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The Eorzea Prospect: A Look at Final Fantasy XIV - MMORPG.com
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
The Eorzea Prospect: A Look at Final Fantasy XIV - MMORPG.com
Welcome to my biweekly Final Fantasy XIV column! I think it’s been a while since we’ve had one of these for FFXIV. With a massive influx of new and returning players alike gearing up for the next expansion, Shadowbringers, it’s never been a better time. There’s an enormous amount of content coming soon for us to delve through, I hope you’ll join us on the adventure as we dive head first into all of it!
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SWTOR Referral Link
Free Goodies for new or returning players.
See what it gets you Here
No trials. No tricks. No traps. No EU-RP server. NO THANKS!
...10% Benevolence, 90% Arrogance in my case!
hmmm, I think most players couldn't handle or wouldn't even want innovation unless it's the innovation in their head.
As soon as the developers start becoming clever and flexing their developer/creative muscles, the players will rush to the boards screaming.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
There is a free trial up to level 35. And you can try all of the classes with the same character, except for the classes that unlock with expansions, up to level 35
SWTOR Referral Link
Free Goodies for new or returning players.
See what it gets you Here
This isn't a signature, you just think it is.
Yep, WoW without any of the customization....don't know how it's as popular as it is other than IP.
WHHHAAAAaaaaaaaaaa!
Isn't that the way MMO's play?
I agree,,,,, but it has the sub and peolpe have a problem with subs for some reason.
Though they don't seem to have a problem spending 14.95 a night on beer that they only piss away!
But then again it's their money and they may spend it as they please,,,,
Care to expand on the whole without customization comment? Plenty of that available.
People enjoy it because it's not WoW. There's actual story, and you have to actually go through said story to get through the game. If people wanted to simply rush through content, get to end game and run out of things to do within a week, they'd play WoW.
Because it is a quality product with fairly frequent content updates with a fair bit of things to do other than combat. It has a lot of what WoW lacks: housing, interesting crafting, long epic weapon quests.
It has its flaws, as do all games (MMORPG or otherwise) and its not for everyone. But that doesn't mean its not one of the best MMORPGs of all time.
Granted, I don't play WoW either, because just like FFXIV everything is on a short cycle of obsolescence, making any progress seem pointless.
Oh, so because World of Warcraft utilizes a very simple Talent tree, it makes it oh so different? Gear is absolutely the same in WoW. Boring Stat Sticks. That's why they made transmog a thing. That's why FFXIV has Glamour.
99.9% of every player uses the same tree when playing their class. Typically each expansion makes a single tree the "viable" tree if you're wishing to raid. Go outside of that tree and you become sub-par.
I don't call cookie-cutter builds "customization." Because in reality, the tree truly has few choices, and the choices you've given force you to go one way. Where's the customization there? If you're thrown on a road and it suddenly forks, you go left and it dead ends forcing you to go right. Sure, you had the choice to go left, but did it actually go anywhere?
I have played WoW since beta. I play each expansion in hopes it brings back some of the joy and fun the game once had. After WotLK, the game simply hasn't been fun. I don't enjoy smashing through content in a day and wind up with nothing to do. Raids are boring. To make up for boring encounters, they throw massive amounts of pointless trash in your way.
So if you don't play WoW, and you don't play FFXIV, how do you know these things to be true? What game is it that you play that isn't already obsolete, or becoming obsolete? I'm genuinely curious.
Sadly, yes. But some of us don't like waiting 2 hours for a group of pug players OR only play MMOs these days with our friends as the genre has changed (badly), and most players have became asshats in "faster!" mode and only think of themselves. Playing MMOs these days to only "play with others" or to "meet new people and make friends" is a pipe dream (all imo ofc, but I have many playing friends like me).
No trials. No tricks. No traps. No EU-RP server. NO THANKS!
...10% Benevolence, 90% Arrogance in my case!
So a game that is about the story forces you to play through the story to get to the story and story related content that has story-related spoilers contained inside said story? In other news, water is wet.
"Running simulator and epic fandome content machine without any guts for innovation."
Is that so? To speak nothing of personal experiences on how things feel for you, let's just take a look at "Innovation" and what "Innovation" can or does mean in gaming and MMOs. In my opinion, this is a clear case of rhetoric based on a preconceived notion of what "innovation" is without allowing context to follow suit, or perhaps using it too broadly (such as if something exists, somewhere, it isn't innovative without looking at the genre and context) and potentially without said context. Maybe even not thinking about the situations of where it may apply as a whole.
You have to look no further than patched content and bold ideas implemented in FFXIV that sometimes pan out and sometimes do not. PotD / HoH -- a system that has its own leveling system, an "endless" randomized dungeon of sorts with its own mechanics, item system, power system, trap system, etc. etc. Placed into the game. Gold Saucer and its myriad of games that have quite a bit of depth, such as chocobo racing, chocobo breeding, stats, weather, genes, pedigree, food system, training system and so on. Diadem and the guild airship (and submarine) systems that went through multiple iterations but never quite managed to hit the mark -- followed by Eureka, which adopted much of FFXI's play, had its own ranking system, deleveling system, special skill system and encouraged play with strangers (a failure being that it was hard to play with friends, with them noting features to help with that in the future), public events, public 56 man dungeons with die-once-and-you're-out mechanics without revives and de-leveling, unless you want to sacrifice yourself to bring someone back and all the mechanics involved in such (though you won't get credit for a kill or the rewards). As well as the ability to weaken the super bosses through content and puzzles.
