Horribly bad reviews from not only game sites but an ass load of players + no free trial so I can see for myself = no chance in hell of me buying a copy.
I strongly believe SE needs to revisit the UI. The UI is the tool which bridges the gap between you and the virtual world. If that bridge is smooth and intuitive, it will be a comfortable and enjoyable ride (take a look at the 'higher rated' games for an example). On the other hand, if that bridge twists and turns and sends you into a hellish maze, chances are you'll start seeking a different route and/or a different virtual world entirely.
Many FFXIV players recommend using a game pad. I went out and bought a game pad to play FFXIV. But wait, I couldn't just plug it in and play, I had to actually map all of the keys to the buttons on the game pad. This is unnacceptable in the world of systems analysis and interface design for consumer products. (edit: the idea that 'I can't effectively use a keyboard and mouse to play a PC game, and have to go out and purchase a new component to play the PC game, and additionally have to manually configure the new component to interact with the PC game' is unacceptable.)
Additionally: after purchasing a game pad, and spending a good deal of time mapping the buttons just right, I was dissappointed to find that FFXIV was still just as unenjoyable as it was with a keyboard and mouse. The only difference was the crap was slightly easier to sift through with a game pad, but it was still crap. The game world is beautiful, the job/class system is intriguing, but the clumsy and confusing interface ruins it all.
I bought the collector's edition of FFXIV, I'm an old FFXI vet, I love FF, but SE really messed up. I hate to say it, but anyone who is defending this game may be suffering from a severe case of video game masochism (read 'gratification gained from pain, deprivation, degradation, etc.,').
I would like to see SE take the graphics from FFXIV and mix it with the gameplay in FFXI. That would be a game worth playing.
"Almost a year has passed since I last set foot into the games beautiful world of nothingness, and with patch 1.18 spreading its updated code about, and with 1.19 imminent, it seems like a better time than any to head back into Square’s product to see if there is entertainment to had in this title after all."
no offence but i actually just stopped reading at this point 1.19 is imminent but you still go ahead and write the article now already? just another piece written that could go just into the trashbin right away as most of these write ups lately on this site.
<shakes head and starts searching for a different mmo site>
And your response is precisely what people predicted would happen no matter when MMORPG (or any other site) decided to review, or re-visit this game.
If they did it after 1.19, your complaints would have been "That's so lame! They know 1.20 is coming with a lot of major changes! Why didn't they wait 'til after that!"
And if they'd waited 'til after 1.20, then "they should have waited 'til after 1.21!"
And so on... and so on.
The sad truth is, for some people there will never be "a right time" to re-visit FFXIV... of course unless it's a positive re-review. Then I'm sure the reactions would be much different.
In all, I have to agree with the overall tone and gist of the re-visit. I felt the same way. 1.18 kept me engaged, even excited, for about a week. Then the novelty wore off and I was right back to the same feeling I had prior to leaving for the first time... The game just isn't anywhere near ready and, though it's limping in the right direction... It's still got a looooong way to go.
By their own admission, SE states that the PS3 launch will be their "last chance" to right this ship and turn it around.
I just don't see it happening.
However, as a long-time FFXI player who was extremely eager to begin anew in a brand-new world... I'd love to be proven wrong.
"If you just step away for a sec you will clearly see all the pot holes in the road, and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
I dont think much will change as far as how fun the game is to play with 1.19, and I saw some other people mentioning this already... why write a re-visit just before a major patch is about to launch, would have been more interesting to read if it was written post 1.19.
in all seriousiness... This is just a repeat article with a different cover... it didnt need to be rehashed again over the same stuff... patches improvments UI combat... been there done that move on... cause you'll just get the same arguments over n over... with more fuel to add to the fire from fans of the game (me included)
He's comparing the game now, post 1.18 to what it was like when it was first reviewed.
The reason they're repeating the same issues is... because he found those same issues still present. That's kind of the point of a "before and after" type comparison article. "Issue A was present before and it's still an issue now".
