FF14 is a disappointment

[Siba_Lynxphur]

Hello, I just returned after a 4 year break from FF14.

I will get straight to the point.

My issues with FF14:



-Disconnecting 2+ times a day every day.

-MMORPG That is neither a MMO or RPG.
(It is a online visual novel.)

-Forums are not used for feedback.
(it is used as social media. The FF14 team doesn't even read and reply on these forums anymore. They used to once genuinely care.)

-Constant job changes/balancing
(Makes developers seem directionless and mismanaged, while constantly wasting development resources and time. It also wastes player time, everytime they have to change their hotbars and "relearn" the job.)

-Poor development planning via "stat squish"
(instead of implementing damage caps such as 99,999 or 999,9999, or even simply planning ahead.)

-Poor priority management.
(Doing constant job updates instead of improving new player sign up process, improving login times, improving "patch notes" layout for ease of reading, improving login screen to "save" player choices for title screen, improving the UI to add more options to turn off all the "forced" accessibility featuers, etc etc.)
(Or quite literally doing a graphics update instead of fixing the infrastructure or moving the servers back to Alaksa, or even doing anything to directly address the issues that have existed since moving the servers from Alaska to California.)

-Constantly deleting gameplay features without adding anything back.
(Such as stat point allotment, TP system, pre-battle buffs, slashing/piercing resistances, etc.)





...among so many other issues.


I literally only wanted to come back to play the game to "relax" between bosses on my Elden Ring Rune Level 1 playthrough, and I was not even able to do that.

(At least I finished my rune level 1 playthrough. I have no "reason" to play FF14 anymore now anyway.)

Regardless, this game is such a disappointment to me.

[Brandr]

Usually topics like this one are sloppy rage bait, but you do have relevant points.

I agree with all your points.

[MayuAmakura]

Full agree, but hey ho will they do anything about it? I doubt, /10 char.

[hynaku]

Sure is. Like you spend long time spawning a Eureka fate and go get a drink and come back just to find it about dead.

[Enkidoh]

I just want to point out though one of the issues raised is innaccurate. FFXIV's US servers originally weren't hosted in Alaska, they were hosted in Montreal Canada (in SE's now defunct Montreal division). They moved them when SE sold Crystal Dynamics and the Montreal division. So I just wanted to correct that.

[Jeeqbit]

Disconnecting 2+ times a day every day.

This is an issue. The DDoS attacks need to be solved.

MMORPG That is neither a MMO or RPG.

It's incorrect that it is "not an MMO". It ticks all the boxes for one.

There are massively multiplayer events, such as S ranks, hunt trains, large-scale FATE bosses, all with literally 400-600 players at them in some cases. There are large-scale PvP duties with up to 72 players. There are large scale raids with 24-48 or even over 50 people in some cases, such as Baldesion Arsenal, Delubrum Reginae and its Savage mode, CLL, Dalriada, Forked Tower, Chaotic and all alliance raids. Players organize many large-scale social events in housing areas, to the point of reaching the player cap. GATEs at the gold saucer can have countless people partipating in the jump puzzles and chatting together. Huge numbers of people (beyond player cap) have participated in the events for Cosmic Exploration and Ishgard Restoration.

There are FCs that organize events or do content together, from dungeons, to raids, to RP and social events. There are linkshells raid statics and hunting, novice networks, all which facilitate social interaction. Players often help eachother by crafting gear for eachother.

The issue is certainly not about whether it is an "MMO", because it's great at that. The issue is about whether it's good at RPG aspects, because they introduced things like stats but implemented them poorly and removed all of them leaving a single path of Crit, Determination and Direct Hit. Everything is so streamlined and efficient that you aren't made to roleplay your character in the world even close to as much as MMORPGs before it did, such as traveling places on foot or via a vehicle instead of queue/teleport.

On the other hand though, they have worked very hard to implement huge numbers of emotes for roleplayers, and released huge numbers of gear designs and house furnishings, all of which support roleplaying in the world.

Forums are not used for feedback.

I have to agree. There is no evidence they look at them when the issues put here are not even on Yoshi-P's radar until an interviewer asks about them, or he sees them in a YouTube video

Constant job changes/balancing
(Makes developers seem directionless and mismanaged, while constantly wasting development resources and time. It also wastes player time, everytime they have to change their hotbars and "relearn" the job.)

