When people ask me if I’m getting XIV when it comes out, I flat out tell them no. Of course, this is probably going to eventually be untrue since I am a weak-willed consumer whore. Nonetheless I’d like to believe that I’m not going to.
I’ve outlined a list of things that this devteam does wrong, and continue to do wrong. It’s honestly not intended to be a bash against XI, but I don’t doubt it’ll be taken that way anyway. There are things that FFXI does right, but they’re not going to be covered in this post.
- Randomness is its own challenge.
- Randomness is its own reward.
- Dependency.
- Gameplay Guesswork.
- Zero communication.
- Unexplorable zones.
- Resistance to change.
- Fake linear gear progression.
- Insane customer service.
There are very few things in this game where it does not come down to the pachinko factor. The number of long term goals or rewards outweigh the sheer randomness, and equipment based on randomness is usually far more useful than a reward based on a long term goal.
With the implementation of randomly generated augments on Fey Weapons and Fields of Valor equipment, this is a giant klaxon in of itself. Especially since you can get heavily penalized with worthless shit or even negative stats.
I have five linkshells now; one for ZNMs, one for Dynamis and Einherjar, one for Salvage, one for Limbus, and a social. Accomplishing shit heavily relies on other people – other people who aren’t impatient dicks who are going to stop participating in the event once they get what they want. There are very few things you can solo or duo with any kind of success. The argument of “Why the fuck are you playing an MMO then, you faggot?” doesn’t apply, since what other people do affect how I play, whereas if I’m able to accomplish stuff on my own then the only person I have to worry about is me.
I know some people find it fun to figure out stuff. I used to think I was one of them, but I’m not so sure anymore. There is so much purposefully hidden in this game. From latent effects, to hidden effects, to drop rates, to even stupid shit like ranged attack and accuracy. There is no need for this.
There is a giant wall between the raving playerbase and the isolated devteam. I don’t think the playerbase wants a hotline to complain about all the shit that goes on in game, but it definitely feels that they’re not listening. And if they don’t care, then they don’t say so. If they do listen, then it’s treated like some kind of surprise gift.
Xarcabard [S] is one of the worst designed zones I’ve ever seen. I wanted to screencap a widescan shot of all the mobs in Xarc[S] versus present day Xarc to show the insane difference. Not to mention, a 75 can walk through Xarc without fear of aggro, unlike Xarc[S], which is full of truesight bullshit that can kill you before you realized you lost sneak/invis. From ToAU onward, zones have been unexplorable. You get aggro by yourself, you’re dead. You get aggro with a party, you could be dead too.
I don’t expect the devteam to be perfect, but they should admit mistakes. I don’t know why kings are still the way they are, or why the NM/claiming system would ever want to be defended. It’s nice that Odin is an alternative — only took them 5 years I guess.
There’s an argument to be made about linear gear progression. XI doesn’t have it. Teams are only as strong as their weakest person, and if they have shit gear (or a shit play style), then there’s a few things inaccessible to them. With the advent of Pandemonium Warden requiring players with relics out the ass, it should make any player wonder what the hell direction the devteam is going.
I understand that dealing with consumers is a very tough and unforgiving job, especially when you deal with very angry young adults, but the amount and variance of stories I hear is off the wall. I don’t doubt some are flat lies, but come on… They can’t all be untrue.
These are all things that the devteam is actually doing, and have shown, over the course of several years, that they’re not going to change. These are all important factors to consider when you think about buying XIV, and if they generally outweigh the positives.
The sad part is that randomness is well documented to encourage obsessive behavior and addiction. That’s why MMOs do it. You want your players to keep playing, thinking that if they don’t play, they’ll miss out on that drop, or that the one time they don’t show is up when what they want will drop.
Hence, I don’t think we’ll be going away from randomness anytime soon… It’s easier and cheaper to implement compared to actually creating interesting content :)
D: I hate talking about WoW vs FFXI but for the sake of me being bored and all and hoping that FFXIV will draw some good examples from it all, here’s some random POI
- Randomness in WoW is still something that can be pretty consistent to FFXI’s randomness. However, in WoW, there is almost always a reward for each thing you do so that at least someone in the group can get something beneficial. Even if you end up with something that doesn’t benefit anyone in the group, the item can be vendored for a meaningful amount of money or can be converted into material for augmenting on equipment. Imagine going to Salvage and getting at least one 35 piece.
- On the thought of dependency, WoW usually has one main raid and a bunch of side raids. FFXI is a cluster fuck of random end game activities which are spread way too thin. In a guild, you tend to have one goal in mind and that’s completing the main raid. This is what you really do in a PvE guild until the next content patch comes out. It doesn’t sound like much but there are people that still cannot complete content 2 patches ago and a lot of the newer content now are multi-layered: There’s a 10 man version, a 25 man version and hard mode versions for both of those. Gear and the encounter itself are different in each of those modes. And even if you manage to get all the gear you want from those areas, there’s meta-game achievements and heck… some of these encounters are actually FUN TO DO. Don’t have to camp an HNM, deal with lag from other players, generally aren’t heavily restricted by wait periods.
