Comments from the Devs

[Niiro]

Uh, no.

1) only the NM island had back-to-back auto aggroing mobs, the other one you went around at your leisure
2) you couldn't change jobs during the event period, even after you won

[solracht]

Skirmish was a back to back mob fight. lol.

^and I can understand that Solracht, as that makes things far more difficult. The fact that it's not set for entirety of the game pretty much shows they are aware it's a viable tactic and people will use it. Like XI events taking away your subjob doesn't mean SE doesn't want you to use your subjobs

Do keep in mind that quote is from April and Yoshida has already backpedaled on a few things. I vaguely remember what Niiro was talking about, it's just not coming up after a few searches and I don't have an hour to waste on finding the actual quote.

[Spider-Dan]

I wonder if Spiderdan ever played 1.0 post job release lol. Honestly, I never saw a shortage of white mages.

That's because in >1.21 XIV, the overwhelming majority of people remaining were lifers with Paragon Crowns, and the only question was whose turn it was to play WHM. I am presuming that in a more populated (read: viable) game, the class distribution will look more like XI, where not everyone has everything leveled.

With the job system and being able to literally switch on a damn dime it is VERY unnecessary to have a 'modern mmo' setup. Unlike XI, there is no painful process of going back to town and grabbing all of your gear from mog house porting back, rebuffing and then going in.

Changing your class/job is not a substitute for balancing them.

Something definitely needs to be done with classes. I feel like the best solution would be removing many of the class-exclusive restrictions. In 1.20, heavy class-exclusivity had a purpose: answering the calls for role definition. But jobs already do that now, and do so much more stringently, so why not unlock more abilities?

Seems to me that you could unlock (almost) every ability <=LV30 for all classes and still maintain job superiority while adding some usability for classes. I mean, look at what you would make available (affected jobs in parenthesis):

GLA (WAR/WHM): Aegis Boon, Riot Blade
MRD (PLD): Fracture, Berserk
PGL (WAR/DRG/WHM/BLM): Haymaker, Fists of Earth
LNC (MNK): Life Surge
ARC (MNK/DRG/BLM): Raging Strike, Shadowbind, Swiftsong
CNJ (PLD/BRD): Cleric Stance, Blissful Mind, Stonera, Cura
THM (BRD): Parsimony, Blizzard, Thundara, Blizzara

For the most part, that looks like a list of completely harmless abilities that would help the classes significantly while still maintaining job dominance. The only thing on that list that's even remotely concerning is Cleric Stance on THM, but worst case scenario, you could make Cleric Stance increase potency of just Wind/Earth magic and then just give CNJ a trait to expand it to all attack magic.

[Lokus]

I just thought of something as well, how will the instance matcher work in XIV? Other games do it by roles: Tank, Healer, DPS. From what we've been given in 1.0, the encounters don't necessarily conform to any specific setup, some using 2 healers, others only 1. Some using 2 tanks, others only 1. Not to mention the preference in DD type and the job change shenanigans. Then you have things like Garuda, where a balance between DD type is needed. SE has a lot to do when it comes to balancing their classes/jobs.

[Lucavi]

How many posts until they ban you? Not saying it should happen, but I think being right on the OF means not being an idiot which means eventual ban.

Nah, they won't ban, because I'm not "attacking" OFers. I'm appealing to the devs directly on posts. If anything, my posts get more thumbs ups than those of the... lesser visionaries.

[Enygma55]

You can still use the search by roles (DoW, DoM) or by job specific. Once people make the match and fill up to a full party, I'm sure people can work out the exact setup they want.

[avelle]

Nah, they won't ban, because I'm not "attacking" OFers. I'm appealing to the devs directly on posts. If anything, my posts get more thumbs ups than those of the... lesser visionaries.

Keep fighting the good fight Lucavi. I think Yoshida is smart enough not to listen to the OFers but it's always good to let him know not everyone wants 1.0 all over again.

