Most times when there is a long cutscene to view they tell you that it will take a certain amount of time to view before hand, with the exception of the fetch quests that need to be done you can skip MSQ story content by pressing the square button.
However, as a participant on Reddit and the official forums those of us who actually enjoy the MSQ, during the ARR period we asked for better story and voice actors because the MSQ is actually enjoyable to many who enjoy the lore the game is based on. I never found myself once bored of the cutscenes but skipping them and rewatching at a later time is possible at the inn's.
The Moogle quests in Heavensward MSQ were really ridiculous at first (those were cut down by community request) and finding Aether trails to fly in areas was also a little much but I did everything in 2 days of play, at least they were not a requirement to get to dungeons and could be done more leisurely.
After most expansion content has been done the updates don't really add large amounts of MSQ unless stated, theres usually nothing more than a couple hours to play through it including the actual dungeons.
Being a "Middle-aged" gamer I guess I just have more patience for the MSQ progression than most and have actually done it all, but I know many in my group who don't do story unless they need to get to a dungeon or raid and usually skip the cutscenes and are ready do go in a matter of minutes.
I'm probably in the minority here, but my biggest turnoff is how most encounters eventually boil down to a DPS race. If you can push out enough DPS it makes the encounter much easier. Which brings me to my second biggest gripe, this notion that in order to succeed well your healers and tanks MUST DPS, if I wanted to DPS I would play a DPS class.
That's not the creators' intention. Yoshi-P stated that the bosses are made to where healers and tanks shouldn't have to DPS, they aren't required to, and if they can't beat bosses without healers and tanks dps then the dps isn't up to par and they need to "get gud". That mindset are the raid groups themselves. I main WHM, I throw up DoTs when possible to help out, when I have more than enough MP and so I'm not just standing there.
I love RPG, I love MMO, but I don't think I've ever liked a single Final Fantasy game. I'm not a fan of the art style, or the story. I just don't get it. I'm also always confused why final fantasy 12 is release, but final fantasy 15 is out in an MMO, but final fantasy 16 or whatever just came out at XMAS. I don't get it, do they go in order or what?
My FF14 character was level 54 I think... No F'ing clue what the story was about. After 3 quests that consisted of 1. run here, 2. run back here, 3. run back over there, 4 come back again, I gave up on story and skip skip skipped my way through the mess.
Similar feelings. My biggest quip is being forced to do a dungeon to advance MSQ. I generally don't sit and play for 2 hrs straight in order to get into Dungeon finder and then run the dungeon itself. Yes I'm in a guild that would help but I tend to play off-hours.
Even on off hours (which on my datacenter, queues are about 15-20 minutes as a DPS and 7-12 during prime), I can give you some tips to avoid any queues:
There is a party finder menu that allows you to ask for help on every server in your data center. This allows you to display text for them to see and help no matter what server they are on. Simply say that you're new, would like some help and have the new player bonus. Almost guaranteed you get people to join. There are a lot of systems implemented that give people major bonuses for helping new players. There is also a Mentor chat channel that you can ask in, and people likely will from that -- especially if you mention the new bonus. People actually offer to pay new players for their first dungeon run due to the rewards of the roulette, wondrous tails, mentor system, etc. You can also ask all of those, and general, for help as well. Additionally, there is an option for high level players to enter a dungeon without the level sync. They are able to blast through story content in a matter of minutes, with instant queues since a light party isn't needed.
The same goes with any FC or Linkshell you're in (and you can join multiple linkshells, or ask for help on reddit, which has about 5,000 active people no matter the time of day). As a whole, it's a social game, and you're rewarded with lightning fast progression if you just open dialog with people! From reddit, just open the party finder and use the data center option and tell people it's up for them to join.