Everything he states is in the context of "these issues are still present even after 1.18"; not merely repeating the same things for the sake of repeating them.
"If you just step away for a sec you will clearly see all the pot holes in the road, and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
"I played FFXI for 7 years. This game FF14 is worse than the launch if XI even after 14 has been out for a year. Everquest 1's launch in the 1990s did better than this game."
Didn't FFXI make you feel like you were a part of something from the beginning? I remember logging in on my PS2 for the first time and feeling blown away. It felt so alive in San D'oria, I was knocked out when I finally got to Jeuno. Does FFXIV capture any of that? Why would they go away from a formula that seemingly works?
Indeed. That's the "magic" of FFXI that hit me right away as well. I felt like I was dropped into this massive world with so many strange and interesting things going on, so much to learn and do and see and figure out... That feeling never went away for almost the entire time I played it... around 7 years, starting with the NA PC launch.
FFXIV only barely scratched the surface of that kind of experience... and it immediately fell away as soon as the novelty was gone.
"If you just step away for a sec you will clearly see all the pot holes in the road, and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
I don't approve of FFXIV as much as the next guy, but this article is so irrelevant.
A lot of the things you touched on; the boredom; the terrible User Interface, rife with lag and too many submenus; the lack of interesting story quests; lack of fights; all of these things remain and are annoyances unto myself also.
But so much of what the author of this article said is patently wrong and irrelevant. [mod edit]
Overall, the game still sucks, but you didn't explain why it sucks even remotely accurately. You say 'hamlets are a bunch of tents around a crystal'. Those are camps. Get a clue. Hamlets and Settlements (which were implemented in patch 1.18) all aid in breaking up the landscape too.
Chocobos will be implemented in five days time which will make traversing the landscape easier.
If you want to bash FFXIV in the future, send me a PM and I will give you tips on how to do it properly.
Also if you think there's hope in the "brand new team" then you're seriously deluded. The new team is half the problem with FFXIV.
It released early, that was the problem.
The new team has only served to hamper progress and cripple improvements to the game. So far they've added nothing really worthwhile except for two dungeons. All the story quests they wasted their time on were pointless drivel that nobody even wants to do.
New dev team sucks and ruins more than they improve.
All the issues with FFXIV will persist so long as they are in charge. All the issues with the game, alluded to in this article, will remain so long as dev team continue to address irrelevant things like autoattack and collision detection (lol, why was this removed?).
The game needed to be improved, not deformed and mutilated. And that's all the new dev team do; mutilate the game instead of improve it.
I've been playing ff games since I was eight and I'm now 33. I loved the early ff's and I liked ffxi; however when you see a game that is universally reviewed poorly by both fans and the reviewers take a hint. FF XIV is a bad game atm according to most of the world. There will always be fans of the game but those fans need to realize the odds of a reviewer feeling like they do is next to nil.
The fact square is still not charging subs is an indication the game hasn't really changed enough to be worth it in the opionions of square themselves. I've seen the fans bring up the same lame excuses for every write up that has been done on this site and its sorta sad. The reviewer isn't biased the site isn't biased and the people that visit this site aren't biased. The truly biased people are the fans that come to this site ONLY to personally attack the reviewer the website and anyone that doesn't agree w/ said fan. My advice to these fanbois take a look around when your the only one defending the pile that is this game maybe you're the one that was wrong all along.
"Almost a year has passed since I last set foot into the games beautiful world of nothingness, and with patch 1.18 spreading its updated code about, and with 1.19 imminent, it seems like a better time than any to head back into Square’s product to see if there is entertainment to had in this title after all."
no offence but i actually just stopped reading at this point 1.19 is imminent but you still go ahead and write the article now already? just another piece written that could go just into the trashbin right away as most of these write ups lately on this site.
<shakes head and starts searching for a different mmo site>
This is a 'year later' article not a re-review or anything. And it's not a year + whatever time it takes for the upcoming patch. The upcoming patch was just delayed today.
