[Dev 1024] Linkshell Administration Options

[Grim_Lion]

While I really enjoy this game I have to say, the coding in this game must be an absolute friggin mess. So many times we finally get a response to a request and its nearly always "We want to implement x, y and z but its going to take time because A, B and C need to be completely redsigned."

This game came out in 2010, I don't know wtf was done to make this game so hard to make updates and changes to, but I really hope you guys have learned for your next mmo, I have never seen a company post so many "Its hard zomg" responses as I have seen with XIV.

Seriously.

If its so hard to do things, why did you create a system that is so hard to work with, S.E.?

These seem like questions that customers shouldnt be asking the professionals.

It would be like a customer coming to me asking for sinks in their bathrooms, and me telling them that its too hard for our carpenters to do, so we might be able to do it, but don't expect them until way way after you move in....in the mean time, here is a bucket with some water in it, and a bar of soap. We cant forget the bar of soap.

[Griss]

Mocchi was able to sit down and speak with Minagawa about linkshell and friend list-related information that you all have been asking for updates on.

All i can say is.. sock puppets and funny voices. Would have been epic.

[Holland]

Seriously.

If its so hard to do things, why did you create a system that is so hard to work with, S.E.?

These seem like questions that customers shouldnt be asking the professionals.

It would be like a customer coming to me asking for sinks in their bathrooms, and me telling them that its too hard for our carpenters to do, so we might be able to do it, but don't expect them until way way after you move in....in the mean time, here is a bucket with some water in it, and a bar of soap. We cant forget the bar of soap.

Grim Lion my friend. Does it serve any purpose to ask why* they programmed the game as it is?

I believe they have already received their backlash hard enough and are still getting it. They have lost millions of yens, they still keep loosing money as we speak, and will keep loosing until several years after the game starts charging fees. They have acknowledged several times now there are server problems they are trying to fix.

What else do they need to say or do so you feel better? Besides keeping the servers up, keeping the game free, opening up to the fans like never before in SE's history and apologizing over and over again for their blunder. What else Grim Lion? What else is there to do? Go ahead...

[Vesper]

Rukkirii,

This is an issue that was known well before launch and lets face it, this should have been prioritized for a fix. I know one of my shells has had to disband 5 times now just to get rid of inactive players. At this point, its just excuses.

Maybe you could push forth the suggestion of increasing the linkshell cap a bit t0 make dealing with these inactive players easier than disbanding and running around re-inviting people to a new version of a shell for the umpteenth time. Surely increasing the cap must be doable by 1.19, because if its not... wow.

[Kyant]

Please stay on topic so that they will realize that these options and powers for linkshell leaders are important.

I think that these kind of grouping facilities are the most important thing for SE to be looking at, next to extra content.

We need options to:

1) remove linkshell members regardless of where they are
2) suspend linkshell members from the linkshell for a period of time (hours)
3) see the current classes, ranks, areas, etc of currently online linkshell members. I understand there are reasons for players to not be able to see the information of all currently online players, like you could in FFXI, but when joining a linkshell you are joining a community. It is like signing a waiver that enables the other members to see your information.
4) post linkshell messages. even if the messages could only be 32 characters, you would still have enough room to say "dungeon run friday 6pm EST" or "register on the website!"
5) send private messages to linkshell and flist members. not strictly a linkshell only thing, but very important.
6) demote linkshell members from any distance
7) add or promote linkshell members at any distance OR (and thats a big or).... or have some kind of linkshell headquarters (similar to the mog houses in FFXI? and if you have multiple linkshells you just choose which one to enter). and people would have to go to the headquarters to join or be promoted. While it might be a bit inconvenient, it would be cool, realistic, exciting, and help to get the newer player involved with the ls.
8) going hand in hand with #7 I know there have been requests for player housing, but I would much prefer linkshell housing. It could then be said that players live with their linkshells. This would encourage people to group together. Perhaps you get extra storage space at your primary linkshell (which you could set/change at any time, of course). You would have to only get that extra storage at the primary linkshell, otherwise there would be an unfair advantage to having more linkshells... and for those who can't find one, they could start their own... maybe then they would invite people and it would grow...
9) along with #7 and #8 linkshell banks... this could be in the form of a "linkshell retainer" that any member can summon (while in the guild house?) and add items to (there would possibly be a log of the last 5 people who added items? not of each item). But not everyone could take items out. Leaders should be able to access the ls retainer from anywhere. While accessing the ls retainer, leaders should be able to select items and set permissions. For example, if I wanted a cotton boll from the retainer, I could ask a leader to give me permission to get it. If I was deemed worthy, the leader would summon the retainer and find a cotton boll, click on it and select "set permission" or "give access" or something like that. then a list of all non leaders should come up. he selects "Kyant Nryasi" and then says: ok all yours. Then I, in the linkshell house, am able to retrieve the cotton boll from the retainer, but nothing else.

