Can we be heroes?

[Akujin]

They're going to have PVP ranks and standings. What about that?

Great for those who actually care about PvP for sure, for others who want to stick to PvE something else would be nice. I'm not personally looking for any sort of reaffirmination that I've done anything spectacular in the game, only to do the spectactular thing would be nice in itself. As many, many, many books and movies will tell you. The real heroes are never the one's who get talked about. Many times the real heroes are the one's that no one ever even knows existed.

[Rhomagus]

I don't agree with the OP and here's why. Not that I or anyone cares:

~~I've been thinking about this for several months. I hope you, the reader, will find it interesting and discusion-worthy.

~~Maybe it's just inherent to MMO's in general, but at least for me, the feeling of being a true hero in the game is missing. Certainly there are cut-scenes where you are thanked for your effort and told you've become strong. Also there is gear that can be hard to aquire and looks and functions above the norm. However, after a while, many people have the exact items and they all stand around in Ul'dah looking like an army of copy-pasted characters.

I still get a bit jealous when I see someone with full Heavy Darklight (even though they look like a trash can) and White Ravens. Not a whole lot. It is a great way to stand out though. It's not really easy to get a consistent group to tackle that content on a regular basis.

~~In single player rpgs, you are aware at all times that you are the hero. The one who fights the battles, learns the strategies, finds or doesn't finds the best gear, and ultimately defeats whatever evil has decended to vex the world. I certainly don't expect a parade everytime I complete some content, but I wonder if that single-player feeling is something that can be achieved in a MMO at all.

I vehemently disagree. Actually to the point that I'm not nearly treated as the powerful hero I am enough. In Skyrim I could be General Tullius' second in command. I could be the leader of the Companions. I could have killed Alduin. I could've slain dragons right in front of the city guards of White Run, but they'll still reprimand me for shouting in town or make some snide remark about the hair growing out of my ears even though I'm the Thane. You're always treated like crap no matter what your accomplishment.

In FFVII no one new that you were the rag-tag group that was going to raise hell in the Northern crater and defeat Sephiroth. Kids would call you old man and old men would call you young kid.

I can't actually think of a single player RPG where you are actually treated as a hero. Just my personal experience though.

~~Maybe it isn't really the point of an MMO in the first place. These games are meant to be played by social units that hopefully lead to friendships and a sense of comaradery.
When I bought FF11, I had the mistaken idea I'd be standing on some tall hill, with my cape flapping in the wind and all (capes, hah!), and rush down to the aid of any overwhelmed players I saw. Of course the game simply wasn't made like that and I had to face the reality of what the game really was. It bummed me out for a while, and I ended up playing jobs that were unpopular just to stand out a little, but it still wasn't heroic, just stubborn.

I personally remember being in awe of a level 40 Dragoon that was helping me get a skull in Gusgen Mines for my subjob quest. I also remember being incredibly thankful and in awe of high level Red Mages like Avesta soloing gods. I also remember being incredibly appreciative of WHMs in Valkurm Dunes not being Douchebags and helping people with raises. This form of comradery was heroic.

I've personally received a lot of respect from new players in XIV at Camp Skull Valley, just by walking around in my Dragoon AF. I remember doing an Evasive Jump with that neat backflip animation. The player was amazed. Then I switched to WAR. He was astonished and thought I was the cream of the crop. I wasn't, nor am I even close but that guy seemed to think so at the time and it got him to stick with the game.

~~Watching Lou selflessly sacrifice himself in the "end of an era" video, I saw a hero. I just wonder if any of us can ever aspire to such greatness when we all end up looking the same in the end.

He died. If you plan on deleting your character and are in good standing with the RP community and can write a touching moment about yourself maybe you can get this kind of treatment. Don't expect to be coming back though as that just cheapens the feeling as it would if SE decides to bring Louisoix back.

~~The only thing I can think of at the moment that might be equivilant, would be a "Hall of Heroes". It would be a large building with plaques, trophies etc. listing special content and the first people to beat that content. People would be able to walk it's halls and see the names of the first alliance to beat the cyrstal tower for instance. While it's unlikely I myself would ever grace those halls, it might add that extra bit that feels like it's missing.

We kind of have a similar thing on the Lodestone but I don't think anyone pays attention to it. If there was a place in game to show the GC heroes I could see that being similar. This idea isn't bad either.

