Dev Tracker: Discussion (Old)

[Jurist]

This must be the only mmo you have ever played if you seriously mean this tripe. It is cute when people get snarky 'cuz I dissed their game though. Also what exactly does the bolded mean, makes absolutely no sense. Proof read before you post especially when planning to be a dousche.

Tell you what champ, we'll proof read before replying to your posts, if you actually do some basic research into what you're posting about first. Your post clearly indicates you have not read anything about SoA, or FFXI, for about 3 years.

That, coupled with the fact that you think 2-3 person content in an 11 year old game is somehow bad design, says quite a bit.

The art of a good MMO is making the grind not feel like a grind. It is also possible to make content with more depth and complexity than the crap this expansion has brought. None of the things I have loved about ffxi in the past are present so far in this expansion. Can anyone seriously tell me so far that the story for this expansion is better than the wizard did it bullshit of abyssea? I am not seeing it. I was so pumped up after hearing about the expansion, and after paying 30 bucks or w/e it was for pretty much a steaming loaf, I had no interest in tossing money at a game I had no interest logging into.

Ultimately, I am sure having a very low standard makes this expansion easier to digest, but I like to keep my standards high and not accept cheap bullshit. It is very apparent at this point that ffxi dev team consists of 3 programmers, matsui, and an unpaid intern.

If you want stories, go to your local library. You can save lots of bucks that way.

[Gwynplaine]

Long as they give us the option to view /yells from within it.

No! That would ruin the pristine silence of the game environment I don't want to see /yells constantly, it's not like I can turn a filter on with the click of a button! That's why /yells absolutely must be filtered on by default because they're poisonous and ruin our precious green-space!

[Seha]

Side-note but it's so weird the idea of being on a personal island and hearing random people yelling from the land.

[Gokulo]

Side-note but it's so weird the idea of being on a personal island and hearing random people yelling from the land.

As opposed from hearing yells from cities all around the world? :D

[Fwahm]

Fujito is crazy.

[Kincard]

If you want stories, go to your local library. You can save lots of bucks that way.

If you want art, go to a museum.
If you want music, go to a concert.
If you want social interaction, go to a bar/club/friend's house.

(don't completely agree with that guy or anything but that really is a silly argument)

[dasva]

Fujito is crazy.

Yeah love reading his posts. Now I want to drown a cat and drink it too

[noodles355]

First thing I thought!

I'd love a place to chill that was semi functional and I could see shouts/yells.

guildwork > toggle live shouts.

Does what you want, and you can turn it off when you want some peace away from some inevitable retarded shout war.

[Seha]

I believe you can only have that function with premium.

[Chamaan]

Yeah love reading his posts. Now I want to drown a cat and drink it too

I don't like cats. I'm a dog person. *cracks open a refreshing Red Tick Beer*

Mog Gardens is the thing I'm least excited about for this update. But it's cool I guess.

[Jurist]

If you want art, go to a museum.
If you want music, go to a concert.
If you want social interaction, go to a bar/club/friend's house.

(don't completely agree with that guy or anything but that really is a silly argument)

I think it's a perfectly good argument since that is where the critical mass of stories are located (illustrated by the other examples you gave as well!). However, if it makes you sleep better at night you can replace it with this one:

"If you want stories, don't play MMOs since they generally evolve into gear progression vs. story depth, especially the older they get."

[Kincard]

The point wasn't that the game simply lacks story but that the game's overall quality has decreased. You respond to that by making a remark about looking for a story elsewhere when that's just cherry picking a specific part of his complaint. Even if that was the point being made, a game mixes together multiple aspects to create a complete product and complaining about a specific aspect of it being lacking is perfectly legitimate.

[Jurist]

The point wasn't that the game simply lacks story but that the game's overall quality has decreased. You respond to that by making a remark about looking for a story elsewhere when that's just cherry picking a specific part of his complaint. Even if that was the point being made, a game mixes together multiple aspects to create a complete product and complaining about a specific aspect of it being lacking is perfectly legitimate.

First, the game quality has increased. Or did you really think coming back every 30 minutes to DA was HQ?!

Second, the major argument was that SoA is low man based. Thank you for pointing out that that is a legitimate argument. Case closed.

[Malithar]

The point wasn't that the game simply lacks story but that the game's overall quality has decreased. You respond to that by making a remark about looking for a story elsewhere when that's just cherry picking a specific part of his complaint. Even if that was the point being made, a game mixes together multiple aspects to create a complete product and complaining about a specific aspect of it being lacking is perfectly legitimate.

How has the quality decreased exactly? I'd argue in the opposite direction that they've injected some much needed life to the game. Unless you were content with Aby/VW being the extent of things to do in the game? As you said, a game mixes multiple aspects to complete the total experience, game play is as equal part of this equation as story, if not more, going by other MMO experiences, as most lack a compelling, cohesive story that anyone cares about.

