Alpha First Look: Video 5 - Quests and Combat

[Virtuso]

Personally, I have to question the intelligence of anyone thinks players should be FORCED to read quest dialogue. What ever happened to personal choice and individual play-style? Just because YOU like reading quest dialogue, that doesn't mean everyone else does. An intelligent game designer realizes that different people have different play-styles, and that not everyone is interested in story. Some people just want to get out there and kill shit, and couldn't care less about the story behind their monster slaying. Making quest dialogue skippable in no way detracts from the gameplay experience of people who don't want to skip it. If you don't like skipping quest dialogue, then don't. Problem solved. Seriously, stop berating people just because they have a different play-style than you, and stop insisting that the gameplay be designed to force everyone to play your way.

How many Final Fantasy games in the main series have you played that let players "skip" all of the dialogue and story? While designing the game for multiple groups is important, at the same time XIV is not for "Everyone". It's for "Final Fantasy" fans. The FF series has always promoted story telling as it's main asset and Yoshi-P repeatedly refers to the FF storyline when asked what sets XIV apart.

I honestly don't think I'll ever understand why online FF titles attract so many gamers not interested in the story line. Kinda missing the whole point of the franchise.

[RahJah]

The low-level quests should start out really easy.

I think the Devs are right on track with this video for the starting quests. However, the hand-holding should decrease as player level increases.

At least give us an option to toggle the beacons and markers on and off so that we can actually search for the hunt, key items, and NPC's involved in questing!

[ZakarnRosewood]

I think there is a difference between building the main story and building the lore of the world and bringing the world to life. I cant expect all of the 300+ quests to be integral to the development of the main overarching story. Some of them will be people living in the world who have real problems of their own. Their garden is constantly attacked by squirrels, a child who lost their parents, or a City guard needing extra shields for the new recruits, this brings the world to life and you get a feel that "real" people live here. I dont want or need every quest and battle to be an epic struggle.

[strallaalaa]

Why are people so desperate for friends? Just use content finder if you want to make new friends.

lmao it's a online game, people expect to play with others. what is the point of it being online then? it can just be a Massively less quality graphics, Multiplayerless, Offline Roll Playing Game, then. i don't think anyone here is desperate for friends, i think most are trying to destroy community and party play enjoyment for there own selfish needs. too many people butt hurt cause they sat in a city doing nothing while the rest of us was having a great time and not waiting around for others to do everything for them. witch shows how much easier and easier mmo's need to become to comply to this type of need and thinking.

[Kiote]

Personally, I have to question the intelligence of anyone thinks players should be FORCED to read quest dialogue. What ever happened to personal choice and individual play-style?

I don't think I've seen a single person suggest that players should be forced to read the text. As far as I can tell, the only complaint about how Quests are completed that I have seen is; You should not be pointed directly to every Quest Objective.

[Kiote]

I think there is a difference between building the main story and building the lore of the world and bringing the world to life. I cant expect all of the 300+ quests to be integral to the development of the main overarching story. Some of them will be people living in the world who have real problems of their own. Their garden is constantly attacked by squirrels, a child who lost their parents, or a City guard needing extra shields for the new recruits, this brings the world to life and you get a feel that "real" people live here. I dont want or need every quest and battle to be an epic struggle.

I would agree that not every quest needs to be an epic adventure. I just also believe the majority of the quests should not be so simple.

"Hi, can you kill this" > Kill > "Thanks, here's an Item"

It is one thing to have random NPCs that just need a Favor. It is a whole other issue if every Quest in the game is that simple and points you straight to the objective.

There isn't that much difference in the development between creating 5 throw away quests and 1 deep quest that last as long as 5 throw aways.

[Kiote]

You sound just POSiTIVE that will be the only option for the 100's of quests promised to us. NPC > Kill >Npc? There is NO possible way it could contain other quests (out of 100's of possible quests) that follow more along the format you laid out?
I bet you will still play this though and pay money to do so. So whats worse? A game designed after something that you yourself have stated is responsible for destroying the genre? Or someone that knowingly pays money to support said game they just "knew" was cookie cutter while at the same time condemning it?
You see how this is making people that say things like this look?

