say it's all bad (I hated old Toto-Rak with a passion for example), but making the rest of the game suffer for the single player experience is partially to blame why the game is making so many people upset.

I agree that designing content so that AI bots can do it has led to bad experiences when run with an actual human party. I feel like players just treat each other like AI bots since there’s no real point or need to communicate anymore aside from a “hi” at the start and a “gg” at the end. If a sprout dies to a mechanic or causes a wipe, nobody explains anything because it’s all just pattern recognition/memorization/rhythm now. So just reset and repeat without a word until the sprout gets it, which is the exact same experience as running with a Trust, or other players carry them to the end. (I’m often that sprout ngl.)

There are already tons of great single-player RPGs out there, and if I wanted this much DDR/Guitar Hero gameplay then I’d go play those games. I want to play an MMORPG with unique multiplayer experiences designed to be played cooperatively with other humans, not AI bots. This more than anything is what I wish Yoshi-P would change about today’s FFXIV.

[Oizen]

Sounds like more Yoshida PR slop to me.

This game would rather shut down than break a formula, content wise this is one of the most play it safe games on the market.

[Rekh]

Sounds like more Yoshida PR slop to me.

This game would rather shut down than break a formula, content wise this is one of the most play it safe games on the market.

And it's really insane when you got stuff like Elden Ring, Baldur's Gate 3, Genshin Impact, around; games that live off of trying to impress and change the formula in some way or another.