Blue Mage, which introduced elemental weaknesses in a genre that has abandoned such due to balance reasons, learning skills from mobs in the world despite everybody saying it was impossible or that they would never do it, and subsequent content catered directly towards it. Triple Triad card games which encourages boss fights, has its own tournament functions and meta and depth within the game. And much, much more (such as the Bard music system, which has become incredibly intricate through patches and requires skill to play rather than just copying something from that internet... as well as Squadrons and the ability to run them through dungeons... Treasure Hunts and Secret Treasure Chance areas, Bounty Hunter... to name a few) -- all of which were implemented in patches rather than sold as expansion features. This isn't even going into depth on class innovation such as Ninja and the Mudra system. Or fights, using unique mechanics in said fights never before seen in most MMOs, and so on. To say nothing of the New Game Plus feature, Trust Feature, and World Visit which were announced. The latter of which so far seems to be miles better than any other "visit" feature as your character is legitimately there even if you log off, don't need a friend or join a party to be there, and has access to trade and auction features. It also gets rid of paid transfers, which is a source of income that they sacrificed for the good of the game and the benefit of the players. Though the transfer system was already fair, as you could transfer a bulk of eight characters for $18 as opposed to paying for them individually. This is just the tip of the ice berg since there is a character limit in posts. I could continue on about crafting, rebuilding entire towns (which is being further innovated on with Shadowbringers as you rebuild a city-state), and so on.
https://ffxivchocoboracing.wordpress.com/
https://arrtripletriad.com/
http://www.heavenswhere.com/
https://ffxiv-eureka.com/
http://ffxiv.ariyala.com/HuntTracker/Adamantoise
https://aywren.com/2019/01/08/ffxiv-potd-hoh/
http://ff14angler.com/book
http://en.ff14housing.com/itemlist.php?h=1
https://ffxiv.gamerescape.com/wiki/The_Diadem
https://ffxivcrafting.com/equipment
2.0 Reconstruction of Mor Dhona (Time Based w/ side quests) / 3.0 Reconstruction of Idyllshire (Time Based w/ side quests) / 4.0 Reconstruction of Doman Enclave / 5.0 Rebuilding of The Holy See of Ishgard (Crafter and Gatherer End-game).
FFXIV Fan Festival 2018/2019 NA/EU/JP (March 23rd)
-- All privately owned sites that showcase guides, and not just wiki posts.
"Yep, WoW without any of the customization....don't know how it's as popular as it is other than IP."
They BOTH lack meaningful choices at the moment. But in the absences of something meaningful, I prefer to have all options available to me rather than a lie and a facade that simply restricts me.
There is very little customization in WoW. There is the meta and whatever Icyveins tells you. That or whatever RNG says you should have, because screw you (said as a general statement of how WoW operates and not directed towards anyone in particular). The atmosphere of even the most casual content therein is you're a noob if you don't follow the best. The same character is locked into the same baseline skills and the meta with little to no deviation.
https://www.icy-veins.com/wow/
https://www.wowhead.com/talent-calc
In FFXIV, you can be everything. Literally having hundred and hundreds of skills available to you. Even classes filling up three to five bars with just actions. Many of which are uses frequently -- or should be. There was even the cross-skill system where you could use skills from other classes (picking up to a specific amount so you had to choose), until the bloat became too big. Likewise, the role system and having to pick a couple out of many until they realized that such a system just produces a meta and gave you access to it all and decided to rework it for Shadowbringers. It takes more work -- work that you can be proud of -- but there's something about the sheer customization of, "Today's fight I'm a tank, an hour from now I'm a healer, an hour from now I'm a Ranged DPS, An hour from now I'm a Melee DPS, an Hour from how I'm a different tank. Then a different tank. Then a different tank. All with different mechanics, skills, animations, specializations, etc. All on the same character with the same friends and same accomplishments. So have fun with that "I'm going to switch 1 to 2, despite it being a gimp to my damage" talent system of a class that's locked in place. Because that's customization. Apparently. Me? I prefer options rather than being limited and pretending that's customization. And we already established it isn't choice when there's a superior option.
https://www.ffxivguild.com/ff14-cross-class-skill-guide/
FFXIV Fan Festival 2018/2019 NA/EU
Sounds like FFXIV is for you, then. The "sprout" new player system tells people who is new, and if you say so in dungeon, 9 times out of ten people will slow down. To say nothing of most people saying hello when they enter dungeons. Many will even offer earnest advice if you are having trouble with your rotation or mechanics without screaming at you. Though most of this is only valid in leveling based content as every game has that meta crowd. Roulette also helps ensure most queues are instant for tanks and healers and only 9-15 minutes at most for DPS, depending on the day. There are also a lot of friendly FCs that keep new player buffs up, help out and offer help. The FFXIV reddit is also full of people who help out as well.
But don't take my word for it. Download the trial (or use one of the free twitch keys), get on a preferred world for the benefits and ask for help in a town. Or go on reddit and ask for help. Or sign up for a dungeon and say you're new and would appreciate help. See how many people likely say "Hello" in the first couple of dungeons.
you are giving all the meme content too much credit and making it sound more than it actually is.
potd is just a glorified way to level up without spamming dungeons. HoH is just stormbloods version of potd
golden saucer is just minigames, TT is just a minigame, Mahjong is just a minigame, Chocobo racing is a minigame.
Eureka is a disaster for the most part and the main reason people do it because they feel the need for the rewards and not the actual content.
blu mage. having a class made into a minigame has no place in an mmorpg.
reconstructions are just time gated delivery quests.
Agree with customisation. There's none whatsoever in an RPG besides cosmetic.
Every job/class can only be played 1 way or else you're playing it wrong.
Swapping jobs is irrelevant for the most part outside of casual play as every major patch you're only ever going to be gearing one job unless they share gear for at least 2-3 months after a .0, .2,.4 release