There is of course a third option. One that plays out in real time and is, IMO, whats going to happen. You will buy the game even though your SURE its a WOW clone (or try it anyway, you may not even pay a cent to do so being a vet) because, while the cynic in you is just SURE that its going to suck, the small little optimist in you that wants this game to do well, besides all the evidence you claim to provide to the contrary based on a 5 min alpha video, wants it to be good and do well. All thats left in this 3rd option is to see how things play out, but at least this way, if it doesn't go the way you want, you can then jump back on the forums and say I TOLD YOU SO for three to six months before moving on to something else. See you on here in april either way I guess man. Way to stand for something.

First off, Read before you respond. You just sound like a fool.

It's not about being sure. Forums are about feedback and debate. Silence Means Concession. I don't know if they are only doing simple WoW-clone quest, but I'm not going to sit by quietly while they demonstrate that they are doing them at all.

More importantly, I will not play this game if it becomes a WoW-like Quest Grind. Oversimplified quest that point you to all objectives are boring and a waste of time. There is no fun in it. I have never paid to play one before and FFXIV will be no different.

Final Fantasy is my favorite game series by far and without competition. The last three have been complete crap. If Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is a WoW-Clone Quest Grind with no Depth, I will not play it and I will probably never buy another Final Fantasy Game again.

Not being irrational, just sick of watching my Favorite Series die a slow painful death.

[Denmo]

Jin, I love ya bro. You're a fun guy to play with and chat with. I'm just saying this because I'm going to have to disagree with you here.

I could do it with a group of friends, but when I want to an experience party I like to do it with different people to make even more in-game friends.

I played FFXI for 4 years. I was a WHM and EXP Partied every day, trying to be the best WHM I could.

Despite this, I can't recall any exp PUG I was in where people said, "Hey, you're a good WHM. Let's be friends and play together more often!"

Nor was I ever invited to an endgame linkshell for my grinding efforts. Most I ever got was an, "Oh hey, you're that WHM I partied with the other day, I think. Yeah... Sorry I only really remember people if they suck at their jobs."

It was also the case in XI that level difference meant you couldn't party with someone anymore. So if you played at a different pace of your friends, even if you friended them they wouldn't be able to EXP with you again due to level difference. (Level sync solved some of this, but not all. Generally, if everyone was too high for Colibri groups, they went and did their own things instead)

My point being - Whether it's dungeon content finder or EXP Party grinding, You don't necessarily make friends via these methods. More often than not, you're either already part of a social group or you insert yourself into a linkshell/guild as soon as you can.

You make friends by being a socially amiable person, and by going out of your way to help others. This is true in any social interaction, regardless of the game. Doesn't matter if it's EXP grinding or dungeon raiding.

So please stop trying to use this as an argument for EXP party Grinding vs solo quest content.

[Kiote]

I played FFXI for 4 years. I was a WHM and EXP Partied every day, trying to be the best WHM I could.

Despite this, I can't recall any exp PUG I was in where people said, "Hey, you're a good WHM. Let's be friends and play together more often!"

In contrast, I met all of my In-game friends and got invited to all of my Linkshells from people acknowledging how good I was in a PUG.

Personally, I don't trust someone I've never partied with. I would not invite them to my Endgame Linkshell. I certainly would not put them in a situation where they could Ninja my Linkshells drops.

Only thing I can think of that is worse than inviting people you've never played with, is inviting people you've never played with after making them fill out an application...

[Psykotsu]

First off, Read before you respond. You just sound like a fool.



More importantly, I will not play this game if it becomes a WoW-like Quest Grind. Oversimplified quest that point you to all objectives are boring and a waste of time. There is no fun in it. I have never paid to play one before and FFXIV will be no different.

Final Fantasy is my favorite game series by far and without competition. The last three have been complete crap. If Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is a WoW-Clone Quest Grind with no Depth, I will not play it and I will probably never buy another Final Fantasy Game again.

Not being irrational, just sick of watching my Favorite Series die a slow painful death.

Quest grinding is mindless?

Hmm...

So what are your thoughts about monster grinding? in exp parties? Is that somehow...thought provoking?

I think I'm missing something.