Final Fantasy XIV a Serious WoW Rival, says Wada

[Mezlo]

Re: Final Fantasy XIV a Serious WoW Rival, says Wada

But i'm definetly going to give it a chance and when I have to leave the game for 8 months, to go disarm bombs in some foregin land, I won't feel like i've missed half the game when I come back and drop 200-300 of my hard fought dollar bills on some gear that I probably could have earned had I not been knee deep in the shit of the real world.

Well said.

[Kailea]

Re: Final Fantasy XIV a Serious WoW Rival, says Wada

Like everything in Video game life, and in Real life. It can be done right or wrong. But i'm definetly going to give it a chance and when I have to leave the game for 8 months, to go disarm bombs in some foregin land, I won't feel like i've missed half the game when I come back and drop 200-300 of my hard fought dollar bills on some gear that I probably could have earned had I not been knee deep in the shit of the real world.

Oh la de da, so? I could care less what your job is, you go ahead and do that, then get banned.

Real life and game life should be separate, no money and or items should ever cross that boarder.

I could care less if you just saved the F-ing planet, you do not RMT, end of story.

[Mezlo]

Re: Final Fantasy XIV a Serious WoW Rival, says Wada

Oh la de da, so? I could care less what your job is, you go ahead and do that, then get banned.

Real life and game life should be separate, no money and or items should ever cross that boarder.

I could care less if you just saved the F-ing planet, you do not RMT, end of story.

You're confusing ffxi with ffxiv, please don't... RMT in FFXI is against the game guideline and policies and you will get banned. The possible implementation of the "cash shops" in FFxiv is not against the guidelines, in fact, it would be encouraged by SE.

[Takelli]

Re: Final Fantasy XIV a Serious WoW Rival, says Wada

You're confusing ffxi with ffxiv, please don't... RMT in FFXI is against the game guideline and policies and yuo will get banned. The possible implementation of the "cash shops" in FFxiv is not against the guidelines, in fact, its encouraged by SE.

I wont mind a cash shop if its like random items that don't make it so that you get like double exp, extra Hp/Mp, increase healing Hp/Mp. A super weapon, or magic scrolls. If its like random stuff that change your hair color, Name, Skin color, Allows you to have bunny ears, or some random stuff like that, I wont mind.

But please, don't put items that you need to farm for in the cash shop. Other wise those that need money in game, and can afford the items, just buy with real money, and sell on the market place. Hell, look at gaiaonline... People pull that shit all the damn time there.

[Ufgt]

Re: Final Fantasy XIV a Serious WoW Rival, says Wada

For real, if a cash shop is implemented, I don't was any top tier gear available for purchase. Call me a purist, but I think all in game gear that has a signifcant impact on the performance of your character should be obtained IN GAME. Items that purely change appearance, I can accept.

[Jei]

Re: Final Fantasy XIV a Serious WoW Rival, says Wada

Yea something irrelevant... things that doesn't affect game play but just plain cool to have. Like, cosplay suites for my mog in my mog house.

[Yellow Mage]

Re: Final Fantasy XIV a Serious WoW Rival, says Wada

Another problem that SE has with FFXI is their inability to "Trump" older gear

"Problem?" You enjoy the WoW syndrome of all your "uber-lenegendary-epic" endgame gear getting obsoleted with each expansion?

Heck, just look at the last version update, for crying out loud: this (for example) doesn't just scream "power creep" to you?!?

[Taskmage]

Re: Final Fantasy XIV a Serious WoW Rival, says Wada

<_< Is that really the most drastic example you can find? 4 attack and 2 accuracy more than a cheap, ubiquitous item that's been in the game since it was released? Shouldn't it be more conspicuous that life belt was around for 8 years before anything better was released?

I wonder what would happen if the gear you could buy with cash was exactly the same gear you could earn, only with a different name. Say for example if today SE added the ability in FFXI to buy relic gear with cash, but instead of a Sorcerer's Coat or a Duelist's Chapeau you got a Conjurer's Coat or an Enchanter's Chapeau with identical stats. Would the players who bought their power be ostracized and the community split? Would people still care a year later where the gear came from? What would happen to dynamis attendance? How much money would it be worth to you to get your item without sinking months of your life into repeating the same challenges over and over? I think it'd be interesting to see.

[Jei]

Re: Final Fantasy XIV a Serious WoW Rival, says Wada

If they add it since the beginning, dynamis will be mostly empty except for the hardest hardcore working for their relic weapon..... No wait, yon won't get enough players to do Dynamis. I for one only did Dynamis for a chance to get my AF2. That, or buy gil to buy the dynamis currency.

If they add it after years and years people spent in Dynamis, the player who had the gear will be pissed off, heart broken.

I don't see either way to be healthy...

[DakAttack]

Re: Final Fantasy XIV a Serious WoW Rival, says Wada

Yea something irrelevant... things that doesn't affect game play but just plain cool to have. Like, cosplay suites for my mog in my mog house.

This would be pretty funny, but they would need the rights to any characters outside the game.

[Yellow Mage]

Re: Final Fantasy XIV a Serious WoW Rival, says Wada

<_< Is that really the most drastic example you can find?

