Official global alpha start date: November 28th.

[Rocl]

Its like people want to be able to hit end-game faster to complain about it. Not saying you would, but I've heard this before and it typically ends up as someone wanting a head start to get teh sweet lootz, which results in getting a head start on complaining about whatever's up there at end-game.

Considering Legacy players already have a headstart, is it really necessary for you to level Summoner to 50 for re-launch too? The only reason I like the idea of them importing Legacy characters into Beta is because hopefully we'll get to test end-game and they'll listen to feedback (lol) and make it not awful.

Also, Alpha forums for FFXIV have consistently proven to be the most retarded shit ever.

[shidobu]

Its like people want to be able to hit end-game faster to complain about it. Not saying you would, but I've heard this before and it typically ends up as someone wanting a head start to get teh sweet lootz, which results in getting a head start on complaining about whatever's up there at end-game.

"blowing through 1-49 lvls of content in 36hrs" then

OH MY GOD THERES NOTHING TO DOOOO

[Jakson]

Its like people want to be able to hit end-game faster to complain about it. Not saying you would, but I've heard this before and it typically ends up as someone wanting a head start to get teh sweet lootz, which results in getting a head start on complaining about whatever's up there at end-game.

What the fuck did you just quote? Wouslsnt? lvs? "I wouldn't mind being able to keep my levels (progress earned?) in beta"?

[Rocl]

It's best not to think too hard about what he says, he clearly doesn't.

[Rakisho]

"blowing through 1-49 lvls of content in 36hrs" then

OH MY GOD THERES NOTHING TO DOOOO

Unless the beta is only 15 hours there will be people putting in the effort getting to max and trying it out regardless, if they make it availible that is.

[Lucavi]

"blowing through 1-49 lvls of content in 36hrs" then

OH MY GOD THERES NOTHING TO DOOOO

Every goddamn time.

@Jakson: As a former editor, I've learned how to read through clumps of shit in literary form and extract the single, edible nugget of corn contained within. Yet another reason why I'm a former editor.

[Ratatapa]

Its like people want to be able to hit end-game faster to complain about it. Not saying you would, but I've heard this before and it typically ends up as someone wanting a head start to get teh sweet lootz, which results in getting a head start on complaining about whatever's up there at end-game.

You also know that when a MMO really start is when you hit endgame so

But yeah w/e i guess lol

[Ratatapa]

What the fuck did you just quote? Wouslsnt? lvs? "I wouldn't mind being able to keep my levels (progress earned?) in beta"?

YEah wrote my text on my iphone and didn't check after, I blame auto corrector

[Nadrojj]

Every goddamn time.

@Jakson: As a former editor, I've learned how to read through clumps of shit in literary form and extract the single, edible nugget of corn contained within. Yet another reason why I'm a former editor.

Quote of the century.

I got into the 1.0 game late, June of this past year. I didn't rush through levels like my buddy who started three days before me and had his crown before servers went down. I got brd and blm to 50 and war to 30 something. I'm glad I'll have a lot to do when the game hits retail. I almost feel like the people who have progressed so far are going to lose out on enjoying some of the newness of the game.

As far as alpha, a buddy of mine is pretty bummed he didn't get in and I had to remind him that alpha is not around to enjoy playing the game, it's around for finding bugs and testing playability. None of your progress carries over at all and after an hour of two of playing realizing that nothing you do counts makes you wonder what you're doing. I feel like the last few waves of alpha shouldn't even be considered Alpha as I'm sure all the major bugs were really ironed out in the first two phases.

Lastly the regional server thing people have been talking about. I started on Ragnorok, which I learned was a EU server. I during peak NA times east coast the game was pretty dead. Most of the top tiered LS's were French and weren't very interested in adding NA players who couldn't make any of their event times. I hope that once the game hits retail that we won't have to wait too long to server transfer. Just found out some good buddies of mine who I started 11 with are playing 14. As far as the lag issue, I remember during Ifrit when people would get hit by the fire saying they were getting lag that was server side. Is this what you guys are referring to when you mention regional specific lag issues?

[Raldo]

As far as the lag issue, I remember during Ifrit when people would get hit by the fire saying they were getting lag that was server side. Is this what you guys are referring to when you mention regional specific lag issues?

Yes, that's the main thing that showed to people how bad the system was. There are videos of people being halfway across the arena getting hit by eruptions because the server hadn't registered their movement yet. There are videos of people dying in eruptions, then their corpses sliiiiiiide over to where they were really standing.

There were a number of things that were causing the issue -- most (all?) of which are being remedied in 2.0, but the server lag is what most people focused on. Other contributing factors were the intertia system (from a stand-still, your character had to accelerate to full speed instead of just rocketing off in whatever direction), as well as the eruption fields possibly being larger than the graphic actually showed.


