(05-24-2015, 07:32 PM)Zyrusticae Wrote: GW2's entire world and game design is completely different from ARR's. There's no point trying to use that as an example when the two games share almost no mechanics to speak of.
The class mechanics alone make it impossible for them to change things that drastically. Unless they completely retooled the way attributes work in the game, there would be no reason to pick anything other than the most optimal stat mixes as players already do now. And that would be one seriously major undertaking, to say the least.
And if you've never seen balance issues with horizontal gear, I can only assume you never played FFXI, which is where those issues were really noticeable and a large part of why FFXIV is itemized the way it is.
GW2's form of horizontal gear is mostly meaningless anyway. Once you have your optimal stat mix you have zero incentive to get another set. A huge part of what people want from horizontal gear is for each piece to have more meaning than simple ilvls. GW2 does NOT accomplish this. In that regard, its gear system is a failure.
It's a perfectly fair example of an MMO that does equipment better than its contemporaries, action oriented or not. To dismiss it is to miss my point entirely.
I didn't say it wouldn't be a difficult undertaking, either, or even a practical one, just saying that it is possible and by all means the superior option.
And no, I didn't play FFXI; I avoided it like the plague due to the notorious level of tedium, the very reason I disagree with item level as a mechanic to begin with. Tedium is bad game design, plain and simple. It may suit the grinder with no life outside of their chosen game, but anyone else is more or less sacrificed in turn for it.
Also, no, the horizontal progression was not meaningless, not one bit. Every class could make use of several stat combos depending on build and situation; this was especially true if you played all three game modes. Perhaps you didn't step out of FotM builds, but trust me, it was definitely there.
This sort of variation is something I see requested for on the official FFXIV forums quite frequently. Unfortunately, the only way to do it is to ditch ilevel and go full horizontal, making the gear we find actually valuable for more than six months.
Sorry, but I hate throwing things out that should be perfectly usable for many years to come. I wish I could say this about what my characters have now, but it's ultimately all disposable making the effort ultimately pointless in the end.
(05-24-2015, 07:32 PM)Zyrusticae Wrote: GW2's style is to have permanent story developments that completely and irreversibly change sections of the game world. ARE YOU SURE THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT? There is no way to replay sections of the story that you missed out on. This is one of my biggest complaints about the way GW2 does things.
I mean, they could have Ishgard permanently open their doors to everyone after a mass story event... that no one could ever replay or experience again because it was a one-time deal. I'm pretty sure the amount of bitching that would occur would be just as astronomical as what did happen to Arenanet when they did the same thing. No, even greater, because at least in GW2's case a fair chunk of the playerbase doesn't give a toss about its story whereas Final Fantasy is a completely different matter.
That being said, they could at least give us access to classes without having to play through main story content and going through the ilvl grind... but apparently they decided against that. I don't know the thought process behind why they made that decision, but I can only assume they thought long and hard about it before making it. Or at least, I would hope as much.
I do agree that being able to skip all the unlocking with alts would be a great change, however. That's one thing that FFXIV does really, really poorly.
That was living story. I'm not talking living story, I'm talking the original, variable quest line the game launched with which has always been optional. As soon as a player makes it through the short and painless racial introduction, they are free to roam about and approach the game as they see fit. This is, by all means, the best way design an MMO from the ground up. One should not have to be forced through a predefined story with a character they made themselves, certainly not to the degree FFXIV does.
And for the record, I'm really not that attached to the FFXIV story because when it comes down it, it's not mine. If I want to be told a story, I will play a single player game or watch a movie, of which I have many already. I'm here to build my own legacy, not someone else's. Now granted, I have to make some sacrifice as this type of game design is no longer in vogue with MMOs, but FFXIV could be doing a lot better than it is now. I'm honestly afraid to see how things will look years from now if SQX doesn't address things now and you should, too, because frankly? It'll be a mess at best and impenetrable at worst.