can't think of any more ; ;

there are now a variety of things to do in this game, and a number of reasons to party up and group together. Now, we just need a better way to organize ourselves in game, rather than having to rely on out of game websites and other services. implementing this functionality alongside chocobos and the map/mob placement changes would , in my mind, make this game ready to step forward and become the game I always knew it could be.

Things like combat balancing, the economy, and crafting recepie are not things that can be fixed/changed in a single update. They take multiple updates to phase-in the new material and phase-out the old. This, on the other hand, is something that can be solved in one fowl swoop. I sincerely hope SE looks at this and gives it some thought.

[Rhianu]

[...]The devs are going to be performing a complete overhaul of the system. With this overhaul, the team is planning to add functions that have been previously requested by the community. These functions include LS messages, the ability to remove players from the linkshell, more variations of LS crests, etc.

I don't know if the dev team has already seen this yet, but I used Photoshop to create the following mockup image for how I think the LS color/crest selection should look:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...rest_color.png

EDIT: By the way, I just posted this image over on the Japanese board, and I got a reply that I can't read from a player named taatan, and I was wondering if anyone could translate what it says for me:

英語圏の方ですね。レスポンスありがとうございます。
ここではカレントの色の事ではなく、リンクシェルのチャットログや、ゲーム時のログイン表示状況の事について意見を出し合ってます。

She posted a Google translation in English, but it didn't make much sense. :X

[viion]

If your upset with it, than go do something else. God forbid life exists elsewhere.
If your not one for waiting, then I highly suggest you quit, and maybe come back next year.

Calling SE employees dumb.. PSHh I say..

Huh? I quit long ago, but im not one to have just 1 game in my life. I play several...

I come here to look for a glimmer of hope this game can do anything but then I real the same old bullshit excuse "just wait longer its too hard!" for the most basic of things. It makes me laugh that SE struggle on such things.

[Reinheart]

英語圏の方ですね。レスポンスありがとうございます。
ここではカレントの色の事ではなく、リンクシェルのチャットログや、ゲーム時のログイン表示状況の事について意見を出し合ってます。
You must be from the NA side, thanks for the response.
In this thread we are not talking about the color of the current linkshell, but giving suggestions about linkshell chat log or login display situation when in game.

The thread title is "What do you think of the LS/Friendlist method" and her first post says

Anyways I started a thread on the JP side a while back about the LS crest and I linked that image before after asking on this side that had that image on one of the threads and had some feedbacks in there but I don't think the reps responded to that one. Here: http://goo.gl/Y2otL

[Rhianu]

Huh? I quit long ago, but im not one to have just 1 game in my life. I play several...

I come here to look for a glimmer of hope this game can do anything but then I real the same old bullshit excuse "just wait longer its too hard!" for the most basic of things. It makes me laugh that SE struggle on such things.

I think you're underestimating how long game development actually takes. Try actually making a game yourself, and see how fast YOU can make even basic things.

Anyways I started a thread on the JP side a while back about the LS crest and I linked that image before after asking on this side that had that image on one of the threads and had some feedbacks in there but I don't think the reps responded to that one. Here: http://goo.gl/Y2otL

Oh wow, I had no idea you posted that! Thanks! ^_^

I'm kind of hesitant to ask, but I would really like to know what those people thought about my mockup image. But if you don't have time or don't want to translate all that, I understand.

[Reinheart]

They are suggesting more of what kind of crest, crest variations in there.

Poice - crest from WoW is nice
Minana - having combination like from HALO where you have main crest + sub crest and being able to choose color would be nice
boot - if you can make your own crest (since i mentioned someone on NA side suggested dot editor but might cause issue) might be a problem - even if they add more crests might have a limit.
Rodion - (same idea as Minana) but saying adding animal icon + weapon icons
boot - talking about how about having 3 city flags as icon
Thursday - saying the color tweak bar you added is actually just on/off switch but thought NA's also thought of that bar as a seek bar

I like the Main + sub combination idea but thats about it on that thread.