After spending the past couple years with DT and with the release of BST to very mixed reviews I think there are two big lessons SE needs to learn and they, imo, are crucial for the extended success of this game that we all love.
First it is time to add a test server. So much content in this game since it's lauch has been released in what can only be described as half baked or with just some very questionable choices. Most recently South/North Horn and BST being the biggest ones (outside of nearly the entirety of DT) and are both pieces of content that could have been released in a much better state with a little player testing and with SE taking the feedback that they get from that testing, seriously.
I know that since XIV is a story based game they are concerned about spoilers but many games, esp the biggest and more popular ones like WoW and OSRS, have test servers or poll their player base regularly and they are able to keep out large spoilers from the public. This is nothing but a boon to their games and it makes the players feel like what they say is important. While we sit here with so much half baked content, screaming into void for changes that fall on deaf ears, or at least that is the way it feels 99% of the time.
But with a little testing and SE taking the feedback seriously we could get around a lot of the problems with content that we currently have and relieve most of the frustrations people have before they become a problem. While that doesn't guarantee content, new jobs, etc. are going to be perfect, overall satisfaction could be much higher, causing players to stay longer, more players being held onto and more money being made.
There are plenty of people on these forums that have wonderful ideas. There are so many things I read on here that I wish would be added to or changed in the game. SE needs to take advantage of these wonderful ideas. They need to be willing to, and I am sorry for saying this but it's how it feels, take their heads out of their own backsides and listen, really listen.
Another big thing SE needs to overcome is being too overly concerned that someone, somewhere is going to miss out on something. We see this really well right now with BST.
Back when BLU was released Yoshida made the statement that the concept of a limited job was created because while they wanted to implement blu they were concerned that having to go out into the world and learn spells would prevent some players from fully enjoying the job due to being locked out of content by other players for not having certain spells in their arsenal. And we are seeing that again with BST.
But you know what, that is perfectly ok. If someone does not want to put in what is really minimal work in learning spells, due to how easy they are to learn compared to other FF games, and if they are locked out of content due to that, it's ok. If someone does not want to put the barebones effort it takes to learn spells or catch beasts and they get booted from parties for not having them, that is on that player and should encourage them to go out and learn that spell or catch that beast, and if they just want to cross their arms or throw a tantrum, well then let them.
The current way things are being done are upsetting a much larger pool of players than would be upset otherwise and is dragging the entire game down to appease a small, vocal yet small, group of people who really don't want to play the game or who will stay for that long anyway.
Right now it feels that SE is catering to people who don't really want to play an mmo. Right now it feels like SE is arrogant and believes they know better than any of us, when time and time again they release content that sounds interesting on paper but is implemented in a poor, broken or just bad state. Content they refuse to make sweeping changes on. Jobs that are either overly complicated or brain dead easy. A gearing system that is one, if not the, most boring in the genre.
This is not a good look. But setting up a testing server and giving us what we want without neutering it so bad, or making it solo content to appease the few would go far for not only the longevity of this game, but also would bring people in. More ppl playing is more subs, is more purchases off the mog shop, is better press and will inspire more interest in other SE products.
Caring about and listening to your customer base is one of the more important things you need to do and it feels like SE lost this long ago. As someone who was there for 1.0, it was SE's own hubris that was the reason for that game's failure and the need to reboot the entire thing. Let's not repeat the mistakes of the past. Listen to us. Poll us. Let us help you test things out and don't be so scared that little Jimmy may cry on the forums because he cannot complete a piece of content he doesn't want to put any effort into anyway.
Continue reading...
First it is time to add a test server. So much content in this game since it's lauch has been released in what can only be described as half baked or with just some very questionable choices. Most recently South/North Horn and BST being the biggest ones (outside of nearly the entirety of DT) and are both pieces of content that could have been released in a much better state with a little player testing and with SE taking the feedback that they get from that testing, seriously.
I know that since XIV is a story based game they are concerned about spoilers but many games, esp the biggest and more popular ones like WoW and OSRS, have test servers or poll their player base regularly and they are able to keep out large spoilers from the public. This is nothing but a boon to their games and it makes the players feel like what they say is important. While we sit here with so much half baked content, screaming into void for changes that fall on deaf ears, or at least that is the way it feels 99% of the time.
But with a little testing and SE taking the feedback seriously we could get around a lot of the problems with content that we currently have and relieve most of the frustrations people have before they become a problem. While that doesn't guarantee content, new jobs, etc. are going to be perfect, overall satisfaction could be much higher, causing players to stay longer, more players being held onto and more money being made.
There are plenty of people on these forums that have wonderful ideas. There are so many things I read on here that I wish would be added to or changed in the game. SE needs to take advantage of these wonderful ideas. They need to be willing to, and I am sorry for saying this but it's how it feels, take their heads out of their own backsides and listen, really listen.
Another big thing SE needs to overcome is being too overly concerned that someone, somewhere is going to miss out on something. We see this really well right now with BST.
Back when BLU was released Yoshida made the statement that the concept of a limited job was created because while they wanted to implement blu they were concerned that having to go out into the world and learn spells would prevent some players from fully enjoying the job due to being locked out of content by other players for not having certain spells in their arsenal. And we are seeing that again with BST.
But you know what, that is perfectly ok. If someone does not want to put in what is really minimal work in learning spells, due to how easy they are to learn compared to other FF games, and if they are locked out of content due to that, it's ok. If someone does not want to put the barebones effort it takes to learn spells or catch beasts and they get booted from parties for not having them, that is on that player and should encourage them to go out and learn that spell or catch that beast, and if they just want to cross their arms or throw a tantrum, well then let them.
The current way things are being done are upsetting a much larger pool of players than would be upset otherwise and is dragging the entire game down to appease a small, vocal yet small, group of people who really don't want to play the game or who will stay for that long anyway.
Right now it feels that SE is catering to people who don't really want to play an mmo. Right now it feels like SE is arrogant and believes they know better than any of us, when time and time again they release content that sounds interesting on paper but is implemented in a poor, broken or just bad state. Content they refuse to make sweeping changes on. Jobs that are either overly complicated or brain dead easy. A gearing system that is one, if not the, most boring in the genre.
This is not a good look. But setting up a testing server and giving us what we want without neutering it so bad, or making it solo content to appease the few would go far for not only the longevity of this game, but also would bring people in. More ppl playing is more subs, is more purchases off the mog shop, is better press and will inspire more interest in other SE products.
Caring about and listening to your customer base is one of the more important things you need to do and it feels like SE lost this long ago. As someone who was there for 1.0, it was SE's own hubris that was the reason for that game's failure and the need to reboot the entire thing. Let's not repeat the mistakes of the past. Listen to us. Poll us. Let us help you test things out and don't be so scared that little Jimmy may cry on the forums because he cannot complete a piece of content he doesn't want to put any effort into anyway.
Continue reading...