Zepla's Dawntrail MSQ Analysis

[Jeeqbit]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1bcp-rjOBo - this is relevant because the developers watch her videos and she spent months working on this

Going to be honest. I don't think this deeply about the story because I don't have a creative writing degree like her, so most of these things didn't really occur to me and honestly wouldn't in the future either.

But it's at least a constructive analysis of things rather than the vague statements made by most others.

(If you don't want to listen for an hour you can set it to 2x speed)

[Rehayem]

When my friend and I were going through the MSQ, there were a lot of things we pointed out to each other, and Zepla's video does specify those things (a prime example is the crops part with Hanuhanu and the boat festival), but yes, the main issue is and always will be Wuk Lamat in the story.

The only thing I didn't actually spot right away is how Wuk Lamat, during the moment becoming Daenservant and talking to people on the balcony, addresses the Yok Huy being from Kozama'uka, when they're actually from Urqopacha.

That's just straight embarassing how CBU3 team made this crucial mistake, just shows how rushed the story was.

[Jeeqbit]

Wuk Lamat, during the moment becoming Daenservant and talking to people on the balcony, addresses the Yok Huy being from Kozama'uka, when they're actually from Urqopacha.

I did notice that; however I figured it was because we accessed the upper part of Urqopacha from Kozama'uka which blurs the lines a bit. It could have been an error though.

this one being by one of the more famous personalities does get it more attention.

It's particularly relevant because they watch Zepla's videos.

[Mawlzy]

It's particularly relevant because they watch Zepla's videos.

Wouldn't polling the players be more effective? Streamers have to produce content that people watch and, equally important for the algorithm, comment on. When content is algorithm-driven. it need not provide helpful feedback to the devs.

[Eyrilona]

Wouldn't polling the players be more effective? Streamers have to produce content that people watch and, equally important for the algorithm, comment on. When content is algorithm-driven. it need not provide helpful feedback to the devs.

Yes, it would be, but they don't do those. They should, but they don't. So to predict the future we have to look at what sources of feedback do get to the devs, and that makes this relevant.

[Mawlzy]

Yes, it would be, but they don't do those. They should, but they don't. So to predict the future we have to look at what sources of feedback do get to the devs, and that makes this relevant.

Interesting. This might explain a fundamental problem. Reacting to feedback from content creators who, however well-intentioned and articulate, are fundamentally selling the product of themselves, strikes me as a horrible way of course correcting.

Is there any other industry in which this would be regarded as normal?

For example, if the ownership of premier league football clubs based their decisions on highly-informed and articulate podcasters, the average tenure of a EPL football manger would be 2-3 months.

[Yoshihara]

Wouldn't polling the players be more effective? Streamers have to produce content that people watch and, equally important for the algorithm, comment on. When content is algorithm-driven. it need not provide helpful feedback to the devs.

No, because even with polls with thousands of votes, you'd only get a vague answer and idea of what players found displeasing, whereas someone like Zepla creating an articulate review without beating around the bush too much or using unjust and harsh, irrelevant criticism due to the emotion in the moment, or simply just for views in bad faith, allows the devs to know exactly what went wrong if they truly were unable to discern for themselves if we agree with said review instead of dismissing as a "content creator's way of making money". If we disagree with Zepla, or any content creator on any point we can always put our own 2 cents in and have others agree with our disagreement.

I'm a lot more harsh in my belief in which I believe the writers shouldn't be hired for the role if they refuse to or are unable to figure out for themselves why the writing did not resonate with us.

[Jeeqbit]

Wouldn't polling the players be more effective?

I have received surveys before and they did a general one for Final Fantasy (poll of the general public, not of players) to inform the decision to develop Duty Support for the MSQ, but they seem infrequent.

Streamers have to produce content that people watch and, equally important for the algorithm, comment on. When content is algorithm-driven. it need not provide helpful feedback to the devs.

While true, it varies whether the content creator actually cares about this. Some of them are happy with their following and only really want people to follow them if they are interested in what they are, rather than them covering subjects they don't care about.