Doesn't the fact that SE came out and said they were ashamed of XIV supercede the opinions of players for or against it? If the creators talk about it like it is a child that turned to drugs and gangs, then why bother arguing over specifics anymore?
I really wish there was a setting to be able to filter out certain authors. Everytime I read an article and think "Wow, somebody has a chip on their shoulder," it's always without fail Adam Tingle. This 'review' spends the entire article talking about what stuff still sucks while hardly touching the stuff that has improved.
Just a heads up, folks. We'll be running a piece on 1.19, in hopefully a much timlier manner before NYCC and BlizzCon hog the spotlight. As in the 2nd week of October absolutely.
And again, the point of this was not to drum up hatred on poor Adam (it's his birthday!). He's just speaking his mind on the state of FFXIV, and you're free to disagree, just try and keep it civil.
lol!
Happy Birthday Adam!
"If you just step away for a sec you will clearly see all the pot holes in the road, and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
This game isnt amazing or so terrible i would uninstall after the first 5 minutes. The new dev team has the game going in the right direction, it has come a long way from release. There is still alot of work to be done to make this a competing MMO. If you enjoy a good community with very little to do other than level then i say give it a shot for what its worth. I usually play once a week for a few hours and thats enough to get a few levels in, i'm happy with that as it is free right now.
Otherewise come back in 4-5 months (1.21+) and thats when the game should really have all the features implemented thats going to make or break this MMO. Yes, i am a FF fanboy, i loved XI and everything below it but i do relise the state this game is in and the work that needs to be done to make it worth paying for. My 2 cents.
I really wish there was a setting to be able to filter out certain authors. Everytime I read an article and think "Wow, somebody has a chip on their shoulder," it's always without fail Adam Tingle. This 'review' spends the entire article talking about what stuff still sucks while hardly touching the stuff that has improved.
If you want to read nothing but positive articles on FFXIV you probably shouldn't leave the fan sites.
People cry for a game that doesn't "hold your hand." One comes along, and it gets bashed in reviews for being "too complicated," and not "informing you what you should do."
This game has tons to offer. Sorry people can't see it. My server is full of great people and we have a lot of fun playing. This games kicks the crap out of 90% of the MMOs out today, it requires thought, strategy, patience, and has tons of rewarding features.
We talk about boring scenery ok np,there is some of that of course,but take a look at how you start the MOST popular game on the planet >>WOW.The reviewer mentions notihng more than a few tents,well when you start in nothing more than a few tents in Wow,how is that any different or acceptable in WOW?
At least in FFXIV as was case in FFXI,you start in very large ,elaborate cities that scream "effort" not a simpleton slap together few models.In this case alone,why would anyone continue on in WOW when this trend is common throughout the frist few zones you encounter.You should after your first week be saying ,this Wow game really looks bland ,boring and down right awful ,i think i'll quit playing.
I'm fine with a lot of WoW bashing, but this one I must absolutely spend a few moments to refute.
I must first refute the blatant lie that "you start in nothing more than a few tents in WoW." Each race begins in its own distinct environment, which plays a large role in shaping the story of that race. Of the 12 races in WoW, only one of them begin near anything that could sort of be described as "a few tents;" they are the trolls. And even those initial troll villages have a very specific aesthetic theme that breaths life into them. They depict a tribal heritage, a strong practice of shamanism and a close relationship with spirits and their anscestors. The aesthetic cues all portray this! And these aesthetics all work hand-in-hand with the lore and story you experience through the early quests. Oh, and each of WoWs cities have the same complementary effect on your perception of each race.
Additionally, in the typical WoW zone including the starting zones, you find several (by which I mean at least 5-10) of the following landmark hubs: monuments, caves, enemy outposts, swamps, lakes, mines, shrines, cemeteries, farms, barracks, houses, castles, ruins, towers, statues, pirate coves, climbable mountains, underwater sunken ships, temples, waterfalls, and yes, tents/huts representative of small tribal villages.
