[Megathread] Final Fantasy XIV

[PizzaSHARK]

Grinding for a mount (like you mention chocobo), well, I recall the Venomhide/Winterspring mounts taking about a month of dailies to 'earn'. In the beginning of WoW, it took some time to earn the gold to both learn riding skill and buy a mount. The prices were much steeper than today with a much less inflated economy where 300 gold was enormous.

Neither of those mounts would be considered mandatory, they were perks and status symbols.

As far as grindy MMOs; EverQuest (1) from what I've read would make FFXIV ARR seem like a cake walk.

For the most relevant comparison though ... think to the FF series as a whole. Think of FFXI (MMO), VII-X (basically the franchise, but think about each or any game in the series you may have played).

First and foremost, this is a Final Fantasy game. This game is LESS grindy, LESS travel, LESS everything than all the games I've played in the series.

None of this is relevant. EQ is not a relevant game anymore. FF11 is not a relevant game anymore. You don't judge a game against other games in its own series, you judge it against all games.

I remember people saying Tera was a grindfest, and it was a subscription based game for about a year. It is how Asian based games are ... and as much as some may hate to admit it; the world doesn't revolve around the 'west'; this is a game they could've released -only- for Japan/Asian markets if they chose to, and it would've still had the sub base they needed to meet their goals.

So why didn't they?

You need to drop all expectations and look at this game outside your paradigm. There is no reason to 'race to max'. I have to admit, it RUINED the MMO experience for me when I caved to pressure in WoW and started speed leveling. It is a very hard habit to break. It ruins your immersion in the world and the lore. It makes things tedious instead of an experience. I stopped reading quest text years ago, and I have to make myself most of the time now in any game I play (which is a reason I LOVE SWtOR, because I can let the game tell the story, I don't skip the cutscenes unless I'm grouped up).

It's a Final Fantasy game, which means the story and setting is complete garbage. None of it is even remotely believable and it's crammed full of cliches that are being used with a straight face. FF9 was probably the only FF I really liked, and even it didn't have near as many cliches or just plain bad writing as FF14 does.

My wife and I can't stand the targeting system; both tab targeting and trying to click on something in the mess of a large fate, though we haven't tried to hard to solve these issues yet.

There isn't a solution. The targeting being terrible is one of a multitude of very small issues with FF14 that add up to create a feeling of a product that needs a lot more polish. I feel like FF14 was released a little early, I think it needed at least another couple weeks of polishing, if not months.

[Iamanerd]

I find the story and setting actually pretty good, coupled with the music and this is a really immersive MMO for me and my friends. Shit I'm not even 50 yet as I just experiment with things and I'm enjoying it a lot. Trying to hit 40 today though! I'm going to stick with FFXIV for awhile, I'm done with WoW etc. and I'm just playing this and LoL for awhile until the new pokemon then I'm going to slow down on LoL.

[blackpink]

And what irks me is that i have to forcefully depend on some of these people you mention to continue my story thanks to mandatory dungeons.

Personally, I like having stuff like this. Even though it's rough right now, when the mass people leave, the ones who stay will be forced to not play like turds because of certain requirements.

[Wilhelm137]

So why didn't they?


It's a Final Fantasy game, which means the story and setting is complete garbage. None of it is even remotely believable and it's crammed full of cliches that are being used with a straight face. FF9 was probably the only FF I really liked, and even it didn't have near as many cliches or just plain bad writing as FF14 does.

Maybe they didn't make it for Asian countries only because you know.....even with how bad the last few games in series have been Final Fantasy still has a large fanbase here in the west, enough of one to warrant bringing a more grindy mmo than WoW out a 2nd time.

Because the story for Mass Effect was so much better than FF amirite? If you have a problem with cliché story elements in FF then you have a problem with just about every single jrpg that follows the same exact formula that jrpgs have followed for years. Hate to break it to you but western rpgs aren't much better as far as cliché story elements go and many are plagued with core story locked behind dlc(which isn't the case for just about every jrpg).

It seems clear you have something against Final Fantasy and Asian mmos in general going by everything you've said so far. This thread may not be only for white knighting the game and the company but if everything you're going to say is against the game and series then it probably is better that you just quit and stop posting about your hatred towards the "grind"(that isn't even as bad as most mmos) and go back to WoW where you're spoon fed everything outside of heroic raiding.