For example, MTQ has mostly only ever made guides. She could chase every trend, every meme, every drama and make a video about it to increase views, but she just kept it to guides. MrHappy has had a podcast for years that hardly gets any views (despite them being a great listen) because it's 1-2 hours long.

There are actually a lot of FFXIV creators like that. They are just making what they want to make. Of course they want to make it presentable and watchable, but not at the expense of quality.

And Zepla's video is over 1 hour long. If you care about views and metrics, you definitely do not make a 1 hour video. People don't have the patience to watch for more than 10-20 minutes (I certainly don't). I only got through it by treating it like a podcast while I was tabbed out doing other things with 2x speed.

No, because even with polls with thousands of votes, you'd only get a vague answer and idea of what players found displeasing

This is true about polls as much as it is statistics. It's subject to interpretation. And many companies interpret their stats and polls wrong. That is where empathy - actually being able to read the emotions and issues going on among customers - is crucial. And in my opinion that's why Yoshi-P doesn't chase stats and metrics and polls too much, and instead just goes off his intuition.

The problem with going off intuition now is that the playerbase is split. No matter what they do, a segment of the playerbase will be upset about it. You see that play out with relics (easy vs grindy to get), difficulty levels (make dungeons harder vs people finding Dawntrail dungeons too hard), time commitment (this is too grindy vs there's nothing to do).

If we disagree with Zepla, or any content creator on any point we can always put our own 2 cents in and have others agree with our disagreement.

Exactly this. That's what the like button on the video, the comments section, or the comments in this thread are for.

Reacting to feedback from content creators who, however well-intentioned and articulate, are fundamentally selling the product of themselves, strikes me as a horrible way of course correcting.

It's going to be more informative than polls. Also, content creators for most games should know they are in a position where they basically represent the community and thus they often commit to doing just that and pointing out issues that, even if they don't care about it, the community perhaps does and wants them given voice.

One way or another, I'm pretty sure Yoshi-P just goes off his intuition, based on what journalists ask him, random FFXIV videos his team watch, his own observations of players in the game when he's playing, and summarized feedback.

It feels like decisions often follow a viral video, a viral sentiment you see everyone saying or an issue brought up by a journalist. So if it's an issue but it doesn't actually go viral, it doesn't tend to get addressed.

[CNitsah]

Wouldn't polling the players be more effective? Streamers have to produce content that people watch and, equally important for the algorithm, comment on. When content is algorithm-driven. it need not provide helpful feedback to the devs.

I don't know, how many people have you see saying the problem is Wuk Lamat : but you could remove Wuk Lamat, and every problems would be still there. Players are very good at blaming symptoms, but a lot of them don't try to go further. Some of us try to do it, but in the end, we're one voice lost in thousands. How many constructed review have been burried under hundreds, even thousands of "Wuk Lamat suck".

Despite not covering every problem, it's good to have a few people with a voice we know is listened by the devs analyse things a little further than pointing at the symptoms, especially when they echo something said by many in the community.

But I can see how this could also be a problem. Xeno, for exemple, tends to mainly talk to the raider part of the community, and it would probably end making the game disservice to base your change only on what he is saying. Where do those streamer come from, who they represent matters, and how their video are recieved by the community has to be taken in account. That's why I think those reaction tread matter.

[Lilapop]

When my friend and I were going through the MSQ, there were a lot of things we pointed out to each other, and Zepla's video does specify those things (a prime example is the crops part with Hanuhanu and the boat festival), but yes, the main issue is and always will be Wuk Lamat in the story.

The only thing I didn't actually spot right away is how Wuk Lamat, during the moment becoming Daenservant and talking to people on the balcony, addresses the Yok Huy being from Kozama'uka, when they're actually from Urqopacha.

That's just straight embarassing how CBU3 team made this crucial mistake, just shows how rushed the story was.

Mistake? Or planned for Wuk Lamat to mess up in universe?