discussion [Spoilers] 3.4 MSQ Discussion Thread

[Verad]

Why can't this game be a novel?

[Kellach Woods]

There's going to be at least one more patch, and WTF are we going to do then?  I mean sure it will be threads into Ala Mhigo but that story isn't going to resolve until the next expansion, so its just going to be a butt ton of cliff hangers til then?   Boo.

 

Threads to Ala Mhigo (probably a confrontation with the Griffon as none know he has the eyes of niddy), going after the giant ass coffin (3rd 24 man), 3rd of the Warring Triad, Conclusion to Hildibrand (with MAYBE a FF9 trial considering the reveals from 3.4's Hildi questline), Conclusion to Scholasticate (aka why haven't we killed every Dzemael we see already?) etc.

 

There's still plenty to do, the MSQ will definitely point us towards Ala Mhigo too and they have to put the pillars in place for Stormblood.

[Valence]

If they continue following the patterns for 2.0, we could also get an epic drama similar to the end of 2.5, introductory to the next expansion who knows.

[Teadrinker]

Why can't this game be a novel?

 

DingDingDing.

 

Can we have accompanying novels pls.

 

*Hurls Nero at SE*

[Seriphyn]

Good shit

 

It sounds like you're after a more character-driven story than device-driven, the latter seemingly the case for FFXIV? Because, comparatively, I think the MSQ is an absolute masterpiece insofar as the MMO framework goes. But then, I'm into the BIG THEATRICS rather than the character drama.

[Verad]

Why can't this game be a novel?

 

DingDingDing.

 

Can we have accompanying novels pls.

 

*Hurls Nero at SE*

 

A good possible outcome, but given the track record of past MMO novels, I'd rather not take my chances.

 

Richard Knaak. Jesus.

[Nero]

Good shit

 

It sounds like you're after a more character-driven story than device-driven, the latter seemingly the case for FFXIV? Because, comparatively, I think the MSQ is an absolute masterpiece insofar as the MMO framework goes. But then, I'm into the BIG THEATRICS rather than the character drama.

 

Perhaps part of the reason why I'm yearning for a character-driven story is because I'm not particularly fond of the plot itself.

 

That said, I agree entirely with Valence's assessment that FFXIV's story is written around the game design, so stuff like my previously huge rant on Thordan's pacing and him being a waste of a character is something I (now) try to be lenient on, because how I see it is the game designers saying "Okay writers, the players need to get to Azys Lla and fight the Knights of the Round. Make it happen" and within that scenario, there is remarkably little room for producing a compelling scenario. Or, "The players are going to fight Nidhogg-Estinien in 3.3, make it so they don't die in 3.0".

 

Of course, all that is me giving the writers the benefit of the doubt, and choosing to believe that they're limited by the development process and not themselves, so it's entirely possible that I'm wrong.

 

But there are moments where the writers are given room to tie up the story, and the majority of these moments tend to be character-driven. The scene following Estinien's recovery--where he talks about what it was like being under Nidhogg's influence and how his desire for revenge has been snuffed--that was a good scene. Aymeric's dinner was pretty much a plot device to get the WoL away from the Fortemps house so Alisaie could sneak in with her arrow wound. These elements can pretty much be written off from a design standpoint since the goals are extremely basic ("End the 3.3 story" in Estininien's case, "Get WoL out of manor" in Aymeric's case, etc.)

 

Where the writers seem to have the most power is in expressing the characters, and where they have the least power is in the greater narrative (because that's driven by the game design), so it's in the characters that I'd like to see them improve.

[Caspar]

It's certainly better than TERA's. Since that's the only comparison I have to go off of, that's as much as I can criticize. When I try to evaluate whether a work does what it sets out to do or not, I try to only compare it to works in a similar medium. 

 

That being said, I definitely share the opinion that the Scions are just not very interesting characters, for the most part. Thancred has potential. Urianger has potential. All the Scions could be cool, were they given some time to grow in personality and did not have to share screen time with expac characters. Likewise, the expac characters too have a lot of worth untapped because they needed to shove the main conflict with the Ascians into Heavensward.