FFIV is a classic, throw back design MMORPG, with a fresh new coat of paint. It makes no apology for that. The differences between this style MMORPG and others are obvious and require no debate. No need to compare and debate them. There is no doubt that those coming from games like TERA, GW2, and NW will find the combat and play of FFIV slow and dated. That's as much a given as the difference felt when jumping on a ferris wheel after taking a ride on a new age roller coaster ride. It doesn't mean the Ferris Wheel was not an enjoyable ride, it just means the ride is different thereby eliciting a different level of enjoyment. Why MMORPG players feel the need to compare and criticize is beyond me. Different games for different folks.
I love chess. It's the same game now that it's been for ever. It requires no innovation, and I know of no chess player who is clamoring for change. Is it a game that everyone likes? Not by a long shot. Does that make it a bad game? No. It is possibly one of the greatest games ever invented and played by some of the greatest minds in the world.
The key question is "Is FFIV a good game in it's style of play." I think most would agree that it is. Now whether that style of play is amenable to everyone is a totally different matter altogether.
Different strokes for different folks, people.
Play your game.
Is it also a coincidence that the same games that are so fast paced and high action oriented, are the same ones that can't hold any longevity and thus can't demand a subscription?
This is my feeling also. Too many flashy action combat games and not enough meat and bones to keep players interested long enough to pay a sub.
Guess you didint really played long enough, as the game is made to be simple early on. And flashy combat is a plus for me.
I think he's talking about those MMOARPGs, not ARR.
I'm not going to say that I agree completely with Sephrinx's assessment (although I will attest to agreeing with some of it), but really Ayulin--do you think spending a good portion of your rebuttal criticizing him for his "overuse of hyperbole" is any less pointless or superfluous? Heck, I could argue that there's nothing wrong with a strong use of adjectives in writing, as it helps paint a better picture of what the person was actually feeling through the experience.
By that note, what you were doing in your post-constantly pointing out something, before every paragraph, that you could have simply wrote once without the need to do it again-is even less productive. I found myself skipping past entire paragraphs because it was, quite frankly, useless to read. We get it. You don't like emotional, descriptive writing. Well, some of us aren't that bothered by it and are able to differentiate a solid point the person is getting at, while being aware of what is emotional bias and what isn't.
I respect you pointing out inconsistencies and fallacies as they arise, but there's no need to comprise a half-page long analysis as to why the person was "in the wrong" for being excessive with the use of descriptive terminology. You could have addressed it once, and the point would have been clear. Not to mention, you yourself also used quite a bit of unnecessary, insulting rhetoric in your post, so the phrase "practice what you preach" comes to mind.
Why it's important to bring something new? Bringing something new adds a feeling of depth and longevity. The new system, whatever it may be, would draw people in and get them excited too play, just in order to utilize said system. I feel this game has a lot of well thought out ideas and plans for the game, but they were poorly executed. Like you said, Execution and delivery outweighs innovation, which I agree with. They could re use the same 'system' over and over, but if they don't polish it up and portray it in a way that looks prominent, then it won't provide anything too the game.
So, you undermine yourself right off the bat. You assert that bringing something new (aka 'innovation') is important because "it adds a feeling of depth and longevity". Well... First, that's a really tenuous argument to make for reasons that should be obvious. But to name one, a system that initially seems "innovative" and gets people excited to try it could very quickly fall short when people find it's not all it seemed to be. Some very recent MMO releases have proven this (namely: TOR and GW2).
Merely "bringing something new into the game" does not immediately give it "depth and longevity". If it's a new idea that happens to be poorly executed or not well-liked, it's not going to be doing either.
However, this is where it gets weird. After asserting that innovation is important for "longevity and depth", you then concede/agree that execution of said idea means more than the idea itself. You also concede that solid implementation of a familiar concept can go a long way... hence making innovation's "importance" highly conditional at best, or non-existant at worst.
You don't seem to have thought that bit through very well before you wrote it.