[Elcura]

Keep fighting the good fight Lucavi. I think Yoshida is smart enough not to listen to the OFers but it's always good to let him know not everyone wants 1.0 all over again.

I honestly don't think it'll be a problem. Yoshida has told us many times what he thinks of 1.0, so surely those who wish for more of that shit will go ignored.

But perhaps it's naive to think that sanity and reason would win over idiots whining.

[Lucavi]

Keep fighting the good fight Lucavi. I think Yoshida is smart enough not to listen to the OFers but it's always good to let him know not everyone wants 1.0 all over again.

That's pretty much all I'm doing for the Alpha. There are so many changes planned for beta that there's really no point in offering many suggestions until I get my paws on it. In the meantime, I'll just let SE know that not everyone wants XI 2.0, and remind them (politely) that, should they make a XI HD, they won't obtain nearly the amount of subs they need to turn a profit.

The staff seems to have a good head on their shoulders, from what I've read, but I'm sure its always nice for them to hear that some people out there (who can actually type and use proper syntax and structure) agree with them.

[vadre]

I just hope Elexia from the OF doesn't get in, literally every single post he/she makes is in reference to XI. Do not want

[Eagleheart]

I just hope Elexia from the OF doesn't get in, literally every single post he/she makes is in reference to XI. Do not want

*cringes*

Or that guy who keeps harping about how Rogadeyn need to have tails and how he was lied to by original dev team, et cetera.

Those two are real winners. >_<

[Icarian]

Didn't see this posted, so there goes

Developer's Blog:
http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/blog

[Destinye]

I just hope Elexia from the OF doesn't get in, literally every single post he/she makes is in reference to XI. Do not want

Hate to break it to you though, there's way more nods to XI in ARR than there were in 1.0 -- though people seem to be fine with every post that references WoW on OF, which is odd, since every game that followed WoW has went belly up.

[Lucavi]

Not every game, and if you make that presumption, you're essentially saying that every MMO post-WoW has gone belly up, which is not something I'd agree on. Nothing has sold like WoW or held the sub numbers, but not everything has gone belly up.

I don't remember when EVE Online launched, but it, and Phantasy Star Online are the only games or series that I could reasonably see continuing their existence without borrowing from WoW's influence.

You're correct, though, that there seems to be this massive OF push for a XI HD, as if that'll solve all of the problems. I can see it now; a brand new FF game all about getting up a 4:30 in the morning for JP window reset for yet another HD Nidhogg pop. Only once a week!

[Izzy]

I think that, because of it's name, FFXIV has a chance to stick around for a long time assuming they:

1) Advertise the everloving shit out of ARR when it comes out.
2) Continue to drive the game forward and use more modern MMO mechanics and not fall back on the old XI model.

[Raldo]

Square Enix? Advertise outside of Japan? Bahahahahaha! I'll believe it when I see it.

[Niiro]

I remember quite a few commercials for 13 and 13-2.

[xopher]

Square Enix? Advertise outside of Japan? Bahahahahaha! I'll believe it when I see it.

They've been doing it since the 90s.

And if you want to argue that's squaresoft and not square-enix, then here.

[Grey Jorildyn]

Talked about this very subject in my last podcast. But yeah, the name carries a lot of weight and we all know that. WoW is another huge IP, and their success is a real enigma. Who could have seen it coming? SE needs to do more than ride its own coattails though. Fresh ideas will be required to draw in outsiders. Unless that's not the demographic they want, although I can't see why that would be the case.

[Mina]

Square Enix? Advertise outside of Japan? Bahahahahaha! I'll believe it when I see it.

I tend to miss the ads they probably show on television or in-store advertising. Depending on where you live/your lifestyle/channels-you-watch you may miss them.

Regardless, there definitely has to be a lot of advertising this time around. Preferably with in-game footage and not some CG big production movie clip. If we're to try to get back the old players (and new ones) they should see what changes there are and why they should care. Most people I know who didn't play the first time around heard horror stories from the ones who left.

/opinion