I was trying to think of how they could appeal to both type of players, those who prefer to solo and those who prefer to group. It almost seems like they are mutually exclusive because as soon as you make the content soloable, group-play seriously suffers. Sure you can build groups in a solo friendly game, but in order for group play to really flourish, you need people who are available to build groups.
Then I thought about DAoC in the early days. You could solo your way through most of the content, but it was far more efficient to form a group and "camp" a location. Perhaps FFXIV will have a similar system, or have a huge resting bonus so you can solo for an hour or so at the same exp rate as grouping before it drops off to nothing.
About "...because as soon as you make the content soloable, group-play seriously suffers...." I agree. But unless one full job is to play games :-) which is not true for majority .... such game that "lives" by group play can never count on high numbers in subscriptions. And companies live from subscriptions. And want to make money, which is main reason they started some game. Ok, is for fun, they are enthusiasts .... etc ... but at the end of day you need money to buy sandwich.
Also do not know from where idea that MMO equals "group play". Just simply mean many many players playing at same time on same server(s). That's all, nothing more, nothing less. I personally favor a lot solo play because of my time schedule and work. Although grouping can be fun .. is also more thrilling trying solo ... must be much more careful, planning well actions, all steps, ... etc etc. As for socialization … I’m pretty active in chat, using a lot crafting (where available) and AH, …. Etc etc. Many times I like to help players in problems. This is for me important part in MMO world, much more then grouping per se. In groups I find myself just running behind others and mashing buttons, dps-ing, healing, … I would never play games where I need few hours to get company and then in last moment few drops and go to work, to sleep, mother is angry ... etc etc. Or entire raid is wiped because of many experts.
Not only for this of course but also for this reason I love WoW, AoC, War, .... They can all be soloed up to max level. I do not see anything wrong with this. Actually … this is main condition for me to start at all any game. Of course not the only one …. But even the best looking game and all the rest … can not get me in if I will have to spend life time to get groups.
And about being easy if soloable ... give me a break. If something is soloable does not mean at all is easy. Many times solo quests are harder then group. Of course in sense if you play solo quest alone compared to group quest played with group.
The only thing that made me stop playing ff11 was the group or die gameplay. To hear that they are also not using PlayOnline is a plus. It seems like this will be the final fantasy mmo I thought I was going to be playing when ff11 came out. About freaking time.
They didn't say they aren't using playonline...
Actually somewhere in the interview, I believe he mentions that they aren't going to use PlayOnline, they want to try something different.
About "...because as soon as you make the content soloable, group-play seriously suffers...." I agree. But unless one full job is to play games :-) which is not true for majority .... such game that "lives" by group play can never count on high numbers in subscriptions. And companies live from subscriptions. And want to make money, which is main reason they started some game. Ok, is for fun, they are enthusiasts .... etc ... but at the end of day you need money to buy sandwich.
I think FFXI itself is evidence that you can make a successful MMORPG that has forced grouping. Of course they don't have the subscribers of WoW, but they aren't hurting for subscribers or money by any means. And I'll reiterate that SE has never been about designing a game just to get the most subscribers, but rather making a quality game. It's called integrity.
Obviously though FFXIV will have solo/casual gameplay so it remains to be seen how they pull it off without crippling groups. So the point is really moot until we get more info.
Cant wait to get some more information on this game, iv loved the final fantasy games for a long long time. Never had the chance to play XI but to hear Final Fantasy XIV is coming to the ps3 is awesome. Cant wait to try it out !
I think that FFXIV will do much better than FFXI just because more FF players will be less unsure of themselves going into it.
When FFXI was launched there was a huge uproar about FF going online. A LOT of FF players refused to play an FF Online and have to pay to play. I personally know quite a few. With the popularity of WoW, and the rise of the MMO as a genre, I believe that FFXIV is going to hit solid this time around and make quite an impact.
And since we all know SE has learned a lot from FFXI and other popular MMORPGs of today... <(^_^)> I'm so excited!!!
About "...because as soon as you make the content soloable, group-play seriously suffers...." I agree. But unless one full job is to play games :-) which is not true for majority .... such game that "lives" by group play can never count on high numbers in subscriptions. And companies live from subscriptions. And want to make money, which is main reason they started some game. Ok, is for fun, they are enthusiasts .... etc ... but at the end of day you need money to buy sandwich.
