One month later: the pros and cons of FFXIV.

[Satisiun]

Well, one month in by CE standards. No one gives a damn about what you lowly regular release peasants think about this game. :lol:

 

... alright, I'm kidding. Really! Don't give me that look!

 

But in all seriousness, it has been an entire month as of today since the game's release to the public, and now seems as good a time as any to troll the waters and see what people around the RPC have to say about Final Fantasy XIV. Not from a role-playing standpoint, but on the game itself. The mechanics, the story, the way the game works, that whole deal.

 

However let's see if we can't keep those thoughts organized, shall we? I'm going to fire off a code for you to use, where I want you to count off five positive things about the game, five negative things about the game, and then any additional thoughts you might have that might be good, or bad, or just general observations of a neutral variety. Or even use that section to talk about what you want to see added in at some point, or hope to see at least. Be as thorough or as brief as you like.

 

Had I more time, I'd do this myself right now, but I bail for work in ... eesh, 10 minutes. So not exactly enough time until I get home some time tonight. Considering how dull this place has been lately ever since a certain, unmentionable bit of drama ended, I figure anything to get people talking is a good thing, right?

 

• The Good (positives)[*]

[*]

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[*][/list:u]

 

• The Bad (negatives)[*]

[*]

[*]

[*]

[*][/list:u]

 

• The Not-So-Ugly (thoughts, hopes, neutrality, etc.)[*]

[*]

[*]

[*]

[*][/list:u]

 

And here's the conveniently copy and paste-able code so you don't have to quote my own post:

[list][size=large][b][color=#00BFFF]The Good (positives)[/color][/b][/size][*]
[*]
[*]
[*]
[*][/list]

[list][size=large][b][color=#808000]The Bad (negatives)[/color][/b][/size][*]
[*]
[*]
[*]
[*][/list]

[list][size=large][b][color=#FFFFFF]The Not-So-Ugly (thoughts, hopes, neutrality, etc.)[/color][/b][/size][*]
[*]
[*]
[*]
[*][/list]

[Tagyr]

• The Good (positives)[*]

[*] Crafting is fun

[*] Grouping is fun (as it should be)

[*]

[*][/list:u]

 

• The Bad (negatives)[*]

[*] As a conjurer killing stuff 'too' fast is detrimental in getting skill points.

[*] Killing stuff 'too' slow as a conjurer puts them at risk due to their squishy armor.

[*] Archer class is somewhat expensive.

[*] Crafting can be extremely frustrating at times due to the invisible numbers game it plays.

[*] No real incentive to group?

[*] The bugs, oh the bugs....

[*][/list:u]

 

• The Not-So-Ugly (thoughts, hopes, neutrality, etc.)[*]

[*] Most of the stuff above regarding casters is balancing issues with the random number system behind skill points.

[*] They seem to be aware of the crafting annoyances.

[*] Bugs seem to be aware of if they gave us 30 free days..

[*][/list:u]

[Freyar]

• The Good (positives)[*]Better direction available for players.

[*] Armory Systems provides interesting character combinations.

[*] Game is very pretty.[/list:u]

 

• The Bad (negatives)[*]Game doesn't scale well. Seems overly aggressive on particle effects and the like.

[*] CPU use seems to be over-used for what is shown on screen.

[*] Skill-Point gain is bonkers.

[*] Enmity is broken making playing as primarily a caster extremely trying. (Punishing Barbs bombing anyone?)

[*] Market as it is, is completely useless.

[*] Targeting is near impossible, especially in heavy combat.[/list:u]

 

• The Not-So-Ugly (thoughts, hopes, neutrality, etc.)[*] Content will be added over time.

[*] Major bugs will be ironed out over time.

[*] More information on game mechanics could be released by SE.[/list:u]

[Chveya]

• The Good (positives)[*]Crafting is so much more interesting.

[*]There's no such thing as 'junk loot'.

[*]It's perfectly possible to solo.

[*]It's perfectly possible to function as a crafter/gatherer.

[*]It's beautiful.[/list:u]

 

• The Bad (negatives)[*]Targeting. Oh god, targeting.

[*]Low-rank synth failures. Really, SE?

[*]Low volume of quests.

[*]No search for retainer sales.

[*]Group finding (and sometimes leaving) can be... awkward. [/list:u]

 

• The Not-So-Ugly (thoughts, hopes, neutrality, etc.)

[*]I like that things show up on my minimap without needing a skill/class for it. >_>

[*]I'm looking forward to other transport, but I like that teleporting is an option right out of the gate, rather than requiring a skill or class for it.

