Is there even a point to raising level caps?

[Dargoth_Draconia]

Content, Duh Winning.

[Dreamer]

Here's what I would like to see:

Instead of having the difficulty jump up in increments the way most games do, I'd instead like to see the level increase by in every patch. In other words, if we were starting at this moment, patch 1.18 would raise the cap to R51, patch 1.19 would raise it to R52, and so on.

What this would do is make the current content slightly easier, while at the same time letting the slightly more hardcore part of our population tackle the new incoming content below. New content is slowly phased in like this, while old content is slowly outleveled (like it is when you're leveling), instead of becoming obsolete all at once. Using this type of system, we would see R99 in probably 6 years or so, which I feel is a good pace (about 8 rank increases per year).

[Xatsh]

To comment on people hating leveling, that is what a mmo is and what an rpg is... if you hate leveling you simply dislike the genre as a whole.

A mmo should be an unbeatable game, something you can play for near a decade and not completely finish. If a player hardcore or not can actully beat a mmo (get everything possible) something is really wrong. This alone is why people raise level and such.. it add that much more life to the game.

But I think constant level increases is detrimental to the game as it does negate all the previous work the devs have done... wow is a great example of this with its say burning crusade raids, FFXI is as well with abysea and the increase to level 90 or what ever it is now destroyed 9 years of content. I want FFXIV to avoid this situation for as long as they possibly can.

I am all for horizontal growth of your classes. Meaning keep the level cap at 70-75 (what ever they want to raise it to), and allow people to get better gear with expansions which specialize their classes for certain things. Sorta of an elitest view I guess, but with this system the endgame at the first expansion in FFXIV will still have people doing it when expansion 4 is released. While expansion 4 is giving you the best nuking gear in the game for conj, expansion 1s curing body and headpiece are still the best.

FFXI had the most endgame out of any mmo, not because of the amount of content at expansions, but the fact all the endgame they released never got replaced.

[AuctionGirl]

I think every 6 months, we should see a rank cap increase of 5 ranks.. this gives SE 6 months to release new content for those 5 new ranks. This will keep the game fresh every 5 ranks, plus give people time to rank up all their classes every 5 ranks also.

The problem with XI, was that they STAYED at 75 for too long and made too much content for 75, which is why abyssea destroyed XI. If every 6 months they increased 5 levels, then there wouldn't have been 20 level 75 things to do, but 2 level 75, 2 level 80, 2 level 85, 2 level 90, 2 level 95, etc... this would keep the game more enjoyable through all the ranks. Also with the release of new classes, this gives everyone fun along the way.

MMO's are about growing as a character, and XI was good until 75, then its like you hit a brick wall, you either grind-ed merits and felt like you didn't grow much, or you started a new job until 75. How cool would a game be if you never HAD everything. That is what makes a good game, always something to strive for.

[zaviermhigo]

I think every 6 months, we should see a rank cap increase of 5 ranks.. this gives SE 6 months to release new content for those 5 new ranks. This will keep the game fresh every 5 ranks, plus give people time to rank up all their classes every 5 ranks also.

The problem with XI, was that they STAYED at 75 for too long and made too much content for 75, which is why abyssea destroyed XI. If every 6 months they increased 5 levels, then there wouldn't have been 20 level 75 things to do, but 2 level 75, 2 level 80, 2 level 85, 2 level 90, 2 level 95, etc... this would keep the game more enjoyable through all the ranks. Also with the release of new classes, this gives everyone fun along the way.

MMO's are about growing as a character, and XI was good until 75, then its like you hit a brick wall, you either grind-ed merits and felt like you didn't grow much, or you started a new job until 75. How cool would a game be if you never HAD everything. That is what makes a good game, always something to strive for.

This minus his every 6 months idea. Xi ruined itself, and now they realized XIV isn't making money yet, so they have to prolong XI's lifespan by 2-3 years, and for you who think that game is dead you're mistaken, I can't bring myself to play it, its perverse, but its not dead and new people are even starting O_o. The 80 cap didn't even kill FF at first, it was the 2nd abyssea expansion, but for some reason it just cleared out the last remnants of old players, and new ones swarm in. Jeuno is all nubby new people with level 90s due to abyssea :/ If scaled correctly a level cap increase will not ruin a game.

[Shiyo]

I think every 6 months, we should see a rank cap increase of 5 ranks.. this gives SE 6 months to release new content for those 5 new ranks. This will keep the game fresh every 5 ranks, plus give people time to rank up all their classes every 5 ranks also.

The problem with XI, was that they STAYED at 75 for too long and made too much content for 75, which is why abyssea destroyed XI. If every 6 months they increased 5 levels, then there wouldn't have been 20 level 75 things to do, but 2 level 75, 2 level 80, 2 level 85, 2 level 90, 2 level 95, etc... this would keep the game more enjoyable through all the ranks. Also with the release of new classes, this gives everyone fun along the way.

MMO's are about growing as a character, and XI was good until 75, then its like you hit a brick wall, you either grind-ed merits and felt like you didn't grow much, or you started a new job until 75. How cool would a game be if you never HAD everything. That is what makes a good game, always something to strive for.

This makes no sense at all, so instead of having 20 things to do you'd rather have 2? Why? How is having 20 things to do bad again? I don't get your argument at all.

I agree with Xatsh, I want the cap to slowly go up, then stay there for like 10 years. Having 20 things to do at end game > having a few things, then deleting those few things for a few more things every expansion.

[zaviermhigo]

Well theres moves in the dat files up to 99 people have looked up, and some of them have actual levels on it (fake/unknown ranks being rank 99 usually). This game seems like it was built to have a 75 cap, I mean XI's first cap was 50, and XIV looks so similar to XI's first year. No AH,boring jobs,level 50. Not excusing it though, if your first mmo's first year sucked, there is no excuse for the 2nd one, learn from your mistakes, which you guys obviously didn't.

[TessaJalloh]

yes, they should raise it, as they've already planned content to take advantage of it. Come on gift, don't troll us with such silly ideas. you know better.

This isn't endgame, this is midgame, and what we currently see as mid level NMs (the new ones we just got) will shortly become the Low level NMs.

[Reika]

They have to raise the level cap, or elso no one will ever be able to kill the headrip ogres or rainbow basilisks ; ;. When monsters get stronger, players have to have a way to get stronger too. They cant just add gear that give you 3000 more HP and call it a day. We need to work towards that by leveling up. And without a level cap increase, there will be no new skills or spells learned, and everyone will be the same for years.

[AuctionGirl]

This makes perfect sense... You just aren't comprehending it well... There will always be things to go, just not all @ the cap... Once "Casuals" do all the content, they usually are gone. So the reason to always keeping new content every 6 months it to keep the game fresh. Once you are "75" or "max rank" for 1+ years you learn your job, you are just repeating the same thing constantly, rarely does battle change other than maybe required classes to make that battle easier. With new rank, new content etc.. you get new abilities, new enemies, everything changes, and possibly what was good @75 is no longer good @80, which makes you adjust your game play and grow with the game. They can "Cap" these places as they grow so you cant go in higher than the Content allows, which keeps there 20 places to do, but always having to learn and strive for the next goal is what keeps people playing.

Expansions are what should increase the rank caps.. every 6 months new expansion, new rank cap, new abilities and possibly new jobs/classes.