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FFARR from Polished? Seeking answers from FFARR players
UPDATE:
Thank you all for your contribution to helping me decide! Indeed this was a discussion on personal preferences and that is exactly what I was trying to figure out: Will FFARR match up to my personal preferences. Major win guys! Much of your input did guide me to a decision!
I will be waiting for the next MMORPG that I am keeping my eyes on: EQNext and/or TESO. Perhaps either of those titles will finally break these World of Warcraft apron strings.
In the end it came down to explorability. Every time I got to the point of "Well gosh. Maybe I should give this a try" that nagging thought of invisible walls everywhere tugged at my heartstrings. Well, why don't I give this a try? In case you haven't been keeping up with this thread: For personal reasons that don't involve money but involve the breadwinner laying down the ground rules of "No more MMORPG wanderlust for you!" I can't say I blame him. He did get me the CE/lifetime subs or equivalent for 3 games the last 2 or so years (TSW, STO, and GW2) , resubbed my EvE Online for a few months until I remembered how I only ~wished~ I enjoyed that game, still subs AO (which we never play anymore), subs WoW, and reminds me of the CE of Skyrim that I have yet to beat (pfft...like anyone really beats Skyrim). So, he essentially has cut me off. If he got my FFXIV and I didn't stick to it more than a passing fancy (which he considers to be at least 1 year of casual gameplay) then it would only exacerbate the issue. Hey..I'm the kind of girl who can give two shrugs about jewelery but put Bioshock Infinite in my hands...~eyebrow wiggle~
So there it is. The crafting system looks like something I could really get into but would it hold my interest or would my MMORPG ADHD prevail. It isn't a risk I can take. I had to be sure.
Thank you all again and enjoy Eorzea!
Some disclaimers to get out of the way before you respond:
This is not a review. Its motivation is to reach out to current FFARR players. It looks like a review but should be considered as my personal opinions. I struggled with the decision of where to post and ended up here because I determined it would get flagged and moved here anyways.
I am well aware of the age disparity between both the games and to "inform" me of this fact only conjures up the meme involving Nicolas Cage making a specific expression. Thank you for not doing this.
If you are frothing at the mouth, please, spare yourself a report. I only wish to engage in civil interactions as I present my sincere perspective on my claim "FFARR from Polished" and also take my opinions of FFARR with a grain of salt because my knowledge is limited by the many reviews I watched and read along with my 16 hours of nonstop playing in OB. I am not here to bash FFARR, but offer my own perspective. I do wish the game a prosperous future though my intuition that has been tempered over the years stresses otherwise (at least outside of Japan).
I keep hearing that this game is the most polished game on the market. However, from what I've read and played during OB such claims are contradictory. High production quality; Non-grindy; Smooth performance; A clear artistic direction; Anti-exploitative gameplay; Engaging Lore; Innovative concepts; A healthy amount of choices in gaming preference and character design; Since venturing beyond EQ1 which I started launchday of 1999, these have been a few of my checkpoints to determining if I will have a positive experience in a new MMO. For instance, the size of the explorable world has not been an issue since EQ2 so it has been excluded.
In light of that, what I am seeking are counters and corrections that might offer me a better perspective beyond what I already know (or think I know) . Why don't I just go buy the game and decide on my own? Good question. Well, for personal reasons that,strangely enough, do not involve money. I have to know, before purchasing this game, to the best of my ability, that this game will keep me and I will not drop it in the matter of months to return to World of Warcraft. This is essential. It is a personal (perhaps selfish) quest and if you are looking to help me decide for or against playing FFARR then I would appreciate this very much. I am not seeking criticisms of how I present my case. As stated, these are opinions very personal to myself that should only be seen as a tool to help you examine some of my stronger preferences.
Here, I will compare my current MMORPG of choice with that of Final Fantasy XIV and I must warn you it is World of Warcraft. It is a game I have enjoyed for 9 years despite the constant search to replace it with such titles as EvE, DAoC, AoC, LotR EQ2, WHO, STO, GW, TSW, GW2....ect..ect. I choose WoW as the comparison because I am looking for a game that will have me engaged for the long term.
