Objective OB Opinions

Hi Guys,

Sorry this is longer than i expected when i started!



First off i just want to say that before i got into playing the Beta i was a little concerned for FFXIV, i was kind of thinking that they had made it too similar to FFXI, it looks like FFXI HD etc etc.  Deep down i was re-assuring myself that SE wouldn't dissapoint and it would all be ok (funnily enough i actually loved FFXIII!).  I was excited to get into the beta and really make up my mind as to wether i want to buy it or not..I've seen that there seems to be a lot of negativity for the game at the moment and wanted to post something a bit more objective.  I am quite impressed with the game so far but i also have some concerns.



First i need to mention Performance; i only have a mid range pc and the game runs quite smoothly at 1920x1080 all settings up full (with Ambient Occlusion off and Depth of Field off as these are high end effects).  



In fact i was really surprised with the games performance after my computer really struggled with EQ2 at mid settings.. It stutters a little in town, but once outside in the open things are great.  Even at the Aetherite camps with 30-40 people crowded around things dont bog down too much.



Controls seem to be a major Sticking point for some, i myself am using an Xbox 360 wireless pad and not really having any problems, i did play FFXI for some time so finding it quite similar in this respect.  I did encounter some problems while healing in a party, it was difficult to keep track of who i had targetted, but after a while got used to things, though i feel this could do with some love.



It has to be said that the graphics are outstanding, this is easily one of the best looking MMO's out.  The characters look great and the animations are second to none.  The first time i stepped outside of Ul'Dah into Thanalan it was a clear night, the stars were out above and i could see for miles; combined with the beautiful music in this zone it was a bit of a goosebump moment.  The weather effects are also really well done.  



One thing i'm not too keen on is that the zones are Huuuuge and Empty...The scenery is repetitive and there doesnt seem to be any features, landmarks etc.  Ive found some insignificant caves here and there and a Mine, but wheres the ruined temples, Sunken Cities, Giant Statues, Lost kingdoms, civilizations And other interesting things to visit?  The world right now is just totally featureless and feels dead, which is a real shame.  This wasn't just my findings with Thanalan, i also found Gridania and LA Nosca to be just as bland and featureless...Please SE, add stuff to this amazing landscape.  



The zones themselves feel really huge and free roaming (with the exception of Gridania's forests as they are maze like areas) It would probably take around 30 minutes to run from the far west of Thanalan to the far East and same North to South.



Onto the subject of content - I really do think (hope!) that The Open Beta is mostly a stress test.  Do you guys really think they're going to launch the game with 2 storyline quests in each city that take 45 minutes to complete and then leave the rest to Leve Quests?



I really feel that SE are holding back the content so it's not all spoiled before launch.  I know how burned out i feel after playing through a beta so many times, repeating the same stuff between wipes then running through the same stuff in launch - it becomes a chore..



I for one am happy they are taking this approach so that at launch i am still excited to see what happens next and the rest of the storyline is fresh.



After several days in the Beta i am beginning to understand the systems they have implemented and it's all falling nicely into place.  



The Storyline sections felt like i was playing a 'proper' Final Fantasy, it felt somewhat seperate to the online aspects, with great cutscenes and an interesting storyline building up, to the point i cant really wait to see what happens next...Playing in Ul'Dah what mysteries do the mines hold in the next chapter?



Then of course you have the Guildleves, which are fun bite size chunks of multiplayer gameplay.  Now lets get one thing straight, leves aren't much fun if you go solo at 1 Star, in fact theyre so easy its pointless.  The fun is had when you party up with others and all help each other with leves. The more stars the greater the reward and challenge offered.  It's also beneficial to work with others as it allows you to 'do more' leves, you can only carry upto 8 every 48 hours.  You'll still earn gil rewards for helping others.  Though its important to note that items, xp etc are only earned for the person who 'initiated' the leve.



After completing all the Guildleves at the moment there is nothing else to do other than to grind, good thing Party play is great fun, monsters are killed quickly for decent reward (well at around Physical level 12).   



I kind of like the ability to change my class just by equipping new gear, but they really need to allow us to have a skill set assigned to each bit of gear, as it takes a good few minutes to re-assign your skills after equipping.  I do like that any skill you've learned can be equipped alongside those of other classes, limited by points of course but its a good system.



Technically there are a few hitches here and there.



First of all the Patching system has been a little funny as it will often freeze for some time at a specific percentage, this does seem to have been fixed though as i havnt experienced it the last couple of patches  But it was odd that a 6mb file would take nearly an hour to complete!



There is some lag on some elements of the UI, like trading to NPC's and assigning skills, equipment etc, i'm guessing this is caused by debugging occuring server side and hopefully will not carry over to Launch.



Random Crashing has been occuring all through testing, which is expected i suppose but the real probllem with this is that you cannot re-enter the game for around 10 minutes afterwards as you would get a lobby error - i guess the server is still seeing you logged in or something.



The mouse is terrible, its like theres around half a second lag to your movements, giving the effect you are mousing through thick sludge - this needs fixing, 95% of people buying the game will want to use their mouse - simple!



I was really surprised to see some Typo's popping up here and there in the storyline texts.



Well i've blabbed on for long enough, i hope this gives people a slightly less biased feel for the game.  I have been converted and i have pre-ordered the game, though i do have a few concerns, im confident SE will pull it off.

Cheers

Paul