They clearly state their intentions now when they make these changes, due to popular request. The explanations and "direction" are stated in the job guide on the lodestone. All these explanations are pretty obvious to people who have been following the issues with said jobs. I agree it's annoying to relearn a job, of course, because I moved away from Paladin for an expansion after it was reworked mid-savage progression and I didn't want to also be progging my new rotation.

-Poor development planning via "stat squish"
(instead of implementing damage caps such as 99,999 or 999,9999, or even simply planning ahead.)

In a linear game where stats keep growing, I don't know what you mean about a "damage cap". They could have planned the stat scaling better, but I think they didn't really know if the game would even survive beyond ARR or Heavensward, because new MMOs often have initial hype then crumble into nothing. It was only by Stormblood they began to realize the game had stuck.

In fairness, in a game that can have hundreds of players attacking an enemy whose gear continually grows with each patch, the stat scaling getting big is unavoidable. Whether it needed to get quite where it is now, I'm not so sure, but the issue with it can be reaching the actual number caps that standard variables in programming languages have, and looking ridiculous to players.

Poor priority management.

Yes and no. Their priority is the next patch content. It is the next patch content that will make people resubscribe to the game to do the new MSQ and raids. It is the expansion patches that will draw expansion sales. So that is literally all they do. Quality of life should be the priority, I agree. But it doesn't draw them immediate, measurable revenue in the form of a spike on a chart they can show to shareholders. Therefore quality of life is ignored entirely except rare exceptions such as the abandoned graphics update, an odd sidequest dungeon revamp, and 5 or less quality of life updates out of the many thousands that we need.

-Constantly deleting gameplay features without adding anything back.
(Such as stat point allotment, TP system, pre-battle buffs, slashing/piercing resistances, etc.)

It has made the game too simple and streamlined. I can see why they'd do it though. Simple is good for new, casual and returning players, because MMOs are already complicated to understand due to their years of patches adding new game systems. The problem is that once those players understand the game, they then realize it's so simple that there's not much to sink their teeth into.

[Deejudanne]

one could argue setting a damage cap on 9999 would be even lazier than a stat squish

[VeyaAkemi]

one could argue setting a damage cap on 9999 would be even lazier than a stat squish

It would be very FF-like, but also it would feel terrible for progression, cuz at some point you simply wouldn't even get to see the bigger number. And yeah, the stat squish isn't perfect, but to argue against it is the same as saying they should leave problems unaddressed.

[Rein_eon_Osborne]

Aren’t we getting closer to old ShB numbers at this point though? Are we on for another stat squish sold as a new feature in 8.0.? Lol

[millktea]

The disconnecting is an issue and not fixing it before savage is an embarrassment for sure

It is an mmo and an rpg. Theres no way it isn't neither. Sorry, but youre incorrect here

Forums not used for feedback is a major issue. I did get almost all I wanted for Warrior with my War thread, however there's still room for improvement and im still unhappy that Ultimate is gated behind Savage.

Changing hotbars I can understand. I have certain skills on certain spots because I'm a controller player. I had bloodfest on my Dpad (left hand) bc its 1 button so no movement issues. Then SE puts a whole combo on it?? So unhappy with gnb changes JUST BECAUSE of movement. Pld? Same thing. Confiteor becomes a combo and holy is 1 button so now I need confiteor on the shapes (right hand) but Ive had this for years and if I want to sync down for a past ultimate i have to change it back. It shouldve just upgraded from holy spirit.

Graphics update is fine, just not doing more than that is silly. Also, sorry, but no. Why would I want it in Alaska? I live in Sacramento. Dont subscribe to your point here

Deleting game features, i also don't subscribe to wanting those back. Things were added and its also in Field Ops.

What's making me quit and want to quit is they come up with silly reasons why the game is doing poorly. Yoshida saying "its because content doesn't have enough stress". Thanks. Because that's more stress on my stress of dealing with players. Who can't do mechanics on a reclear party?? Because content "more stress". I already have ultimate for that, but i have to deal with social stress being disabled just to do what I actually want?

Why balance for people to have 3 pieces tome gear, assuming everyone is going to do that? Whats the point of letting them get it early when that's a thing but also it still takes too long to gear ONE job? Why is savage locked so long? Why is Ultimate continuously locked behind Savage, when the weapon weekly is removed?? I didn't need stress and I didn't want MORE. Not to mention the new fights? Im legitimately getting vision issues from it.

Why unlock all job locked gear but I can't wear any hairstyle? Why can't midlander men have valid makeup or even a decent half up/down??

And why is thrill of battle only 10s and has no mitigation on it at all? Defiance was 25%.

Too many devs are out of touch on a lot of things.