The scaling system is my own tool that you can use or ignore. Please note, the rate is also determined by how strongly I feel for or against a feature (ex. Very passionate about anti-exploitable and less so with innovation)
Great------Good-----Avg-----Poor-----Awful
000000000000000000000000000000
World of Warcraft
High production quality: Yes. Few games have come close to (and even fewer matched) this 9 year old behemoth's production quality. Warhammer Online tried but failed due to their clunky, unresponsive combat. When you touch a button in World of Warcraft your screen lights up in response and everything just makes sense from the start.
Non-grindy: No. This problem was only exacerbated with the release of MoP but will hopfully be put under some control come 5.4. Despite the valid complaints of rep grinding, I myself, enjoyed the initial times I was presented a new daily which tied well to what was going in the the current plotline. The Klaxxi story was wonderfully crafted and their tie-in to Ahn'Qiraj and Azjol-Nerub was recognizable. Again, the lore made sense and it was enjoyable to watch it unfold. However, yes, it was grindy and a sign of limited resources in time to develop quests without the need for repetition.
Smooth performance: Yes. It's an old game with some visual updates that if set on ultra can make my FPS drop below 30 on my i5 760 2.8GHz Quad Core, GTX 560, 12 GB RAM Corsair Vengeance. It's an old engine and she's showing her age and limitations. However the production quality remains and when I hit those lagspikes my abilities still remain seamless and responsive to input.
A clear artistic direction: Yes...or should I say...eventually. I see the direction they're going in but when old collides with new it's a laughable mess that you just have to brush off and remind yourself that they are 25% through with new character models.
"One of these things is not like the others,
One of these things just doesn't belong..."
Anti-exploitative gameplay: Yes. Blizzard is active in countering exploitative actions and features easy to use tools for players to report bots as well.
Engaging Lore: Yes. When we are being exposed to the ongoings of Azeroth it is enjoyable and logical (except for those meta-happy Draenei of course.) Rarely does the lore feel forced or over complicated.
Innovative concepts: Yes. Whether it had a positive or negative impact of the MMO community at large they are more often the pioneers of new MMO concepts: Instancing, LFR, LFG tool with auto sign up, (mostly) seamless world, quest tracking (even though, yes, it was a rip from a popular addon, they adopted it and refined it), gathering nodes, flight paths, intuitive and smart tradeskill interface, addon inclusion, and many variety of boss fight mechanics that were never seen before but are replicated in newer titles.
A healthy amount of choices in gaming preference and character design: Yes and No. Each class feels unique in playstyle and each race has their own small unique trait to add. The character design will hopefully be expanded upon when they release the new models with more choices such as body types and individual sections that include overlaying tattoos and scars. However, that is speculation.
Now to Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn
High production quality: Yes. However the long GCD makes what could be responsive combat feel clunky. To my knowledge this problem is lessened in some way with decreasing the GCD through points or skill unlocks of some sort. The other issue that makes a strike against this game are all the bloody invisible walls I ran into. If you peeked at my World of Warcraft achievements you would see that exploration is sort of 'my thing'. If I see a dock that goes into beautifully pristine waters I am going to try and dive in. FFARR crafted a beautiful world with borders that are placed in heart wrenching ways.
Non-grindy: No. FATEs camping. Oh yes, I have heard the notorious behavior and it is not fun Yoshida. In the recent interview on MMORPG.com he stated "for now, they are allowing players to have fun with it and that they are confident the issue will solve itself as the game matures." This has been the most niave and/or lazy response I have heard uttered by a game director ever. I am sure they are out there (Oh wait..Jennifer Hepler) but this is inexcusable. People are not having fun doing them. They are doing them because they feel they have to because others are doing them and they want to keep their edge and not fall behind. Do you have to do them? No. Should you defend Yoshida's decision based on this irrelevant question? No! That's madness!
“A question that sometimes drives me hazy: am I or are the others crazy?
Smooth performance: Yes. Ignoring the server issues that some are experiencing that I am semi-confident will get under control either by maintenance or player intervention, this game runs very well. In OB I had my settings at ultra and then some (1980x1020) and nay came a time that I dropped below 60 FPS despite my expectations. Even wading through a sea of people, the game kept being a champ through it all. This will eventually get a Yes vote should/when the servers stabilize.
A clear artistic direction: Yes. It looks like Final Fantasy. Though I cringe at some of the character customization options (namely the face tattoos), the designers have a very clear artistic direction and it appeals to and is understood by a lot of people.