As far as your main point though, I've heard from a number of people that they're going to start a new character so they can play the game from a newbie standpoint, even if they just use it to get that 'new game feel' then scrap the character once it's at cap. I know I'll be doing that.

[Cichy]

Considering Legacy players already have a headstart, is it really necessary for you to level Summoner to 50 for re-launch too? The only reason I like the idea of them importing Legacy characters into Beta is because hopefully we'll get to test end-game and they'll listen to feedback (lol) and make it not awful.

Also, Alpha forums for FFXIV have consistently proven to be the most retarded shit ever.

Cant wait for new people vs people who couldnt beat ifrit vs people who beat ifrit.

[Stromgarde]

Yes, that's the main thing that showed to people how bad the system was. There are videos of people being halfway across the arena getting hit by eruptions because the server hadn't registered their movement yet. There are videos of people dying in eruptions, then their corpses sliiiiiiide over to where they were really standing.

It wasn't all bad. Without the amazing server lag things like this wouldn't have been possible either:

[Lucavi]

^ Glorious.

[Rocl]

Cant wait for new people vs people who couldnt beat ifrit vs people who beat ifrit.

I often forget there are people who didn't beat Ifrit.

[Grey Jorildyn]

You also know that when a MMO really start is when you hit endgame so

But yeah w/e i guess lol

Which is a major problem with the genre in general. SE cannot think this way. Yes, the inevitability is that we will all reach max level at some point, and then need something to do. However the trip is just as important as the destination. It cannot be seen as a means to an end. Engaging content is possible from 1-50 and that must be recognized by every MMO development company. Some do it better than others, but far too many still cater to the "big numbers" effect of being "max level". If a game is solid for every level along the way, I don't care about hitting max level. When it's the focus of the game because everything else is boring as shit, that's when you hemorrhage players (see: SWTOR) and go into recovery mode because you didn't plan the rest of the game out well enough.

The same thing happens even if you make it difficult to level up without engaging content and sit at a cap for too long (ala FFXI). Everything becomes a sidegrade. You may as well have planned out all that "end game" to span the other 74 levels in the meantime.

[Rakisho]

Never cared much of the journey. I play MMORPG for the raids, if they are fun I'll play the game, if they suck I don't care how super-best-awesome the rest is. An MMORPG is the raiding for me.

If the leveling up part is fun, well great, that's a nice bonus but it's not make or break.

[Grey Jorildyn]

You missed the point. You can raid while leveling up, it just needs to be part of the process. Raiding may be synonymous with "end game" colloquially, but that's not necessarily a universal truth.

[Lucavi]

You missed the point. You can raid while leveling up, it just needs to be part of the process. Raiding may be synonymous with "end game" colloquially, but that's not necessarily a universal truth.

I don't remember very many games that honestly had raid-level difficulty while leveling up, and difficulty is one of the things that separates a raid from an instance. I think the only example I can currently think of that was seriously tough stuff early on was an early instance in Rift - one boss, in particular. I don't remember all of her specifics (I think her name was Matron Verosa or something like that) but she had two ghost minions that had to be beaten separately to break her damage immunity, though you had to keep switching between who to kill and who to off-tank, and if they ever stacked together, your shit got pushed in hella fast. It was a level 30-ish instance and I remember countless people wiping to that boss again and again when Rift first came out.

Was good shit. Would like more like that, especially since she dropped some good loot.

[Grey Jorildyn]

That's exactly what I'm talking about. Too often players get to max level and do not understand their role solo/in party/ in a raid group. Old school games taught you how to play while playing and many modern mmos neglect that. Mostly people do understand how to solo to a certain degree and perhaps even get their role in a group to some extent. But in something organized with boss mechanic, nah. One-step mechanics are great but eventually players have to graduate to more complex encounters. That hits a lot of players like a ton of bricks in end game and it is due in large part to poor/shallow learning curves on bosses, raids, and the rest along the way.

The whole damn game can seem like end game if you set that standard. End game raids should be "hard mode" in their "normal mode", and then we can step-up from there. What's become the norm is to simple make combat classes perform the same role solo as in a party (ie. maximize dps). Some classes add one extra step, like BRD buffs for example, but it is hardly role-changing as far as the player is concerned, and that is how those companies want it to be. They don't want things to be hard, they want it to be accessible, which we all know just means "easy". I think the FF community latches onto that a bit, but not in the right way imo. Yes things should be hard, but they can also be modern and not watered down. That includes raids and it also includes classes. Just sayin'

[Sign]

I am really concerned about their ability to have enough content at release for the end-game only crowd. With all the 1.0 characters starting off immediately at 1.0 there is going to be a large portion of them immediately demanding enough end game content to satisfy them while SE develops most content for low-mid levels. Most games have a bit of leeway while even the hardcore players get leveled up but that isn't an option this time around. Obviously we will just have to wait and see much like with everything else, I just don't want to have to wade through piles of whining posts upon release.