I'm not saying the game doesn't exactly have anything innovative, but what they did try and create didn't work, and therefore felt clunky and tacked on. Such as 'GuildHests' and 'LeveMetes' which are basically just daily quest hubs. Had they been implemented in a more strategic and well thought out fashion, I'm sure they would have been an exciting and attractive feature, but other than doing the GuildHest thing in order to get your Chocobo at level 20, there really isn't much a point to do them.
The point to them is "content people can participate in when they only have a short time to play and can't invest in longer-term activities. That's been the concept behind Levequests going back to the start of 1.0, and is the concept behind Guildhests as well. Short-term content that players can do on a shoe-string time-budget, even on a lunch-break if they have the means, and still feel like they've accomplished something before logging out.
Or, you know... something to do to mix things up and get some variety in your gameplay...
Ultimately the point to doing anything in a MMO - including playing the MMO at all - is to have fun. If you don't find something enjoyable then, yes, there would be no point in you, personally, doing it. For others, they're an enjoyable form of content and, hence, there's a point to doing them.
For myself, I enjoy breaking the time up doing quests or dungeons or class quests, or what have you, doing some leve quests, or guildhests... Guildhests, in particular, were a blast to do with my FC/LS mates over this last Beta. I'm looking forward to doing more with them in the future. That would be my "point" to doing them. Because they're fun.
But really, should the concept of "doing something because you enjoy it" really require explanation?
Yes, there are markers on the map, some times. For instance, the level 19-20 quest for joining a Grand Company, there are no quest markers on the map whatsoever, and the building you need to go into in order to do the quests, is unmarked as well. If I hadn't have asked around for 10 minutes I never would have find them.
I know which one you're talking about. Okay, 1 quest out of how many? doesn't have a quest marker, yet...due to a bug in Beta, by the by.
The quest description gives you all the information you need of where to go. I did those same quests. I spent all of 1.0 with the Waking Sands being located in Ul'dah, sharing the Market Ward entrance near the Aetheryte Plaza. So this was a major change for me and I had to find it again as well.
You're told the building is in Vesper Bay. Vesper Bay is in Western Thanalan, a short run from Camp Horizon. It's clearly labeled on the map, and you're given good instructions on where to find it. There's only so many buildings you can possibly go into there and the NPC you have to talk to initially is right inside the door, sitting at a table.
So, you claiming that it took you 10 minutes of asking before you could find that... well, again, you have that penchant for hyperbole... or you are just poor at following maps.
There are circles indicating the location of quest objectives
There are circles and 'quest location' sort of markers on the map, yes. Again, they could be in an area you haven't discovered 3 zones away, and the map/quest does nothing in order to help you get there or figure out how.
The game tells you where to go. The map shows you how the zones are connected. Failing that, the quest Journal has a 'map' button that shows you where the quest is located. Once you're in the zone you need to be in, voila, the quest marker will guide you where you need to be.
What more you want? The game to get you where you're going automatically, with you not having to do anything on your own? The designers kinda want you to get out and explore, discover and learn the game world on your own, ya know?
Remember, I've been playing this game as well. Even as a 1.0 player, ARR is quite new and unfamiliar to me as well. I have been doing the same content as you, in the same areas (I've done all 3 starting areas). I know how things are laid out, and I know that none of it is so difficult that it would take more than a few moments to figure what to do or where to go next.
That you claim to have had so much trouble with it is, again, either exaggeration for the sake of knocking the game, or you're just that lazy a player.
There are small gold arrows/glows indicating the direction of a quest/objective on your mini-map.
I have not noticed any sort of Gold Arrows or Glows of any sort. I think you just made that up, if there were such a thing, then I would have very little qualms with this map system. I just logged in, looked for a Golden Arrow/Glow, and it was nowhere too be found. Perhaps you could take a screenshot of this so I know what you are talking about?
With pleasure...
Pro-Tip: You should really hold off on accusing someone of "making something up" until after you've given them the chance to back it up.... Just saying.
A quest tracker is up on your screen, listing each one you have active.
Yes, there is a 'quest tracker' on your screen. It doesn't help you in anyway, it's just a reminder of what you are set out too do. It's just "Little Suzy wants you to get her four cookies. Cookies: 0/4"
Yes... as I said... it's a tracker up on your screen, listing the quests you have active... and it's 'tracking' your progress. The quest markers and quest journal cover all the rest... lol
Are you even seriously arguing this?