Anti-exploitative gameplay: No. The FATEs camping is exploitative as surely everyone can agree that any sane game designer would never intend for you to experience their game in such a manner. AFK camping is exploiting the fact you won't get kicked and you won't have to suffer the login issues others are having and in doing so inflames those issues. It could be forgiven if change was on the horizon but any such hope is lost with these words:"The team is willing to look into an AFK kick or queue system, but as of this moment, they are devoting 100% of their efforts towards getting the aforementioned additional servers and server changes implemented this week." It doesn't take much though to realize the backwards method they are using. An AFK kick system should have been featured on day 1. It is an MMORPG standard and to neglect it is madness.
"Madness? Madness?! THIS IS FFARRTA!"
Engaging Lore: Yes. However it is inundated with forgettable names. That isn't the major problem though. There is very little tie in with most of the quests (the side quests) to the over arching plot. In The Secret World, when you do something, even a side mission, it tied in to the theme and/or current story of the area. The same quality can be found in World of Warcraft.
Innovative concepts: No. Final Fantasy XIV brings nothing new to the MMORPG genre so most of the desire to play this game is based on Final Fantasy IP loyalty which is understandable. It is what kept STO afloat until they worked some improvements into their game so perhaps FFARR will receive similar treatment from their developers and designers. For some, this is a refreshing step backwards into what they perceive to be old school (however much I disagree with those sentiments because there are so many new school elements to this game). Perhaps the slow GCD can be considered innovative as it does give the Final Fantasy combat feel but it ends up being more of a hindrance to my enjoyment than a boon to nostalgia. The class system in FFARR is similar in spirit to that of it's forebearer so as much as I want to count that as innovative, it is not. You might even say EvE has a multi class system that is naturally featured in their sandbox style of character progression. The takeaway from this is: Nothing feels new or innovating.
A healthy amount of choices in gaming preference and character design: Yes. The fact that I can choose anything in the begining and be something totally different ( at my choosing) just mere hours into the game and on the same character is an interesting prospect. It is something GW2 dipped their toes into with weapon swapping, seen in the form of SP spending in EvE Online, and a feature EQNext promises to deliver in spades. There are apparently a lot of professions to discover and unlock that might become an ALT+TAB-walkthrough-site-trainrail experience as the game matures. The character design process makes sense until you come to the point of tattoos and face paint. The fact you can't have both eye shadow and a splash of face paint is bothersome. Nor can you have eyeshadow and blush on at the same time. This one-or-another-but -not-both is a problem for me. Also, I found my self squinting when making a female as I was trying to see the difference between jaw 01 and jaw 02, jaw 03, ect...The colors you get to choose from will be the most outstanding way of identifying your character from others of the same gender/race other than armor. GW2 had a better character customization tool where you were able to choose body type along with height. Its major fault was the ability for players to make muscle-men-baby-faces...Are you guys seeing that in FFARR? The horror....
Though I've seen worse /shudder
In conclusion, I hope you built some insight into what I am searching for in an MMORPG. Perhaps I am chasing the Lochness Monster but if a game came close to my personal preferences then I would give it a go. I hope someone can (respectfully) dismantle my claims that strike FFARR in such a dim light and encourages me to try this game because my old NES knows better than anyone that I absolutely love Final Fantasy games. I am just not convinced that they translate well to the MMORPG expectations.
Thank you all for reading!
Comments
gameplay > graphics
Your own disclaimer discredits most of your post. Thats kinda weird heh.
The question I must ask then is...are my observations inaccurate?Why don't you just buy it and try it? like giving it a fair try? It's just a game...it's just 30 bucks....You are not buying a boat or a house!
And 9 years of WoW? for god sake! how boring....
Edit. And your review is too biased in my book.
Currently playing - FF14ARR
Previous games - SWG, World of Warcraft, ShadowBane, Warhammer, Age of Conan, Darkfall, Planetside Asheron's Call, Everquest, Everquest 2, Too many.
As a person who has subbed to EQ2 pretty much since launch I personally have not seen a game released in the last 5 years or more that has come close to pulling me in like EQ2 has. I never liked WoW but I can see how it could as well. And not from a lack of trying. I have played pretty much every AAA and many smaller titles looking for a new game that is truly engaging and they just don't exist in modern games.