[*]Exploring is interesting, but I'd like to see more -things- in the wilderness.

[*]The sky is beautiful.

[*]Multi-classing for all? No training new abilities? Re-assignment of points? THANK YOU GODS.[/list:u]

[FreelanceWizard]

The Good (positives)[*]It's wonderfully pretty.

[*]Since we've gotten out of beta, performance on my system (i7-930, GTX 470) is surprisingly good for the graphical quality.

[*]The city-specific story arcs -- at least what I've seen of them -- are pretty interesting and uniquely positioned; you're not the star of the story at first, which is a refreshing change of pace.

[*]The Armory System lets you build whatever character you want, which is tremendously neat.

[*]You can solo effectively, but that's no amazing thing these days. EQ2, WoW, CoH, CO, and more are all designed for soloing. Still, though, I think it's a good feature to have.[/list:u]

 

The Bad (negatives)[*]The lack of content is agonizing when combined with the guildleve content and limits. This alone will likely see me ending my subscription at the end of the extended trial; there's just nothing to do.

[*]Performance is egregiously poor on non-high end systems, especially with nVidia cards.

[*]Skill point gain is questionably executed, with perverse incentives for poor play (such as dragging out a fight to improve SP gain).

[*]Synthesis is overly difficult, especially without any clear guidance on how to do it and what affects it. The lack of a recipe book is crippling.

[*]The economy is utterly broken at this point.[/list:u]

 

The Not-So-Ugly (thoughts, hopes, neutrality, etc.)[*]Even though the UI has issues, it's a clean design that keeps your focus on the characters in the fight. Most other MMOs can't claim that, as you generally have to look off-center to monitor character resources in their stock UIs. I look forward to seeing what they do with it.

[*]SE is generally aware of the issues with the game and is willing to work on fixing them.

[*]The mechanics are terribly opaque; the game provides little guidance on what stats affect what.

[*]I'm glad to see Nobuo Uematsu composing again outside of Distant Worlds, but the soundtrack's a little low key. I want my rockin' battle music, please.

[*]The lore is rather sparse at the moment. I'd like to see more available information about the game world.[/list:u]

[Ghunzyr]

• The Good (positives)[*] The Story â I havenât seen a lot, but I love what Iâve seen; The Limsa intro was enough to keep me dedicated to see it through to the end

[*] The Synthesis System â has some minor annoying issues, and lots of people hate it for some reason, but I enjoy it a lot. Usually I hate crafting in MMOs

[*] Being able to switch classes easily, get them all to max level, and mix and match skills from various classes.

[*] Large Seamless World

[*] You can wear any gear you want[/list:u]

 

• The Bad (negatives)[*] There is an auction house in Limsa Lominsa, but it isnât open for business. The game would do well with an auction house. The wards could be an alternative for those who want to sell without auction time limitations and taxes (like say a percent of the sale goes to the auction house)

[*] Why the tiny cap on daily leve quests?

[*] Insane Server Lag

[*] Far too easy to solo

[*] Why is there Interface Lag?!

[*] The worst UI I have ever seen in an MMO. The Interface is not quite as bad as those found in the Kingâs Quest series, but sometimes it feels similar (did I just date myself? lol)[/list:u]

 

• The Not-So-Ugly (thoughts, hopes, neutrality, etc.)[*] Crossing the world feels a bit too âsafeâ sometimes. Not really detrimental per say, but personally I liked being scared for my life when I ran from San dâOria to Jeuno at level 5 in Final Fantasy XI

[*] I find the casting a little irritating. I love that spells can be done as single target or AE, but the overall process feels a little⦠tedious? Iâm not sure how I would change it.

[*] Doing leves is great, but if you are done all your leves for the day, there really arenât a whole lot of places to hunt. It would be nice if there were more mobs and people could group up, establish a camp, and grind. Yes it is boring and old fashioned, but the option would be nice for those of us who are willing to put in the effort. I may also add that camping mobs for hours was a great way to socialize, it is one of the things I miss most from EverQuest 1. I say this is a neutral point because I know many people are so glad MMOs have moved away from that old model.

[*] I like the merchant instances idea, but I think the implementation could be better. Breaking the instances into item categories was a good first step, now if they restricted NPC sellers so that they had to use one of the stands that would be good. Stands give an indication of what is being sold, and they would keep the floor from feeling like Christmas Eve rush at the mall[/list:u]

[Jinxsy]

• The Good (positives)[*]

[*]The RP community is alive, growing and it is possible to randomly walk into a place/camp and chatter to people!

[*]Its so pretty!!!