Due to frequent travel in my youth, English isn't something I consider my primary language (and thus I obtained quirky ways of writing). German and French were always easier for me despite my family being U.S. citizens for over a century. Spanish I learned as a requirement in school, Japanese and Korean I acquired for my youthful desire of anime and gaming (and also work now). I only debate in English to help me work with it (and limit things). In addition, I'm not smart enough to remain fluent in everything and typically need exposure to get in the groove of things again if I haven't heard it in a while. If you understand Mandarin, I know a little, but it has actually been a challenge and could use some help.
Also, I thoroughly enjoy debates and have accounts on over a dozen sites for this. If you wish to engage in such, please put effort in a post and provide sources -- I will then do the same with what I already wrote (if I didn't) as well as with my responses to your own. Expanding my information on a subject makes my stance either change or strengthen the next time I speak of it or write a thesis. Allow me to thank you sincerely for your time.
I leveled my first character as a Ninja, I had a 2hr 30m Chrysalis queue. My recommendation, don't start as a dps class, it's pure agony in terms of queue times. Honestly a better solution would be to allow us to use our squads as npc party members to fill roles as needed. But that would require a bit of work, and that's probably not going to happen, at least not for old content.
That being said I enjoy the game, DRK fills the desired APM I was looking for, plus instant queues.
I am still amazed by this. Levelling through dungeons as a DPS has never been a problem for me and the longest queue I've ever had was 35 minutes. This was at 05:30 in the morning.
I am surprised how much the experience with this differs per server (thats how it seems anyway). I still get login queues every evening too, pretty good for a couple of years old sub game
/Cheers, Lahnmir
'the only way he could nail it any better is if he used a cross.'
Kyleran on yours sincerely
'But there are many. You can play them entirely solo, and even offline. Also, you are wrong by default.'
Ikcin in response to yours sincerely debating whether or not single-player offline MMOs exist...
'This does not apply just to ED but SC or any other game. What they will get is Rebirth/X4, likely prettier but equally underwhelming and pointless.
It is incredibly difficult to design some meaningfull leg content that would fit a space ship game - simply because it is not a leg game.
It is just huge resource waste....'
Gdemami absolutely not being an armchair developer
Everyone in my Free Company loves the main story quests and no one is bothered that you have to do that to be able to progress. It's a Final Fantasy RPG so cutscenes and main story quests are part of the game. Complaining about those makes no sense there is 100s of mmorpg out there that don't have that go play those instead.
If they remove the dungeon requirement for the Main storyline (or make it solo) i'd be all over this game again. I wont re-subscribe and waste the whole month in queue for Garuda because nobody is playing it (can't progress the story without killing those bosses).
Change that failure of a system and i'll come back. I will not skip story either. I play RPGs for the story and FF is an RPG.
I actually got stuck on Garuda for a long time as well. Titan was another where after a long wait I would finally zone in and half the group would say 'Nope!' and leave immediately. I think besides those two the last one I ended up having that issue with was Moogle Mog. It's a shame. So many people say they want a challenge but when presented with it they bail.
All I can say in it's defense is it's worth those frustrations, at least it was for me.
The problem is that forcing group dungeons into the story progression is not a challenge, Its a really annoying (and in this case game breaking) design decision. They can make the encounter as difficult as they want, just keep it outside of the main story.
It wasnt worth it for me. I resubscribed a year later(last year) just to waste the whole subscription again because, you guessed it, nobody was doing the content. Created a new character and gave up on it because i knew it would get stuck on there again. Unsubscribed, and it's been almost a year, again. If they don't want my money i'll give it to somebody else.
If they remove the dungeon requirement for the Main storyline (or make it solo) i'd be all over this game again. I wont re-subscribe and waste the whole month in queue for Garuda because nobody is playing it (can't progress the story without killing those bosses).
Change that failure of a system and i'll come back. I will not skip story either. I play RPGs for the story and FF is an RPG.
I actually got stuck on Garuda for a long time as well. Titan was another where after a long wait I would finally zone in and half the group would say 'Nope!' and leave immediately. I think besides those two the last one I ended up having that issue with was Moogle Mog. It's a shame. So many people say they want a challenge but when presented with it they bail.
