Thematic issues. Why all the sci fi.

[Ath192]

That incongruity with Solution 9 is a deliberate narrative choice. It's part of DT's themes and is the focus of some of its story. Sometimes media will present you with something that triggers negative emotions in order to lead you down a narrative path. You are expected to be somewhat media literate and capable of reflecting on your reaction to things in the game, instead of going with your first knee-jerk reaction and assuming the cause is due to an error in design.

But DT isn't good. And it is not a knee jerk reaction. Guess what expansion Solution 9 is part of? Imagine using DT's narrative choice as a defense for this lol.

[Exmo]

But DT isn't good. And it is not a knee jerk reaction. Guess what expansion Solution 9 is part of? Imagine using DT's narrative choice as a defense for this lol.

Open the schools

[ZXN]

Final Fantasy has always had Sci-Fi stuff, and nobody should ever really be arguing that point. However each title has had a different amount presented to the player that ultimately "makes sense" to the overall setting/story of said game.

FF14 does this as well with ARR/HW/SB all just being Garlean / Allagan tech. ShadowBringers is technically also Allag, but drastically more minimalist due to the 1st/Crystarium not really having a need to advance their technology until the Crystal Tower appeared, along with the flood of light and sin eaters as well. Then came Endwalker's huge jump with the Loporrit's tech and Sharlayan's tech, and I suppose even technically the Omnicrons too, which now results in our in-game world having a moon that is actually a spaceship, and an actual spaceship spaceship that can travel to the edge of the universe. Dawntrails' tech jump though with Solution 9 is MASSIVE compared to what even Endwalker told/showed the players, with having a device that can erase/change memories as well as pretty much make it's wearer semi-immortal by using the souls of the dead to power it as well as an entire city made of living memories.

So while Sci-fi should be expected, having Dawntrail throw players into Cyberpunk 2077 and telling us things like "here we have a way to turn dead people's souls into fuel for our pseudo-immortality system lmao" and "We have a shiny rock that holds a fuck ton of energy that can used for pretty much anything and everything you can think of lmao" along with several other advancements with their tech is pretty jarring, especially when the entire story up to that point is dealing with a nation that is constantly screaming "Culture is the most important thing to our people, and we won't change/adapt for anything."

Can't wait for every nation to go "Solution 9 tech? Nah, our nation and people don't want or need ANYTHING they're offering lmao" because S9 is just another one and done area that we move right on from once Dawntrail is over and then 8.0 will show us something even MORE technologically massive, and so on and so forth.

[hydralus]

Dawntrails' tech jump though with Solution 9 is MASSIVE compared to what even Endwalker told/showed the players, with having a device that can erase/change memories as well as pretty much make it's wearer semi-immortal by using the souls of the dead to power it as well as an entire city made of living memories.

There was already devices that erased people's memories in Endwalker. In fact there's been time travel and memory wiping since ARR. I mean I get people didn't enjoy Dawntrail's story. I thought it was terrible too. But these things aren't new.

[Daughterofdeath]

I mean while Final Fantasy has always had sci-fi aspects (and i do hate sci-fi I mean i extremely hate star wars) to a point it is standable, like ff7 with the Mako/reactors and the guns etc was good because it was still over all FANTASY. The issue is I don't think people understand the difference of it existence in the game, and it absorbing the game completely. FF13 was horrible because that was all the game was sci-fi with little to no fantasy, same for 15 tbh now ff10-ff7-ff9-ff6-ff5-ff4 did so in a balance reasonable way. Its also not about having sci-fi its about doing it in a non lazy way, I'm sorry but gaint robot goes boom is a lazy way. Examples of non lazy are like Sephiorth,Kuja,zidane even vivi tbh

[DPZ2]

good because it was still over all FANTASY. The issue is I don't think people understand the difference of it existence in the game, and it absorbing the game completely.

Your experiences may vary greatly from other players. Some like Lord of the Rings. Others enjoy the Discworld series. Some enjoy a blend of the two.

Let's consider what makes something FANTASY.

Does it include non-human characters? Maybe. Pointy-eared non-humans are popular (elves). As are vampires, werewolves and Space Aliens. Science fiction can also incorporate non-human characters.

Can characters use magic? Yes. Maybe. Science fiction cannot differentiate between advanced technologies and magic. Or is it fantasy fiction that cannot differentiate? Both?

Does it incorporate dragons? Sometimes. So does science fiction, or, perhaps Fantasy With Science Fiction overtones. Pern, anyone?

Does it incorporate vaguely medieval societies? Not necessarily. Sometimes, although not even Middle Earth, with its lack of technologies, was medieval. And don't get me started about
Modern Urban Fantasy.

Does it incorporate advanced societies? Not necessarily - but people have been invoking "Atlantis" since Plato [see Can characters use magic?]

[EliaStormblade]

Garlemald
Allag
Mare Lamentorum
Alphatron
Whatever the planet of the Karellians is.
Solution 9/Everkeep

XIV juggles a lot of visual styles and themes and sometimes they come and go. Nbd.

[hydralus]

Also here's another thing. Back in ARR there was a loud minority of people who'd say that the second half of Shiva's song was terrible because it was some Japanese pop song that didn't fit with the game. Flash forward to today and people are creaming themselves over blends of orchestral, rock, pop, metal, and other musical numbers not typically associated with high fantasy. Trying new things is good. Variety is nice.

[CuteBucket]

I don't even mind the mix of high fantasy and sci-fi aesthetics. Final Fantasy as a franchise has been doing this for ages, that's nothing new.

No, what bothers me most is that the tech and aesthetics of Solution 9 are just plain ugly and poorly thought out.

They set up this dystopian world where people use souls as currency and can't remember anyone who's died, and then proceed to do little to nothing of interest with that setup, and instead just muddy the waters on established lore about how souls work in the world of FFXIV. The only part of the story that has been taking the lore of Solution 9 seriously at all is the Arcadion raid series, because the MSQ sure didn't want to explore how unstable and dangerous such a system of soul exchange would be for the stability of a nation. But because Arcadion is optional side content, they won't be able to do anything of lasting meaning or impact to the world in it anyway, so while it's the only side story in Dawntrail I've been enjoying at all, I don't expect it to actually amount to much in the end.

So while I'm all for a mixing of sci-fi and fantasy, I just want it to, y'know, be well thought out and interesting. And maybe less ugly. Or maybe...ugly in a funny way, like Allag and it's historical need to put LED light strips inside of every surface, because at least that's memorable.

[Burmecia]

allagan aesthetics >>>>>>>> garlean aesthetics > solution 9 things&stuff