New Grand Company Gear (04/23/2012)

[Elcura]

I don't get most of you people. Apart from the brick fists this shit is tight. Garuda weapons are cool and the wing bow is awesome, but I guess it isn't a FFXIV topic if people aren't bitching about stupid shit.

And I don't know why you think this is the best they could do. It's not like imagination and creativity have a limit.

[miokomioko]

I'm not into big, gaudy, unrealistic weapons myself, but most of this stuff is fine. The brickfists make me lol, the Garuda claws look rad.

You win some, you lose some.

[TacoTaru]

Brickfist is my only complaint; the rest look great. I wish they would add some armor into Primals though to make it a tad more relevant <_<.

[Spider-Dan]

I eagerly look forward to XIV endgame, where everyone is walking around unengaged with empty lightsaber handles, but when you engage, a giant mech springs out.

[Ocara]

If this shit already looks this ridiculous

cant imagine what ffxiv relic-type weapons will be like...

When you draw your ff14 relic weapon everyone within viewing distance goes into a 10 minute cutscene where they watch you transform into a magitek gundam, magical girl style


The weapons designs are a little flashy, I'd have preferred a style similar to 11 like a lot of people seem to have liked, but I guess it's just a different art direction. I mainly have an issue with the size of them, all of the weapons are one size too large. If they add greatswords to this game I imagine they'll be twice the length of the character model...

[Kurokikaze]

If they add greatswords to this game I imagine they'll be twice the length of the character model...

Not sure I see a problem with that. ;o

Remember they're trying to sell this game to people outside the FFXI bubble. Weapons with cool designs and glowing effects (buffs on them) gets people hyped.

[Eagleheart]

Not sure I see a problem with that. ;o

That, good sir, is because there is indeed no problem to be seen. (^o.o)^ Bring on the greatswords!

[Fievel]

Hahahaha, those h2h are priceless.

[drwaffles]

These weapon designs aren't bad in and of themselves. The main issue I think for most people is the lack of aesthetic consistency, which is one of the most important aspects of any game.

[Cichy]

I'm fine with everything but the bricks, what the shit with that

[Spira]

I might be in the minority here, but I really think there's something to be said for reigning in the outrageousness of an MMO's art design. Of course you don't want the game to look drab and uninteresting, but at the opposite end of the scale if you start going all-out and incorporating really flamboyant weapon/mob/zone/whatever designs then eventually nothing is going to seem special or interesting. XIV is still in its weird post-beta but pre-"true release" stage, which seems a little early to start introducing incredibly over-the-top weapon designs. You can definitely make a game look interesting without everything being over-the-top (á la the majority of FFXI), and if you do that then the stuff you create later on that is quite ostentatious really stands out.

In a game that you ideally want people to continue playing for many years, making early weapon designs over-the-top is an ill-advised and short-sighted aesthetic decision.

this pretty much.
its funny how after viewing the GC ones, the garuda weapons actually look pretty tame, even when the bow is a fucking bird.

There definitely is a general lack of art direction in XIV, which really isn't an issue here. Its just that when they're this early in the game's life and putting out things that are so over the top and flamboyant now, they're going to have to consistently top that over the years, or end up having their designs becoming more and more lackluster.

XI did this rather nicely. I'd say this falls under the general art principle of practising restraint to deliver classic weapon designs. Less is definitely more in this case. are there even normal weapons being added anymore?
I'd say they should only be making top tier end-game weapons over-the-top. This is too early imo.

mark my words, one day weapons in FFXIV are gonna shoot lasers. and it'll probably look more dumb that cool

edit: for the record the only ones in these 2 videos i think look cool are the GC great axe and garuda sword. they're cool looking and yet understated.

for some reference. here's a look at all 3 legendary sets of weapons from FFXI. they get progressively more fancy, but at the same time aren't so loud as to look like toys. only a couple from empyrean set really sit on the edge of it

Spoiler: show

http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__...ic_Weapons.png
http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__...ic_Weapons.png
http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__...an_Weapons.png
(random fact: i made these pics )

[Elcura]

These weapon designs aren't bad in and of themselves. The main issue I think for most people is the lack of aesthetic consistency, which is one of the most important aspects of any game.

This is a valid point, but you gotta remember we're in a transition period going from one mad mother fucker's vision (Tanaka) to another (Yoshida). There is going to be some inconsistency, it's unavoidable considering Yoshi is adding his stuff onto what Tanaka already did.

[Elcura]

Edit: stupid double

[Patriarch]

If they add greatswords to this game I imagine they'll be twice the length of the character model...

swingin a goddamn treesword at my opponents

[Grey Jorildyn]

When you draw your ff14 relic weapon everyone within viewing distance goes into a 10 minute cutscene where they watch you transform into a magitek gundam, magical girl style

You'll skip the cutscene every time too.

[solracht]

Also, in before Ifrit weapons are still better than all of these.

EDIT:
Since someone will call me out: for the classes that actually care about damaging weapons.

[Niiro]

"Subtlety" is what the weapons seem to lack most but as someone else mentioned they also lack a stylistic focus in many ways (the latter more so in equipment design).

I don't like weapons that are so completely disproportionate to the character holding it that you're expecting them to fall over when taking them out. Also when weapons are so gaudy that they stop resembling the object they're supposed to be much less actually serve their intended function (the brick fists are a good example) it takes me out of it completely.

[Celeste]

The idea of beating someone to death with bricks in a FF game is warming up to me.

[vadre]

I'm not a huge fan at these over-the-top designs they're coming up with, but if 2.0 miraculously turns out to be a good game I really won't care.

Possibly the only thing I'll miss from Tanaka's reign is a bit of artistic consistency, I enjoyed the art direction of 1.0 even if it was executed terribly. Suddenly the garlean empire isn't so threatening with they have little gunblades, and we have giant winged-bows and meteor fists.

[Raldo]

Now I want a Sephiroth sword that looks like a dagger when you don't have it pulled out. Extend extend extend extend, lol

We're not too far from having sword whips!