All I can say in it's defense is it's worth those frustrations, at least it was for me.
The problem is that forcing group dungeons into the story progression is not a challenge, Its a really annoying (and in this case game breaking) design decision. They can make the encounter as difficult as they want, just keep it outside of the main story.
It wasnt worth it for me. I resubscribed a year later(last year) just to waste the whole subscription again because, you guessed it, nobody was doing the content. Created a new character and gave up on it because i knew it would get stuck on there again. Unsubscribed, and it's been almost a year, again. If they don't want my money i'll give it to somebody else.
Pretty much this. There's a ton to do in the game but the whole problem has been progression requirements. I remember the big problem I had with Garuda was actually finding a group to do it on party finder and then having the patience to actually finish it. Some players were pissed that it couldn't be done on a first or second try and that gets annoying fast. It's also the biggest issue with FF14: elitism is a bigger ante and gripe with players than anything else.
As you get to the higher level it is a "oh you haven't done it yet? mmm maybe next time, 'kay thx & bye". So heaven forbid if you're a casual or a heavy duty crafter; getting the time to do dungeons is actually a challenge. And the whole "find a good company/linkshell to join" is still akin to finding a party on a larger scale but with the whole "why can't you be at all of the events". I had that once and, frankly put, I can't put 5-12 hrs a day on the game. I just can't and even if I help out with the trivial crap for new players, I can't be at every event so yeah.
There is a heavier reliance on dungeons for game progression than anything else in FF14 versus 11 and other notable MMO's. I get it, it's really an mmo~issue in general but it's just more heavily tilted toward quest and mission reliance for game advance that's meaningful versus anything else. Getting to sky and sea in FF11 was a challenge but one where you could plan for it and, when it's time, you can go out and do the mission and it was still a challenge but didn't become a time sinker.
I can appreciate the whole "finish this whole mission to advance to a new region" but with Ff14 it was really a rush for endgame for a ton of players and that added to alot of the game elitism I felt. And that doesn't help the game grow or become bigger from a community and new player standpoint.
but dungeons take at most 30 min + queue that like i said as new player doing MSQ u are put on priority queue (u can ask FC or LS for a tank - healer to join if u are dps ) new player bonus is always cool !
I am one of those that wishes I could make myself enjoy FF14 more mostly because it's dev team is clearly passionate and the game does a lot of things right.
For me, I always felt the story quests were padded way too much - which really kills the pacing of the narrative at times (and therefore my enjoyment of the overall story). I also hated how their attempts at creating open world content always got ripped apart by meta gamers (hunts, diadem, etc...) I never really enjoyed the end-game, too linear for my tastes.
Still wish I could enjoy the game... some really cool things were done in Heavensward and Stormblood is looking really nice too. I think those tweaks to the battle system are overdue. Cross-class skills were a stubborn holdover from v1.0 which was trying to be a very different MMO in its own right and that feature never really felt like it fit in the new FF14.
I really wanted to like FF 14, but the tedious combat and the forced solo quests, plus the forced group quests, just killed it for me. I love group content, and I also love solo content, but I most certainly don't love being made to do one or the other in order to advance. Add to that, that dungeons are slogs (imo) that have to be done "perfectly" or you'll fail, and I just couldn't stick with it. If the tank or healer goes down, there's generally nobody who can pick up the slack, so you're screwed. I remember playing a Monk (only got to about level 40, just so you know) and being in a dungeon with another Monk, and we were mirror images of one another: doing the same rotation, in the same order, every single time. I just didn't see any way to be different, or alter a build slightly to change my role at all.
"We are all as God made us, and many of us much worse." - Don Quixote
Seems you want to make it a 10 button game... why not a 1 button game... having all those options at your fingertips is the charm of a game like this.. get an MMO mouse and play the game like it is...
