In all honesty waiting for your healer there isn't a developers issue. It is a player base issue. I disagree, see why below. First off if that healer wanted to party they should have been in Valkrum or Selbina ready to go. I recently started a new character that I leveled to 20 from scratch after playing for almost 6 years. I didn't have OPs, I didn't have ports, and I walked from Windy to the dunes because I wanted to party. That is what you do. You don't sit in Windy and wait for an invite to the dunes if you don't have a way to get their quickly. That is the players fault. You know this because you've played. Heck I remembered that much from playing years ago. I had the outpost warp and was able to get there quickly. Heck, back in the day I joined a group of San'd Orians who took the zones right outside of Windhurst so we could get that outpost warp. Goodbye airship wait times, hello fast travel to Windy. Veterans will, of course, use the system properly. That's why I was specifically talking about Valkrun Dunes and NEW players. This is where we run into the development issue. There is very little in the game that teaches you how to use these systems. The easiest way to find this information is from other players (easiest on websites but possible if you find someone nice in-game.) THAT is the issue. The developers, IMHO, failed to provide an easy to find, coherant training for new players. A training hall a la FFVI near where new players spawn would've helped a lot. With the first guy you talk to pointing you in that direction. Sad that an SNES game better prepared new players than a PS2 game, don't you think? If you want some game where you can click your heels three times and be anywhere you want then, as you admit, this game is not for you, but it is a very easy game if you work for want you want in the game. No, but I want a game where new players aren't penalized for being new and it doesn't take someone who doesn't know better 30m to join their first party. That punishes not only the new players but the people they party with. Like I said, I don't have an issue with the travel system once you get access to the faster travel options (chocobo basically) but I do not like how new players are at a major disadvantage (travel wise) just because they're new.
In all honesty waiting for your healer there isn't a developers issue. It is a player base issue. I disagree, see why below. First off if that healer wanted to party they should have been in Valkrum or Selbina ready to go. I recently started a new character that I leveled to 20 from scratch after playing for almost 6 years. I didn't have OPs, I didn't have ports, and I walked from Windy to the dunes because I wanted to party. That is what you do. You don't sit in Windy and wait for an invite to the dunes if you don't have a way to get their quickly. That is the players fault. You know this because you've played. Heck I remembered that much from playing years ago. I had the outpost warp and was able to get there quickly. Heck, back in the day I joined a group of San'd Orians who took the zones right outside of Windhurst so we could get that outpost warp. Goodbye airship wait times, hello fast travel to Windy. Veterans will, of course, use the system properly. That's why I was specifically talking about Valkrun Dunes and NEW players. This is where we run into the development issue. There is very little in the game that teaches you how to use these systems. The easiest way to find this information is from other players (easiest on websites but possible if you find someone nice in-game.) THAT is the issue. The developers, IMHO, failed to provide an easy to find, coherant training for new players. A training hall a la FFVI near where new players spawn would've helped a lot. With the first guy you talk to pointing you in that direction. Sad that an SNES game better prepared new players than a PS2 game, don't you think? If you want some game where you can click your heels three times and be anywhere you want then, as you admit, this game is not for you, but it is a very easy game if you work for want you want in the game. No, but I want a game where new players aren't penalized for being new and it doesn't take someone who doesn't know better 30m to join their first party. That punishes not only the new players but the people they party with. Like I said, I don't have an issue with the travel system once you get access to the faster travel options (chocobo basically) but I do not like how new players are at a major disadvantage (travel wise) just because they're new.
One thing you have to remember is this: Okay a new player today doesn't have an OP, but remember new players yesterday didn't have an OP either. In fact when the game first started I don't believe you could OP to zones. I can't remember if they added it post facto or it was always there. Also to consider you had to be level 20 to use that OP. I digress, my point being that everyone is in the same boat there. Way back when in early 2004 when I was in my teen-level years I had no idea there was an OP, I had no idea that goblins aggroed to sight, I had no idea you had to go to the dunes to level and to party. This was all foreign to me as it is to everyone. Honestly we were at a bigger disadvantage then players today because back then you couldn't get help with what to do unless you knew some japanese. We all learned how to play the game together through basic trial and error. We were doing the wrong shit at the wrong time left and right. Our exp sufferened, but honestly it was the most fun I have ever had with a game. They drop you into a city with 50 gil slap you on the ass and say have fun.
