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Review of FF14 from a new player, with my experiences
I've only reached 16 on my highest class so far, so this review is just about the new player experience. My first MMO was DAOC, and I've played a few other MMO's since then. My playstyle is relaxed, maybe 10 hours a week. I like to vary my activities, instead of trying to max out my level in one thing. Focus on:
- a "virtual world" where I can live
- alive world with multiple things to do at any one time
- exploration
- combat
- story/quests
- gathering/crafting/mini-games
- community
- PvP and Raiding
I started playing in late beta, early access, and now in regular time. When FF14 released, I created a new character, a THM. I decided early on not to just collect and do all the quests, so at first just did the main quest. A few side quests, and some farming, along with some Fates, and he was level 10.
Then I decided to run to the other city to change to a CNJ. The world is fairly small, and being an ex-Ryzom player, I had no trouble at all just running from Ul'dah to Grid. So then level'd the CNJ to 16, and decided he would be my main class. I really like the multi-classing aspect of FF14. I also picked up most of the crafting and gathering classes.
Summary -- 8.0
Based on my criterion, FF14 rates high. It is going to take me quite a while to max out several classes, along with several more gathering/crafting classes. The world is a bit small, but is full of interesting things to do, and although exploration is limited, there is some. I like the combat, and the story/quests are keeping me interested.
Virtual World/Alive World -- 8.0
I enjoy being in the FF14 world. The graphics are nice, and the world seems alive. Trees wave in the wind, water looks good, birds are twittering. But you never see the birds. There are no seasonal changes (that I've seen). And the world is a bit constricting; there are invisible walls everywhere, and lots of tunnels and mountain-induced paths, restricting free movement. Nevertheless, it is nice to be there, so I give it a high rating.
There are lots of different things to do: gather resources, pursue a quest task, participate in a Fate, farm the local mobs. The FF14 world gives me just enough to feel like I'm in a open world.
Combat -- 8.0
I actually enjoy this slower-paced combat, instead of the hyped-up twitch combat. The "fire-works" effect is good (fireworks overload the brain with graphic stimulus, and we really like that 
). As a lower level player, I know that what is available now is not a really good indicator of the higher levels. I'm giving it a high rating.
City of Heroes had a nice combat trade-off, where you could fire off a 1-sec timer attack, with lower dmg, or a 2.x-timer attack that did more damage. FF14 would benefit from something like this. Although not twitch combat, it would remove the slow feeling that some people get from this combat style.
Story/Quests -- 9.0
The story lines are fun; I find myself wanting to slow down, read the whole thing, and think about it. The text is full of humor, and intrigue, and is obviously written by good writers. I actually can get emotionally interested in the story. The storyline gets a very high rating.
If you just gathered all the quests at each area, and did them all, it would be a boring game. And counter-productive. Save at least half of the quests (not counting main quest line) for another class. That's my advice.
Gathering/Crafting/Mini-Games -- 8.0
None of my gathering or crafting levels are above 8, so this review is preliminary.
It's been fun to go gathering and exploring for new gathering spots. Crafting things is also at least a step above just hitting the "make" button. In DAOC, for example, you just got the ingredients and hit the "make" button, and waited. I'm interested to see how much more complex it gets in FF14. Ryzom crafting is by far the best, and I don't expect this game to get anywhere close to that. Still, it gets a high rating.
Community -- 7.0
So far, the community has been fair. I'm on a NA server, and the gold spammers are a real nuisance; but once you blacklist them, chat is actually pretty good. People seem decent in groups, although there is a bit of heavy-handed treatment of healers (and tanks I've heard). I've turned down several requests to join a guild, or FC, because they didn't send me a tell first. I need to know who I am joining. Community gets a good rating, but not high.
PvP/Raiding -- N/a
Not applicable; I'm not at that level yet. This is just a new player's review.
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2024: 47 years on the Net.
Comments
One of the better user reviews i've read, you kept the comparisons to other games to a minimal degree and gave a score based on its merits, not one paragraph summarization on how it's a clone of X game or does not "innovate" enough that run rampart on this site.
I pretty much agreed with almost every part of this review. Solid work bro
Agreed - a very accurate review of the state of game right now. I'm having more fun than I've had in years and it'll take quite a while for me to even get close to maxing combat and crafting.
Currently playing SWTOR and it's MUCH better than it was at launch.
I have realized that leveling two classes simultaneously is a great way to play this game. That is, unless you're in a mad rush to 50 for some dumb reason.
I had a small gap at 12-15 when I had trouble leveling the second class, but after that I've had plenty of things to keep me occupied and both classes leveled with ease. I do FATE's if I happen to come across one, all the quests in the areas I go to, hunting logs, and dungeons once or twice depending on whether I want to try them on a different role. As for guildleves I do the entry ones on each camp on my battle classes and then save my allowances for the gathering and crafting class.
All in all, at level 26 ACN/MRD/MIN/ARM right now it has been an amazing experience. I can do all the quests and no exp goes to waste. I hardly have to backtrack and I can let the lore and little stories sink in.
The way it's meant to be played. At least for me personally.
OP though I respect your review and its well written the part that was extremely strange to me was your score on the liveliness of the world. I mean, if you hear birds and don't see them, that is alive? lol. Also, though I'm not playing and i only open beta'd to around 8, every video I've see is NPCs just standing around whether in the cities or in the wild. Why should a game be complimented on its liveliness for something like that? For those that do stand in place, they move their arms and their mouths move. Thats liveliness? Then you talk about invisible walls and a mediocre exploration experience even though the world is beautiful (which I agree with). Sorry, but in this realm the game is not at all a step forward and I think in this particularly category you've inflated the score.
I may one day try this game when they get their act together from a stability standpoint and patch some broken features like XP for fates.
There Is Always Hope!
This...only background sounds and sound effects create this illusion of immersion but in reality everything is static. Small zones with NPC glued to one spot just standing there to hand you your next task.
GW2 cities on other hand is what i call putting life in game. Go around in Gridania or Limsa or check any city and see how lifeless everything is with static NPC standing like cardboard cut outs. Same goes for outer regions and thanks to their small size it kills any immersion when you are running around in a map size of a shoe box.
I have seen more life in TESO videos and that game has not even released yet.
What does this game need NPC's to walk around for? It is full of actual players going about their day, making a living and doing their tasks.
The NPC's have interesting things to say, whether it be speech bubbles or actual dialogue. They're doing different things even though most aren't actually moving from point A to B.
In the end what really is the immersion killer is when you absolutely don't give a flying crap what the NPC's do or say, or what lies behind the next hill. That is the fault of a generic, uninteresting world design and lack of script quality.
The score is not inflated because the game is none of those things. Liveliness is not merely a direct sum of the technical aspects that go into creating as many different types of NPC's in a world.
I would have liked to rate the world higher; an 8.0 is good, but there is plenty of room to improve. In the end, I like playing in the world, so gave it a high score.
A better world is in Ryzom; there are seasons, where the landscape changes from snow, to flowers, to falling red leaves, etc. And the mobs migrate based on the season. Some mobs will come up to you, sniff your leg, and then pee on your leg. This would get a 9.+ rating.
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2024: 47 years on the Net.