[*]It is possible to make your way as a gatherer/crafter

[*] I can choose my own path in the game, whatever hybrid of class styles I want to be

[*] The story! I'm only on the rank 10 Grid one but it's fab!

[*][/list:u]

 

• The Bad (negatives)[*]

[*]cutting off my text while the menu switches is now getting annoying

[*]Text limit! /rage

[*]the text box in general, I want to be able to place rp in a different tab to the crafting spam

[*][/list:u]

 

• The Not-So-Ugly (thoughts, hopes, neutrality, etc.)[*]

[*]The upcoming updates notes are looking great!

[*]uh....*scratches head*

[*]Nope, I'm stuck for anything else atm!

[*][/list:u]

[ArmachiA]

• The Good (positives)[*]

[*] It's the world's prettiest crafting sim

[*] The mixing of classes is a good idea and seems really fun

[*]

[*][/list:u]

 

• The Bad (negatives)[*]

[*] It's the world's prettiest crafting sim

[*] Seriously, after that there's fuck-all to do

[*] ....Seriously, the mailbox's don't even work

[*][/list:u]

 

• The Not-So-Ugly (thoughts, hopes, neutrality, etc.)[*]

[*] My hope is that the November patch (and December one by proxy) fixes a lot of issues and maybe introduces new classes for fighting.

[*] It's the world's prettiest crafting sim.

[*] If it doesn't I'm probably off to DCUO

[*][/list:u]

[Jinxsy]

Nooooo! DC Universe Online is run by SOE! By all that is holy run away before its too late!

*cough* I mean, as an ex EQ2 player I'm fed up of being shafted by SOE exec's

[Anka]

• The Good (positives)[*]

[*]It's pretty

[*]Crafting is fun

[*]I don't have to get my own mats to do the crafting leves

[*]Customization is great[/list:u]

 

• The Bad (negatives)[*] The clunky UI

[*] The inventory is too small to allow for keeping all the stuff you pick up and need to possibly save and use in future crafting

[*] The lack of ability to quickly and easily buy and/or sell materials and items. I feel bad each time I leave my character logged on while I go do something else for hours, just in the hopes of getting lucky and getting my bazaar emptied somewhat.

[*] Local levequest being anything but local and never offering enough leves in one craft at one location at a decent rank vs your rank to ensure you don't need to visit other cities, paired with the timesink that is travel and anima regen being so darn slow.

[*] The way you need to be a crafter way higher then the rank of the final item to make some things, either due to the recipe itself being too difficult, or because needed parts are too difficult.[/list:u]

 

• The Not-So-Ugly (thoughts, hopes, neutrality, etc.)[*] That it will shortly be possible to add retainers... Odd though how that feature wasn't in from the start when it always was a part of the pricing scheme, even before launch

[*] The planned adjustments to the UI... I hope they add in the ability to map keys to stuff like opening the inventory and journal and character sheet... you know, like every other rpg you can play on a computer allows?

[*] It would be nice if they could do something about the lag in setting the hotkeys up when macro-switching between jobs. It's rather annoying to find that unfortunatly half the attacks didn't show up on the hotbar when you've allready engaged... or gotten attacked.

[*]

[*][/list:u]

[ArmachiA]

Nooooo! DC Universe Online is run by SOE! By all that is holy run away before its too late!

*cough* I mean, as an ex EQ2 player I'm fed up of being shafted by SOE exec's

 

After Square Enix (FFXI/FFXIV), and NCSOFT (Aion and City of Heros) I am very VERY used to being shafted by execs

[Kurb]

RIGHT this says it all about FF14

Sadly I'll admit if I saw this b4 the release I'd never of bought it

 

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/review-hd-final-fantasy/705893

 

I feel let down by 14 tbh i expected a highly polished version of ff11 with all of 11's bugs sorted out.It seems all I got for my trouble was an awesome looking game that was full of holes.I think SE rushed this one.I think I'll go back to FFXI I won't bother with the 1 month free extension.When they work out the kinks I'll return

[*]

[Jinxsy]

These videos really make me mad :twisted: Why chose a conj to solo? They're not the class with the highest dps, *spirit dart* *spirit dart* *spirit dart* *cure* you get the idea. Gridania has to be the worst place to start if you don't like running along winding tunnels with very few mobs to hit along the way as -everybody- who is ahead of you has the exact same idea.

