Alpha First Look: Video 5 - Quests and Combat

[Radav]

I think we can look forward to a good solid mix of quests from ARR; your solo MMO standard fetch/kill x level up quests, group quests that require you to kill NM type mobs, story/main scenario quests that are much more interesting then the latter two and your FATES which are the dynamic event GW2/Warhammer style group quests. If they pull these off in a Final Fantasy based environment is that really such a bad thing? I will ask again (I've ready through the thread and found no responses from the people complaining.) what are you expecting them to do to be different? I think what you're asking for is nearly unattainable at this point. Guildleves were certainly not the answer to quest based leveling and overwhelmingly people want that style of XP grind. As long as they mix it up and make the main scenario quests similar to what we get from any FF story then I think they will have succeeded.

[Mjollnir]

I enjoyed that some quests in FFXI were so ridiculous that you had to ask around or look up on a wiki. After playing for a couple of years, I enjoyed contributing what I'd found out to that wiki. But the quests were pretty much all optional, with only the minority having an essential gear reward.

However, if quests are going to be the main source of XP in ARR they can't follow XI's format. I'm fine with that, I'm not after XI-2.

I dislike the copy/paste quest format in this video. For all those saying "this is only two quests, it's only alpha", this is an example that's been provided so we should be free to make comment. I recall forum users using that to justify telling others to shut up back before 1.0 too, so I guess it's to be expected.

Anyhow, what I don't like isn't so much the "Kill X", "Take X", "Observe X" format that a few have taken issue with; rather the similarity with existing games. The icon above the character which changes on completion, the minimap arrows (I know, we had these by the time 1.0 ended) and, a new thing here, optional quest rewards.

I know you're supposed to take the one which fits your class, but these are always sub-standard to crafted gear and so to the majority of people playing, pretty useless (notwithstanding a new player playing through their job for the first time). I always felt, in other games, that optional rewards were superfluous and would always simply check the one with the highest gold value and then NPC it as soon as possible. I'm a little sad (not raging, not quitting, not blowing this out of proportion) that FFXIV have adopted this reward mechanism.

I want Final Fantasy not only with names and creatures. But also with system and innovation. They copied too many elements from other games and thats not what SE was known for.

Couldn't agree more. The story, the graphics, even the FF staples I loved; but it was the fact that each game brought a whole new system into play that keeps bringing me back.

Yes, this is just one small element. No, it's not going to stop me being enthusiastic about ARR. But it is a thing, and it didn't need to be.

[Akujin]

Its low level quests.. it has been said, numerous times (though I guess not everyone is as diligent about reading) that the first several levels of the game has been designed in such a way to make new players comfortable with gameplay. Yes, the quests are going to be more simplified for them.

Would it really inspire new players to trigger a quest and have absolultly no idea where to go?

"You're to go to 'X' place and once you get there, you'll know what to do"

As the player.. they've never been to this X place, its not on their map and further more, what am I supposed to do once I do actually get there?

Just no, games are not meant to be frustrating and fun killers so early on. The frustration comes further in when you want to achieve something remarkable and worthwhile, that takes more time and effort and the only thing really standing in your way, is your ability to do it, not the lack of information from the designers.

Consider yourselves fortunate that the majority of you should already be well beyond the low level points and so these sorts of quests wont mean much to you, maybe after you pick up a new class and want to get some easy shoe in exp..to which you'll appreciate it so much more at that point.

Also, call it what you will, but I seriously believe a majority of people who sit on these forums and want to complain, bicker and nit pick every minute detail about the videos are mainly doing so because they arent experiencing the gameplay for themselves. They feel jaded, cheated, etc etc and its their angst that's spewing out rather than actually meaningful constructive critcisim.

Consider it a GIFT that they're even giving us these videos. Its a wonderful thing, that they're allowing everyone to see how the game is progressing in alpha play through these snippet videos. Just stop crying over thing and try to appreciate the design, the fluid motion, the effects, the music, everything. You arent entitled to a single freaking thing, whether you played from day one or not. They want opinions from players, both currently engaged in alpha and those who are not, still lurking on the forums and watching their videos. So try to give off some positive feedback instead of this nit picking garbage, ya?

[Zetsumei_Tsunarashi]

Wrote my initial reaction to this video down in LS forums so I'll just repost here:

One thing that sort of irks me about this video is that they only did one quest at a time. In order to really make quests effective, you need to be able to accept and complete multiple quests at the same time before returning to the quest hub. The fact that they didn't show the character accepting and completing multiple quests at the same time makes me feel like the the devs did not understand that doing only one quest at a time is not time effective and therefore the quest system is probably not streamlined to allow for the completion of multiple quests in a timely manner.

While the addition of exp quests is nice, I think SE does not realize that players that are used to quest based leveling (WoW players) have become very efficient at it over the years, and if the quest system does not enable them to be efficient levelers, it will probably turn them away.

