Losing passion for MMO'sFollow

Leveling all classes on one character is optional and it's definitely not the only viable approach. You can create up to 8 characters on the same server and up to 40 worldwide without paying extra, and between the different starting towns and class/job quests, you could honestly say it's more like there's enough content for 3 "unique" leveling experiences, at the very least. And it's more if you switch how you focus your XP gain between Fate, Leve, Hest, quest, hunting, and dungeon grinding if you want to completely ignore the differences between the classes.

You're comparing a vanilla MMO with 50 levels of content for 8 classes (19 if you count DoH and DoL), and 9 jobs to an MMO 2 expansions in which only had to cover 10 levels of new content and one new class in that particular installment.

Who would those be exactly? There is literally as much in ARR resembling 1.0 as there is in ARR resembling FFXI. Is ARR an expansion of XI?

Well, aside from the lore that is. Which doesn't make the game an expansion, unless we like to think Dark Souls 2 as an expansion to Dark Souls.

The discussion you pulled this quote from is about games having an excess of content players can use to progress their character levels. Vanilla WoW, TBC, WotLK, Cataclysm(especially) and MoP all had that. Vanilla TERA and TERA Rising have that. RIFT has that. There are several other games(both vanilla and expacs) that followed the same formula.

FFXIV does not have that, but would probably benefit even more from it because of the class system. Having the ability to level a lot of classes is reason to have a means to level those classes effectively.

Is ARR an expansion of XI? What the **** does that have to do with anything?

I only compared them in regard to how much leveling content they have. Why? Because it's relevant to the discussion.

No, I don't have scientific proof that more people think of XIV as an expansion. It doesn't matter. How many people think XIV is an expansion or not has nothing to do with leveling content.

I'm not mad, just amazed at the thickness here sometimes.






Edited, Feb 1st 2014 4:52pm by FilthMcNasty

Are we trying to imply that FFXI content was never exhausted because the overall pace of the game was slower? Because that is most certainly a lie. Content is only as important as someone's perceived need of it, be it gear, building "friendships", or just killing time. Participating in the story isn't required to level in XIV. It does make it easier, of course. Just as I could've played XI and never get Sky/Sea access if I didn't care to, or more personally, not rush into HNMs because I didn't want the game dictating my life schedule even though it would've been profitable in-game. And if someone just wanted to be a WHM/SMN, well, you could pretty much say all the other jobs didn't exist for them personally, which is likely to mean quests and other related content not done.

To imply XIV has nothing to do or no milestones of its own is really quite untrue. The rub is more likely to lie in the fact that the reliance on others isn't so strict while coming together for specific tasks is also far easier than XI due to the DF/PF, whereas XI was basically just shouting in Jeuno or sitting with a flag up with an EXP comment and praying. What DOES hurt XIV is how lop-sided current dev focus is toward dungeons/raiding/primals. Getting to 50 on your own and not really having anything to do on your own is a problem. I know it's easy to say to fluff the mid-levels or make TNLs even bigger, but that doesn't change the fact people will eventually max a job if they're trying and those earlier levels will become useless in their own ways. And come level cap raise, I certainly don't want see the same stuff I did at 50, just in Hard/Extreme/Ultimate/EatUrFace modes. A lesson a lot of XIers couldn't take with its own growth and advancement is that letting go isn't a bad thing. This sadly applies to other MMOs, too. Just look around and see some mad that Allagan gear won't be top dog come 2.2.

Perhaps in a more roundabout way, I question if MMOs are truly giving players the most bang for their buck.

If in reality nobody (but you) consider ARR an expansion and yet you compare ARR to expansions of other games, that doesn't kinda defeat your argument?

Allllright then, please carry on.

Thing is, in XIV, there's nothing stopping you from forming a 4-8 man party and just nuking the snot out of some mobs over and over again like we did in XI.... because XI totally lacked any kind of leveling content whatsoever besides killing mobs in a party.

Lest we forget.

"Ahh after 10 levels I'm finally out of that zone. I hope there are some cool monsters in this new place, I'm so tired of- MORE CRABS ARE YOU EFFING KIDDING ME?!?!?"

I wouldn't never say that content wasn't exhausted, it's just that we exhausted it at a much slower rate. Though we prayed to the SE RNG gods for our Utsu: Ni drop in countless BCNM40 runs, the day you were able to use that scroll was a glorious one. Think back on your RDM journey, the day you put that Pimp Hat on for the first time....remember that? I do...same as I did when I could drop using the elemental wheel on NIN when I could wear a hauby and spam Blade: Jin. These were milestone events in our character's growth. However in FF14, I've yet to have those same moments (gear/ability wise). I collected quite a bit of RA/EX gear from v1.0 days and looked forward to wearing it on my DRG that I planned on leveling. By the time I could wear said gear, within a few hours I was already upgrading.

I believe this is what some people are looking for. Collecting tomes day after day reaches a goal, but for me doesn't give me that 'earned' feeling like certain gear in FFXI did. (note: earned for myself and not to gloat over others) Maybe when I start doing CT/Coil and having to pray to the RNG gods again will give me that feeling back, but for now...the road to the current content seemed rather brief and empty.

I will say I'm actually looking forward to doing my relic weapon quest line that I started last night. I actually have that bit of "can't wait" feeling.

That's true in a way. There's nothing really unique at the moment that you can work towards and that a lot of people wont get.
50 all crafters? Who hasnt by now.
Get your relic? Yeah, that's pretty much on the story path these days.
Coil/Myth gear? Takes a while, sure, but everyone has it.

I'm not saying i'm longing for the days where i have to grind something for several hours a day for a year just to get a spiffy item that is barely outclassing alternative options but that very few other people have. But it would be nice if there was something to work towards, outside of the silly beastmen reputation thing which i'm not even going to bother with. Some cool trophy piece that would be rare and noteworthy perhaps.

It's just dull right now. Get myths on monday/tuesday, get CT piece that same day, sit around wondering what to do the rest of the week. It's not exactly hard now if you can simply cap out with 8-9 dungeons these days. You can easily do that in 3,5 ~ 4 hours.

And yet, we begged and begged for "incrememental progress" stuff in XI, and got it with Abyssea and SoA, and thanked them so profusely for giving is a means of collecting things to achieve a goal instead of making us wait 6 months for a drop.

I guess if the thrill of learning Utsu:Ni after six months was what made you love the game, you were one of the folks that hated Abyssea. I personally loved it - you mean I can get 10 little seals from various sources and save them up for an item instead of praying for a drop? I'm in. Seal farming parties formed as the classic trinity in a 4-man way just like XIV, funny enough, in which BLU/NIN or THF/NIN or MNK/NIN became your tank, with a WHM, a BLM/BRD and a THF or BLU (whichever wasn't the tank, if it wasn't the MNK) on the side.

Edited, Feb 3rd 2014 10:05am by Catwho