What the trek to Valkrum was back then was a journey to discover the next level of playing this game. By level 10-12, you got the idea. You check mobs to see how powerful they are, you engage, you cast spells, you use weaponskill. Now you have to travese a large zone (I was from bastok so we are talking the Highlands), you have to look at your map to figure out which way to go, you discover that some mobs are aggressive, you discover that some mobs will link, you discover that you are going to have a lot of trouble killing things without freinds. That is the journey to Valkrum and that is what it ment. Those 30 minute are supposed to teach you something. This is lost on a lot of players that are spoon fed every piece of info.
I'm a BLM. I started BLM I will end BLM (and a shit load of other jobs). I didn't do a magic burst until well into my 30s in the Crawlers Nest. Be it me not using the spell at the right time or people not knowing what skill chaining was. The first time I was shocked ... the second time I was "OH!" I mean it took me about 1/4 of the way to 75 to figure out how to play BLM. I didn't have the luxury of someone looking at what i'm doing and telling me i'm doing it all wrong. That is why I started doing it to other because I understood what they didn't.
Back to the original story. If your healer was looking to party they should have been in Valkrum. Why? Because that is what you do. Everyone gravitates to either Valkrum or Buburimu eventually. I don't know about your server, but Buburimu is typically for soloers while Valkrum is for parties. If you want to party and you are between 10 and 20 you go to Valkrum you set your HP in Selbina you level to 20 and then you leave (and remember now there is a moogle there so you can go there at a higher level and change jobs later). If it is your first time ever going there you are going to have problem, but those problems are supposed to teach you about the game through expereince and not through some text you are spamming through anyway. If this was your healers first time to Valkrum i'd understand the wait and hope they learned something along the way. If it wasn't then shame on them and sorry you had to suffer because someoen else wasn't prepared, but that is how the game it.
I don't care what FFXIV turns out to be honestly as long as they can recreate that sense of noobism that you get from startign FFXI for the first time. Figuring out on my own how to play the game was the best fun I had in just about any time ever even if it ment I had to walk from Bastok to Valkrum
I would like to see the travel more accessable in the beginning. I don't really have an issue with the current travel options, OP's, Warps, Tele's, Ariships, Choco's, Boats - with a little work you can set yourself up to get most places quickly - but the issue for me is new folks don't always know what work is involved. The new player tutorial in the game right now is a step in the right direction but it still didn't address the transportation issues.
Granted if you are friendly you will probably come across another player in FFXI that will explain it all to you. I understand though that not everyone wants to be dependent on other players for an explanation. It sounds to me though that FFXIV will be more accessable but we will have to wait and see.
Currently Playing: FFXIV:ARR Looking Forward to: Wildstar
Personally I voted it should stay the same however I can agree that a better tutorial (overall, not just specifically for transportation) would be helpful. I think they could have done a better job in general of the introduction to the game, maybe something more specifically involved with the storyline (it's been so long though so maybe im forgetting or they've added things). Kinda lame to just say "welcome adventurer!! duh duh-duh! welcome to FFXI!" oh yeah and here's 50 bucks, good luck! That's not only not very informative it's also not very imaginative, although I suppose the idea was to make you feel like just another adventurer when you started out.
Anyways, they could do things such as adding interesting tutorials and more dynamic ways to start out the game, streamline the partying system to make it easier to find groups, etc. As long as they keep that sense of discovery and "noobism" as icon so eloquently put it, I'm pretty sure FFXIV will be solid. So streamline and innovate what you can SE, try to get rid of the hassles, even in regards to transportation, but don't be afraid to make us feel lost every so often and have no idea what we're doing!!
