Hello all,

I was just wondering what you all thought about that information brought forth in this article about SE's new focus on making FF14 as much like WoW as possible.

I know that I have a few things I enjoyed about WoW when I played it.

Highest in my esteem would be the fluidity of gameplay. I would expect this had to do with a mixture of server technology, game optimization, and UI design(both game interface and importantly the coding in the background). Its response times were minimal. Everything felt like it happened right when I clicked something, whether it be an item, an action, selling to a vendor and most importantly, to me, while moving around the world my guy didn't stutter for no reason, at least not to the point where I remember it being an issue when I think back on it.

Of course, there is a lot that I didn't enjoy about WoW, but that was more mechanics and dynamics of the game as opposed to the interface which I found to be so very polished.

So I wonder after reading this link- http://ca.ign.com/ar...n-playstation-3

"Yoshida and team want those familiar with World of Warcraft to be able to transition into Final Fantasy XIV without a lot of hassle."


What are your thoughts? Are they talking about more then just UI? Will we have an option to not have a cluttered button-ridden UI mode? How WoW-like do they want to make 2.0?

Thanks for your time. I look forward to your opinions.

*^.^*

Any MMO that radically changes its gameplay in search of a hypothetical new subscriber is destined to lose their current sub-base.  Just ask Mr. Smedley at SOE.  The people who want to play FFIV are already playing it and changing it in the hopes of gaining subbers from WoW is a big mistake.

They modeled the new UI by studying WoW's UI.

Yoshi-P talked to the Blizzard-Diablo 3 staff at E3 and was even given a signed copy of the game by the Blizzard team.  They discussed, primarly, CGI implementation in MMO's since Blizzard and SE are pretty damn good at it.

If you've been following FFXIV, you know that it isn't a Wow clone.  Not even close.  Have they added "Wow elements" such as icons over NPC heads and other features... yes they have.  Yoshi feels that certain aspects of mmo's have become "genre  standards."

However, if you look at the content that has been added in the last year, no one in their right mind will EVER mistake FFXIV for a Wow Clone (Rift, Warhammer, Tera [other than combat], Aion, SWTOR).  FFXIV plays and feels nothing like other games on the market.  It has an aesthetic very close to FFXI, and similarities of classes/jobs... but it ends at that point.

If Yoshi-P is bringing the best parts of Wow (ui, responponsiveness) to 2.0 while keep the FF feel?  Then I think we have the best of both worlds.

Majority of people in FFXIV love what Yoshi is doing and the consensus is that "he gets it."  I have more faith in him than 10 Tanaka's combined...

PS - you are aware that the new UI settings for both mouse/keyboard and controller will have the option of keeping it as 1.0 right?  So that if you dont' like the new UI you can keep the old one?  That was said over a year ago.   This is a none issue IMO.

One thing Im kind of wondering about.. the over all controlls, will it feel less menu driven? Would it feel less like analog console controller-like , one of the things I noticed when the game was orignally launched basic movement like running a straight line seemed to be an issue..

Originally posted by Talonsin

Any MMO that radically changes its gameplay in search of a hypothetical new subscriber is destined to lose their current sub-base.  Just ask Mr. Smedley at SOE.  The people who want to play FFIV are already playing it and changing it in the hopes of gaining subbers from WoW is a big mistake.

When you try to grab consumers from a game like WoW you are going to have an awful realization that they only played WoW because it was the "hip" thing to do at the time, and they have no interest in other MMos.

catering to the WoW drones? not surprised

Yes. Yes it will hurt legacy players.

If they put some lipstick on this pig, spank it, and it takes off running...Imma try to grab onto it for the ride. 

And yes...The UI would be a great start...and probably enough for me to play again.

I just started playing again and although I like it a lot better. I will say I hate they put the bubbles over the head's of quest NPCs. It is one of the things I admired about FFXI and hated with all other MMO. Instead of exploring you just connect the dots.

Easy UI, crisp character motion would be positives.  But neither are WoW exclusive.  Beyond that, maybe some mechanics from vanilla but now abandoned by WoW would be good too.  Anything WoW is currently doing will only turn off the fans.

Just watch TESO tryng to be "mmo like".  Very questionable in my opinion.

Y TU FINAL FANTASY?

You're copying a game from the right era, but try one a little closer to home. :(

FFXI did things...so right.

It is just a business decision.

Who hates WoW because of the UI?  Or icons?  Or the content finder?  I don't particularly like those things in WoW, but they weren't offensive to me in anyway.  Especially because you can choose not to use them.

I hate WoW because of the lame faceroll combat, gimmicky endgame content, community (or lack of), solo focus, and art style.

FFXIV since Yoshi took over has gone the opposite way in all of those areas.  I have no fear of FFXIV being a "WoW clone" anytime soon, at least not how I define WoW clones like SWTOR and Rift.

Originally posted by Murugan

It is just a business decision.

 

Who hates WoW because of the UI?  Or icons?  Or the content finder?  I don't particularly like those things in WoW, but they weren't offensive to me in anyway.  Especially because you can choose not to use them.

 

I hate WoW because of the lame faceroll combat, gimmicky endgame content, community (or lack of), solo focus, and art style.