I'm not saying FFXIV doesn't have any or all of these things, but when such geographical features are included in FFXIV, they tend to be nothing more than lifeless props whose sole purpose is to provide enironmental scenery. In WoW, you can bet every one of these landmarks are all given context within the quest lore and serve a greater purpose. As you progress through each zone, each of these landmarks come to mean something because you did something important at each one. Years later you can still wander around the world and remember all the things you did at each and every key location, which are littered all over every zone in WoW.
In FFXIV, on the other hand, many of the zones are vast barren wastelands of nothingness. There are geographical features, sure, but nothing happens near them, execpt maybe you slay another lizard. Even levequests don't provide any relevant context to the world around you. The moments where you get to experience anything of any relevance are so few and far between, both geopraphically and temporally.
Now FFXIV looks stunning, geographically and all, I'l gladly concede that. This was probably the only reason I was able to put up with roaming around for 18 levels. There were times where I just walked around to enjoy sunsets in random locations. But you can't possibly make an argument that FFXIV has a more vibrant world. It lacks aesthetic character, and there too many vast areas that simply lack life...literally.
People cry for a game that doesn't "hold your hand." One comes along, and it gets bashed in reviews for being "too complicated," and not "informing you what you should do."
This game has tons to offer. Sorry people can't see it. My server is full of great people and we have a lot of fun playing. This games kicks the crap out of 90% of the MMOs out today, it requires thought, strategy, patience, and has tons of rewarding features.
It's not complicated it's badly designed. Big difference. When your UI sucks, hard to navigate, combat is cluncky, unresponsive and slow, it doesnt matter if the game as lots to offers, it all goes down the drain. Seems like the devs MOTO for FFXIV is : Why makes it simple when you can make it complicated.
Doesn't the fact that SE came out and said they were ashamed of XIV supercede the opinions of players for or against it? If the creators talk about it like it is a child that turned to drugs and gangs, then why bother arguing over specifics anymore?
If the prejudice that Japanese companies are far more inclined to apoligize than Western ones, then there is still merit in discussing the ups and downs of the game.
When would you ever see the companies behind all the games who went "freemium" apologize for their failure and their choice to introduce an item mall which can easily be used to transfer real money into power ingame? Never, I would expect; it is not in their culture.
People cry for a game that doesn't "hold your hand." One comes along, and it gets bashed in reviews for being "too complicated," and not "informing you what you should do."
This game has tons to offer. Sorry people can't see it. My server is full of great people and we have a lot of fun playing. This games kicks the crap out of 90% of the MMOs out today, it requires thought, strategy, patience, and has tons of rewarding features.
It's not complicated it's badly designed. Big difference. When your UI sucks, hard to navigate, combat is cluncky, unresponsive and slow, it doesnt matter if the game as lots to offers, it all goes down the drain. Seems like the devs MOTO for FFXIV is : Why makes it simple when you can make it complicated.
How fast interface would you be able to create (delay measured in ms) if you abide by following two conditions:
1. Hard to hack, which means that a lot of information needs to be handled serverside.
2. Completely international, which means you can play with players all around the world on the same server.
People cry for a game that doesn't "hold your hand." One comes along, and it gets bashed in reviews for being "too complicated," and not "informing you what you should do."
This game has tons to offer. Sorry people can't see it. My server is full of great people and we have a lot of fun playing. This games kicks the crap out of 90% of the MMOs out today, it requires thought, strategy, patience, and has tons of rewarding features.
This game isn't too complicated at all. The User Interface is just a mess of confusion which only adds to the already negative aspects of an unfinished game. FFXIV would benefit greatly from a revamp of the UI.
"Frustrating controls" is not the same as "challenging gameplay."
Doesn't the fact that SE came out and said they were ashamed of XIV supercede the opinions of players for or against it? If the creators talk about it like it is a child that turned to drugs and gangs, then why bother arguing over specifics anymore?
If the prejudice that Japanese companies are far more inclined to apoligize than Western ones, then there is still merit in discussing the ups and downs of the game.