[Sorrior]

To all the haters....Just go home please. Plenty of us are bloody loving this game and they aren't looking to dominate anyways....Also I for one LOVE how the game plays/feels as do many others. Is it a bit old school? Yeah sure but for some of us that's EXACTLY what we wanted.

[ShamanTankFTW]

Sweet, FFXIV has thier own forum now.

Anywho...just got done with the starting main story-line quest and am now outside of Gridania. I was soooooooo confused when all of a sudden they started showing the movie Empire Strikes Back. Lol, it was such a massive change in aesthetics/atmosphere with the story that I actually laughed.

[blackpink]

Ok so im in a dilemma. Ive always played dps as main char in wow (rogue, then enhance and latest monk) had a healer as 2nd char and tank as 3rd, played high level on all three. My question is, on your server (i take it as an average of all servers), what is lacking the most? Healer, tank or dps? I wanna play a class/job that is needed. I know theres lower queues as tank prolly. But a raid also only need 2 tanks. Im speaking Bout getting into a guild (cant remember FFIXV name for a guild, free company?).

And pls assume im a decently skilled player (I see myself like that at least) and i have no doubt i can do very well no matter which job.

Tanks and healers will always be the most desired in any mmo, never ever dps lol.

[Jimmyw]

I feel like FF14 was released a little early, I think it needed at least another couple weeks of polishing, if not months.

you are the vast minority here though. I respect that you have your opinion and you arevery entitled to it. but it doesnt make it a fact. its still JUST your opinion. if you dont like the game then simply dont play it.

I dont wanna be rude but you think you refuted all of Candycottons points, but you didnt. its still just YOUR opinion.

I dont like Rift much tbh, but u dont see me over on Rift forums imposing my opinion and being uber negative. I dont like it, so I dont play it. BOOM. simple as that.

[CandyCotton Marshmallows]

Neither of those mounts would be considered mandatory, they were perks and status symbols.



None of this is relevant. EQ is not a relevant game anymore. FF11 is not a relevant game anymore. You don't judge a game against other games in its own series, you judge it against all games.



So why didn't they?



It's a Final Fantasy game, which means the story and setting is complete garbage. None of it is even remotely believable and it's crammed full of cliches that are being used with a straight face. FF9 was probably the only FF I really liked, and even it didn't have near as many cliches or just plain bad writing as FF14 does.



There isn't a solution. The targeting being terrible is one of a multitude of very small issues with FF14 that add up to create a feeling of a product that needs a lot more polish. I feel like FF14 was released a little early, I think it needed at least another couple weeks of polishing, if not months.

EQ and FFXI are both still running and supported. Not relevant to you maybe.

No mount is mandatory. The chocobo isn't mandatory, it is a benefit. You do have sprint don't you? There is only a few second gap between it falling off and you being able to use it again. Sprint is nearly as fast as being mounted. Mounts in this game are vanity and convenience. EARNING GOLD in vanilla for mount training and purchase was a HUGE grind for most.

Why did they bring the game to the west? Because a lot of us WANTED IT. Damn them for allowing fans of a HUGE franchise across decades play their game. Why is PSO2 (eventually) coming to the US? Because there are fans that want it. Just like people played PSU and subscribed to it. That game wasn't for everyone. This game isn't for everyone; but it is designed quite well for the ones it was designed and marketed for.


Your opinion is the story and setting is complete garbage because it is Final Fantasy. See, that is the confusing part in your argument. You don't like the FF universes, the story, the settings ... but you want the game to change to cater to you? Speak of cliches, WoW is full of cliches and pop culture ... you can hardly go anywhere in that game without it; add to it some ridiculous stories and plot holes, but it works for Blizz. Hell, I loved FFIX too. I loved Vivi. I also quite enjoyed FFVII, VIII and X not as much.


I hope you've been reporting the small issues on the official site. It'd be a shame if you didn't.

I can live with the targeting. I choose not to group up most of the time because I can't always stick to the game 100%; so it is only a real problem for me because it can be a pain clicking on non-grouped people to heal them on a large fate with tons of mobs. I can reasonably get mobs when I want to do damage if I'm paying attention enough not to hit something not part of the fate or whatever I'm doing.

