What is FFXIV trying to BE?

[gifthorse]

Months go by and we still don't even know the direction SE want to take FFXIV.

* * *

[SIZE="6"]"fun, live, reboot, and rebuild"[/SIZE]

What does that even mean? When designing a game, you don't need pointless buzzwords to make it good, instead you need a strong design philosophy that progresses the genre, and you need to be confident in its implementation.

Okay, sure FFXIV wasn't designed with that particular phrase in mind, but judging by the motley crew of contradictory features in the game, you can bet it was probably designed under the influence of something similar... or perhaps nothing at all.

I mean, really, SE. What kind of game did you envision? All I see is a lot of micro-management and no overall big picture.

You look around at other MMOs coming out and you see they all have strong views on where they are going, the direction they are taking. They have a "big picture". Take Guildwars 2 for example. Supposedly the saying around the workplace at Arenanet is "seamless". ArenaNet are trying to make their game more seamless and streamlined, they are trying to eliminate the box-ticking and sterile elements from adventures. They want things to occur more naturally, more logically, more seamlessly.

For instance, in GW 2, you don't have to be in a party to fight alongside others,and there is no obstacle to playing with other people (such as whether you can link your leves etc). The quests and events branch out organically in a series of chain reactions depending on player's actions.

I haven't played GW 2 so I have no idea whether they achieved this, but the point is: the idea is there and it forms the basis for every one of their designs.

In Mortal Online, the design philosophy was to give players absolute freedom. In TERA, the design philosophy was to take player's attention away from their action bars, and turn it instead toward the center of their screens. They want you to play a game, not a User Interface.

And it begs the question: Just what the hell is FFXIV trying to be? What's their philosophy? Just tell me now so I know whether it's something I would like... or whether it's something I would hate.

Just tell me because I need to know.

[Griss]

large text scares me.

[gifthorse]

large text scares me.

and rightly so.

it's pure nonsense.

[Kilta_Firelotus]

Also isn't guild wars and guild wars 2 under NCsoft? I'm pretty sure they are.

[gifthorse]

Gift. Those buzz words were meant for the new team not us the players. Those are to help motivate the team, and the basic focus they need. They are brain storming ideas on how to fix/ add stuff while using what we suggest.

Um, I know. I explicitly stated that in my Original Post. All I said was it's the kind of vague, pointless jargon you could expect from SE. Anyway, as far as motivating speeches goes, it's pretty flawed even then.

Besides, do you have to nitpick the minor points of my thread instead of discussing the overall message?

As for ffxiv its a mmo trying to break the mold ffxi had. Since ffxi wasn't that friendly to those with less time. Its just another mmo among millions.

Making a casual-friendly FFXI isn't exactly a ground-breaking concept.

I looked at other games you mentioned. they all have this "seen it" feel to me. Nothing looks really new. Unlike ffxiv, that to me looks new. Which is why I wanna play it so badly. Which is why I reseved it in full the second i heard about it.

That's not my point. Whether they "look" new or not, they were created with a clear vision. Regardless of whether they succeeded, it's good to know where they were coming from. The fact remains, I have no idea where SE is coming from.

We need new mmo, not more of the same. And sorry no one wants new, or else game may nota had such a "so-so" launch. (7/10 in't a bad rating 1/10 is worst)

Well said...

Also isn't guild wars and guild wars 2 under NCsoft? I'm pretty sure they are.

.. let's put aside the fact that what you're saying should have no bearing on the argument at hand, Guild Wars 2 is in fact developed by ArenaNet, the founder of which is a leading figure in network design for MMOs. NCsoft is just a company that funds/publishes/owns Arenanet. Or something like that.

I don't know the specifics.

[Dranio]

Also isn't guild wars and guild wars 2 under NCsoft? I'm pretty sure they are.

NCsoft basically publishes them yes, but Arenanet actual makes the 2 games. Heck, GW2 looks great to me, especially since it was announced BEFORE they even started on it.

[Gun_Anam]

Also isn't guild wars and guild wars 2 under NCsoft? I'm pretty sure they are.

Sort of. I wouldn't call it an NCSoft game tho. It's being developed by Arenanet who were bought by NCSoft a number of years ago but still work as the Arenanet team. Dev team is Arenanet, but customer support will be NCSoft. Arenanet have a good track record, but NCSoft's track record is appalling. From the tone of your post, I'm guessing you have the same hatred for NCSoft as I do.

On topic, those 'buzzwords' were explained further in one of the letters from the producer. I don't care enough to look for it. They're explaining the new dev teams approach to the task they were given. 'tis fairly straight forward. As for what the game is trying to be, they're not even completely sure of that themselves yet hence the players polls. They're trying to establish exactly which direction they should be taking the game. They want the game to be a Final Fantasy title that the players want to play and they're doing their best to make it just that.

[gifthorse]

On topic, those 'buzzwords' were explained further in one of the letters from the producer. I don't care enough to look for it. They're explaining the new dev teams approach to the task they were given. 'tis fairly straight forward. As for what the game is trying to be, they're not even completely sure of that themselves yet hence the players polls. They're trying to establish exactly which direction they should be taking the game. They want the game to be a Final Fantasy title that the players want to play and they're doing their best to make it just that.

Don't come into my thread and be all "mister rational". Can't you tell this is an irrational thread?

I think they need to just come out and tell us what their intentions are with the armory system, what their ideas for content are, and how the game will play overall, including the combat system, so we can finally just move on. The only reason we're clinging on is because we think there's potential. And SE needs to confirm or deny that for us.

They must have some idea what direction they intend to take, because how else are they developing content without a direction? They must know by now that developing a game without a direction isn't a good idea. Just look at FFXIV.

[Mack]

and rightly so.

it's pure nonsense.

Lol are you flaming yourself here? I like it gave me a chuckle.

[Gracious]

large text scares me.

Me too!!! Run away.