[Nira Muzyka]

These videos really make me mad :twisted: Why chose a conj to solo? They're not the class with the highest dps' date=' *spirit dart* *spirit dart* *spirit dart* *cure* you get the idea. Gridania has to be the worst place to start if you don't like running along winding tunnels with very few mobs to hit along the way as -everybody- who is ahead of you has the exact same idea.[/quote']

 

Actually, Conj is tied with Archer for highest DPS >.>

[Jinxsy]

These videos really make me mad :twisted: Why chose a conj to solo? They're not the class with the highest dps' date=' *spirit dart* *spirit dart* *spirit dart* *cure* you get the idea. Gridania has to be the worst place to start if you don't like running along winding tunnels with very few mobs to hit along the way as -everybody- who is ahead of you has the exact same idea.[/quote']

 

Actually, Conj is tied with Archer for highest DPS >.>

 

 

Really? Oh my bad, I had no idea, carry on berating the game everyone! :?

[Zyrusticae]

• The Good (positives)

[*]Delicious graphics. Mmmm. Tasty! The animations in particular are amazingly well-done. I have seen few games, period, that can match it in this area, much less other MMOs.

[*]Sooo much character customization to be done. I don't just mean in the visual sense, but of course the mechanical sense as well. LOTS of ability combinations that can be done.

[*]Crafting and gathering are actually activities instead of pure busywork (as they are in so many other MMOs).

[*]The music, in combination with the graphics, really helps to sell the world. Love the atmosphere.

[*]The story is quite impressive. The cinematics are very well-done. It's actually a good hook to level, except...[/list:u]

 

• The Bad (negatives)

[*]The crafting. OHMYGOD, THE CRAFTING. Needing rank 20+ materials to complete rank 10 crafts, many of which are from completely different professions. The horrible RNG, too, which often makes it feel like you have little agency in the completion of a craft (which, well, is the opposite of what you'd expect a system like this to do).

[*]Inventory management. Who decided that EQUIPPED ITEMS should still take up space in the inventory?! Why do I only have 80 slots when I have to deal with FOOD INGREDIENTS dropped by pretty much any single mob in addition to tiny, TINY stack size caps (lol 12 ore per stack)? WHY DO I HAVE TO UNEQUIP ITEMS TO REPAIR!?

[*]REPAIR MUST DIE. MUST DIE NOW. OMFG, I HATE YOU ITEM DURABILITY WTF DO YOU DO THIS TO ME WHY WHY WHY?! (Re: I hate this "feature" and wish it would die in a fire. To ashes. And then burn the ashes into nothingness. It should NEVER HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT OF DAY! RRAAAAARRRRGH! ...Also, this is why I quit.)

[*]Wtf is with the anima regen? One teleport per day, really? So you guys WANT me to walk EVERYWHERE? I guess you decided repairing wasn't enough of a ridiculous timesink as it is!

[*]The UI. I don't even have to say anything more than this. The badness of the UI is self-evident.[/list:u]

 

• The Not-So-Ugly (thoughts, hopes, neutrality, etc.)

[*]The market system is passable with the renaming of the wards. Or rather, tolerable. It's still pretty far from ideal.

[*]Guildleves... meh. They add some variety, but they're no replacement for proper quests with proper story. Also, the cooldown and low daily limit...

[*]Physical character customization - no body modification other than height and, for only two races, breast size. I'm spoiled from Aion and Champions Online...

[*]Need more quests! The ones that are there (actual story ones, I mean) are very good, but there's simply not nearly enough of them. More! More! MORE![/list:u]

[DAISHI]

Without the social network and friendships I have in the game, I wouldn't be playing it It's pretty borked in a lot of respects. Will do the "Good-Bad-Notsobad" thing when I get back.

 

I wouldn't mind the lack of anima if they had another form of transportation besides walking everywhere. Sometimes I have maybe one to two hours of the day to play, and I don't want to spend most of it walking.

I could deal with crafting's issues, if there weren't such huge gaps in the level of materials needed.

And repairs... nobody seeks my bazaar to repair my stuff. I can repair some of my stuff but if I can't, I have to seek someone out to do it, which again means that I am burning what little time I have just to find a way to get my stuff fixed to get to the things I think are actually fun.

[Ghunzyr]

Nooooo! DC Universe Online is run by SOE! By all that is holy run away before its too late!

*cough* I mean, as an ex EQ2 player I'm fed up of being shafted by SOE exec's

 

SoE had issues, but historically they tend to treat their players slightly better then SquareEnix does. Design and story-wise,The EverQuest chain went downhill after Sony bought out Verant, but I still miss EQ1 and EQ2 at times. I was a raid tank in the prime of the ol EverQuest2 years, and roleplay community was great.