- Everything in WoW is pretty much laid out to you in terms of calculations and all that jazz. Sure people can say “that ruins the surprise!” but really, show me a person that says that and can make an actual equation as to what is going on in game. Then show me a person who wants to min-max everything that actually prefers hidden equations.
- WoW and even a bunch of other MMOs did something that FFXI should have done: Distinguish Soloable Mobs and Non-Soloable mobs. We call them elites. Everything in FFXI, regardless of level, is generally considered an elite in other MMO standards. You can’t reliability kill something without a huge risk of dying even if the mob’s level is extremely below yours. Of course this is really based on your class but shouldn’t everyone have some sort of chance fighting a mob that’s even matched?
- WoW is a constant changing game and sometimes it can be a pretty bad thing when you come back into a game and everything changed after a fortnight. There are MMOs out there that rarely change from their base material and some of those MMOs should stick to their original base material. FFXI isn’t one of them.
- Relics were a stupid idea especially introduced that early in the game. In fact, a lot of gear introduced early in the game were too good and they have yet to be replaced. There’s also no medium. You go from base to ZOMG MY WEAPON DOES 3X AMOUNT OF DAMAGE RANDOMLY AND A NEW WEAPON SKILLZ OMG. Nothing in between to smooth the progression out.
- Aion actually has some pretty good customer support even though it’s early in the game and they have yet to implement certain things to report players. WoW took this to the next step and they actively participate with their players on the forums while giving a lot of input about the game’s development. Now a lot of people are bitching at the fact that Blizzard ignores them. If I were to compare SE to Blizzard in terms of player response, it would be like comparing the size of an ant compared to the size of the Sun. It’s just that much better.
If they really want to improve FFXIV, I think one important thing is to get the developers and the players a lot closer together than in FFXI. This also includes active participation from SE NA and EU.
I’m not sure where you get the idea that you need “Relics out the ass” to kill PW. When we killed it on Alexander, we had 4 total relics, one Amano/Bow SAM and an Aegis/Excal PLD, though it can easily be done without any relics. PW simply requires people who know how the fuck to play the game. Its not some insurmountable challenge because of its difficulty, its an event that forces players to play a coordinated game and not gear like a complete moron =/
Well, that’s still three more relics than our linkshell has at the moment.
But I’ll get to eventually experience it firsthand, I suppose. We’ve got a PW set ready to go, and eager leadership to try it out.
I should add I’m basing on what I do about PW about the 18-hour failed attempt by BTL, Apathy’s successes, and Excellence’s failures. I’m actually unfamiliar with anyone else besides Apathy being successful.
I guess I should read your blog!
I dunno… 4 relics sounds like “relics out the ass” to me xD
I guess it’s time to start researching PW and seeing what data there is out there :o
This is very random, but I had to write a paper for a class and this seemed like a good idea at the time. Please don’t be so cruel…
Random Drops as blessings
The simple hit-or-miss factor of Final Fantasy XI boils down to what the individual player values in the game. Although many of us want our desired items to drop as easily as it is to log in to our accounts, that type of simplicity would not keep our interests in the game for very long. Being given these random drops that may include such augments as elemental resist does cause a lot of anger and frustration, but the greener side to that bad luck is the motivation to try again. The randomness of the rewards given shouldn’t be looked at as a waste of our time. Rather, it should be considered a blessing in disguise that gives us a reason to continue to play and build our skills to become better players.
Challenge the Inexplorable Zones
The new expansions included zones that seem inexplorable for many players at the 75 skill level. This again boils down to what your value in the game. If skill building is not one you value much, then simply stay out of those zones. There are so many more zones that are considered “explorable” and “safe.” If a challenge is not what you seek, then simply stay away from those zones. You could choose to fish or care for your garden for the rest of your FFXI career. But how much fun would that be to not be able to explore the inexplorable? The appeal of this game doesn’t come from the safe zones, it comes from the danger and challenges that it offers. What is the point of having a 75 character and not showing off the battle skills you’ve acquired for fear of the inexplorable zones?
Pride over MOBS
In the case of the new mobs that have the reputation of being “impossible to kill,” I suggest we keep our eyes on the prize. It is not a secret that those mobs are the only things holding us back from the most sought out gear in Vana’diel. With limited resources, the mobs have to be tough and difficult to beat. If pride is what you seek and that pride is what is keeping you from trying to fight those mobs, think of the bragging points you will have if and when you are able to defeat them?
DON’T QUIT!
The point here is not to idolize the game, but rather to look at how far you have come to be at the 75-skill level. Why throw it all away over updates? It is well known that the devteam updates the game very often and we can’t keep complaining every time it happens. Take what the devteam gives us and instead of becoming victims, open yourselves up to the possibilities and opportunities that the updates offer. While we await the upcoming updates, I offer a simple challenge to everyone: focus on the positives, don’t be afraid to die a few times, and challenge yourself to become a better player.