Do not force level caps on content - You segregate the player base

[Andrien]

My guess is, you'll have the option to run through lowbie dungeons with friends one of two ways. #1: Level sync and continue to earn exp on your main (that you deleveled temporarily via sync for your friend). #2: steamroll them through the dungeon and not get much out of it (other than satisfaction of helping a friend). I will say that gear scaling NEEDS to be viable. FFXI was way too harsh with this. If you have a +10 strength chest, synching down to 25 should at least offer you 3-4 str, instead of 0 ontop of lower defense compared to a normal lv25 item.

I agree that level caps should go,on the condition that there is ample amount of content per each level range. The combined solution above should solve the challenge monger and the entitled steamroller issues at the same time

*edited for grammar*

I agree, with #1 and #2. I couldn't say it better but this is what I wanted to say before. contents should have requirements but those requirements shouldn't be lvl caps.

[Hyrist]

Guild Wars 2 made all of their stats on their weapons, equipment, etc scale so that they could be level capped anywhere, and then made each area have its own cap to keep content impossible to blow through and over-level.

Thus far it's been a quite pleasant experience.

I do feel as if FFXIV can emulate this on a smaller scale to allow players to have capped content. Just make it convenient to be capped and make those who still have higher level skills an abilities still capable of being able to use them.

[kazaran]

It helps balance out some aspects but also I jsut hope the content is challengign enough withotu restrictign players and mobs.

COP was great even with its first release quarks.

But thee total content of XI went well together. Well maybe not so much abysea, but most of it.

[Yellow]

I think Guild Wars 2 did 'level syncing' right.

As far as I can tell there is still obviously a small difference in damage between a higher level syncing down, and someone who is the correct level (higher level did slightly more damage).

[Klefth]

I'm all for level caps. In CoP, for example, they allowed people to join in on some fights before they had reached max level, which was kind of cool. You could progress as you leveled. I've yet to understand how that could segregate the player base. Is it because "no one would be willing to help you with that crap"? 'Cause if someone is not willing to help you, I believe they just won't. Level capped or not. I think this would give players at least something to attempt while they level up instead of just mindlessly rushing their way to the level cap ASAP because that's pretty much where the game starts, at 50. What's the point of that? And how would caps segregate the community? Adding something that players could take part and work on before reaching max level would segregate the community? How exactly?

[Virtuso]

Guild Wars 2 made all of their stats on their weapons, equipment, etc scale so that they could be level capped anywhere, and then made each area have its own cap to keep content impossible to blow through and over-level.

Thus far it's been a quite pleasant experience.

I do feel as if FFXIV can emulate this on a smaller scale to allow players to have capped content. Just make it convenient to be capped and make those who still have higher level skills an abilities still capable of being able to use them.

This is exactly what I was thinking. It seems a lot of people against level caps seem to believe CoP is the only way caps can be done. It's not. GW2 has taken level caps to the extreme that not even FF XI dared to go. Every quest, every area, every battle has it's own level cap and there is no escape from it. Yet it's nothing like CoP at all, just the opposite. It's very casual friendly and there's no segregation.

CoP was Tanaka's hellscape dirt kicked in players face approach to level caps. There are other examples of level caps in other MMO's done properly with all the benefits and non of CoP's masochistic traits. There's no reason at all to believe Yoshi-P's approach to level caps would be CoP-2. I'd imagine it's be closer to how GW2 is handling it.

[Rustyhagun]

What CoP did in FFXI was keep the content a challenge as the progression from mission to mission continued thats what made it so great the challenge was there. So many of these new school gamers annoy me with their "I don't want a challenge nonsense". Anything that makes them think or take there time they want out. This is FinalFantasy.... not Super Mario World. Get use to the challenges that await or get out.

I welcome capped content progression. It keeps the difficulty of the quest consistent. Now everything doesn't have to have it. but if they release an expansion and it uses that mechanic.. I welcome it.

[Amyas]

{Hmmm.} What if we had it where a high level player could help a low level party do low lvl content like Toto-Rak but in a support role? kinda like the battlewarden or the guy on the skirmish islands (thinking it would be like signing up with your GC to 'oversee a party of new recruits whilst they exterminate NM X in X dungeon), only being able to use special GC buff items (like a level-scaled regen or something, or maybe make it where having an 'officer oversee' gives your pt a small xp boost, like 10-15%) and giving advice to the party. Let the party vote on if they need a 'GC mentor' or not before they enter so people can get the experience of the 'unknown' if they want.

As for getting the right amount of lowbies to do said lowbie dungeon, have it set up through the GC, like if you have it flagged you are automatically set up in a queue of people who need it, and would recieve a tell from a GC linkpearl that says a full party is ready to undertake x mission, would you like to join? or w/e, of course maybe not like that but you know...
Of course thats all assuming that dungeons and other stuff would be set up through your Grand Company :/

[jwang]

Level cap content can work just fine. Look at GW2. Sure, you might be a level 80 badass in town, but once you step into the world you get capped down to the highest allowable level for the region, making all content relevant, all the time. The only difference there is is that you have more abilities available to you, and cooler looking gear. If you want to take down that champion level boss though, you're still going to need a good number of other folks.

[Estellios]

Most people that like CoP (myself included) still think the level caps were absolute crap. They could have made the fights at level cap and still made them challenging. The level cap was just a way to advertise that even new players could go through the story.

However they couldn't because CoP was freakin hard and no one that was actually level 30/40 instead of level capped would have the skill to be able to clear those things.

Also this person:

So many of these new school gamers annoy me with their "I don't want a challenge nonsense". Anything that makes them think or take there time they want out. This is FinalFantasy.... not Super Mario World. Get use to the challenges that await or get out.

Is a freaking moron.

FF has rarely been difficult, Mario games have a ton of levels that will repeatedly kick your ass.