FFXIV Online – Wants and expectations

With the announcement of FFXIV Online yesterday, a fellow FFXI poster, Corrderio, posted on Killingifrit about the wants and expectations FFXI players would like in the upcoming MMO.  Here are mine below.

• HNMs and NMs.I cannot emphasize enough how bad this is in FFXI right now.  Everything from rampant botting to waiting 21 hours to 24 hours for an HNM to pop each day is ridiculous.  It was fine in the beginning, but as time went on, it’s gotten annoying as more and more botting LSes appeared in this game.  Make ALL HNMs FORCED POP VIA ITEM LIKE IN ANNM OR ANM or some other condition that isn’t as ridiculous as it is in FFXI. The same applies to NMs in the game, either make them forced pop or find some other more reasonable pop condition.
  
  

• Botting and cheating.This relates to the first one.  Add the ability for the game to monitor memory processes; take a snapshot of it at regular intervals; and detect alteration of network packets and interception of keystrokes not coming from the keyboard/gamepad itself.  Also, have the ability to automatically flag violators who will then be reported to a GM.  GM will then look at the memory snapshot to identify violators and ban their friggin’ ass out of the game PERMANENTLY. Antivirus software already have the ability to scan the memory, Korean MMOs use similar as well like in Mabinogi, and I know Blizzard does memory scanning with WoW as well.
  
  

• Better GMs.Again, relating to the above.  GMs must be less robotic, less-by-the-book, and more understanding how the game works and how it is played by the players.  The GMs in this game are listening to GM reports because some idiot doesn’t understand how a monster is fought or how it is soloed.  And, GM reports over pointless, trivial things that lead to bans or suspensions.  God, I thought to be a GM it is required to be a level 75 long-playing player of FFXI.  If that is the case, why are so many GMs acting more like noobish players than the players that were reported or who have made the reports?  Also, give the GMs more power to handle with RMT, botters and cheaters, and actually deal with the real problems in the game.
  
  

• Reasonable space limitations.Please, no more “PS2 limitations” regarding space or similar.  Hell, I have seen one MMO implement a completely separate zone for storage.  And, you had the ability to even rent out more space.  In another MMO, you could rent out your own house, and more houses would be added as more players started to come.  This was also done in a completely separate zone/independent server.  Lastly, one other MMO had something similar to Public Storage, same server, and allowed you to actually pay for certain amount of space that you needed.  Anything to help in this area that isn’t as limiting as it is in FFXI will be a godsend.
  
  

• EXP Grinding and lack of soloing in the game.A lot of MMOs allow you to solo EXP and it helps when a player only plays casually due to having work, family, school or a combination of the three.  Also, the game should be a game and not work.  Why work your ass off hours a day to level when you should be playing the game more in other areas of it?  Every MMO that I have tried so far, even the obscure Korean ones up to especially WoW, allowed you to level on your own and on your own time.  It also gave you more time to do other things like questing or other since you aren’t locked down to grinding away to level up.
  
  

• Better pet control.In this Korean MMO, Mabinogi, you can actually “program” set commands to your pet for better AI and control. Or, something similar to FF12 in how you controlled your computer teammates with set conditions. That would be better to have than letting the computer do it for you. Even a simple script language to program your pet to do what you want it to do, or have direct access to your pet.
  
  

• Less ambiguity with stats.I cannot emphasize this enough, and I know a lot of the FFXI community shares the same feelings, but stats should be less ambiguous in their description and appearance. Stats such as ranged attack and accuracy, magic attack, accuracy and even critical hit rate, melee accuracy, pet accuracy, and so on and so forth are hidden from the player’s direct point of view. What makes it worse is that SE developers thought it was great to make the entire game a mystery like the real world and let us figure out what each stat is and how it correlates with other stats, effects and spells in this game. Leave the ambiguity in FFXI and start anew in FFXIV by being more forthright and open with what the stats do, how they are related, and make them more apparent and visible to the player.
  
  

• RMT and “item store.”
  • Both of these are a form of real money trade. One is a violation of a game’s EULA/ToS and is detrimental to the game itself; while the other can be viewed as either an annoyance or a way to cockblock players and cheats them out of money that doesn’t violate the EULA/ToS.Practically all Korean MMOs, especially free-to-play ones, use item stores as a means to procure more money for the game. Unfortunately, using it as a means to have the best items in the game by buying it with real money is asking too much from a player already paying a monthly subscription fee. For example, in Mabinogi, you would have to pay $9.99 a month approximately to have extra storage space, access to the main storyline missions, forms of transportation, and unique items you can’t get from a monster or NM in the game. To me, it’s wholly unfair as it blocks players who cannot afford or who are unwilling to pay for such items. Imagine having to pay $50 USD for a Ridill or $10 for a Kraken Club. Or, pay $9.99 for extra space like many FFXI players just did for the Satchel. Even worse was that items such as the Harpsichord obtained when one purchased the Piano Collection CD back in September 2008 is unobtainable afterwards. Don’t bring an “item store” to FFXIV. Don’t resort to quasi-form of real money trade just to ask more money out of your player base.
    
