When Square-Enix announced changes to its staff almost a month ago, its former Director/Producer, Hiromichi Tanaka, had left a message that left some people wondering if the game would take a complete overhaul in the stead of Naoki Yoshida. In fact, Tanaka had clearly stated:
We are aware, however, that in many cases, addressing these issues will call for a reworking of game elements.
At the moment, I never gave this much thought. I knew some were worried and some were excited, but it didn’t seem to really hit me until the clock had hit 12:00 on January 1, 2011 and I received the e-mail on my phone. I took the poll not too long after that and was floored when I read the very last question:
Would you welcome changes to FINAL FANTASY XIV that would drastically alter the rules already set in Eorzea?
Now, I was stumped for all of a minute. I was really torn on how to answer the question. Part of me was getting used to how Eorzea was. Yes it was clunky and frustrating. I don’t make it hidden my disdain on the targeting and how utterly useless and awful I feel as a healer in the game. On the other hand, I have also grown used to several things. I realize I am one of the few people who like the Market Ward system, retainers, and the like. I have a disdain for Auction Houses, and I can’t imagine myself liking the game any better when one is finally implemented in the game. I LOVE the crafting in this game despite a good friend of mine making constant complaints of wanting something to similar to WoW. However, if I wanted something like that then I would be on WoW and not on XIV. Soloing has never been a problem and party play? I get that with friends easily and have thoroughly enjoyed playing with them, and once in awhile the random stranger.
I know there are many other problems with the game that can’t go unnoticed. When retail version came out, I was puzzled beyond belief as to why my friends and other people couldn’t understand simple mechanics of the game. If one had actually read the dialogues it seemed easy to figure what to do or where to go. Then there is the biggest problem of the UI; targeting makes me want to pull my hair out, sometimes my own keyboard doesn’t respond in the game (it works fine in other games), and even the way macros work is slow and very clunky.
There are other numerous quirks in the game I know that could be improved upon or changed entirely, and no matter how much I loved the game… it could not get any worse than what is already set. There is a community that needs to be brought closer together, there needs be a clearer and more defined focus, and the rough edges need to be smoothed out and polished. It is with that thought, I clicked yes.
Do I regret this? No. Does it make me any less of a fan of XIV? I know supposed “fans” would argue that I am not. I am, after all, listing things that need to be fixed in the game vs taking it in for what it is. However, I want to see this game do better. I want the PS3 players to come and want to stay in Eorzea vs. saying, “I’ll come back when it gets better” or saying they don’t want to come back at all. I also want to see this game do as well as XI; a MMO I’ve loved for many years and have many cherished memories from.
Am I scared of what the changes could entail? You bet I am! Even the poem left to us at the end of Yoshida’s letter has left me wondering what would be in store for us:
Ne’er till land consumes sun can sea bear moons,
Heavens spew crimson flame, hells seep black dooms.
Stray seeds quicken in ash’s grey embrace,
Valiant blades forged under the Twelve’s good grace.– Seventh Verse of the Divine Chronicles
Mezaya Thousand Eyes
If it were references to the in game atmosphere, I am all for nuking the Black Shroud and restructuring the place from the ground up. But even the keywords left by Yoshida’s New Year’s message (fun, live, reboot, and rebuild) has left me and others wondering if a complete overhaul of the game is in Eorzea’s future despite what our last answer could be on the poll. Even if this were so, I am eagerly anticipating what the future will hold for Eorzea. At the moment the only place to go is up and I am hoping Yoshida and his new team will take great strides towards that path.
First of all, I was utterly floored when my best friend decided to take a break from the land of Azeroth and come check out the world of Hydaelyn. I have been keeping my WoW account active every so often so I can go on and chat with her when I can, but its been hard since I was not really into WoW. It was a great time waster, but nothing I could feel really invested or immersed in. That’s what I have been missing terribly since I’ve pulled away from Vana’diel; the whole immersion experience of feeling like you are in a living, breathing world instead of having to feel the intense pressure of going from one quest to another without wait. I don’t know how she feels about XIV so far; I know its buggy, I know it has its flaws, and I know it lags as hell on the Lindblum server. I do hope she is enjoying herself, but I am also keeping my WoW account active in case she doesn’t. I told her I’m ok with her leaving XIV; which is true. I would rather her be happier elsewhere than frustrated playing XIV.
As some may know, I have been in the Final Fantasy XIV Closed Beta since the tail end of Alpha. It has been amazing to see the game grow and change since its alpha testing stages to the current stage it is at right now in open beta. Yeah, sure, there are bugs, but what MMORPG isn’t buggy upon release? And that hasn’t even been in another country for a year to work out those said bugs? I think its fine. Sure, people are complaining about this and that but I’m not particularly worried that it will affect my enjoyment of the game. Even in its current state, I find myself having fun with what I am able to play with. Others may not feel the same way, which if fine. In the Western MMO market there are other options (both free and pay to play) people are able to choose from that doesn’t have to be FFXIV.