Tanaka or Yoshi?

[Iron]

Seriously, WHY WOULD WE GET INSTANCED DUNGEONS AND QUEST HUBS OVER SOMETHING SO AMAZING LIKE THAT.

I am ANGRY, very angry. Does ANYONE actually prefer quest hubs and instanced dungeons over something so cool, amazing, new, different, and awesome as what was planned? SERIOUSLY?

You don't know what the dungeons and quest hubs are gonna be like. And you also don't know whatever that "something so cool, amazing, new, different, and awesome.." would have been like..

How are you comparing 2 things that you don't know anything about (except vague descriptions)?

[gifthorse]

You don't know what the dungeons and quest hubs are gonna be like. And you also don't know whatever that "something so cool, amazing, new, different, and awesome.." would have been like..

How are you comparing 2 things that you don't know anything about (except vague descriptions)?

As far as vague descriptions go, a comparison leads one to believe Tanaka had the right of it.

[Shai]

You don't know what the dungeons and quest hubs are gonna be like. And you also don't know whatever that "something so cool, amazing, new, different, and awesome.." would have been like..

How are you comparing 2 things that you don't know anything about (except vague descriptions)?

Well, because 1 thing vaguely describes something we're familiar with and the other doesn't.

When was the last time you built your own HQ or built and sailed a ship to unknown content?
When was the last time you went to a Quest Hub?

Of course the Tanaka vision could have been implemented terribly and everyone hated it. That's possible, but it sounds more promising than going with "tried and true" MMO mediocrity. That's what is happening to this game and we all (on some level) understand why. It's just a shame that a good dream had to die so SE could turn a dollar/yen off a failed launch - which they could have potentially prevented with a 6-12 mo delay.

[Iron]

Well, because 1 thing vaguely describes something we're familiar with and the other doesn't.

When was the last time you built your own HQ or built and sailed a ship to unknown content?
When was the last time you went to a Quest Hub?

Of course the Tanaka vision could have been implemented terribly and everyone hated it. That's possible, but it sounds more promising than going with "tried and true" MMO mediocrity. That's what is happening to this game and we all (on some level) understand why. It's just a shame that a good dream had to die so SE could turn a dollar/yen off a failed launch - which they could have potentially prevented with a 6-12 mo delay.

Well have they completely scrapped off the whole HQ/ship/etc ideas?

[gifthorse]

Well have they completely scrapped off the whole HQ/ship/etc ideas?

Maybe if there was some transparency at SE, we could answer that.

[Shai]

Well have they completely scrapped off the whole HQ/ship/etc ideas?

I recall someone (Yoshida) saying that those ideas were on hold because they needed to implement a new battle system. That you can't create content for an MMO if you're going to make a new battle system, because then you need to re-do the entire content and balance it with the new system.

That all sounds good. Right? It sounds like it makes sense. I ask you, however, where are those things in Yoshida's "new" update schedule? I had thought it was going to be Grand Companies (and maybe? it is) but those have been called "Public Companies" and NPC Companies, which is not at all what Tanaka had explained (vaguely, mind you).

As G-Horse says: If there was any amount of transparency there would certainly be a lot less speculation and doubt. And frankly I thought Yoshida was brought in to make that happen, but obviously not.

[Shai]

Seriously, WHY WOULD WE GET INSTANCED DUNGEONS AND QUEST HUBS OVER SOMETHING SO AMAZING LIKE THAT.

I am ANGRY, very angry. Does ANYONE actually prefer quest hubs and instanced dungeons over something so cool, amazing, new, different, and awesome as what was planned? SERIOUSLY?

It makes me kind of depressed.

I did the final (R46) story quest (mission) last night. I'd been putting it off for a long time to milk one of the few things I enjoy out of the game as long as I could. This "Prophet" GM NPC thing had me kind of worked up so I decided I'd finish up that storyline. Honestly, it was epic. I thought to myself, "I can never do a Side-Quest again and not wonder - Why is this so lame when this game is capable of so much more?" I know they are "Side-Quests" but still.

Anyway, I'm so curious about the Echo, about my Path Companion, the nature of the NPCs you meet in your city-state, about what Ifrit said. I don't want an interpretation of this. I want what was intended. I want to know where this was leading and when it will lead there. I don't want it to be scrapped, re-written, modified for some new battle system (that has yet to prove if its better or worse since we know nothing about it other than auto-attack - which is potentially the most boring battle system ever invented). I just want that.

I had said for a long time, "Maybe messaging in-game on on Lodestone isn't active yet because it's tied to Companies. Maybe Chocobos are loaned to you by Companies. Maybe Airships are built by Companies. Maybe the integral core of this game that's missing is Companies." Everyone thought I was ... compensating. And as I've stated, I was first in line to dance a jig at Tanaka stepping down, so I feel so conflicted thinking so much of him, but 6 months later... I can only shake my head and hope.

I probably won't last much longer. I think I'll play XIV to the end of the year and if I still feel like I do now - after beating the storyline - I may just give up. Especially if after the Battle System is gutted, and if it's turned into something I'm not pleased with, they then turn their attention on the Armoury System. There's a couple big "ifs" in that statement, but I am very discouraged lately. Every new Producer's Letter is more discouraging than the last to me.

[Spellbinder]

Seriously, WHY WOULD WE GET INSTANCED DUNGEONS AND QUEST HUBS OVER SOMETHING SO AMAZING LIKE THAT.

I am ANGRY, very angry. Does ANYONE actually prefer quest hubs and instanced dungeons over something so cool, amazing, new, different, and awesome as what was planned? SERIOUSLY?

The player polls would at least indicate that people are willing to give them a try, as Iron said we don't know how they're going to function. All we can do is wait and see.

[Shai]

The player polls would at least indicate that people are willing to give them a try, as Iron said we don't know how they're going to function. All we can do is wait and see.

The player polls are basically a joke, though. I mean I was just reading them and Yoshida's response to them and wonder how we got where we are in May. I mean 40% (Majority) wanted more story driven quests, so we got Side Quests? ...is that the reason behind that? (btw 2% wanted more NMs, the absolute minority). Note: We didn't have a choice between "Side Quests" (what the poll calls mini-quests, I take it) and actual Storyline Content. It was all bundled together like they are the same thing.

I could go on and on. After the game was launched the way it was, the finale was "Do you want us to change the fundamentals of the game?" What were we supposed to answer? "No! We love it just the way it is!" Of course an overwhelming 80% said Yes, change it, because what was there to lose? There was nothing even in the game (at that point) to do, much less lose.

Now I wonder what we really did lose.

[Spellbinder]

I could go on and on. After the game was launched the way it was, the finale was "Do you want us to change the fundamentals of the game?" What were we supposed to answer? "No! We love it just the way it is!" Of course an overwhelming 80% said Yes, change it, because what was there to lose? There was nothing even in the game (at that point) to do, much less lose.

I answered no because, although flawed, I thought the game had a great foundation that simply needed adjustments. But now we have a game that looks like it's being rebuilt from the ground up.