The quest journal has a 'map' button that shows you where you have to go for the quest.
It is true that the quest log has a "map" button, and if you press said button, it will bring you too the localized map of where the quest needs to be completed. That is all. It doesn't even center the map over the quest, you are left too look around the map and find it. And again, it doesn't help guide you in any way or give you any indication of how to get there. You have to constantly click around on the little green text links until you backtrack your way across X amount of maps to where you currently are, and then follow that path in the opposite order back to the quest location. Sometimes doing this doesn't work, because you are separated by a giant cliff or a river, and need too take an Airship or a Boat to get there, which only exacerbates the problem.
Yes... The game wants you to actually... you know... play the game, get out, explore and actually participate in it yourself.
The game gives you all the info and resources you need to get where you need to go and do what you need to do. Yes, it expects you to actually participate in doing those things.
What do you want the game to do? Whisk you away and drop you right in the spot you need to get to?
I think the problem emerging here is a lack of "self-reliance" and "initiative" on your part, because those things you are complaining about are absolutely not anywhere nearly as bad as you are trying to characterize them.
Each quest in the journal even has a small picture of the NPC you need to talk to, for crying out loud.
And you're trying to call that 'non-existant'? Seriously?
Just because there is a picture of Dave Jones in the quest log, in no way does it help getting to Dave or finding his Hideout that (for some reason) isn't listed on the map. And, yes, it's pretty much non exsistant. It does very very little in terms of helping the played locate the person he or she is trying to get too, and once they do actually locate them it leaves them dumbfounded as too actually get to said person. They really could have done much much better. Maybe they will allow us too use addons in this game, and someone can program Quest Tracker RRB Version.
On its own, no it doesn't. But it surely helps in identifying the right NPC (in case the name over their head, or the giant golden quest marker aren't obvious enough and you're still feeling unsure) after you've used all the other resources at your disposal to get to the right location.
More hyperbole-filled ranting. You're confusing auto-attack speed with GCD. "Tyrannical reign over the battlefield'? Seriously? Are you so insecure in your own opinions that you have to inflate them with absurd exaggerations to make them seem "more powerful"?
No, not hyper-bole filled at all. I am not confused auto-attack speed with the GCD. And the GCD does reign supreme over the battlefield. Yes, seriously. It lords over your actions with a mighty grip, unyielding and relentless. It is far to long, and makes the combat feel as if I am fighting to take action, rather than fighting to kill my opponent. It gives no depth or sense of power too the player. It makes you feel weak, all of your abilities must wait for the GCD to let you attack (save for a few) and it is just too long. 2.5 seconds is absurd. It lasts an eternity it feels like, especially when you need to Taunt a mob, or use your Shield Bash to stun.
More hyperbole used to bolster a weak argument.
I've done every dungeon in the game in Beta multiple times. I've completed the storyline available in Beta for two cities (Gridania and Ul'dah). I've done all the story battles, have done numerous guildhests and a number of levequests, as well as FATEs, Ifrit several times, and various other things.
I'm even doing it with the disadvantage of being based in the US and playing on Ridill, a JP based server where a higher ping does have an effect on my actions.
10s of thousands are doing the same content just fine.
The GCD is not the big deal you are describing it as. It's not "lording over" anything.
Stop exaggerating. It's not helping your case.
The GCD has already been explained, time and again. That you can reduce the delay between attacks as you progress in the game has been explained time and again. It's an old, tired complaint that is perpetuated only by the intellectually lazy, the willfully ignorant, or the blatantly dishonest.
Yes, you can reduce the GCD by a small degree with Items and certain classes have buffs that will do this as well, such as a Pugilist's Greased Lightning buff. I am not intellectually lazy by any means, nor am I being ignorant or dishonest. There is no need for such harsh allegations and quite frankly I find that a bit rude. I have not been able to get the GCD any lower than 2.37 seconds, with all my gear and all my buffs. I don't know about endgame BiS gear and Raid level buffs, but I'm sure it won't be much better. And even then, they know the GCD is a huge factor in combat, they even have items and buffs to help remedy it. Clearly it is a plague to the system that needs too be reworked. What the hell kind of game needs Cooldown Reduction gear? This isn't League of Legends, it's an mmo. Global Cooldown should be static and unchanging throughout the game.