When would you ever see the companies behind all the games who went "freemium" apologize for their failure and their choice to introduce an item mall which can easily be used to transfer real money into power ingame? Never, I would expect; it is not in their culture.
I don't see any reeason not to discuss the ups and downs but western games going freemium have nothing to do with this, freemium models offer an infusion of cash into a product that often has flatlined in growth. Basically alot of the freemium games atleast lasted as subscribed to games for often a year or more and could have continued to exist in many cases just couldn't grow.
Maybe I'm a little less worldly but I don't know anything about Japanese companies being more inclined to apologize.
People cry for a game that doesn't "hold your hand." One comes along, and it gets bashed in reviews for being "too complicated," and not "informing you what you should do."
This game has tons to offer. Sorry people can't see it. My server is full of great people and we have a lot of fun playing. This games kicks the crap out of 90% of the MMOs out today, it requires thought, strategy, patience, and has tons of rewarding features.
It's not complicated it's badly designed. Big difference. When your UI sucks, hard to navigate, combat is cluncky, unresponsive and slow, it doesnt matter if the game as lots to offers, it all goes down the drain. Seems like the devs MOTO for FFXIV is : Why makes it simple when you can make it complicated.
How fast interface would you be able to create (delay measured in ms) if you abide by following two conditions:
1. Hard to hack, which means that a lot of information needs to be handled serverside.
2. Completely international, which means you can play with players all around the world on the same server.
Wasn't a problem already nine years ago, when they released FFXI.
People cry for a game that doesn't "hold your hand." One comes along, and it gets bashed in reviews for being "too complicated," and not "informing you what you should do."
This game has tons to offer. Sorry people can't see it. My server is full of great people and we have a lot of fun playing. This games kicks the crap out of 90% of the MMOs out today, it requires thought, strategy, patience, and has tons of rewarding features.
It's not complicated it's badly designed. Big difference. When your UI sucks, hard to navigate, combat is cluncky, unresponsive and slow, it doesnt matter if the game as lots to offers, it all goes down the drain. Seems like the devs MOTO for FFXIV is : Why makes it simple when you can make it complicated.
How fast interface would you be able to create (delay measured in ms) if you abide by following two conditions:
1. Hard to hack, which means that a lot of information needs to be handled serverside.
2. Completely international, which means you can play with players all around the world on the same server.
Wasn't a problem already nine years ago, when they released FFXI.
Then use logic: something has to have changed technically otherwise people wouldn't experience such much lagginess. People just don't forget old solutions. Perhaps the amount of data sent serverside significantely increased?
Honestly Squares biggest mistake with FF14 was being all draconic and thinking they know their players better than the players themselves do. Dura the beta phases alot of sauggestions were made and square implemented 0 of them, now they scrambling to put those suggestions in to fix their pretty much dead waste of cash they been trying to save.
If they would have listened in the first place ff14 would probally be doing much better than it is, but now a days, its too late, its been a year and they still have not gotten rid of all the fundamental problems ff14 has/had. I hope square takes this as a learning experence and actually starts to listen to their playerbase especally mmo wise.
In another thread the CEO of square said in a interview that the FF name has been tarnished due to ff14. But honestly the series has gone down hill since ff8, and its just getting worse as time goes on.
Being a pessimist is a win-win pattern of thinking. If you're a pessimist (I'll admit that I am!) you're either:
A. Proven right (if something bad happens)
or
B. Pleasantly surprised (if something good happens)
Comments
Horribly bad reviews from not only game sites but an ass load of players + no free trial so I can see for myself = no chance in hell of me buying a copy.
I strongly believe SE needs to revisit the UI. The UI is the tool which bridges the gap between you and the virtual world. If that bridge is smooth and intuitive, it will be a comfortable and enjoyable ride (take a look at the 'higher rated' games for an example). On the other hand, if that bridge twists and turns and sends you into a hellish maze, chances are you'll start seeking a different route and/or a different virtual world entirely.
