So the Live Letter came out on the 8th. And subsequently, this happened:
we're talking real housewives kinda raaaaaaaaeg over this.
YOU LIARS!11!!1!
So it could be argued that overall it seemed that Squeenix basically pulled a basic, ye olden bait-n'-switch on its playerbase, betraying everything they could have ever believed the game (specifically level-capped content) should have been and into some version of the game that will apparently plunge the game into a spiral of failure and doom FFXIV forever. Uhhh... okayyy...so what are these complaints? And what's the issues really? And how is it a new player like myself, with experience doing hardcore levels of play (but not of FFXI 1.0) think aboot it?
I think one of the biggest issues right now is the disappointment most of FFXIV's beta playerbase so far being extremely concerned over the first supposed end game dungeon, the Crystal Tower, and its links towards the utilization of Duty Finder for one. It is the prime example over the bigger overall picture or snapshot of the game at a whole, and the "Doomsday Clock" it supposedly will generate and tick away the literal seconds until FFXIV's complete and utter armageddon. Dramatic, no? Well this whole ordeal has been blown sky-high to those levels according to some of these reactions I've been reading over the forums I frequent.
Once again, Duty Finder comes under fire for being utilized for FFXIV's first raid experience. Yes, it makes finding a group easier, especially if you're the type of player that has a difficult time for whichever circumstances that prevent a player from joining a raiding team in an FC for example. Players who "play for fun" for example generally tend to roll DPS roles, which often have been saturated in other MMO's. From what I've experienced in the beta, this game will be no exception. I mean yeah I am aware that numbers could be skewed, considering that most players do have to level a DPS role first to reach support classes, but nonetheless, queuing as DPS in Duty Finder is nowhere near as instant as queuing a Tank or Healer role. The positives over Duty Finder are eclipsed in lieu over the controversy over hosing down level-cap dungeons and raids when the game hasn't even released yet.
harrrumph!
Editor note: WHOOPS, forgot to paste this bit in:
So many points for the Hardcore vs. Casual argument were made, touching on free to play vs. having a subscription model, versus za waaarudo! It all boils down to the difficulty of the content, and the amount of achievement that most players crave.
I understand the need to want to challenge and ultimately wrestle down difficult content. I also understand (as a busy bee) the need to feel like I've accomplished something with the time I've allotted myself. But I'm gonna be real here for a second...
To me, there is nothing that compares to challenging what seems to be something impossibly difficult and pulling it off. Especially after being crushed by the encounter, that moment of absolute impeding inevitable victory to the moment of death animation and the subsequent collective cheers of our team is absolutely unmatched. There are many moments like these throughout my raiding career, from downing my last Promyvion with a B-Team, besting the failed stacked group, to completing Chains of Promathia, to completing my Tier 6 set in Warcraft not just once, but twice, and experiencing and progressing significantly through Sunwell at its original strength. I cannot deny the incredible highs that it has brought me, not to mention the memories it would establish for some of the people involved in these epic endeavors. It's something that is missing now (or has been missing) in most MMO's in order to cater to the common denominator, to provide this sense of accomplishment to everyone.
But to me it's just a heavily, heavily diluted version of receiving that sense of accomplishment. In fact, nowadays I don't even feel it at all. I would say most in my camp don't feel it either. And it's sorely missed.
FFXI-2: World of FFXIV-Craft
If you thought that FFXIV wouldn't ever be compared to FFXI's and World of Warcraft's overall game design model, you'd be sorely mistaken. I would say the three are constantly compared against each other all the time. There are many camps that have so many opinions regarding where the game should go, how the game should be balanced, and to whom the game should overall cater to. It's seemingly pointless to try to collectively argue for any side because from what I've seen, there's enough numbers in each camp to tout their collective *~*~unique snowflake~*~* opinions over how the game should be run. And of course, each camp goes to battle Braveheart style in words most prevalently in the beta and live forums over the "dumb downing" of the game, which is probably the biggest gripe of them all. But let's be realistic, those forums are just a mess of this instead:
Release the Hosebeast:
None of us can possibly predict what's in store for us, just like how still tedious it is that the FFXIV development team despite having a Live Letter about what they have revealed (in opposite to what I complained about in my last post over being so secretive about end game content), still have to deal with the collective shitstorm that ensued over the event. The dev team is punished for witholding information. The dev team gets punished for revealing it. So I can't blame them now for throwing their arms up in exasperation over the reaction, especially when there's the possibility of points made in the Live Letter that apparently got lost in translation.
"..."
One thing that can't be denied is that the playerbase for the most part wants this game to succeed. It's just that we've got opinions, man.
So ultimately my own opinions mean jack shit, and I am coming into this game pretty fresh, so I just want to play, reach endgame, and shoot from the hip.
Chix Dig the Ride:
mothefuckin' unicornsssssss!
I love mounts in games. I'm not even gonna lie about it one bit. The fact that I won't have access to the Gobbue mount evarrrr makes me a sad panda, mostly because it just looks so damn derp and I like that. But I'm not gonna stress over it, considering the amount of content that was revealed in the Live Letter, especially regarding mounts. I suppose I would have to level a CNJ to obtain that mount, and there's no guarantee I'll be able to use it when I'm not a Conjurer, but I'm willing to make that epic sacrifice into stupid healy land if I could re-enact the unicorn scene in Legend with Oriza, heeeeeeee.
hnnnnnngggghhhh....i need dis
big pimpin' spendin g's...
Set Phazu to 4:
Another bitchfest ensued over the beta start dates, and pre-order dates, and then the release. I know people planned shit to start sooner, but to be honest.... I think peeps just need to get over the dates. They're pretty much set now, and while yeah, there's a level cap of 20, it's still more than what most MMO's would have offered in the past. We're gonna be essentially trying the game for free. It is an Open Beta after all.
Fishing
*hand-jackoff-motion*
part of the sketch for the banner image and header for laters
Welp, that's about all I'll cover for now, but there's stuff to prepare for! I know I'm going to be busy balancing school, work, and playing this game, but when there's a will, there's definitely a way. As for now, I gotta put my sketch pen down and actually finish my homework for this week. BLARGH.
-Oriza
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