I honestly find that having gear/buffs too reduce the GCD too be a bad idea. It is an increase in burst damage/healing and an overall decrease in sustained damage/healing, considering the fact you will be blowing through MP and TP at a much faster rate. Sure, you will have too better manage said resources, but it's counter-intuitive, and defeats its own purpose. Why would you want to use your abilities more often, if you can use them for a shorter period of time? It just doesn't make any sense to me. If you have any insight on why this works and makes sense, and I'm just too ignorant of the fact, please let me know.
Once again, I and many others are doing the content, and getting through things just fine. If you're burnin through TP or MP then you're playing poorly and should be analyzing and adjusting your tactics, rather than copping out by blaming the game. Period.
More hyperbole mixed with comparisons to two MMOs with completely different combat systems. Which type of combat system you prefer is personal preference, not divine dogma. If you prefer a more action-based combat system, then my advice would be to play MMOs with an action-based combat system.
Oh, great. Another "You don't like it, don't play it" response. You are getting a bit obtuse in your responses. Comparing two different mmo's isn't that absurd. It's pretty commonplace. Sure, they are at seemingly opposite ends of the spectrum, but it was a means of helping display a point, of which the combat system in this game being far too slow and boring. There is no divine dogma, there is no end-all omega point of which all must be the same.
Nice try, but no.
It's a direct response to you complaining about ARR's combat in comparison to MMOs with action-based combat. I'm merely suggesting that if you prefer action-based combat, then it would be advisable to play MMOs that have it.. rather than wasting your time fighting against a combat system you clearly don't enjoy.
Most people would call that "sound advice". You may call it whatever you want.
You're free to continue playing ARR all you like. But with all the complaints you have about it, I'm not sure why you would want to.
I have yet to find the Global Cooldown being any sort of a crucial factor in any boss encounters or dungeons, it just feels like a thorn in my side.
Because it requires you to plan your attacks and use your TP more wisely, rather than just spamming stuff as soon as GCD is down, hence running into the issue of running out of MP or TP.
Again, I played the game and participated in all the types of content offered so far. I ran out of TP once. Once that happened, I didn't say "OMG GCD sucks" and run to the forums to complain.
I realized I was being too spam-happy, eased back, adjusted my playstyle and had no problems after that.
And why would you not have too deal with Avoiding AoE's, positioning and avoiding Directional attacks if the cooldown was lower? That just doesn't seem like a valid argument.
It wouldn't be. Which is why I didn't make it.
My point was, you aren't spending the entire time just spamming attacks. Some of that time is spent on positioning, using special attacks, etc. The point is, when you're in a major fight, you have other things to be focusing on, and so your GCD should not be all you're concerned about. If you're spending 3 seconds maneuvering yourself to avoid damage or to get optimal positioning for an attack, then it doesn't really matter that the GCD is 2.5 seconds... unless you make it matter by obsessing over the cool down of skills you're not even in position to use yet.
The combat system is a means to an end. It's not an end in itself.
If the cooldown were lower, those aspects would still be in place, and they are staples for any good boss fight. No one wants a tank'n'spank boss. That is boring. But using "Boss Mechanincs" as means to validate a boring and clunky combat system just doesn't work. And you are paying even more attention to the GCD when adds pop and you need to burn them and throw out a taunt or a stun to peel them off your healer. It makes the battle seem agonizing and annoying rather than fun, strategic, and thought out.
You're missing the point entirely. Whether deliberately or because you just don't get it, I don't know. Either way, the result is the same.
"Ok, I know the adds are coming soon, I better have my taunt and Flash ready to go... Ok, here they go... *You cast flash, but 2 of the adds didn't get hit by it as the Archer and CNJ drew aggro before it landed"
Now you have to wait up to 7 seconds to peel those mobs. Not because it's a hard fight, or you are bad, but simply because aggro happens. And you are being punished severely for it. Yeah, I know, Archer should have waited to throw out deeps on those adds, but you can't really ask the healer to stop healing.