Many FFXIV players recommend using a game pad. I went out and bought a game pad to play FFXIV. But wait, I couldn't just plug it in and play, I had to actually map all of the keys to the buttons on the game pad. This is unnacceptable in the world of systems analysis and interface design for consumer products. (edit: the idea that 'I can't effectively use a keyboard and mouse to play a PC game, and have to go out and purchase a new component to play the PC game, and additionally have to manually configure the new component to interact with the PC game' is unacceptable.)
Additionally: after purchasing a game pad, and spending a good deal of time mapping the buttons just right, I was dissappointed to find that FFXIV was still just as unenjoyable as it was with a keyboard and mouse. The only difference was the crap was slightly easier to sift through with a game pad, but it was still crap. The game world is beautiful, the job/class system is intriguing, but the clumsy and confusing interface ruins it all.
I bought the collector's edition of FFXIV, I'm an old FFXI vet, I love FF, but SE really messed up. I hate to say it, but anyone who is defending this game may be suffering from a severe case of video game masochism (read 'gratification gained from pain, deprivation, degradation, etc.,').
I would like to see SE take the graphics from FFXIV and mix it with the gameplay in FFXI. That would be a game worth playing.
And your response is precisely what people predicted would happen no matter when MMORPG (or any other site) decided to review, or re-visit this game.
If they did it after 1.19, your complaints would have been "That's so lame! They know 1.20 is coming with a lot of major changes! Why didn't they wait 'til after that!"
And if they'd waited 'til after 1.20, then "they should have waited 'til after 1.21!"
And so on... and so on.
The sad truth is, for some people there will never be "a right time" to re-visit FFXIV... of course unless it's a positive re-review. Then I'm sure the reactions would be much different.
In all, I have to agree with the overall tone and gist of the re-visit. I felt the same way. 1.18 kept me engaged, even excited, for about a week. Then the novelty wore off and I was right back to the same feeling I had prior to leaving for the first time... The game just isn't anywhere near ready and, though it's limping in the right direction... It's still got a looooong way to go.
By their own admission, SE states that the PS3 launch will be their "last chance" to right this ship and turn it around.
I just don't see it happening.
However, as a long-time FFXI player who was extremely eager to begin anew in a brand-new world... I'd love to be proven wrong.
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
I dont think much will change as far as how fun the game is to play with 1.19, and I saw some other people mentioning this already... why write a re-visit just before a major patch is about to launch, would have been more interesting to read if it was written post 1.19.
He's comparing the game now, post 1.18 to what it was like when it was first reviewed.
The reason they're repeating the same issues is... because he found those same issues still present. That's kind of the point of a "before and after" type comparison article. "Issue A was present before and it's still an issue now".
Everything he states is in the context of "these issues are still present even after 1.18"; not merely repeating the same things for the sake of repeating them.
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
Indeed. That's the "magic" of FFXI that hit me right away as well. I felt like I was dropped into this massive world with so many strange and interesting things going on, so much to learn and do and see and figure out... That feeling never went away for almost the entire time I played it... around 7 years, starting with the NA PC launch.
FFXIV only barely scratched the surface of that kind of experience... and it immediately fell away as soon as the novelty was gone.
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
I don't approve of FFXIV as much as the next guy, but this article is so irrelevant.
A lot of the things you touched on; the boredom; the terrible User Interface, rife with lag and too many submenus; the lack of interesting story quests; lack of fights; all of these things remain and are annoyances unto myself also.
But so much of what the author of this article said is patently wrong and irrelevant. [mod edit]
Overall, the game still sucks, but you didn't explain why it sucks even remotely accurately. You say 'hamlets are a bunch of tents around a crystal'. Those are camps. Get a clue. Hamlets and Settlements (which were implemented in patch 1.18) all aid in breaking up the landscape too.
Chocobos will be implemented in five days time which will make traversing the landscape easier.
If you want to bash FFXIV in the future, send me a PM and I will give you tips on how to do it properly.
Also if you think there's hope in the "brand new team" then you're seriously deluded. The new team is half the problem with FFXIV.