They are all hollow disposable experiences to be beaten in 30-60 days not played for years. There is no progression or difficultly at all in them once you hit max level and grind though dungeons a few times to get your high end gear. Not to mention what that kind of hollow experience does to the typical community experience. Modern MMO's are very much Bring your own Friends. I'm sure there are a lot of people playing those games that I would enjoy playing with but they really are outnumbered 100 to 1 by the ones I would rather never interact with again.
Having said that I am still very much undecided with ARR. It has it's moments but I don't yet know if the depth it sometimes hints at is really there or a steamy pile covered over by the illusion of depth.
The question I must ask then is...are my observations inaccurate?
I can't say either way. I'm still discovering previously unknown aspects of this game. I do know that I am not confident enough to make an at length critique of this game based on what I've experienced so far. And I think I can safely say I have experienced more than you in regards to what this game offers. But you are always free to express your opinion and thank you for sharing
The main bits I'd disagree with/add are:-
1) Innovation. Neither WoW or FF XIV are innotive, at least to a great deal. Both copy exiting designs and put their own twist to them. Both have two fundamental innovations. WoW with it's (mostly) seamless world and FF XIV by bringing cross platform MMORPG play between PC and Console on the same realms.
2) Farming Fates is not an exploit, it's one of the valid ways to level. Which is one area FF XiV is superior to WoW, as it offers more flexibly while levelling.
3) Character customisation. Since Blizzard dumbed down the talent trees, the only real difference between (let's say) a Warrior tank from another is their gear. While FF XIV allows for attributes to be customised and adding skills from other classes to ones build.
4) Allowing people to go AFK without a timeout may have been a pain during server capacity issues, but it's not an exploit.
5) Comabt isn't actually slow, or feel clunky. No more than a low level character feels in WoW, or even a level 90 Rouge that gets most of its dps from auto attacks due to poor class design.
6) Crafting in WoW is extremely simplistic, while FF XIV has a good level of depth.
7) FF XIV unlocks mechanics and adds complexities to already unlocked mechanics as one levels. So it is a lot more accurate to say a low level has not seen how the game truly plays. While WoW doesn't really offer that.
1. WoW brought GCD, working instances, automatic loot rolls, flight paths, raids, pvp with rewards and battlegrounds...
2. Fates aren't an exploit but don't act like they should be the way people level up in an MMO. It's skipping content is all it is. I don't see how ffarr has more flexibility through leveling as you can quest, dungeon, or pvp to level in wow(which FF doesn't even have......)
3. This point is hilarious. I hated the tree's being dumbed down but saying that most warrior tanks are going to have the same skills is a "no shit" type of deal. Same with druid, death knight, pally, and monk tanks. They take the tank abilities on their talent trees as they should...They are the tanks... Tanks in FF14 will be exactly the same way. Why would you take non tank abilities/stats if your group/guild depends on you to tank? How many classes in FFAAR can be tank dps or healer all in one class? Pretty sure wow demolishes ff14 in character customization. The multiple class thing is just a gimmick as there are only a few truely viable ways to build your characters between the jobs for each role.
5. Combat is slow no matter what you say. 2.5 is 2.5. Most characters in this game have 2-3 button rotations, which reminds me of the rogue you speak of.
WoW didn't bring any of those things you mention in (1). Other MMOs had them prior.
Tanks in FF XIV aren't the same, due to being able to customise ones stats before gear is even factored. Also allowing additional beneficial skills from other classes to added to a build, which vary quite a bit.
I think you are simply demonstrating that you don't understand both games enough to really comment.
Yes, I agree. Don't tell me I didn't raid in EQ1. XD I smacked Lady Vox around with the best of them!
But, it did bring:
"Instancing, LFR, LFG tool with auto sign up, (mostly) seamless world, quest tracking (even though, yes, it was a rip from a popular addon, they adopted it and refined it), gathering nodes, flight paths, intuitive and smart tradeskill interface, addon inclusion, and many variety of boss fight mechanics that were never seen before but are replicated in newer titles."
...and likely more stuff I forgot to mention.
It didn't bring any of those as an innovation.
I stated clearly that I am not judging server stability as I understood it was being attended to.
[mod edit]
comparing a newly released game with a game that has been released for what ? 11 years?. it would be more fair to compare WoW release with FFXIV release. or at least give the game a chance to breath for few patches before making an 11 year gap comparision on very selective elements that you know an old game might have an advantage over.