Occasional situational crap that does happen to even the best, most experienced players. It's happened in my parties. You know what we did? The tank either went up and grabbed the mobs using other abilities, or they were kited around 'til they were in range of the tank and they could grab on to them with other skills. Considering no one should be attacking mobs before the Tank has aggro on them, and they should be attacking designated targets and not just "anything at random", it should be (and has been for the most part - at least in my groups, but then we're organized and tend to use our brains...) very little effort for the tank to pick up the stragglers and get things under control.
Even in the worst, most dire situations - such as once when our tank was actually killed during a boss fight - we managed to pull things back together and keep it going 'til the Tank was raised. Fights aren't going to always go perfectly. Things aren't going to always go smoothly. The point isn't whether those things happen.. it's whether you're able to pull out of them and prevail. Again, in my groups, we have. We're not something special. We're not "elite players" or whatever. We just cooperate, adapt and work together.
Again.. I'm doing the same content as you. There's no situation you can mention that I would not have experienced, possibly multiple times, or at least something very similar.
It is not as bad as you are trying to characterize it.
When I was doing a Guildhest the other night that involved dealing with a main enemy that would randomly place a time-delayed AOE on a group member, while having a number of adds coming out to aid him, while also having blue flames popping up that had to be extinguished (without interruption) in order to weaken him to attacks... I wasn't focusing on "what's the cool-down of my attacks, and what rotation should I be using". I was focusing on dealing with the situations at hand.
People keep putting all this focus on "how basic the combat system is", with special focus on the lower levels; as though they expect to jump into the game at level 1 having all their level 50 abilities and content available to them. No MMO does this. Name me a MMO that starts you off at level 1 with all the options of combat, and the pacing, variety and challenge of end-game combat you'd expect to have by level cap. There isn't one. Funny how, in their rants, people seem to always ignore this detail, even when it's pointed out to them, and I have pointed it out to many.
...
That is what I mean by 'basic' combat. It's not deep and has very little synergy between skills. It provides more options, more strategy and in the end, more fun. No body wants to spam their skill rotation until the sun goes down. It's just not fun, exciting, nor thrilling in any way.
This ties in to what I already explained earlier, so I'm not going to repeat it all.
You're conflating your own preferences with "actual problems", and asserting them as fact. Either that, or you encountered situations that yourself and/or your groups were not prepared to handle effectively. I don't know. I wasn't there.
All I know is, once again, I'm playing the same game as you, using the same skills, with the same limitations, doing the same content.. I'm not having the problems you seem to be having... again, assuming you're not just exaggerating them again "for effect".
I don't want to be thrown into chaos at level 1, I just want a steady pace for my questing and leveling experience, and I want to engage in battle sooner than level three lolz. I agree, the beginning of any mmo is pretty slow and leisurely. Guild Wars 2 probably had the most intense intro to the game for an MMO, they did a really good job with that aspect and it was a lot of fun. I even died a couple times, I'll admit it, they kinda did throw you into the deep end, at least with the Sylvari and Tiger people classes, can't remember their name.
A steady pace for you is not the same as a steady pace for everyone else. My pace has been as steady as I've wanted it to be.
And again, you're citing GW2 as a comparsion. There's a clear picture being painted throughout your posts, and it's all pointing back to the same thing... "ARR is likely just not the game for you" - and that's perfectly okay. I don't personally care for GW2. Notice how I'm not on those forums posting long-winded, hyperbole drenched litanies about "how there's so much wrong with it".
Why? Because it's not necessary, nor would I be proving anything other than "It wasn't my cup of tea, so I moved on". Clearly many others enjoy it. I didn't. To each their own. Life goes on.
To sum it up, because the remaining paragraphs was a case of you nit-picking at individual points, while completely missing (or just ignoring) the bigger point being made. Forest for the trees. I'm not going to explain it again because, really, I've spent more than enough time on this little discussion, and there's really no point in trying to explain something over and over again to someone who's determined to completely ignore it.