 

FFXIV since Yoshi took over has gone the opposite way in all of those areas.  I have no fear of FFXIV being a "WoW clone" anytime soon, at least not how I define WoW clones like SWTOR and Rift.

Thanks for your well articulated response. I can always expect a level headed post from you. :D

Originally posted by ZizouX

 

If Yoshi-P is bringing the best parts of Wow (ui, responponsiveness) to 2.0 while keep the FF feel?  Then I think we have the best of both worlds.

 

^^This. There really is not much else to say about it at all. Bringing it over in all of its smooth and refined glory.

 "While Yoshida obviously can’t speak for what the original team intended to create, he noted that when he joined the project he realized that the previous team had created something that wasn’t Final Fantasy XI, wasn’t EverQuest, wasn’t Ultima Online, nor was it World of Warcraft. In doing so, they created a game that wasn’t really anything and didn’t take into account many of the established MMO standards"

Yoshida is borrowing idea's from other games, name a company who doesn't. FFXIV was is so horrible right now you litterly have to have played XI to really understand some of the mechcanics. There's a lot riding on Yoshida and 2.0, I have a feeling FFXIV is going to be a major contender in the MMO wars.

I know I'll be trying out 2.0 for sure.

If they just change the UI to style around WoWs, then I dont mind at all WoW has an insanely polished interface system.  But if they change the core mechanics and gameplay (which wont happen at all just saying) then they will lose subs and interest.

Originally posted by Deathofsage

Y TU FINAL FANTASY?

You're copying a game from the right era, but try one a little closer to home. :(

FFXI did things...so right.

It did..and yet it didn't.  I always thought, while playing and enjoying FFXI, that if I could just transfer WoW's control/UI/character feedback into FFXI, that it would be a thousand times better to play.  Maybe even add in a questing for xp system for soloers like me so I don't get bored waiting for a party to form or having to sit in 8 hour plus parties just to level up(level 55+ was like this, back before fields of valor and level sync and all that stuff).

But that's it.  Keep the FF feel and mechanics and awesome grouping system(for content, not really for leveling).  Matter of fact, I think of all the games out there that SHOULD copy WoW in many ways, it's FFXIV.  Just the UI, talent trees or something like the talent trees for extra class/job progression, quests with xp, mutliple leveling paths, character feedback and heck, throw the PVP in there too.  It still needs to feel unique and like FF, but lets make it easier to access and less of a tedium and up the FUN factor.

Originally posted by elocke

Originally posted by Deathofsage

Y TU FINAL FANTASY?

You're copying a game from the right era, but try one a little closer to home. :(

FFXI did things...so right.

It did..and yet it didn't.  I always thought, while playing and enjoying FFXI, that if I could just transfer WoW's control/UI/character feedback into FFXI, that it would be a thousand times better to play.  Maybe even add in a questing for xp system for soloers like me so I don't get bored waiting for a party to form or having to sit in 8 hour plus parties just to level up(level 55+ was like this, back before fields of valor and level sync and all that stuff).

But that's it.  Keep the FF feel and mechanics and awesome grouping system(for content, not really for leveling).  Matter of fact, I think of all the games out there that SHOULD copy WoW in many ways, it's FFXIV.  Just the UI, talent trees, quests with xp, mutliple leveling paths, character feedback and heck, throw the PVP in there too.  It still needs to feel unique and like FF, but lets make it easier to access and less of a tedium and up the FUN factor.

Definitly not the talent trees, or the pvp, or the horrible grind gameplay which you may have not mentioned but I agree with everything else you said. 

That's what they're doing. What's in wow has become an MMO standard. Like it or not. It's like with an FPS you'll always have the health bar and ammo at specific parts of the screen (maybe a bad example). I think it's a very good thing for the game and will definatley give it a familiar feel. I don't see that FF feel going anywhere though.

Originally posted by elocke

Originally posted by Deathofsage

Y TU FINAL FANTASY?

You're copying a game from the right era, but try one a little closer to home. :(

FFXI did things...so right.

It did..and yet it didn't.  I always thought, while playing and enjoying FFXI, that if I could just transfer WoW's control/UI/character feedback into FFXI, that it would be a thousand times better to play.  Maybe even add in a questing for xp system for soloers like me so I don't get bored waiting for a party to form or having to sit in 8 hour plus parties just to level up(level 55+ was like this, back before fields of valor and level sync and all that stuff).

But that's it.  Keep the FF feel and mechanics and awesome grouping system(for content, not really for leveling).  Matter of fact, I think of all the games out there that SHOULD copy WoW in many ways, it's FFXIV.  Just the UI, talent trees or something like the talent trees for extra class/job progression, quests with xp, mutliple leveling paths, character feedback and heck, throw the PVP in there too.  It still needs to feel unique and like FF, but lets make it easier to access and less of a tedium and up the FUN factor.

What set ffxi so far apart is the need for parties which in turn forced you to learn how to play your job effectively.  The amount of actual bad players in ffxi was amazingly low because it took either skill or a lot of time to level your character.  The people who couldn't play well usually ended up quiting and calling ffxi a grind fest.  There is no need for any solo content in a FF game with improvements to the party system.  Things were much better with lvl synching.  If they added the ability to LFG on multiple jobs then you wouldn't be sitting around waiting on a party ever.  Improve what FFXI did right... don't ruin FFXIV by allowing people to solo.