Poor FFXIV

[Ilethius]

The FFXIV fail launch is the best thing that has ever happened to SE, they now see how outdated they were becoming, they have halted launches on all of there upcoming titles to review the game and to see if they can improve it. They have started giving feedback and listening to there fan/player base, hell they have created official forums for us to voice our opinions on!!

Hopefully FFXIV can get better its going to be a long road to recovery but they are basically redesigning an entire game graphics aside. Good Luck SE.

[zaviermhigo]

My thing is, they were assuming the old FF titles were outdated, and I'm not sure if they really were, its just the gaming world has opened up to these "casual" gamers, which some of them aren't casual, they are just spammers, and they want instant gratification in gaming, and I personally don't want this. They need to branch out more, make classic FF titles like III and IV (like they are doing on ds, but spread to other consoles), and give spammers what they need to, but don't advertise the typically jrpg as being for spammer, and vice versa. Western rpgs aren't even what they used to be in the story line department, look at Dragon Age I to II, these are both new and II was a huge downgrade as far as storyline went, leaving such an open ended finale to the game which seemed like you need an addon just to summarize everything. Mass effect 1 to mass effect 2 was streamlined. The move between JRPG and WRPG is streamlining, some of you may like it, but honestly I don't have ALL the time in the world, I go to college weekdays and work weekends, but when I do have a free day I would like to spend the whole day gaming and NOT FINISH THE GAME. I treat rpgs like a good book, i never want them to end, but I could finish the average rpg in a day or two now a days. FFXIII I couldn't but not for the right reasons, plus they gave you an achievement just for walking I felt.

[Zenaku]

TROLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bled]

TROLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I want image support on these forums so i can post this:

http://gentoo-blog.de/wp-content/upl...-the-troll.jpg

[zaviermhigo]

Too be fair, I did say this was a troll topic, but then again FF does need to add a forums almost for why they're loyal fan base is not happy with their games lately. On that note, we should end this forum, for the dev's because it detracts from dev's reading actually good suggestions.

[Bled]

Too be fair, I did say this was a troll topic, but then again FF does need to add a forums almost for why they're loyal fan base is not happy with their games lately. On that note, we should end this forum, for the dev's because it detracts from dev's reading actually good suggestions.

O i am sure they are not reading this lol.

[Kirith]

FFXIII was by no means a crappy game. It was a graphic masterpiece with skilled and capable people working on it. A fantastic game. It just sucked as a final fantasy.
More than Final Fantasy i would have called it "Eccentric Soap Fantasy"...

Also, talking of copies sold is ridiculous. I can't even estimate how many people every year waste their time to go and watch fireworks. Fireworks are generally regarded as something pretty and good to watch. Flashy colors. Deafening explosions.
It's obvious that when you spend a bunch of millions into a single game, it will be pretty, it will be exotic, it will be a spectacle to behold. Millions will buy it just to see the shiny graphics and argue about it with friends. Especially when it has the hype of such a famous game company all around it.

However that's not what i buy(bought) Square games for. Fireworks don't interest me. I want something deep, i want a good writer spilling his mind on the players for 80 hours through metaphors and under the pretense of a videogame with flawed characters. The story must have a meaning, it must carry emotion. The story, not the characters.

Soap Opera: about characters and their feelings. Relies on Empathy: character cries, you feel sad. Catharsis.
Final Fantasy: characters are devices to tell a story, which is itself a device to touch the player both emotionally and intellectually. Relies on stimulation. On actual fantasy.

Many have played Final Fantasy without giving it much thought, but a fan who was touched by the series won't be easily tricked by soap operas with a "Final Fantasy" logo stuck on them.

I didn't feel sorry for Cloud or pitied Squall. Zidane was simply annoying. They weren't charismatic at all. The roles they and the accompanying casts played however always conveyed greater truths and held subjective meanings to the players. I love the characters because i love the roles they represent, not the amount of whining they do. Final Fantasy is about the world it represents and not some overdone sentimental drama. It's about the meaning of going through it.

FFXIII had all the right ingredients, most of which way better than its predecessors, yet it lacked the fundamental emotion you can't bind to a single person or sterotype, it lacked the "final" in final fantasy, that feeling of total immersion, it lacked truth, it lacked meaning beyond that of being a cool show with charismatic characters. It was a cool game, but a bad final fantasy.

My argument is all over the place, but a book could be written about it without making it clear. Those who want to understand will understand.

[Bled]

FFXIII was by no means a crappy game. It was a graphic masterpiece with skilled and capable people working on it. A fantastic game. It just sucked as a final fantasy.
More than Final Fantasy i would have called it "Eccentric Soap Fantasy"...

Also, talking of copies sold is ridiculous. I can't even estimate how many people every year waste their time to go and watch fireworks. Fireworks are generally regarded as something pretty and good to watch. Flashy colors. Deafening explosions.
It's obvious that when you spend a bunch of millions into a single game, it will be pretty, it will be exotic, it will be a spectacle to behold. Millions will buy it just to see the shiny graphics and argue about it with friends. Especially when it has the hype of such a famous game company all around it.