It released early, that was the problem.
The new team has only served to hamper progress and cripple improvements to the game. So far they've added nothing really worthwhile except for two dungeons. All the story quests they wasted their time on were pointless drivel that nobody even wants to do.
New dev team sucks and ruins more than they improve.
All the issues with FFXIV will persist so long as they are in charge. All the issues with the game, alluded to in this article, will remain so long as dev team continue to address irrelevant things like autoattack and collision detection (lol, why was this removed?).
The game needed to be improved, not deformed and mutilated. And that's all the new dev team do; mutilate the game instead of improve it.
I've been playing ff games since I was eight and I'm now 33. I loved the early ff's and I liked ffxi; however when you see a game that is universally reviewed poorly by both fans and the reviewers take a hint. FF XIV is a bad game atm according to most of the world. There will always be fans of the game but those fans need to realize the odds of a reviewer feeling like they do is next to nil.
The fact square is still not charging subs is an indication the game hasn't really changed enough to be worth it in the opionions of square themselves. I've seen the fans bring up the same lame excuses for every write up that has been done on this site and its sorta sad. The reviewer isn't biased the site isn't biased and the people that visit this site aren't biased. The truly biased people are the fans that come to this site ONLY to personally attack the reviewer the website and anyone that doesn't agree w/ said fan. My advice to these fanbois take a look around when your the only one defending the pile that is this game maybe you're the one that was wrong all along.
This is a 'year later' article not a re-review or anything. And it's not a year + whatever time it takes for the upcoming patch. The upcoming patch was just delayed today.
Doesn't the fact that SE came out and said they were ashamed of XIV supercede the opinions of players for or against it? If the creators talk about it like it is a child that turned to drugs and gangs, then why bother arguing over specifics anymore?
I really wish there was a setting to be able to filter out certain authors. Everytime I read an article and think "Wow, somebody has a chip on their shoulder," it's always without fail Adam Tingle. This 'review' spends the entire article talking about what stuff still sucks while hardly touching the stuff that has improved.
lol!
Happy Birthday Adam!
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
This game isnt amazing or so terrible i would uninstall after the first 5 minutes. The new dev team has the game going in the right direction, it has come a long way from release. There is still alot of work to be done to make this a competing MMO. If you enjoy a good community with very little to do other than level then i say give it a shot for what its worth. I usually play once a week for a few hours and thats enough to get a few levels in, i'm happy with that as it is free right now.
Otherewise come back in 4-5 months (1.21+) and thats when the game should really have all the features implemented thats going to make or break this MMO. Yes, i am a FF fanboy, i loved XI and everything below it but i do relise the state this game is in and the work that needs to be done to make it worth paying for. My 2 cents.
If you want to read nothing but positive articles on FFXIV you probably shouldn't leave the fan sites.
People cry for a game that doesn't "hold your hand." One comes along, and it gets bashed in reviews for being "too complicated," and not "informing you what you should do."
This game has tons to offer. Sorry people can't see it. My server is full of great people and we have a lot of fun playing. This games kicks the crap out of 90% of the MMOs out today, it requires thought, strategy, patience, and has tons of rewarding features.
I'm fine with a lot of WoW bashing, but this one I must absolutely spend a few moments to refute.
I must first refute the blatant lie that "you start in nothing more than a few tents in WoW." Each race begins in its own distinct environment, which plays a large role in shaping the story of that race. Of the 12 races in WoW, only one of them begin near anything that could sort of be described as "a few tents;" they are the trolls. And even those initial troll villages have a very specific aesthetic theme that breaths life into them. They depict a tribal heritage, a strong practice of shamanism and a close relationship with spirits and their anscestors. The aesthetic cues all portray this! And these aesthetics all work hand-in-hand with the lore and story you experience through the early quests. Oh, and each of WoWs cities have the same complementary effect on your perception of each race.