I really wanted to like FF 14, but the tedious combat and the forced solo quests, plus the forced group quests, just killed it for me. I love group content, and I also love solo content, but I most certainly don't love being made to do one or the other in order to advance. Add to that, that dungeons are slogs (imo) that have to be done "perfectly" or you'll fail, and I just couldn't stick with it. If the tank or healer goes down, there's generally nobody who can pick up the slack, so you're screwed. I remember playing a Monk (only got to about level 40, just so you know) and being in a dungeon with another Monk, and we were mirror images of one another: doing the same rotation, in the same order, every single time. I just didn't see any way to be different, or alter a build slightly to change my role at all.
I realize that those that those who like FFXIV and those that don't aren't going to come to an agreement - to each their own. I did want to comment on the "tedious combat". I too thought the global cool downs were too long when I started playing. Then I got to some of the hard mode dungeons (they don't make hard modes the same dungeon with harder mobs, rather it's the same dungeon, with a new route inside, new mobs and completely new bosses) and realized that between the extra stuff added for in between the cool downs and all the movement required for a lot of the fights, that you need those longer cool downs. I play a dragoon, so I have jumps and crit boost skills that I try to fit in, but honestly there's so much movement required in the boss fights (and sometimes trash - telegraphed hard hitting abilities) that I don't even think about the long cool downs now.
Everyone in my Free Company loves the main story quests and no one is bothered that you have to do that to be able to progress. It's a Final Fantasy RPG so cutscenes and main story quests are part of the game. Complaining about those makes no sense there is 100s of mmorpg out there that don't have that go play those instead.
Everyone in your FC loves the story? Cool story bro. Why do we care?
This "all or none" with you FFXIV fans get tiring. There are things many of us did not like about ARR that are better in the expansions....yet we are being forced to finish ARR prior to being able to enjoy the content we are itching to give a go. How does this affect you? You play the way you want and leave our desires to us. It will not affect your experience in the slightest if I do not finish ARR.
Comments
However, as a participant on Reddit and the official forums those of us who actually enjoy the MSQ, during the ARR period we asked for better story and voice actors because the MSQ is actually enjoyable to many who enjoy the lore the game is based on. I never found myself once bored of the cutscenes but skipping them and rewatching at a later time is possible at the inn's.
The Moogle quests in Heavensward MSQ were really ridiculous at first (those were cut down by community request) and finding Aether trails to fly in areas was also a little much but I did everything in 2 days of play, at least they were not a requirement to get to dungeons and could be done more leisurely.
After most expansion content has been done the updates don't really add large amounts of MSQ unless stated, theres usually nothing more than a couple hours to play through it including the actual dungeons.
Being a "Middle-aged" gamer I guess I just have more patience for the MSQ progression than most and have actually done it all, but I know many in my group who don't do story unless they need to get to a dungeon or raid and usually skip the cutscenes and are ready do go in a matter of minutes.
That's not the creators' intention. Yoshi-P stated that the bosses are made to where healers and tanks shouldn't have to DPS, they aren't required to, and if they can't beat bosses without healers and tanks dps then the dps isn't up to par and they need to "get gud". That mindset are the raid groups themselves. I main WHM, I throw up DoTs when possible to help out, when I have more than enough MP and so I'm not just standing there.
Even on off hours (which on my datacenter, queues are about 15-20 minutes as a DPS and 7-12 during prime), I can give you some tips to avoid any queues:
There is a party finder menu that allows you to ask for help on every server in your data center. This allows you to display text for them to see and help no matter what server they are on. Simply say that you're new, would like some help and have the new player bonus. Almost guaranteed you get people to join. There are a lot of systems implemented that give people major bonuses for helping new players. There is also a Mentor chat channel that you can ask in, and people likely will from that -- especially if you mention the new bonus. People actually offer to pay new players for their first dungeon run due to the rewards of the roulette, wondrous tails, mentor system, etc. You can also ask all of those, and general, for help as well. Additionally, there is an option for high level players to enter a dungeon without the level sync. They are able to blast through story content in a matter of minutes, with instant queues since a light party isn't needed.