As far as the story lacking, how exactly does it lack more then other expansions of the past? Nations and RotZ offered little in their infancy, CoP had quite a strong opening storyline wise, but gameplay caused many to not see this until follow up updates, specially since there wasn't really any tangible reward for getting to Tavnazia early into its life, other than to be there before others. ToAU had an okay launch storyline wise, though really, it was ambiguous, it didn't really present anything outside the mold, just a "what's really going on behind the scenes" point of view. WotG offered extremely little in its infancy. It didn't bother explaining why we were in the past, wtf was going on, etc, for quite some time.

If anything, I feel SoA had done a better job than past expansions in telling a story, as a whole. Mission wise, yeah, its kinda a flop atm. The opening CS I have issue with as you're immediately taught how to use Soul Pyres as a form of weapon, then.... its just left alone. I liked the Dinner Invite CS as it set up the political side of the story well. The Maester quests were very interesting as well, setting up personal interactions and problems with the leaders of the Coalitions, showing their views and actions concerning specific events. Not going to say mission progress or at least setting up "why we're here" couldn't of been done better, but I don't see how its any worse than past expansions.

Hopefully this upcoming expansion continues to follow all of these different storylines introduced at launch, as well as introducing more Coalition quests that show the toils and strife they must endure to allow Adoulin to expand and prosper.

[Selamis]

How has the quality decreased exactly? I'd argue in the opposite direction that they've injected some much needed life to the game. Unless you were content with Aby/VW being the extent of things to do in the game? As you said, a game mixes multiple aspects to complete the total experience, game play is as equal part of this equation as story, if not more, going by other MMO experiences, as most lack a compelling, cohesive story that anyone cares about.

I dunno, I think Delve kinda killed the game somewhat. I lowman Salvage v.1 and v.2 with some friends, but outside of that, no one wants to do anything anymore. No Odin/Arch Odin, no Arch Omega, hardly any Voidwatch shouts anymore. Didn't really breathe life into the game it just switched people's focus away from multi events to just one.

[Kincard]

Like I said, I don't even totally agree with the guy, but you're proving his point about how people that like the game get all butthurt when people even suggest the game might not be that great if you're just going to make straw/blanket arguments. I expect that sort of stupidity on the OF but not around here.

I like the game's current actual game content just fine myself (outside of aforementioned Delve deleting half the game), if you have to ask(though I apologize because I apparently forgot about the binary toggle in the game between Dragon Aery stupidity and Everything not totally awful- if you were still hanging out in DA after TOAU you probably have some masochist in you). I do have a big problem with the speed the story is coming out. It's shaping up to be coming out, at best, the same speed as WOTG's story and I can't think of a single person that has ever praised that.

I honestly don't understand why anyone would talk anything about the story so far, praise or critical, other than how little of there it is. There's barely any of it at all. It's the equivalent of me saying LOST is going to be an amazing planned-out serial after the first episode (the again people actually did that so I guess I answered myself)

[Malithar]

but you're proving his point about how people that like the game get all butthurt when people even suggest the game might not be that great if you're just going to make straw/blanket arguments. I expect that sort of stupidity on the OF but not around here.

Agree with the rest of the post. Just wanted to say I'm not so much butt hurt as I am curious. I agree 110% that their timing with Delve (even though it is a great system that most are very happy with) pretty much set back the progress they seemed to be shaping up to with Adoulin. Outside of that though, I've really enjoyed Adoulin so far, and I'm looking forward with anticipation to the future of the expansion. When I've got that outlook and other's say they're unhappy/unsatisfied with the same thing, I'm curious of their experiences with it.

Regardless, definitely think we can look forward to some good things from the story in this next update.

[noodles355]

I believe you can only have that function with premium.

$3 a month and worth every penny.

[dasva]

I dunno, I think Delve kinda killed the game somewhat. I lowman Salvage v.1 and v.2 with some friends, but outside of that, no one wants to do anything anymore. No Odin/Arch Odin, no Arch Omega, hardly any Voidwatch shouts anymore. Didn't really breathe life into the game it just switched people's focus away from multi events to just one.

I still see tons of shouts for other stuff. Took me awhile to get with people more serious about delve lol. Bahamut why are you behind?

[Shenrien]

$3 a month and worth every penny.

This^ It's such a nice benefit being anywhere in the game and being notified on the price of things in peoples bazaar from people who go around checking others if they have guildwork running and you have something setup on your wanted list on ah.com, that and seeing shouts / yells from anywhere in the game is just another amazing benefit, hard to pass it up for such a cheap price.