I think FFXI itself is evidence that you can make a successful MMORPG that has forced grouping. Of course they don't have the subscribers of WoW, but they aren't hurting for subscribers or money by any means. And I'll reiterate that SE has never been about designing a game just to get the most subscribers, but rather making a quality game. It's called integrity.
Obviously though FFXIV will have solo/casual gameplay so it remains to be seen how they pull it off without crippling groups. So the point is really moot until we get more info.
Depends how you define sucessfull. With FFXI is left to guessing how much more (or maybe less) subs would have with different approach. What i have been reading on forums ... my guess is would be much more successful and have broader player base.
About making a quality game ... of course you need quality. To get money. :-) Being myself programmer for 30 years on various systems (financial and statistical applications, no gaming :-)) i know how enjoyable is creating software, at times for weeks have been programming whole nights .... I guess especially enjoyable is program games :-) .... but at the end what matter to your boss is money company will get. No one will invest millions and millions of $ to have mediocre success.
And about FFXIV... I'm afraid they are creating in same house same kind of game. And this could on long run hurt either of two.
Btw, I always loved lore of FF series ... but never played MMO only because impossible to solo.
Blizzard have obviously discovered working formula. :-) But this may not apply to their new announced mmo.
Nice screenshot even though its cutscenes, GIVE us real screenshots of gameplay. Thats one thing that bothers me, when I go look for games, I dont wanna see screenshots, I want to see GAMEPLAY screenshots. Am I the only person that feels like this? I want to see what I CAN do not what the cinema can do lol.
I played FFXI for 5 years, still play just took a break for the first time in 5 years from the game to give WoW a fair shake and I feel like Im cheating on FFXI. It was my first mmo, and SWG was my 2nd so those 2 will always be my favorites.
I am alone i guess in that i wished they kept this game more hush hush .Too much hype ,too early on will lead to disappointment.
I actually hope this new game is ALOT like FFXI,as i feel ffxi was/is the best QUALITY game ever made.There is miles of room for improvement,so i just hope they take the old and improve on it.
One thing that bothered me in the Q/a was the talk about listening to the public voice.I call BS on that one,they listen to a small core of people somewhere,but i guarantee it is nobody from North America.The majority of changes i nthe game left be baffled beyond belief,they caught me way off guard.The changes near the end ,lately have of course been good,like the books and level sync.
They talk of a much different world,that scares me because there has been times hroughout the FF series ,that i have not agreed with the style of game play.They tend to do it a lot different each time.In FFXI i liked the TP idea and the fact you had around 5 seconds to finish the chain.I have seen other times that they like to go with ridiculous speed like performing a combo in a split second,i do not EVER like arcade type game play,i like a MMORPG to be as it always has over the last 20 years,very relaxing.I do not want macro mashing,i like the feel of combat where it is full of action and reactiopn and time to use thought while playing.
Two things that can make it a bad game are split second finishing combos and FPS type aim and icon mashing as soon as re use timers are up.I liked the way "HATE" is done in FFXI,it does not allow egoists to mash away endlessly with no care for control of hate or team work or trying to show off how much damage they can do.
I really did not like the last expansion or the newest mini expansions,they feel like Square is getting money hungry and putting out weaker quality .This is further acknowledged by the fact they brought out a new security token that you have to pay for.
FFXI is an AMAZING game because so much of it,shows a thought process behind everything,it feels to me like someone put their heart and soul into it.I am skeptical this will happen again,but at the same time i am hopeful,with both fingers crossed.
Most of all i hope they have learned how to handle cheating and RMT,it ruins/breaks a games economy VERY quickly.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
This will be my first forum post ever. My first ever mmorpg was FFXI, so im truely excited to see that there releasing FFXIV. For the longest time I enjoyed playing FFXI, but like many people have already said, the requirement to be in a party to do almost anything to move forward in the game pushed me away fairly quickly. I'm sure someone will critize me for saying this, but as much fun as pVe is, I really enjoy pVp. FFXI had, at least when I played, absolutely no pVp aspects at all. Now I understand FFXI may be built to reach a different type of crowd and different type of play experience, but even in a fantasy based world there is conflict between nations. Forgive me if they changed FFXI sense I left and added things I may not know about like some type of pVp system. That being said, I was glad to hear that there will be some type of pVp play in FFXIV, even if it is restricted pVp only in certain areas or times in the day. From what I've read so far from the Q&A, the official website, and from you guys, this game will hopefully be amazing. This is there second chance to bring back people who left the game in the past and to offer so much more to their fans and still dedicated subscribers. PS, if this post is to long winded I'm sorry and my future post will be shorter I'm sure.