The same goes with any FC or Linkshell you're in (and you can join multiple linkshells, or ask for help on reddit, which has about 5,000 active people no matter the time of day). As a whole, it's a social game, and you're rewarded with lightning fast progression if you just open dialog with people!
I am surprised how much the experience with this differs per server (thats how it seems anyway). I still get login queues every evening too, pretty good for a couple of years old sub game
/Cheers,
Lahnmir
Kyleran on yours sincerely
'But there are many. You can play them entirely solo, and even offline. Also, you are wrong by default.'
Ikcin in response to yours sincerely debating whether or not single-player offline MMOs exist...
'This does not apply just to ED but SC or any other game. What they will get is Rebirth/X4, likely prettier but equally underwhelming and pointless.
It is incredibly difficult to design some meaningfull leg content that would fit a space ship game - simply because it is not a leg game.
It is just huge resource waste....'
Gdemami absolutely not being an armchair developer
It wasnt worth it for me. I resubscribed a year later(last year) just to waste the whole subscription again because, you guessed it, nobody was doing the content. Created a new character and gave up on it because i knew it would get stuck on there again. Unsubscribed, and it's been almost a year, again. If they don't want my money i'll give it to somebody else.
Pretty much this. There's a ton to do in the game but the whole problem has been progression requirements. I remember the big problem I had with Garuda was actually finding a group to do it on party finder and then having the patience to actually finish it. Some players were pissed that it couldn't be done on a first or second try and that gets annoying fast. It's also the biggest issue with FF14: elitism is a bigger ante and gripe with players than anything else.
As you get to the higher level it is a "oh you haven't done it yet? mmm maybe next time, 'kay thx & bye". So heaven forbid if you're a casual or a heavy duty crafter; getting the time to do dungeons is actually a challenge. And the whole "find a good company/linkshell to join" is still akin to finding a party on a larger scale but with the whole "why can't you be at all of the events". I had that once and, frankly put, I can't put 5-12 hrs a day on the game. I just can't and even if I help out with the trivial crap for new players, I can't be at every event so yeah.
There is a heavier reliance on dungeons for game progression than anything else in FF14 versus 11 and other notable MMO's. I get it, it's really an mmo~issue in general but it's just more heavily tilted toward quest and mission reliance for game advance that's meaningful versus anything else. Getting to sky and sea in FF11 was a challenge but one where you could plan for it and, when it's time, you can go out and do the mission and it was still a challenge but didn't become a time sinker.
I can appreciate the whole "finish this whole mission to advance to a new region" but with Ff14 it was really a rush for endgame for a ton of players and that added to alot of the game elitism I felt. And that doesn't help the game grow or become bigger from a community and new player standpoint.
For me, I always felt the story quests were padded way too much - which really kills the pacing of the narrative at times (and therefore my enjoyment of the overall story). I also hated how their attempts at creating open world content always got ripped apart by meta gamers (hunts, diadem, etc...) I never really enjoyed the end-game, too linear for my tastes.
Still wish I could enjoy the game... some really cool things were done in Heavensward and Stormblood is looking really nice too. I think those tweaks to the battle system are overdue. Cross-class skills were a stubborn holdover from v1.0 which was trying to be a very different MMO in its own right and that feature never really felt like it fit in the new FF14.
Everyone in your FC loves the story? Cool story bro. Why do we care?
This "all or none" with you FFXIV fans get tiring. There are things many of us did not like about ARR that are better in the expansions....yet we are being forced to finish ARR prior to being able to enjoy the content we are itching to give a go. How does this affect you? You play the way you want and leave our desires to us. It will not affect your experience in the slightest if I do not finish ARR.