Additionally, in the typical WoW zone including the starting zones, you find several (by which I mean at least 5-10) of the following landmark hubs: monuments, caves, enemy outposts, swamps, lakes, mines, shrines, cemeteries, farms, barracks, houses, castles, ruins, towers, statues, pirate coves, climbable mountains, underwater sunken ships, temples, waterfalls, and yes, tents/huts representative of small tribal villages.
I'm not saying FFXIV doesn't have any or all of these things, but when such geographical features are included in FFXIV, they tend to be nothing more than lifeless props whose sole purpose is to provide enironmental scenery. In WoW, you can bet every one of these landmarks are all given context within the quest lore and serve a greater purpose. As you progress through each zone, each of these landmarks come to mean something because you did something important at each one. Years later you can still wander around the world and remember all the things you did at each and every key location, which are littered all over every zone in WoW.
In FFXIV, on the other hand, many of the zones are vast barren wastelands of nothingness. There are geographical features, sure, but nothing happens near them, execpt maybe you slay another lizard. Even levequests don't provide any relevant context to the world around you. The moments where you get to experience anything of any relevance are so few and far between, both geopraphically and temporally.
Now FFXIV looks stunning, geographically and all, I'l gladly concede that. This was probably the only reason I was able to put up with roaming around for 18 levels. There were times where I just walked around to enjoy sunsets in random locations. But you can't possibly make an argument that FFXIV has a more vibrant world. It lacks aesthetic character, and there too many vast areas that simply lack life...literally.
It's not complicated it's badly designed. Big difference. When your UI sucks, hard to navigate, combat is cluncky, unresponsive and slow, it doesnt matter if the game as lots to offers, it all goes down the drain. Seems like the devs MOTO for FFXIV is : Why makes it simple when you can make it complicated.
If the prejudice that Japanese companies are far more inclined to apoligize than Western ones, then there is still merit in discussing the ups and downs of the game.
When would you ever see the companies behind all the games who went "freemium" apologize for their failure and their choice to introduce an item mall which can easily be used to transfer real money into power ingame? Never, I would expect; it is not in their culture.
How fast interface would you be able to create (delay measured in ms) if you abide by following two conditions:
1. Hard to hack, which means that a lot of information needs to be handled serverside.
2. Completely international, which means you can play with players all around the world on the same server.
This game isn't too complicated at all. The User Interface is just a mess of confusion which only adds to the already negative aspects of an unfinished game. FFXIV would benefit greatly from a revamp of the UI.
"Frustrating controls" is not the same as "challenging gameplay."
I don't see any reeason not to discuss the ups and downs but western games going freemium have nothing to do with this, freemium models offer an infusion of cash into a product that often has flatlined in growth. Basically alot of the freemium games atleast lasted as subscribed to games for often a year or more and could have continued to exist in many cases just couldn't grow.
Maybe I'm a little less worldly but I don't know anything about Japanese companies being more inclined to apologize.
Wasn't a problem already nine years ago, when they released FFXI.
Then use logic: something has to have changed technically otherwise people wouldn't experience such much lagginess. People just don't forget old solutions. Perhaps the amount of data sent serverside significantely increased?
Honestly Squares biggest mistake with FF14 was being all draconic and thinking they know their players better than the players themselves do. Dura the beta phases alot of sauggestions were made and square implemented 0 of them, now they scrambling to put those suggestions in to fix their pretty much dead waste of cash they been trying to save.
If they would have listened in the first place ff14 would probally be doing much better than it is, but now a days, its too late, its been a year and they still have not gotten rid of all the fundamental problems ff14 has/had. I hope square takes this as a learning experence and actually starts to listen to their playerbase especally mmo wise.
In another thread the CEO of square said in a interview that the FF name has been tarnished due to ff14. But honestly the series has gone down hill since ff8, and its just getting worse as time goes on.
Being a pessimist is a win-win pattern of thinking. If you're a pessimist (I'll admit that I am!) you're either:
A. Proven right (if something bad happens)
or
B. Pleasantly surprised (if something good happens)
Either way, you can't lose! Try it out sometime!