Comments
I was trying to think of how they could appeal to both type of players, those who prefer to solo and those who prefer to group. It almost seems like they are mutually exclusive because as soon as you make the content soloable, group-play seriously suffers. Sure you can build groups in a solo friendly game, but in order for group play to really flourish, you need people who are available to build groups.
Then I thought about DAoC in the early days. You could solo your way through most of the content, but it was far more efficient to form a group and "camp" a location. Perhaps FFXIV will have a similar system, or have a huge resting bonus so you can solo for an hour or so at the same exp rate as grouping before it drops off to nothing.
About "...because as soon as you make the content soloable, group-play seriously suffers...." I agree. But unless one full job is to play games :-) which is not true for majority .... such game that "lives" by group play can never count on high numbers in subscriptions. And companies live from subscriptions. And want to make money, which is main reason they started some game. Ok, is for fun, they are enthusiasts .... etc ... but at the end of day you need money to buy sandwich.
Also do not know from where idea that MMO equals "group play". Just simply mean many many players playing at same time on same server(s). That's all, nothing more, nothing less. I personally favor a lot solo play because of my time schedule and work. Although grouping can be fun .. is also more thrilling trying solo ... must be much more careful, planning well actions, all steps, ... etc etc. As for socialization … I’m pretty active in chat, using a lot crafting (where available) and AH, …. Etc etc. Many times I like to help players in problems. This is for me important part in MMO world, much more then grouping per se. In groups I find myself just running behind others and mashing buttons, dps-ing, healing, … I would never play games where I need few hours to get company and then in last moment few drops and go to work, to sleep, mother is angry ... etc etc. Or entire raid is wiped because of many experts.
Not only for this of course but also for this reason I love WoW, AoC, War, .... They can all be soloed up to max level. I do not see anything wrong with this. Actually … this is main condition for me to start at all any game. Of course not the only one …. But even the best looking game and all the rest … can not get me in if I will have to spend life time to get groups.
And about being easy if soloable ... give me a break. If something is soloable does not mean at all is easy. Many times solo quests are harder then group. Of course in sense if you play solo quest alone compared to group quest played with group.
They didn't say they aren't using playonline...
Actually somewhere in the interview, I believe he mentions that they aren't going to use PlayOnline, they want to try something different.
I think FFXI itself is evidence that you can make a successful MMORPG that has forced grouping. Of course they don't have the subscribers of WoW, but they aren't hurting for subscribers or money by any means. And I'll reiterate that SE has never been about designing a game just to get the most subscribers, but rather making a quality game. It's called integrity.
Obviously though FFXIV will have solo/casual gameplay so it remains to be seen how they pull it off without crippling groups. So the point is really moot until we get more info.
Cant wait to get some more information on this game, iv loved the final fantasy games for a long long time. Never had the chance to play XI but to hear Final Fantasy XIV is coming to the ps3 is awesome. Cant wait to try it out !
I think that FFXIV will do much better than FFXI just because more FF players will be less unsure of themselves going into it.
When FFXI was launched there was a huge uproar about FF going online. A LOT of FF players refused to play an FF Online and have to pay to play. I personally know quite a few. With the popularity of WoW, and the rise of the MMO as a genre, I believe that FFXIV is going to hit solid this time around and make quite an impact.
And since we all know SE has learned a lot from FFXI and other popular MMORPGs of today... <(^_^)> I'm so excited!!!
I think FFXI itself is evidence that you can make a successful MMORPG that has forced grouping. Of course they don't have the subscribers of WoW, but they aren't hurting for subscribers or money by any means. And I'll reiterate that SE has never been about designing a game just to get the most subscribers, but rather making a quality game. It's called integrity.
Obviously though FFXIV will have solo/casual gameplay so it remains to be seen how they pull it off without crippling groups. So the point is really moot until we get more info.