It's the most drastic example off the top of my head, others from this last update being the MAtk and MAcc+5 Earring set, the DEF:6 Accuracy+12 Attack+6 Ring set. I'm not saying that FFXI has as drastic a problem with power creep as WoW does, I was more trying to express how I was glad that it wasn't, and that I hope it stayed that way. Virtuoso Belt just screamed "power creep" by my standards, because we haven't had a belt that was that noticeably above and beyond what else we've had for, as you've put it, 8 years now. It just shatters standards for TP belts while demanding to be made the new one. To me, that's power creep plain and simple.

It's late for me, though, so I can't be bothered to look more stuff up. All I know is that S-E has usually done a pretty decent job so far when it comes to releasing cool new stuff that doesn't necessarily blow older stuff absolutely out of the water. Though, an argument could be made for the opposite, that S-E doesn't noticeably power creep enough over the years (see Elemental Staves, though they themselves were a noticeably massive amount of power creep way back when they were released).

[Taskmage]

Re: Final Fantasy XIV a Serious WoW Rival, says Wada

Pretty sure most people TP in haste gear now, with acc pieces only coming into play for multi-hit WS. But I digress. Considering they probably released the staff synths in the same update they raised the level cap for the first time, I don't think power creep was a concern for them at the time. You expect some degree of power creep. It gives players new things to aspire to. Laevateinn was such a joke because it wasn't a significant improvement over elemental staves, so the associated art, abilities and questline were essentially worthless. RPGs revolve around two ideas: experiencing a narrative and continually increasing the power level of your character. Obviously they can only produce so much story so fast, so periodically releasing stronger items to work towards is the most intuitive way to keep players interested. Arguably, SE's stubborn refusal to do so consistently has resulted in a lot of chaff content in the game. See anything from the aforementioned mythic weapons to the dozens of useless synths that get released with every major patch.

If they add it since the beginning, dynamis will be mostly empty except for the hardest hardcore working for their relic weapon..... No wait, yon won't get enough players to do Dynamis. I for one only did Dynamis for a chance to get my AF2. That, or buy gil to buy the dynamis currency.

If they add it after years and years people spent in Dynamis, the player who had the gear will be pissed off, heart broken.

I don't see either way to be healthy...

I didn't say it'd be a good idea, just interesting to watch from a distance. But I don't think it would break down that simply, either. I think the different name on the item that says "I earned this through my own skill with the help of my friends, and it represents a shared hardship and triumph that means something to me" would still have value to some people, and there would be a recognition between players who think that way and those who are only concerned with the ends. Assuming, of course, that you have those kinds of attitudes about your in-game items. My Tamas and Balrahn's ring are certainly more valuable to me because of the memories I have associated with them.

[TheGrandMom]

Re: Final Fantasy XIV a Serious WoW Rival, says Wada

I wonder what would happen if the gear you could buy with cash was exactly the same gear you could earn, only with a different name. Say for example if today SE added the ability in FFXI to buy relic gear with cash, but instead of a Sorcerer's Coat or a Duelist's Chapeau you got a Conjurer's Coat or an Enchanter's Chapeau with identical stats. Would the players who bought their power be ostracized and the community split? Would people still care a year later where the gear came from? What would happen to dynamis attendance? How much money would it be worth to you to get your item without sinking months of your life into repeating the same challenges over and over? I think it'd be interesting to see.

Yes I do think that people would be ostracized. Look at the little things that split the population already; when NA started to play, when 360 players started to play, when they made it easier to level to 75 and the people who "did it the hard way" looked down their noses, etc. I know there are more but they elude me right now but I'm sure you get my point. If those trifling things can rile the ranks, can you imagine renaming equips that have been purchased instead of earned!?

[Taskmage]

Re: Final Fantasy XIV a Serious WoW Rival, says Wada

Certainly, but after the first few months, the friction tapered off steadily, and now who knows or cares whether the person in your linkshell started on the PS2 or the PC, or whether they spend one or three or six months getting to level 75? With items the split in the playerbase would never become as invisible as that, but I think after the smoke cleared there could still be a stable community. You might look at it like windower. Some of us use it, some of us don't, some of us respect eachother's opinions on the matter more or less than others, but in general you're still accepted regardless.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Final Fantasy XIV a Serious WoW Rival, says Wada

Wait, wait, wait.

So you're saying SE's "stubborn refusal" to make more powerful gear is a problem?

C'mon now, you know as well I do that planned-obsolescence is the #1 way to murder endgame content. FFXI, to da\e - unlike any other MMO on the market - has kept its endgame content relevant and they've done so for good reason:

There are 20 jobs to play and you can be any of them.

This is where FFXI is hyped for, its is what FFXIV is being hyped for, it is what separates the Final Fantasy MMO from the pack. You can level all the jobs, you can level a few or one of that's all you care to do.

The second WoW stops adding solo content in each expansion, its goose is as good as cooked. That's WoW's selling point.

But I think FFXIV's lack of "levels" is its ideal excuse to allow power creep into weapons. We're always going to need more weapons since that's what the system is going to emphasize, especially so if they're taking cues from Monster Hunter.

But I don't think FFXIV will ever obsolete any endgame content. You put in 20 jobs and tell us we can be any of them, you have an obligation to keep a lot of content relevant for a very, very long time.