If you continue to play ARR (though I don't know why you would if you enjoy it so little and have so many problems with it), hopefully you'll find some way to enjoy it in spite of your misgivings.
Seems to me you'd be happier in a certain other game, and I really have to wonder why you're putting so much time into playing and posting at length about a MMO you clearly don't like, when you could be putting that time into playing a MMO you clearly think highly of. Seems like a waste of time to me.
Or maybe that other MMO isn't "all that" either...?
FFIV is a classic, throw back design MMORPG, with a fresh new coat of paint. It makes no apology for that. The differences between this style MMORPG and others are obvious and require no debate. No need to compare and debate them. There is no doubt that those coming from games like TERA, GW2, and NW will find the combat and play of FFIV slow and dated. That's as much a given as the difference felt when jumping on a ferris wheel after taking a ride on a new age roller coaster ride. It doesn't mean the Ferris Wheel was not an enjoyable ride, it just means the ride is different thereby eliciting a different level of enjoyment. Why MMORPG players feel the need to compare and criticize is beyond me. Different games for different folks.
I love chess. It's the same game now that it's been for ever. It requires no innovation, and I know of no chess player who is clamoring for change. Is it a game that everyone likes? Not by a long shot. Does that make it a bad game? No. It is possibly one of the greatest games ever invented and played by some of the greatest minds in the world.
The key question is "Is FFIV a good game in it's style of play." I think most would agree that it is. Now whether that style of play is amenable to everyone is a totally different matter altogether.
Different strokes for different folks, people.
Play your game.
Is it also a coincidence that the same games that are so fast paced and high action oriented, are the same ones that can't hold any longevity and thus can't demand a subscription?
This is my feeling also. Too many flashy action combat games and not enough meat and bones to keep players interested long enough to pay a sub.
Guess you didint really played long enough, as the game is made to be simple early on. And flashy combat is a plus for me.
I think he's talking about those MMOARPGs, not ARR.
This is correct. I was talking about other games, not ARR. I love FF14:ARR, including the combat.
Ayulin, I admire your patience and resolve. Personally, I see no point. Some people just love complaining and making a big deal out of nothing substantial.
When you click on the quest tracker it opens the map to the location of that objective you clicked on. I know I've said this before, but people are still posting like you get "no help" in figuring out where things are and have to decipher some code in the text.
Nope you literally just have to click on the objective and it shows you where it is. I can't think of anything simpler, other than auto run to quest objective or a big glowing path leading you there so you don't get lost.
Comments
I think he's talking about those MMOARPGs, not ARR.
I'm not going to say that I agree completely with Sephrinx's assessment (although I will attest to agreeing with some of it), but really Ayulin--do you think spending a good portion of your rebuttal criticizing him for his "overuse of hyperbole" is any less pointless or superfluous? Heck, I could argue that there's nothing wrong with a strong use of adjectives in writing, as it helps paint a better picture of what the person was actually feeling through the experience.
By that note, what you were doing in your post-constantly pointing out something, before every paragraph, that you could have simply wrote once without the need to do it again-is even less productive. I found myself skipping past entire paragraphs because it was, quite frankly, useless to read. We get it. You don't like emotional, descriptive writing. Well, some of us aren't that bothered by it and are able to differentiate a solid point the person is getting at, while being aware of what is emotional bias and what isn't.
I respect you pointing out inconsistencies and fallacies as they arise, but there's no need to comprise a half-page long analysis as to why the person was "in the wrong" for being excessive with the use of descriptive terminology. You could have addressed it once, and the point would have been clear. Not to mention, you yourself also used quite a bit of unnecessary, insulting rhetoric in your post, so the phrase "practice what you preach" comes to mind.
I know which one you're talking about. Okay, 1 quest out of how many? doesn't have a quest marker, yet...due to a bug in Beta, by the by.
The quest description gives you all the information you need of where to go. I did those same quests. I spent all of 1.0 with the Waking Sands being located in Ul'dah, sharing the Market Ward entrance near the Aetheryte Plaza. So this was a major change for me and I had to find it again as well.