The only dismantling you need is that a couple of weeks after release the servers are still jammed packed, many people have not been able to play in days to a week or more, they are still adding servers, and you can read all over numerous forums the overwhelming fun and excitement players are having with FFARR. The fact that you are casting such a dim light on FFARR is really just a matter of personal preference, and in that regard you are most definitely in the minority. On the outside looking in, if you will. Your claims need no dismantling. FFARR is not for you. Write it off, and move on. It's really just that simple. I hope that was respectful enough for you.
I have a very serious question:
Why did you double the F and R in the title but not the A?
Lol nevermind, I read it as emphasizing it as being far from polished not as the acronym for the game which I think was due to the missing "is" between FFARR and from.
It should have been "raids with actual mechanics"
AOE Fear dragons aren't what i'm talking about. No raid everquest until GoD even came close mechanic wise to WoW raiding. Even tacvi then anguish were still basically tank n spank with adds or some aoe you have to heal. The raids they just released 2 months ago are pretty close to that too.
All the wow hate is dumb. All the stalwart defense of FFARR is dumb. Diablo 2 has more polish than ff14.
He was being punny. Using the acronym of the game to describe it being "FAR" from polished.
The issue comes about because you have "lost credibility".
Without credibility I could assume your observations are in fact not credible.
At this point your observations weather or not are valid, fail to be even considered.
When a known racist points out a problem with his or her hated race, do you listen, or even bother to find out if their observation is correct?
This is where your problem is.
Not sure if serious. But I'll help you out.
Final Fantasy A Realm Reborn
Or...
(F)inal (F)antasy (A) (R)ealm (R)eborn
I'd consider it more borderline passive aggressive that offers no substance.
Why don't I just go out and pay the measely $30 and try it for msyelf?
Because I have done that with every game...even more so for STO where I got the DD Edition and GW2 where I gave $130 for the CE (anyone want a Charr statuette by the way?)..I bought the lifetime sub for TSW because after 4 months of playing I thought this was the game but...I got bored. World of Warcraft has been the only tried and true game I've ran back to so I am trying to determine if FFARR might have any chance of giving the same...
It's been a soft spot with my partner and I. I think I'll devote more time than I actually do and I always fall back on WoW...always. I want this to not happen anymore.
1. Not touching it, but I would take a look at AO, EQ, and a myriad of other MMOs before preaching that doctrine.
2. Fates are used for gaining faction with your Grand Company, whereby you help your guild gain rank. It's not an exploit it is simply alternate experience which you are rewarded VERY well for. I would say almost better than the content.
3. I will concede that paladin 1 will have the same skills as paladin 2. But I think the aspect of the cross class mechanic that you are missing is that I can now equip abilities that make my survivability even greater. For instance, part of becoming a paladin is by leveling conjurer. If I bring my conjurer to 30 I get Cure II, Raise Dead, Protect, and Stoneskin. Making me a more powerful tank than someone who only leveled their conjurer to 15. Let's also say that I take pugilist to 15. Now I have another skill which raises my avoidance to damage.
Now I could see you saying "Well all of this should be in the same skill tree!". But I tend to think of it as picking several items from an ala carte menu and making my own mix. This, in my opinion sets this game apart from WoW.
5. There is a stat called skill speed in game. You boost this, and suddenly that 2.5 recast time is brought down to 2.3, or 2.0. They make you work for it, but you definitely see the difference as a DPS class. I just thought I would make you aware that this recast time is not fixed.
When it comes down to it, pick the game you enjoy.
I see myself playing FFXIV:ARR for a long time.
To me, WoW just seemed like one big instance coaster that I could not get off of.
He felt that his whole life was some kind of dream and he sometimes wondered whose it was and whether they were enjoying it.
- Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Yeah, it's amazing that people still think all opinions are valid.
Why would I care to hear the opinion of some high school drop out on what I should do about a medical problem? Wouldn't I place a lot more value on the opinion of a practicing doctor?
And if my house is on fire, wouldn't I want the course of action to be determined by the opinion of the experienced Fire Chief on site with his Fire Fighter crew than the heckling neighbor who thought this was more interesting than Matlock?
Everyone is a critic I guess. However, very few people are certainly capable or qualified to offer up an acceptable critique.