However that's not what i buy(bought) Square games for. Fireworks don't interest me. I want something deep, i want a good writer spilling his mind on the players for 80 hours through metaphors and under the pretense of a videogame with flawed characters. The story must have a meaning, it must carry emotion. The story, not the characters.

Soap Opera: about characters and their feelings. Relies on Empathy: character cries, you feel sad. Catharsis.
Final Fantasy: characters are devices to tell a story, which is itself a device to touch the player both emotionally and intellectually. Relies on stimulation. On actual fantasy.

Many have played Final Fantasy without giving it much thought, but a fan who was touched by the series won't be easily tricked by soap operas with a "Final Fantasy" logo stuck on them.

I didn't feel sorry for Cloud or pitied Squall. Gidan was simply annoying. They weren't charismatic at all. The roles they and the accompanying casts played however always conveyed greater truths and held subjective meanings to the players. I love the characters because i love the roles they represent, not the amount of whining they do. Final Fantasy is about the world it represents and not some overdone sentimental drama. It's about the meaning of going through it.

FFXIII had all the right ingredients, most of which way better than its predecessors, yet it lacked the fundamental emotion you can't bind to a single person or sterotype, it lacked the "final" in final fantasy, that feeling of total immersion, it lacked truth, it lacked meaning beyond that of being a cool show with charismatic characters. It was a cool game, but a bad final fantasy.

My argument is all over the place, but a book could be written about it without making it clear. Those who want to understand will understand.

I felt your post got the point across, and i agree for the most part.

[Cairdeas]

I'd like to point out, again actually. That FF13 follows the Final Fantasy Formula pretty well. As it was established in FF2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. The only ones it deviates from are 1, 3, 10, 11, and 12.

1. Player is introduces to either the main character by themselves or a group of friends who the main character is a part of, all the other members get sidelined eventually by other main characters.

2. The player learns about the main character while going through a storyline that is very narrow, the game guides them along the way to a specific point and very little exploration is needed if at all possible. If there is a world map it isn't accessable yet, or it is and most of the rest of the world is blocked off or the monsters are too strong.

3. After advancing into the story, it splits and you take control of a different party for a short amount of time following an alternate event at the same time as an event you already witnessed.

4. Eventually all the parties come together and the ultimate Big Bad is revealed. The whole party engages the big bad and has a huge revelation that causes everyone to question what they are fighting for and who they are.

5a. Characters are now dumped into a world where the transportation is completely unlocked and for most purposes they can go anywhere in the game except storybased areas that have become locked down.

5b. The characters eventually get either Teleported to an alternate reality, end up on the moon/twin planet, or ceremoniously dumped onto open worldmap with the ability to explore the whole thing.

6. Once there they have to gather up a bunch of stuff, or are forced to experience things that make them change their minds about who they are once again. The Big Bad might come taunt them, or The groups possibly temporarily separate one last time and a party member might leave the game as being playable forever (Not just Aerith, Shadow can do it too, so do a lot of people from 2-4-5).

7. After the crisis in the party is over the party heads to the final dungeons, explores it and fights the big bad one last time. After defeating the big bad the party finds out more truths about what really has been happening, everything is attempted to be explained.

[Bled]

I'd like to point out, again actually. That FF13 follows the Final Fantasy Formula pretty well. As it was established in FF2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. The only ones it deviates from are 1, 3, 10, 11, and 12.

1. Player is introduces to either the main character by themselves or a group of friends who the main character is a part of, all the other members get sidelined eventually by other main characters.

2. The player learns about the main character while going through a storyline that is very narrow, the game guides them along the way to a specific point and very little exploration is needed if at all possible. If there is a world map it isn't accessable yet, or it is and most of the rest of the world is blocked off or the monsters are too strong.

3. After advancing into the story, it splits and you take control of a different party for a short amount of time following an alternate event at the same time as an event you already witnessed.

4. Eventually all the parties come together and the ultimate Big Bad is revealed. The whole party engages the big bad and has a huge revelation that causes everyone to question what they are fighting for and who they are.

5a. Characters are now dumped into a world where the transportation is completely unlocked and for most purposes they can go anywhere in the game except storybased areas that have become locked down.

5b. The characters eventually get either Teleported to an alternate reality, end up on the moon/twin planet, or ceremoniously dumped onto open worldmap with the ability to explore the whole thing.

6. Once there they have to gather up a bunch of stuff, or are forced to experience things that make them change their minds about who they are once again. The Big Bad might come taunt them, or The groups possibly temporarily separate one last time and a party member might leave the game as being playable forever (Not just Aerith, Shadow can do it too, so do a lot of people from 2-4-5).

7. After the crisis in the party is over the party heads to the final dungeons, explores it and fights the big bad one last time. After defeating the big bad the party finds out more truths about what really has been happening, everything is attempted to be explained.

FF formula =/= just storyline
FF formula = Recurring elements such as plot themes, character names, and game mechanics

Edit: If your referring to just FF storyline formula you need to specify but i believe you got it right on the money in a general outline.

Storyline for the most part ends up being a group of people fighting a great evil, while exploring the characters inner struggles. Now just because a FF follows this theme still does not guarantee a good story, much like FF XII which attempted to follow this formula but followed it to the bare minimum thus inducing a snooze fest.