Indeed goosh, if you choose to fixate on out of context clips of quests and combat you can convince yourself ARR is a WoW clone, boring etc, but when you are playing the game the quests and combat are just part of a broader experience that flows very well, and is light years ahead of XIV 1.0. Though I admit my positive attitude is of relief at first, due to the standard features I could get into socializing, exploring, crafting, etc and find the fun for myself. All they did was provide a familiar starting point.

After 2 yrs of waiting I am ready to sub.

I think the mistaken emphasis on the quests and combat video are over-emphasizing those game elements.  As with Zevni78, I think xp-chaining, mob camps, strongholds/dungeons and other game play elements will provide a number of character advancement alternatives.

Really, if you look at the evolution of FFXI and FFXIV, you see an attempt to create a number of game play systems.  The player then becomes free to choose which system they want to engage each play session.

The static quest system added to A Realm Reborn is, probably, best viewed as simply one more system in the game play process.  Keep in mind, you have a number of adventuring jobs to level, those quests are just a single step along that road.

At first I was annoyed at blatant comparisons since the game has less than 5% of the total content the released product will have.  Then I realized that if people are already comparing it to one of the most successful MMO games on the market just based on the very limited knowledge they have, or videos shown... Then the game's in a pretty good shape.  If alpha is being compared to WoW when it's in such a puny state, I'd imagine it'll do good when more than 5% of the game's systems and mechanics are available.

Originally posted by Ryahl

Hello there Victor, Eidalior and Domoto!

 

Victor, it's good to be here too.  I liked your 'teardown mentality' article.  Now that I have my hanlde built I probably need to start adding comments on those. :D

 

Eidalior and Domoto, absolutely its great to see FFXIV-ARR moving along.  While it's very much a high-stakes play by Square Enix, you have to give them props for doing the right thing.  If this works, SE may have created the road-map for fixing a dead MMO.

 

 

It's definitely a risky move, but I have to give them credit for it. They could have very well scrapped it as you said, but I think that the safer road isn't always the best one...at least this one has a chance to yeild some awesome results.

14 was a game I wanted to like, but just couldn't due to it's issues, mainly the coding/optimization...there was no reason my rig should have had such a hard time with it, and I was very glad to hear that is one of the things they are working on.

Since I started following ARR, the main thing that has stood out to me is that you really get a sense that the new team is taking this game to heart and seem like they are genuinly excited to let people experience 14 how it should be. Whether or not that's just business or not one will never know, but I like to think it's the former.

FF offers a great world for someone to experience, and if done correctly this time I will have found my new MMO home for a long time.

It's definitely going to be difficult to get over the initial bad response, since a bad opening usually means death in the MMORPG world, which is why the re-boot is so interesting to me. For lack of a better metaphor, ARR having a phoenix story I think would be pretty amazing.

The proposed changes so far all seem really solid and definitely put the game on the right track in my opinions, some may disagree but I think many of them are exactly what's needed to give this game the chance it needs.

In the end, I am enjoying seeing how things are going almost as much as I am looking forward to finally getting to try ARR itself and can't wait for even more news to come out. I will definitely be following your coverage of the game Ryhal and I am already impressed/excited to see you have responded so quickly in the thread. Just like Yoshi-P having a close relationship with the players, it makes things like this that much better!

On a side note, I still can't get over how amazing the End of an Era cinematic was ( not that I expected any different :D )

I can understand that people love playing MMO's and that there are even some console games that would make great online games. I'm sorry but Final Fantasy isn't one of them. Your making  it a pay to play and also having to buy the game. I agree with others, it's going to turn out just like W.o.W. where everyone is leaving for another game with better graphics and storyline plus all they have to contend with is a item mall or something.

Final Fantasy was my favorite game until 9, after that they all went downhill. but hey, then again what do I know, i'm just a individual who isn't going to play or waste my time with a game I have to pay monthly for. Final Fantasy has been ruined as far as I'm concerned.

Good luck to you all and I hope it  doesn't crash on you again.

Originally posted by goosh
Let me first say that i played ff11 and i played 14 from alpha 5 and I was lucky enough to get into ARR alpha . Although I cannot go into details of the game I can say Its a compleate 180 from what it was.  Load times Graphics usability and alot of other things have been done to cater to the fans . If you had an account or if your thinking of playing Dont think Just do this Will be an amazing game . SE has listened to its fans give them the benifit of the doupt just get rdy to play because its just pure raw unadulterated epic awesomeness

Reading posts like this, Watching the videos out there of FF14 ARR works for me. I played FF14 beta it failed miserably.  Judge from the game there making, not the game they made. Critics always gonna come down on SE hard for there failures(FF14), that being said dont u think SE know they have to make a game the fans want and there under immense pressure to provide? No room for mistakes in my eyes. This alone is why my eyes are pealed and i cant wait for this games release.

Originally posted by goosh
Let me first say that i played ff11 and i played 14 from alpha 5 and I was lucky enough to get into ARR alpha . Although I cannot go into details of the game I can say Its a compleate 180 from what it was.  Load times Graphics usability and alot of other things have been done to cater to the fans . If you had an account or if your thinking of playing Dont think Just do this Will be an amazing game . SE has listened to its fans give them the benifit of the doupt just get rdy to play because its just pure raw unadulterated epic awesomeness

Reading posts like this, Watching the videos out there of FF14 ARR works for me. I played FF14 beta it failed miserably.  Judge from the game there making, not the game they made. Critics always gonna come down on SE hard for there failures(FF14), that being said dont u think SE know they have to make a game the fans want and there under immense pressure to provide? No room for mistakes in my eyes. This alone is why my eyes are pealed and i cant wait for this games release.

Originally posted by Reizla
I had an eMail from Se for an alpha application and I actually did apply for it. I hope FFXIV:ARR will be a lot better than the original FFXIV - I might even gonna play (subscribe) it if it is ;-)

If you get in, remember, most of the content isnt in this version, (some people have been very quick to judge and break NDA).

I've never been a Final Fantasy fan, but have kept up on the developments of this game simply becuase it is such a unique and refreshing strategy. I applaud Square Enix for their guts to try this and really hope it is successful. Who knows, I may have to give Realm reborn a try after it launches.

Originally posted by Inktomi
Good read Ryahl and it will be interesting to see how this unfolds. One questions that no one has been able to answer: Someone gifted me the limited edition new, it is till never been opened. Will I be able to use that software to connect to the server as a client once the game is re-released. I even sent a letter to customer service and they haven't responded.

no, you dont need to rebuy the game when it gets released.

you can use your old registration key to create a new account. When "A Realm reborn" launched you will be able to download the reboot (PC!) version for free.

It is going to be a total different game client.

Originally posted by Raventree

If the first attempt at an MMO was so terrible that they essentially had to apologize and start over, I kind of wonder if starting over is actually a good idea.  I mean, think about it, they are essentially doubling down on the investment they are making in the game, except when the second version launches they have a lot of negative energy to overcome in addition to all of  the usual hurdles a new MMO faces.  If A Realm Reborn crashes and burns they are going to lose their pants on the investment versus how much money it makes.  Based on how most MMOs that are not WoW are doing, this seems like a bad idea.

Might have been smarter to let this one die.

You didn't grow up with Square and the Final Fantasy series did you? A hint: they are not giving up on a "real" final fantasy entry without a fight and 2. Japanese business culture leaves more room for apology than Western.

Not gonna go into details either but... I'm VERY IMPRESSED by what I've played of a friend's Alpha. The gameplay is fun, combat is fast, the world feels alive, the soundtrack is frickin' amazing. And it runs like clockwork.

We have a lot to look forward to here guys.