A game that was released too early would be SWtOR, it needed another year+ of polish, proven by the much improved state of the game today. FFXIV ARR is a repolish of a game, it might need a bit of tweaking, but completely workable.


Apparently you dislike FF in general, since you generalized the entire series as garbage story and setting. An extreme fantasy setting not being believable ... call the fucking press; because it is completely believable to ride a flying mechanical head, a headless horseman mount, a horse with fire under its feet ...


But cherry picking arguments, then denial of everything else that would fell your side of the discussion is understandable. You don't like the game. That is perfectly valid for you. You don't have to like it. I'm sorry you don't. That the game needs to be more real for you and less grindy. Apparently the path they chose doesn't mesh with what you are looking for. WoW and SWtOR may be more to your liking. I do hope you find something you enjoy!

I don't even agree with your use of the word cliche with this game, as per its definition; but it is not the issue to debate.

I personally love the music. I love the references to past games. I think the world is beautiful. I like the way my character looks and how I customized her. I enjoy the story. I like the setting. I don't mind working for/earning things in the game. I'm just overall quite enjoying it. Hint: I'm allowed to

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Sweet, FFXIV has thier own forum now.

Anywho...just got done with the starting main story-line quest and am now outside of Gridania. I was soooooooo confused when all of a sudden they started showing the movie Empire Strikes Back. Lol, it was such a massive change in aesthetics/atmosphere with the story that I actually laughed.

>_> you tease, I actually checked :/

[PizzaSHARK]

EQ and FFXI are both still running and supported. Not relevant to you maybe.

No one looks at either of those games as examples of improvements in game design, or as metrics to judge other, new MMOs by. Hence, they aren't relevant, unless the subject is "how not to make a MMO in 2013."

I hope you've been reporting the small issues on the official site. It'd be a shame if you didn't.

I can't write or read Japanese.

FFXIV ARR is a repolish of a game, it might need a bit of tweaking, but completely workable.

And it's missing a ton of small things that any MMO made in the past three or four years should have in them, by default. The default UI being heavily customizable is great and something future MMOs should learn from and include.

But the lack of an effective way of tracking and selling items in the AH? Lack of competent target selection methods? Lack of effective or useful inventory sorting options? There are dozens of small issues like these. There isn't an excuse for them being in the game.

WoW has been making mistakes ever since it was released in 2004. Blizzard's fixed those mistakes, learning something in the process. All ANY MMO developer has to do is just look over Blizzard's shoulder and go "okay, those guys forgot this or made this mistake, we can learn from their mistake so we don't make it, too."

But cherry picking arguments, then denial of everything else that would fell your side of the discussion is understandable.

I'm only responding to the bits that are relevant or aren't 100% opinion. I don't like the setting and think the story is garbage. That's fine, that's 100% opinion. It's only relevant to how I'd rate the game because the story and setting are a major component of the "single player" portion of the game.

[Sorrior]

No one looks at either of those games as examples of improvements in game design, or as metrics to judge other, new MMOs by. Hence, they aren't relevant, unless the subject is "how not to make a MMO in 2013."



I can't write or read Japanese.



And it's missing a ton of small things that any MMO made in the past three or four years should have in them, by default. The default UI being heavily customizable is great and something future MMOs should learn from and include.

But the lack of an effective way of tracking and selling items in the AH? Lack of competent target selection methods? Lack of effective or useful inventory sorting options? There are dozens of small issues like these. There isn't an excuse for them being in the game.

WoW has been making mistakes ever since it was released in 2004. Blizzard's fixed those mistakes, learning something in the process. All ANY MMO developer has to do is just look over Blizzard's shoulder and go "okay, those guys forgot this or made this mistake, we can learn from their mistake so we don't make it, too."



I'm only responding to the bits that are relevant or aren't 100% opinion. I don't like the setting and think the story is garbage. That's fine, that's 100% opinion. It's only relevant to how I'd rate the game because the story and setting are a major component of the "single player" portion of the game.

Ummm dude there are english forums the devs watch too...Same site even...They have french too if I recall right as well as a few other lanquage..So umm yeah...

[Grym]

I am loving the game, and always been a FF fan, but there are a few things that I do wish they could have done better.

1) There is a Focus option, great! But there isn't a Focus cast modifier, there is a function for "Target Focus Target", but you cannot cast on Focus target while keeping your main target, which is a shame.

