FFXIV Flame Wars Thread: because ten threads is not enough threads

[Mizango]

Casual is like a poor man's Titanns. Mad niggerish with the comebacks.

[Katlan]

FFXIV I just didn't like ANY of the design choices, I feel like they took a giant step backwards by trying to be too different. The whole game was just awfully set up and I doubt at this point they will rehaul some of those horrible choices being core mechanic's at this late in the development where now they actually must start adding content into the game. I can deal with a lack of content but the design just seemed horrible.

This. I don't even like the settings much. Yeah, the game is graphically gorgeous, but it just feels empty. Every area gets old and boring and its repetitive, its not like your lv'ing to see new area's... But most of all they feel empty. It's not necessarily the lack of mobs, maybe it has to do w/ so much re-used stuff, but its like a big, pretty, empty world. And the fact you are basically looking at 3 zones for 40+ level's just kills me. There is very little diversity. If each of these zones were smaller (and more zone diversity) then they would feel much better, but bigger isn't always better.

And Grindania has to be the ugliest leveling area in any MMO to date. It's like a modern day Yughutu (sp) jungle that isn't as compelling. The only difference is that while your in the XI jungle for only 10ish levels, your stuck in XIV's for almost the entire game. I imagine a jungle to not be winding corridors but a lush, vivid area that is covered in tree's, ect...

Dunno, the physics engine is great, but the world just feels bland to me. XI felt big because it was big. XIV feels big just to be big, but w/o any substance. This is one of the reasons I had a hard time getting into XIV.

[Lucavi]

I love CP.

You've said that quite a few times now. I guess such a powerful attraction bears repeating.

Edit: XI's jungles were better. Rabid smithies raping people >> slugs and mithra throwing spit and rocks for 700+.

[Mizango]

Nothing beats the old days of having Smithy trains running through the jungles and having them fucking walk back to their spawn points past your camps and party in mid fight. Im talking before that pussy de-popping bullshit, back when zoning shit was an art form smiled upon by the gods.

See also: Garlaige Shitadel basement.

[Crizto]

Yo it was cool being raped by Wingrats at lvl 35

[Mizango]

Rite of passage.

[Katlan]

haha, all that brings back such fond memories.

[Ksandra]

Nothing beats the old days of having Smithy trains running through the jungles and having them fucking walk back to their spawn points past your camps and party in mid fight. Im talking before that pussy de-popping bullshit, back when zoning shit was an art form smiled upon by the gods.

See also: Garlaige Shitadel basement.

better yet was zoning into crawler's nest wondering if you were going to live or die (whether there was a crawler train), and some idiot would always try to run in and then aggro them back to the front.

[Mizango]

Oh god I remember that looool. Zone in and its pft! pft! pft! and you're dead before you even materialize. Epic. I miss how they would walk 3 ft and stop, wait 2 mins, walk another 8 ft and stop, rinse and repeat for 10 mins.

[ZarakiKujata]

Theres a few rooms in Nanawa Mines where you can sort of replicate the CN/GC/YJ train feeling but its just not the same :\

[Elcura]

You've said that quite a few times now. I guess such a powerful attraction bears repeating.

Hey, I don't harp on the various things you repeat over and over and over and over and over again. Besides, I like a good troll. What's not to love?

[Charismatic]

CN trains were the best, Dunes second.
Walk in to a screen FILLED with yellow and black and as soon as you load you just see the 'NIGGA YOU DEAD ' HUD. It was only frustrating the first time, oddly enough... funny from then on.

The dunes trains and all the noobs that died to them were some of the most entertaining things ever, especially when that WHM AF1 NM got pulled all the way to Selbina

[Kaylia]

CN trains were the best, Dunes second.
Walk in to a screen FILLED with yellow and black and as soon as you load you just see the 'NIGGA YOU DEAD ' HUD. It was only frustrating the first time, oddly enough... funny from then on.

The dunes trains and all the noobs that died to them were some of the most entertaining things ever, especially when that WHM AF1 NM got pulled all the way to Selbina

I loved the chaos that ensued any train. I remember being mad when they took that out of the game, i always thought it was hilarious.

[Nevex]

I know I'm late to post this but... actually FFXI did have quite a few low level skills with pretty impressive animations.
Curaga, Firaga, Thundaga, Blizzaga, a few BRD songs, Astral Flow abilities, most elemental WS's and Skillchains actually looked and sounded pretty cool the first times you used them and all of them are accessible early in the game.

Most of FFXIV's skills are just palette swaps with slightly different graphics (Stoneskin/Shock Spikes/Stygian Spikes, Protect/Shell, Damnation/Radiance/Flashfreeze/Levinbolt, cures and nukes in general - come on, tier 1 and tier 2 spells look almost the same...), so even if they have good standalone graphics, when put together they seem empty and uninspired.

[Charismatic]

Yeah, the tier 2s in FFXI really felt like there was some improvement too!

[Lucavi]

Hey, I don't harp on the various things you repeat over and over and over and over and over again. Besides, I like a good troll. What's not to love?

I never said you did or didn't harp on anything.

@Nevex: Those aren't animations. The "animation" for those spells would be the hand raising for white magic, the hands going outward for black magic (with cool tail twitch for cats), and the body bending slightly down for bard songs. You're talking about spell effects. XIV has decent effects, but some of the animations are suspect, plus there's no animation for attacking on the run and attacking while flanking, but yeah, it certainly seems like a "back to vanilla" mindset in terms of the passive attack and spell effects.

They need to take a look at their old games with spell effects. Blizzaga in FFIV had a fucking avalanche of ice landing on someone's head. Firaga in FFVI dropped a fucking flaming ball on your head, complete with mini mushroom cloud. Even the Tier-1 spells looked more... expressive.

XIV looks very minimalist in comparison, at least as far as magic goes. I do love the protect effect, though, whenever you get hit.

[Elcura]

I know I'm late to post this but... actually FFXI did have quite a few low level skills with pretty impressive animations.

Impressive effects sure - animations though - not at all.

Curaga, Firaga, Thundaga, Blizzaga, a few BRD songs, Astral Flow abilities, most elemental WS's and Skillchains actually looked and sounded pretty cool the first times you used them and all of them are accessible early in the game.

Agree that the effects for the most part were good, but effects/particles is something SE has always been good at, and XIV is no different.

Most of FFXIV's skills are just palette swaps with slightly different graphics (Stoneskin/Shock Spikes/Stygian Spikes, Protect/Shell, Damnation/Radiance/Flashfreeze/Levinbolt, cures and nukes in general - come on, tier 1 and tier 2 spells look almost the same...), so even if they have good standalone graphics, when put together they seem empty and uninspired.

The reason that most spells are downplayed is because they all have the potential to be AoE, where's the -ga spells in XI were always AoE, with that in mind, the particles/whatevers are done differently. Not that XI didn't have it's fair share of generic and reused effects, but that's game development for you. I am disappointed with the spikes graphics (not only the casting, but when you get hit), but I'm impressed greatly by how they handled protect and shell. Not only do they look good when cast, but the barrier that appears when you get damaged adds extra believability that you're being protected. If they did that with spikes, it would be awesome (though I never got that feeling from spikes in XI, because they were mostly useless). However, still early (blah blah blah), so you never know if they won't be added in later.

[Elcura]

I never said you did or didn't harp on anything.

What...?

[miokomioko]

It's amazing that the haters are claiming they loved how their exp groups got completely fucked over by the random asshole pulling a Tainted Flesh to Garlaige's entrance or an Overgrown Rose to Kazham.

Yes, that's what would make this game better, griefing.

[Shaskoru]

Would you like some drinks with those straws?