 

Personally I think EverQuest2 jumped the shark with Moores of Ykesha. World of Warcraft did it with the defeat of Arthas. It all goes downhill from there, hence why I'm not playing those games anymore (that and all my friends quit )

[ArmachiA]

Without the social network and friendships I have in the game' date=' I wouldn't be playing it It's pretty borked in a lot of respects. Will do the "Good-Bad-Notsobad" thing when I get back.[/quote']

 

Roleplay is the only reason I'm even sticking around waiting for the Nov. and Dec. patches. But the game is hemoraging people and no one new is picking it up, I'm pretty sure there won't be many people left by those updates and that makes me a little sad.

 

Hell, my guild is already making plans to switch to a new game. I keep trying to tell them to wait it out, but I can't hold them to a game with no content.

[Satisiun]

Roleplay is the only reason I'm even sticking around waiting for the Nov. and Dec. patches. But the game is hemoraging people and no one new is picking it up' date=' I'm pretty sure there won't be many people left by those updates and that makes me a little sad.[/quote']

 

The general logic I keep seeing is that the PS3 release will inject more life in to the game, but to tell the truth, I have a hard time seeing that happen. Even if this game could feasibly have Gamespot give it a 9 out of 10 by the time the PS3 release comes out and all those sites are obligated to re-review it, the horrible publicity and damage will have already been done. As a result, people who had been waiting for the PS3 version will be even less inclined to get a copy.

[Kurb]

the rp is great but trying to lvl crafts and make things is driving me nuts.I'll come back after the ps3 release prehaps then they'll have sorted it out

btw what servers do rp on FFXI incase i decide to return to that

 

I would of waited another year to play this game if it ment it was done properly.Ironically it's one of the main reasons I left 11.I saw no reason in picking up 2/3 more add ons for 11 when 14 looked like it was loaded with potential

[Kinsea Mohai]

Aw, come on guys, this thread is so depressing.

 

...allow me to add to it. Zyrusticae's reply was hilarious; it sounded like there were two different people talking between the good and bad points. A lot has already been mentioned.

 

• The Good (positives)

[*] It's new and the cut-scenes are nice to watch

[*] It's a decent game, and it works. (kind of)

[*] Overall good graphics and weather effects.

[*] People cannot ninja nodes or spawns.

[*] Focus on a player-driven economy.[/list:u]

 

• The Bad (negatives)

[*] Where are all the big squares, halls, or other large, public gathering places? Make it massive!

[*] The user interface should be more intuitive, with in-game help manual

[*] Lag while browsing, while fighting, while shopping, etc.

[*] Character limitation is a way of safeguarding against spam, but makes communication difficult.

[*] Not enough quests that expand on the lore

[*] Music feels a little bland

[*] May have concentrated too hard on improving from the previous game. Seems to have failed in picking up and implementing more ideas that made other online games successful.[/list:u]

 

• The Not-So-Ugly (thoughts, hopes, neutrality, etc.)

[*] It's still a new game

[*] There is still so much to explore

[*] The RP community will grow hopefully

[*] Future updates will improve if not correct issues brought up by players

[*] Perhaps things will balance out as more players reach the higher levels and can more easily craft/repair items[/list:u]

[DAISHI]

I don't want WoW but what I did like about WoW was that there were so many quests from so many people. And some of them were super interesting. There's the quest line where you're helping this man gather materials, only to find out that you've helped him craft an abomination that then raids the town. Early in the game there weren't high levels so everyone had to band together to hold it off.

 

The quest line where you prevent the King from being assassinated by spying in the royal gardens on a series of clandestine meetings.

 

Just stuff that was interesting that fleshed out the lore and background of people who lived in that universe.

[Eternal Darkness]

I only have a pro, for this section, and that is the people! I've received so many warm and genuine greetings from people of all race and creed that it warms my foreign heart to no end. Indeed I feel more at home in Eorzea than I ever did in Nifelheim, even if I've only been with you all for a couple of weeks. I thank you all and I look forward to meeting even more of you!

[Magnus]

I don't want WoW but what I did like about WoW was that there were so many quests from so many people. And some of them were super interesting. There's the quest line where you're helping this man gather materials, only to find out that you've helped him craft an abomination that then raids the town. Early in the game there weren't high levels so everyone had to band together to hold it off.

 

The quest line where you prevent the King from being assassinated by spying in the royal gardens on a series of clandestine meetings.

 

Just stuff that was interesting that fleshed out the lore and background of people who lived in that universe.

 

Ahhh the good old days of WoW. But your right having more chain quest other than the main city line would be great for FFXIV.