2) AH, is the Retainer REALLY necessary? It is good in a way that people can't tell who is selling the items (and get /t for undercutting and such), but it feels unnecessary especially with the 2.0 system (but was needed in 1.0).

3) I do agree I dislike the targeting a little.

4) WHY ON EARTH can you not /t someone who is in an instance? That I still do not understand.

But other than these factor I am very happy with the game at the moment, I hope they do succeed with ARR as I do think this game deserved it. FFXI went on for... well it is there XI anniversary this year (pun intended), if they can keep this one up as well this one would have a long way to go.

[Razael]

Theres some serious white knighting going on here <.<

[-aiko-]

But the lack of an effective way of tracking and selling items in the AH? Lack of competent target selection methods? Lack of effective or useful inventory sorting options? There are dozens of small issues like these. There isn't an excuse for them being in the game.

Not too sure what you mean about the market, it works like any other AH. Visit the market board, search for how much your item is worth, and sell it via your retainer who can be summoned right there next to the market boards. There are improvements to be made, for example I'd like to be able to see a sale history for an item while in my retainer window, but then I'd also like for a quick sales history to be in WoW. I don't see anything that is inexcusable about the market compared to others...

Also not sure what you mean about targeting. Default targeting leaves much to be desired, but in your keybinds you can bind different cycling methods, nearest enemy, enemy attacking you, last enemy, focus target, etc. You can also set up filters. I have it set up to be perfect to how I want it, it just took some work.

Inventory sorting would be welcome. I also think they should have waited to include the barber shop and golden saucer. Earlier in the thread I, like you, admitted they should have waited on a few things before release. However, you are grossly overstating things. The game's current state is hardly inexcusable.

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Theres some serious white knighting going on here <.<

Nice, way to add to the discussion.

[Remilia]

Not too sure what you mean about the market, it works like any other AH. Visit the market board, search for how much your item is worth, and sell it via your retainer who can be summoned right there next to the market boards. There are improvements to be made, for example I'd like to be able to see a sale history for an item while in my retainer window, but then I'd also like for a quick sales history to be in WoW. I don't see anything that is inexcusable about the market compared to others...

Click the little button top right when selling an item, you get to see what's the current pricing for the thing you sell so you don't even need to check the market board directly.



You get

[-aiko-]

Click the little button top right when selling an item, you get to see what's the current pricing for the thing you sell so you don't even need to check the market board directly.

That is amazing. :O I never noticed that. Looks like I can stop hoarding materials in my retainers and start selling stuff. If you press on the paper button again, it looks like it even gives you a list of all of the recent successful sales. This is like eBay. xD

Now I find it even more confusing to find the market lacking.

[Deleted]

Been hearing many good things about this game from my friend, however I am absolutely certain I can't get over a 2.5 second global... Maybe it'd become tolerable after a while, but going from a WoW feral/rogue/dk background I already found other classes in WoW too slow and sluggish to my taste. I'm hoping there's a chance for the gcd to be lowered some day. :/

[-aiko-]

Been hearing many good things about this game from my friend, however I am absolutely certain I can't get over a 2.5 second global... Maybe it'd become tolerable after a while, but going from a WoW feral/rogue/dk background I already found other classes in WoW too slow and sluggish to my taste. I'm hoping there's a chance for the gcd to be lowered some day. :/

It will likely never be lowered officially, but there is a stat that you can use to lower it: spell/skill speed.

My Scholar at 498 spell speed has a 1.8 global cooldown, and this is only in ilevel 70 gear (it goes up to 90 I believe). I imagine you can get it quite low.

[Jimmyw]

Been hearing many good things about this game from my friend, however I am absolutely certain I can't get over a 2.5 second global... Maybe it'd become tolerable after a while, but going from a WoW feral/rogue/dk background I already found other classes in WoW too slow and sluggish to my taste. I'm hoping there's a chance for the gcd to be lowered some day. :/

I dont play the game myself but i watch like every single stream of it i can untill I can buy it myself. but also theres quite a few skills off the GCD as far as I know. so its not like you just sit there waiting 2.5sec after every key press

[ShamanTankFTW]

/snip

>_> you tease, I actually checked :/

http://www.mmo-champion.com/forums/3...al-Fantasy-XIV

No clue what's going on though. Can't get to it without searching for them.