At any rate, thanks so very much for reading through all of the above, and I hope that some of you will understand what I mean and add your thoughts to the discussion.

While I disagreed with you I didn't think your idea about a Hall of Heroes was all that bad. Everything else though is contradictory to my experiences in nearly 10 years of playing MMOs and nearly 13 playing RPGs.

They are just games though and nothing compared to feeling like a real hero or role model.

[Duuude007]

You say that you wanted a way in which the game treats you as the hero of Eorzea?

They did.

Here's what you get if you personally finish the quest "To Kill a Raven", which is Darnus easymode:

VICTORY!

[Darkillumina]

I think the 1.0 GC cutscenes did a good job of putting you in the role of 'hero.' I really liked how when you did them it showed you marching off to battle with your group of friends. If they put more of those in 2.0 I'll be happy.

Besides, the cities need a hero but not the one they deserve or something like that.

[Duuude007]

Besides, the cities need a hero but not the one they deserve or something like that.

From this I totally got a flash of the final cutscene involving Hildebrand and Dalamud lol.

Hildebrand: "You mean I am the hero of legend?!"

[KaMuiSouZou]

I think the way to feel more "like a hero" is to make our characters do more in the cutscenes. Yes, the main event should be the fight itself and it won't be to the level of pre-rendered cg movies, but the most our characters do is take out/put away our weapon! =( For example, in "Futures Perfect" why can't our characters join in that epic fight??? Within the main story, your character is the main character after all! Plus, in ARR all main story cutscenes will be voiced. So unless SE records dialogue for every voice type on every race, our characters won't speak while everyone else does (they'll just go "huh?" and "ugh" like right now). To me, that just makes it more important that we actually do stuff in the CS, rather than just stand there like an outside observer.

It would have to be handled differently outside the main story of course, since it's an mmo and no one is the "main character." We already have some stuff like titles, achievements and GC heroes on the lodestone but I think having them in game will help a lot. I believe in ARR titles will appear next to your name? Also perhaps having rankings/GC heroes show in the game by checking the adventurer's guilds/free company houses or an in game newspaper with weekly rankings along with lore articles etc.

[Skullmaker]

~~I must at this point admit I probably shouldn't have posted this, but I'm glad to have gotten so many thoughtful replies. I did forget the giant smile that beating Van Darnus and the CS afterward brought to my face. Maybe it was just the pent-up emotional after-effects of "the end of an era" getting the better of me...or maybe I wanted to talk about something a little deeper than breast-jiggle physics and grass.
~~Perhaps most arguably, there are many ways to be a hero, and I guess I forgot that. Thanks again to everyone who responded.

[Rhomagus]

I think the way to feel more "like a hero" is to make our characters do more in the cutscenes. Yes, the main event should be the fight itself and it won't be to the level of pre-rendered cg movies, but the most our characters do is take out/put away our weapon! =( For example, in "Futures Perfect" why can't our characters join in that epic fight??? Within the main story, your character is the main character after all! Plus, in ARR all main story cutscenes will be voiced. So unless SE records dialogue for every voice type on every race, our characters won't speak while everyone else does (they'll just go "huh?" and "ugh" like right now). To me, that just makes it more important that we actually do stuff in the CS, rather than just stand there like an outside observer.

It would have to be handled differently outside the main story of course, since it's an mmo and no one is the "main character." We already have some stuff like titles, achievements and GC heroes on the lodestone but I think having them in game will help a lot. I believe in ARR titles will appear next to your name? Also perhaps having rankings/GC heroes show in the game by checking the adventurer's guilds/free company houses or an in game newspaper with weekly rankings along with lore articles etc.

I love the idea of actually having your character fight. It couldn't be that difficult to shoot a scene with 7 pre-recorded possible animations, even less so. BLM and WHM would be almost identical in this regard, so that already brings it down to six.

I'd love to see my character actually fight rather than stand to the side like a dolt. This would do a lot more to help solidify my character as someone worth a damn in the world in which he is portrayed.

[Almalexia]

Hall of Heroes.

Welcome to the Hall of Heroes, where the bravest warriors from history spend eternity feasting, singing and arm wrestling! If they think you are worthy enough you may be able to read this in my voice.

[Valmonte]

Welcome to the Hall of Heroes, where the bravest warriors from history spend eternity feasting, singing and arm wrestling! If they think you are worthy enough you may be able to read this in my voice.

Hero your health is running low. do you have any potions, or food?