Comments from the Devs

[miokomioko]

Not to mention, you'll only get that reward once... ever. So, all that free, class-appropriate, & level-appropriate equipment your first class was showered with through the progression will not be there when you want to level something else that doesn't fit what you picked as all your reward options.

[Churchill]

Pretty sure they have content finder and it's cross server so I can't imagine that any content is out of reach of a competent player.

[arus2001]

Which is good for stuff that's pick-up-and-play friendly enough, like probably most of your basic dungeons or the rare open world party quest. It's not so viable for harder things where you can't really gauge the skill of people right off. Thus, spending an hour wiping to a sub-boss (after waiting anywhere from 10-60m in a queue) could mean you lack the time do the rest of the area if your schedule's limited. People wary of that while knowing their limits just tend to stay away to avoid such hassles. Unless what some are trying to say is suffering should be rewarded, not effort metrics.

Basically, the MMO problem is along the lines of: A Burger Flipper can't by a Ferrari because he isn't a CEO. For either profession, time is money, and effort is time. I've got no qualms with the CEOs (raiders) getting their Ferrari (epic loot) more quickly, but the BFs (casuals/alternatives) should be able to climb to the same points eventually--and not in the scope of like a month+ for a single item to be fairly relative for a source of entertainment. This process only gets more time consuming the more alts/jobs you add to the equation... and I'm of the mind a game would be healthier encouraging people to play multiple alts/jobs at a modest grind rather than just one at the old Korean standard.

[Gulkeeva]

Not to mention, you'll only get that reward once... ever. So, all that free, class-appropriate, & level-appropriate equipment your first class was showered with through the progression will not be there when you want to level something else that doesn't fit what you picked as all your reward options.

But...! You make money from the quests, so you can either.
1. Craft your new low lvl gear
2. Buy the low level gear from NPC's/Other players
3. Kept the low level gear to level another class, alot of the gear is not class specific at the start.

Got to have a gil sink somewhere! or we may end up like one those Jp players with 900,000,000 gil on not just the main character but several mules like some people...

[Mina]

But...! You make money from the quests, so you can either.
1. Craft your new low lvl gear
2. Buy the low level gear from NPC's/Other players
3. Kept the low level gear to level another class, alot of the gear is not class specific at the start.

Got to have a gil sink somewhere! or we may end up like one those Jp players with 900,000,000 gil on not just the main character but several mules like some people...

You didn't have to try very hard in 1.0. At some point I remember I had a LS member who was spamming leves and capped out his gil.

[Stanislaw]

http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/blog/post/244

Dial M for Madness
March 11, 2013

Hey guys. Fernehalwes here...

As you can tell by the ellipses, I’m feeling kind of down...
See, there they are again.

Why so blue, you ask? Well, it’s my trusty partner-in-crime, Project Manager M. Ever since installing the Beta Version, she’s been hooked on synthesis. It’s all she ever does anymore. I suppose that’s a testament to the new crafting interface, but still...

Day after day, tanning this...
http://rss.finalfantasyxiv.com/jp/bl...20130311_1.jpg

Tawing that...
http://rss.finalfantasyxiv.com/jp/bl...20130311_2.jpg

And it always culminates in that same outburst of exuberance...even after the 479th circle of hard leather...
http://rss.finalfantasyxiv.com/jp/bl...20130311_3.jpg

Sometimes I feel like a little mammet minion waiting patiently for his single-minded master to guide him off on some daring adventure to uncover forbidden screenshots.

And waiting...
http://rss.finalfantasyxiv.com/jp/bl...20130311_4.jpg
And waiting...
http://rss.finalfantasyxiv.com/jp/bl...20130311_4.jpg
And waiting...
http://rss.finalfantasyxiv.com/jp/bl...20130311_4.jpg
And waiting...
http://rss.finalfantasyxiv.com/jp/bl...20130311_4.jpg
And...!
http://rss.finalfantasyxiv.com/jp/bl...20130311_5.jpg
Waiting...
http://rss.finalfantasyxiv.com/jp/bl...20130311_4.jpg

Fernehalwes.

[Gokulo]

Funny, but a little pointless ^^;

[miokomioko]

But...! You make money from the quests, so you can either.
1. Craft your new low lvl gear
2. Buy the low level gear from NPC's/Other players
3. Kept the low level gear to level another class, alot of the gear is not class specific at the start.

Got to have a gil sink somewhere! or we may end up like one those Jp players with 900,000,000 gil on not just the main character but several mules like some people...

I just believe there will be plenty of low-level equipment available, if not just for the fact that NPC sell prices are bad. Perhaps not Lv.1~5 shit since you'll probably be able to find that stuff from any NPC in town and for dirt cheap. However, with the inclusion of Arcanist/Summoner, there's going to be a ton of late-phase Beta players making sure their crafts are up-to-snuff so they can supply their new class/job with HQ gear. The mage end of things will probably be flooded from HQ attempts, but slapping something on the market for 50 gil is better than NPCing it for 2 gil.

Also, the Crafting Log being an objective checklist will do a shit-ton for making sure there's a wide variety of items being made instead of only the easiest recipes.

[Lordender]

I have to agree, if XIV turns out to be raid or gtfo, it is going to struggle, harshly. I remember before Mists of Pandaria came out, Blizzard said they heard players when the complaints about raid or gtfo were being voiced. All Blizzard did was turn WoW into dailygrindcraft, I just find that nothing changed.