Depends how you define sucessfull. With FFXI is left to guessing how much more (or maybe less) subs would have with different approach. What i have been reading on forums ... my guess is would be much more successful and have broader player base.
About making a quality game ... of course you need quality. To get money. :-) Being myself programmer for 30 years on various systems (financial and statistical applications, no gaming :-)) i know how enjoyable is creating software, at times for weeks have been programming whole nights .... I guess especially enjoyable is program games :-) .... but at the end what matter to your boss is money company will get. No one will invest millions and millions of $ to have mediocre success.
And about FFXIV... I'm afraid they are creating in same house same kind of game. And this could on long run hurt either of two.
Btw, I always loved lore of FF series ... but never played MMO only because impossible to solo.
Blizzard have obviously discovered working formula. :-) But this may not apply to their new announced mmo.
Anyway ... time will show who is right.
Nice screenshot even though its cutscenes, GIVE us real screenshots of gameplay. Thats one thing that bothers me, when I go look for games, I dont wanna see screenshots, I want to see GAMEPLAY screenshots. Am I the only person that feels like this? I want to see what I CAN do not what the cinema can do lol.
I played FFXI for 5 years, still play just took a break for the first time in 5 years from the game to give WoW a fair shake and I feel like Im cheating on FFXI. It was my first mmo, and SWG was my 2nd so those 2 will always be my favorites.
I am alone i guess in that i wished they kept this game more hush hush .Too much hype ,too early on will lead to disappointment.
I actually hope this new game is ALOT like FFXI,as i feel ffxi was/is the best QUALITY game ever made.There is miles of room for improvement,so i just hope they take the old and improve on it.
One thing that bothered me in the Q/a was the talk about listening to the public voice.I call BS on that one,they listen to a small core of people somewhere,but i guarantee it is nobody from North America.The majority of changes i nthe game left be baffled beyond belief,they caught me way off guard.The changes near the end ,lately have of course been good,like the books and level sync.
They talk of a much different world,that scares me because there has been times hroughout the FF series ,that i have not agreed with the style of game play.They tend to do it a lot different each time.In FFXI i liked the TP idea and the fact you had around 5 seconds to finish the chain.I have seen other times that they like to go with ridiculous speed like performing a combo in a split second,i do not EVER like arcade type game play,i like a MMORPG to be as it always has over the last 20 years,very relaxing.I do not want macro mashing,i like the feel of combat where it is full of action and reactiopn and time to use thought while playing.
Two things that can make it a bad game are split second finishing combos and FPS type aim and icon mashing as soon as re use timers are up.I liked the way "HATE" is done in FFXI,it does not allow egoists to mash away endlessly with no care for control of hate or team work or trying to show off how much damage they can do.
I really did not like the last expansion or the newest mini expansions,they feel like Square is getting money hungry and putting out weaker quality .This is further acknowledged by the fact they brought out a new security token that you have to pay for.
FFXI is an AMAZING game because so much of it,shows a thought process behind everything,it feels to me like someone put their heart and soul into it.I am skeptical this will happen again,but at the same time i am hopeful,with both fingers crossed.
Most of all i hope they have learned how to handle cheating and RMT,it ruins/breaks a games economy VERY quickly.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
This will be my first forum post ever. My first ever mmorpg was FFXI, so im truely excited to see that there releasing FFXIV. For the longest time I enjoyed playing FFXI, but like many people have already said, the requirement to be in a party to do almost anything to move forward in the game pushed me away fairly quickly. I'm sure someone will critize me for saying this, but as much fun as pVe is, I really enjoy pVp. FFXI had, at least when I played, absolutely no pVp aspects at all. Now I understand FFXI may be built to reach a different type of crowd and different type of play experience, but even in a fantasy based world there is conflict between nations. Forgive me if they changed FFXI sense I left and added things I may not know about like some type of pVp system. That being said, I was glad to hear that there will be some type of pVp play in FFXIV, even if it is restricted pVp only in certain areas or times in the day. From what I've read so far from the Q&A, the official website, and from you guys, this game will hopefully be amazing. This is there second chance to bring back people who left the game in the past and to offer so much more to their fans and still dedicated subscribers. PS, if this post is to long winded I'm sorry and my future post will be shorter I'm sure.