    

  • As for RMT players who see it fit to buy Gil or accounts, electronically tag all money transactions done in the game including characters and account. Each character would be tagged with a unique identifier that matches the registration codes of the original player upon the creation of an account. This unique identifier cannot be removed from character unless the character is actually deleted, and cannot be transferred. If account and character transfers to another person, or is bought in other words, and the unique identifier mismatches the other person’s unique identifier, then immediately remove the player and account from the game for a full investigation.Disallow random names that RMT players tend to use. Allow in-game text filtering to block in-game tells, shouts, says, and messages from RMT companies. Allow the ability block IP addresses used by RMT players server-side. Track Gil if it exchanges hands from a player to another player in large amounts and red-flag it. Include with it frequency at what rate the money is traded and the amount as well. Also, find patterns of money trading by matching it with the IP addresses used by RMT players and block, ban and remove them immediately. If the same range of IP addresses traded x-amounts of Gil every hour but on different characters, red flag them for removal.
    
    

• More forms of transportation.I really, really miss the older Final Fantasy games where you can pick up your OWN airship and land wherever and whenever you like. Chocobos are nice and all and are a staple of the Final Fantasy games, but it would be great to see a little bit more variety beyond the standard fare of Airships and Chocobos. Something unique to a town or city, or zone that relates or corresponds to that form of transportation. Also, more variety of Chocobos in the game, improve or add to the current Chocobo raising used in FFXI as well.
  
  

• Mini games. Chocobo racing and Pankration did little to add to a bit of leisure in FFXI. It quickly lost popularity after their introduction. SE even had the balls to scrap the one-versus-one PvP Colosseum in Aht Urghan Whitegate. I may not like PvP at all, but a one-versus-one fight would have been fun to have. Other Final Fantasy games had a lot of mini games and variety in them that made the game more fun as it was a way to take a break from leveling up or questing.
  
  
• Better PvP.Again, I don’t like PvP at all but it is a staple of so many MMOs out there to date. I do not want random MPK-ing in the game like it was in Diablo II and I do not want kill steals in the game either. The current system of how claims work and how claimed monsters work is good as it is. However, like with mini games above, it would be nice to see Linkshell controlled territory and players battle for it like I’ve seen in other MMOs. Grand PvE as well. Something better than Ballista and the ability to challenge another player in open area duels like in WoW, with the option to deny and/or block further requests from the same player.And, for fun, if there was a way for GMs to flag an RMT or botting player let any RMT or botting/cheating player who is flagged to be allowed to be beaten senselessly within a 24 hour period and disallowed from logging out, until they’re banned permanently after a 24 hour period. I may be a nice person, but goddamn I would have loved to have beaten some botter into submission so he or she got it in their thick skull not to cheat in this damn game!
  
  

• Large, open area zones.For goodness sakes I want to be able to explore new areas and I want it to take my dear time. I want to feel like I’m actually exploring something large and unknown. The largest areas in FFXI stopped doing that after a few years. Every subsequent expansion pack thereafter made new zones smaller and smaller, with little to no exploration. I want to be able to see a mountain vista, a distant horizon, or a far off town or city far away from where I am standing, and I want to be able to travel there on foot exploring everything in-between.Also, please more towns in FFXIV and actual inns like old Final Fantasy games. I want to be able to visit as many towns as possible, and I’d like see it dotted across countryside and continents.As with new zones, more areas to level up in so that one area isn’t monopolized by one party or gets crowded too soon, too fast. Also, each area caters to a specific level that makes leveling worthwhile, not too easy like WoW, but worth getting experience points from.Is it not true, “The journey is worth more than the destination itself”? I want that feeling in FFXIV.
  
  

• More ways to make money.There has to be more ways to make money outside of crafting and BCNMs. The ability to make money without asking for a group to do so would help a lot of players who only play MMOs casually. A lot of players would like to make money at their own pace and their own time, but it shouldn’t take up all their time in the game when they should actually be playing and enjoying it.
  
  

• Lastly, better, understanding and empathetic developers.First off, no more of this “I don’t know” shit SE developers do at every Fan Festival. Again, stop with the ambiguity. You have already alienated a large number of players away from this game. If you do not want to lose more, work on your communication skills. MMOs like EVE Online are very open and vocal with the player base, and don’t try to dick around with information. Like every form of relationship, you need communication. It is the basis of every successful relationship. Failure to do so, and it will just fall apart.Also, stop playing favorites with one player base over another like how SE seemingly does it with Japanese players.And, finally, be more empathetic and understanding of the players and how the game is played. I cannot believe how often the developers fail to see how the game is played and how the players play the game by adjusting strategies to each aspect or event in FFXI. And, with developers, please disallow any and all burn-type parties and strategies. It paves the way for more idiotic, unknowing players to use more brawn over skill in the game. It also prevents other jobs from being used in the game. Also, speaking of jobs, the developers need to make sure that ALL JOBS have a place in the game from beginning to endgame—no exceptions!