[viion]

Wrote my initial reaction to this video down in LS forums so I'll just repost here:

One thing that sort of irks me about this video is that they only did one quest at a time. In order to really make quests effective, you need to be able to accept and complete multiple quests at the same time before returning to the quest hub. The fact that they didn't show the character accepting and completing multiple quests at the same time makes me feel like the the devs did not understand that doing only one quest at a time is not time effective and therefore the quest system is probably not streamlined to allow for the completion of multiple quests in a timely manner.

While the addition of exp quests is nice, I think SE does not realize that players that are used to quest based leveling (WoW players) have become very efficient at it over the years, and if the quest system does not enable them to be efficient levelers, it will probably turn them away.

You can accept multiple quests at a time, you can also accept multiple leves, and initiate them one after another without having to go back, you can get the reward once you've finished.

The video makes everything feel so slow, so dull and so boring, if you're in alpha you know its nothing like what this video shows in terms of pace and enjoyment.

Video is just to show the systems off though, not really show the "fun-ness" of the game.

[Linkurrra]

Wrote my initial reaction to this video down in LS forums so I'll just repost here:

One thing that sort of irks me about this video is that they only did one quest at a time. In order to really make quests effective, you need to be able to accept and complete multiple quests at the same time before returning to the quest hub. The fact that they didn't show the character accepting and completing multiple quests at the same time makes me feel like the the devs did not understand that doing only one quest at a time is not time effective and therefore the quest system is probably not streamlined to allow for the completion of multiple quests in a timely manner.

While the addition of exp quests is nice, I think SE does not realize that players that are used to quest based leveling (WoW players) have become very efficient at it over the years, and if the quest system does not enable them to be efficient levelers, it will probably turn them away.

You have a halfway decent point here, Wow had an awesome addon called quest helper that would prioritize your quest in the order you would need to complete them the fastest. While this was an "addon" to the interface. After a few years of being the most popular addon, Blizzard took notice and incorporated Questhelper functions into the actual game!

The only thing missing was the dotted line to the next closest objective, prioritizing quests so you can separate them based on difficulty, and the on screen arrow pointing you in the direction you needed to go!

While, at first I hated quest helper. When I started leveling several characters, I loved it, because I was doing the same quests OVER and OVER! So it made getting them done so much faster!

However, that is part of the charm of FFXIV! You don't have to do quests over and over because you have 1 character! You only do a quest once, because you have 1 character! So this feeling of needing a quest helper to pound through the quests in mass doesn't feel so necessary anymore, now does it?

Now sure there will be WoW players, and achievement elitist that want to pound through their objects just to be done with it first. But that's their prerogative. Note mine. I don't think FFXIV needs a robust quest helper that gives you all the answers because it isn't necessary to do quests over and over for grinding. As long as their is is enough quests to move you through the world and you can level yourself up decently by just "Questing". And you don't run out of quests, because you are coming back through with the same character in the same area but can't level up by questing because you have already done all the quests with your Main job. I'll be happy!

[Orophin]

This is mindless, repetitive and boring. Worse than that though, it makes people not want to read the Quests. They serve no purpose but XP. This severely degrades the enjoyability of the game. You might as well be doing an FFXI Party grind. At least in a party grind, your not alone.

That's entirely up to the player. I know myself and others actually LIKE to read quests. If you want to just skip through quest text that's your prerogative. At least the quest text presented in the ARR quests are made so that the NPC is actually talking to you and not some box with a bunch of text and an accept button so you could realistically never see one word said. Sure you can skip through the quest text, but you're just depriving yourself of what the quest is actually about.

And for what it's worth, I'd rather do a bunch of Accept button box text quests before grinding on the same monsters for hours at a time to progress.

No, there is a massive difference. What I wrote out is an Example of a Quest with progression. The WoW-like quests they demoed in this Video have no progression at all. They are nothing more than XP throw aways.

It's not as if WoW's leveling quests had much progression towards anything. Each zone usually had a quest or two that eventually pointed you in the direction of a dungeon. Based on the two quests you saw, how do you know the same won't hold true in ARR?

[DannyNobuser]

Looks badass SE i like i cant wait to play the finished product

[Coyohma]

I can tell you I personally did not like the quests in XI where you had no idea what the hell you were supposed to do next because the NPCs were so vague and unclear about the next goal. If you pretty much HAVE to look up an online walkthrough written by somebody who actually took the time wandering around aimlessly until they happened across the next objective, then that kinda kills the fun for me.

"Red and Blue are the options"

"Neither appeal to me, I'd prefer Purple"

"Red or Blue only"

[Davy]

I cannot wait to sink my teeth into ARR!!! It is going to be truly epic!!

Thank you SE for not giving up on XIV and working your tail off to make it the game it should have been from the start. We are lucky and grateful to have you Yoshi-P . /Bow

To everyone that is complaining about a game that isnt even finished yet, either A) hold judgement until it is finished or B) go spend your money and play something else. Easy fixes.

Keep up the great work Dev Team!! (Can we see some Raid action in the next vid