Newer MMO's that are raid or gtfo never last, if WoW didn't have its almost 9 year history and thriving off peoples attachment much like FFXI is these days, it would have fallen by the wayside if it was a newer MMO.

[Sephiroth]

If you're worried about the gear, then you're not really prioritizing the challenge. All I see is someone afraid they'll be suddenly minus the sheep to flesh out their raids because people would have a choice. Quests can still be challenging as well as fairly time consuming. If you think I'm talking about wanting epics for handing in 10 bear asses, lolno. Fuck that silver platter bullshit you were spewing.

The gear is always secondary to me. But it's the gear that keeps me coming back for more runs once I complete it. The challenge for me is figuring out how to beat it, once that's over I've no interest in it unless there's gear I want. Much like once I complete a videogame I've no interest in restarting it.

I don't get all the raid haters though, what else do people propose we do once we're 50? Stand around camping 24 hour pop NMs?

[Raldo]

I don't get all the raid haters though, what else do people propose we do once we're 50? Stand around camping 24 hour pop NMs?

I have to echo this. I read the post saying that "raid MMOs are destined to die", and all I could think was... what else do you expect endgame to be?

[Grey Jorildyn]

The fundamental backbone of most MMORPGs (and most other popular games) is combat/death or whatever you wanna call it. Yoshi said himself that combat is a feature games revolve around. To expect otherwise means you're playing the wrong game (I am fairly certainly many people who bitch on the OFs are actually playing the wrong game).

[Lordender]

I have to echo this. I read the post saying that "raid MMOs are destined to die", and all I could think was... what else do you expect endgame to be?

I don't think its raid hate, I think its a model that has been done to death and it shows everytime a new MMO tries it. Every new MMO that comes with "Raid or gtfo mentality" has pretty much gone F2P or died horribly. Players jump ship at ridiculous levels within that timeframe of release -----> content patch 1. The only reason why it works for WoW is because of its nine year history, players are attached to nostalgia, if WoW were to re-release today as the same game, you'd see a massive influx of people quitting after the free trial wore. Every new expansion WoW releases, the samething happens over and over, people come back, get to level cap, find out its the same "Raid or gtfo" game which leads to sub dwindle. If that nostalgia factor wasn't there with a almost nine year history, WoW would be F2P already had it re-released as a new game in today's market.

Also throw in the fact players will be starting 2.0 @ level cap, that isn't going to help SE at all, imo.

There needs to be a variety of different ways to progress your character, I can assure you, if XIV is just another "Raid or gtfo" game, it is going to not last. Not even the FF name alone will be able to carry it.

[miokomioko]

I think this is the whole point to high-level FATEs (Odin, for example).

[Kachiko]

Until the next 'big idea' in MMO, I don't think it really matters what the model any game uses. I think that gaming companies have come to understand that MMO consumers have learned how to ravingly consume content, whether it is raiding, world events, or leveling alts, and that they plan on making their initial money and seeing how long before the game has to go F2P. What is really going to count is major content every...2.5 months? If they can't turn out the HQ quality content, at a fast enough pace, then it's probably going to fall into the same route most games have, though with the FF brand name, it would probably go farther then most every other one out there.

[Ratatapa]

I have to echo this. I read the post saying that "raid MMOs are destined to die", and all I could think was... what else do you expect endgame to be?

Raid are find if gear actually drops (like they said i think 3 should drop 100% or something)

Just gay when you do a 2h raid and get 0 drops *hi u 2 dynamis

[Deadgye]

Anybody who didn't get drops in dynamis were most likely in a crappy shell who didn't kill shit. I personally think the only problems with ye olde dynamis was the massive time investment it required and the super long cooldown. I want to say I'd want something exactly like dynamis in xiv... but I'm no longer able to be that type of hardcore player anymore. Perhaps if it there were checkpoints in places that allowed the leader to force everyone out and save the progress and time left.

[Takiwaki]

Anybody who didn't get drops in dynamis were most likely in a crappy shell who didn't kill shit. I personally think the only problems with ye olde dynamis was the massive time investment it required and the super long cooldown. I want to say I'd want something exactly like dynamis in xiv... but I'm no longer able to be that type of hardcore player anymore. Perhaps if it there were checkpoints in places that allowed the leader to force everyone out and save the progress and time left.

Exactly like dynamis? No thanks, 11 is still up and running, get ur dynamis fix there lol. I cannot believe you DG after all the runs we did you should know getting certain drops in dyanmis was never under our control no matter how much shit we killed or cleared.

Remember the cop zones before the upped the drop rate?, yes there were times nothing (accessories) dropped at all

[miokomioko]

If you've never cleared a Dynamis zone and not seen a single piece of Relic equipment in the process, you must not have done very many Dynamis runs.

Those kinds of drop odds/mechanics are completely unacceptable.

[Deuce]

Perhaps if it there were checkpoints in places that allowed the leader to force everyone out and save the progress and time left.

We will be getting those in the Crystal Tower. Floors, a la Nyzul Isle, will be the checkpoints that groups can use to take breaks from the content. Obviously some groups will progress faster than others, but at least this way it will allow players to pace themselves according to their own schedules.