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One thing you have to remember is this: Okay a new player today doesn't have an OP, but remember new players yesterday didn't have an OP either. In fact when the game first started I don't believe you could OP to zones. I can't remember if they added it post facto or it was always there. Also to consider you had to be level 20 to use that OP. I digress, my point being that everyone is in the same boat there. Way back when in early 2004 when I was in my teen-level years I had no idea there was an OP, I had no idea that goblins aggroed to sight, I had no idea you had to go to the dunes to level and to party. This was all foreign to me as it is to everyone. Honestly we were at a bigger disadvantage then players today because back then you couldn't get help with what to do unless you knew some japanese. We all learned how to play the game together through basic trial and error. We were doing the wrong shit at the wrong time left and right. Our exp sufferened, but honestly it was the most fun I have ever had with a game. They drop you into a city with 50 gil slap you on the ass and say have fun.
What the trek to Valkrum was back then was a journey to discover the next level of playing this game. By level 10-12, you got the idea. You check mobs to see how powerful they are, you engage, you cast spells, you use weaponskill. Now you have to travese a large zone (I was from bastok so we are talking the Highlands), you have to look at your map to figure out which way to go, you discover that some mobs are aggressive, you discover that some mobs will link, you discover that you are going to have a lot of trouble killing things without freinds. That is the journey to Valkrum and that is what it ment. Those 30 minute are supposed to teach you something. This is lost on a lot of players that are spoon fed every piece of info.
I'm a BLM. I started BLM I will end BLM (and a shit load of other jobs). I didn't do a magic burst until well into my 30s in the Crawlers Nest. Be it me not using the spell at the right time or people not knowing what skill chaining was. The first time I was shocked ... the second time I was "OH!" I mean it took me about 1/4 of the way to 75 to figure out how to play BLM. I didn't have the luxury of someone looking at what i'm doing and telling me i'm doing it all wrong. That is why I started doing it to other because I understood what they didn't.
Back to the original story. If your healer was looking to party they should have been in Valkrum. Why? Because that is what you do. Everyone gravitates to either Valkrum or Buburimu eventually. I don't know about your server, but Buburimu is typically for soloers while Valkrum is for parties. If you want to party and you are between 10 and 20 you go to Valkrum you set your HP in Selbina you level to 20 and then you leave (and remember now there is a moogle there so you can go there at a higher level and change jobs later). If it is your first time ever going there you are going to have problem, but those problems are supposed to teach you about the game through expereince and not through some text you are spamming through anyway. If this was your healers first time to Valkrum i'd understand the wait and hope they learned something along the way. If it wasn't then shame on them and sorry you had to suffer because someoen else wasn't prepared, but that is how the game it.
I don't care what FFXIV turns out to be honestly as long as they can recreate that sense of noobism that you get from startign FFXI for the first time. Figuring out on my own how to play the game was the best fun I had in just about any time ever even if it ment I had to walk from Bastok to Valkrum
I would like to see the travel more accessable in the beginning. I don't really have an issue with the current travel options, OP's, Warps, Tele's, Ariships, Choco's, Boats - with a little work you can set yourself up to get most places quickly - but the issue for me is new folks don't always know what work is involved. The new player tutorial in the game right now is a step in the right direction but it still didn't address the transportation issues.
Granted if you are friendly you will probably come across another player in FFXI that will explain it all to you. I understand though that not everyone wants to be dependent on other players for an explanation. It sounds to me though that FFXIV will be more accessable but we will have to wait and see.
Currently Playing: FFXIV:ARR
Looking Forward to: Wildstar
Personally I voted it should stay the same however I can agree that a better tutorial (overall, not just specifically for transportation) would be helpful. I think they could have done a better job in general of the introduction to the game, maybe something more specifically involved with the storyline (it's been so long though so maybe im forgetting or they've added things). Kinda lame to just say "welcome adventurer!! duh duh-duh! welcome to FFXI!" oh yeah and here's 50 bucks, good luck! That's not only not very informative it's also not very imaginative, although I suppose the idea was to make you feel like just another adventurer when you started out.
Anyways, they could do things such as adding interesting tutorials and more dynamic ways to start out the game, streamline the partying system to make it easier to find groups, etc. As long as they keep that sense of discovery and "noobism" as icon so eloquently put it, I'm pretty sure FFXIV will be solid. So streamline and innovate what you can SE, try to get rid of the hassles, even in regards to transportation, but don't be afraid to make us feel lost every so often and have no idea what we're doing!!