You're told the building is in Vesper Bay. Vesper Bay is in Western Thanalan, a short run from Camp Horizon. It's clearly labeled on the map, and you're given good instructions on where to find it. There's only so many buildings you can possibly go into there and the NPC you have to talk to initially is right inside the door, sitting at a table.
So, you claiming that it took you 10 minutes of asking before you could find that... well, again, you have that penchant for hyperbole... or you are just poor at following maps.
The game tells you where to go. The map shows you how the zones are connected. Failing that, the quest Journal has a 'map' button that shows you where the quest is located. Once you're in the zone you need to be in, voila, the quest marker will guide you where you need to be.
What more you want? The game to get you where you're going automatically, with you not having to do anything on your own? The designers kinda want you to get out and explore, discover and learn the game world on your own, ya know?
Remember, I've been playing this game as well. Even as a 1.0 player, ARR is quite new and unfamiliar to me as well. I have been doing the same content as you, in the same areas (I've done all 3 starting areas). I know how things are laid out, and I know that none of it is so difficult that it would take more than a few moments to figure what to do or where to go next.
That you claim to have had so much trouble with it is, again, either exaggeration for the sake of knocking the game, or you're just that lazy a player.
With pleasure...
Pro-Tip: You should really hold off on accusing someone of "making something up" until after you've given them the chance to back it up.... Just saying.
Yes... as I said... it's a tracker up on your screen, listing the quests you have active... and it's 'tracking' your progress. The quest markers and quest journal cover all the rest... lol
Are you even seriously arguing this?
The game gives you all the info and resources you need to get where you need to go and do what you need to do. Yes, it expects you to actually participate in doing those things.
What do you want the game to do? Whisk you away and drop you right in the spot you need to get to?
I think the problem emerging here is a lack of "self-reliance" and "initiative" on your part, because those things you are complaining about are absolutely not anywhere nearly as bad as you are trying to characterize them.
More hyperbole used to bolster a weak argument.
I've done every dungeon in the game in Beta multiple times. I've completed the storyline available in Beta for two cities (Gridania and Ul'dah). I've done all the story battles, have done numerous guildhests and a number of levequests, as well as FATEs, Ifrit several times, and various other things.
I'm even doing it with the disadvantage of being based in the US and playing on Ridill, a JP based server where a higher ping does have an effect on my actions.
10s of thousands are doing the same content just fine.
The GCD is not the big deal you are describing it as. It's not "lording over" anything.
Stop exaggerating. It's not helping your case.
Once again, I and many others are doing the content, and getting through things just fine. If you're burnin through TP or MP then you're playing poorly and should be analyzing and adjusting your tactics, rather than copping out by blaming the game. Period.
This ties in to what I already explained earlier, so I'm not going to repeat it all.
You're conflating your own preferences with "actual problems", and asserting them as fact. Either that, or you encountered situations that yourself and/or your groups were not prepared to handle effectively. I don't know. I wasn't there.
All I know is, once again, I'm playing the same game as you, using the same skills, with the same limitations, doing the same content.. I'm not having the problems you seem to be having... again, assuming you're not just exaggerating them again "for effect".
If you continue to play ARR (though I don't know why you would if you enjoy it so little and have so many problems with it), hopefully you'll find some way to enjoy it in spite of your misgivings.
Seems to me you'd be happier in a certain other game, and I really have to wonder why you're putting so much time into playing and posting at length about a MMO you clearly don't like, when you could be putting that time into playing a MMO you clearly think highly of. Seems like a waste of time to me.
Or maybe that other MMO isn't "all that" either...?
This is correct. I was talking about other games, not ARR. I love FF14:ARR, including the combat.
No. No one has ever said or will ever say that about this game.
Some of the old XI players on the XIV beta do.
Are they senior citizens? Thats the only way it it makes sense.When you click on the quest tracker it opens the map to the location of that objective you clicked on. I know I've said this before, but people are still posting like you get "no help" in figuring out where things are and have to decipher some code in the text.
Nope you literally just have to click on the objective and it shows you where it is. I can't think of anything simpler, other than auto run to quest objective or a big glowing path leading you there so you don't get lost.
http://xivpads.com/?1595680
http://guildwork.com/users/murugan