After avoiding it for some time, I finally decided to max all my crafters on my alt, just so I could repair my own gear.
I headed to Cosmic Exploration, the most straightforward and fast way to level up all crafters. I found a spot and just started spamming macros, working on something else while the game just played itself and I gained dozens of levels across all jobs.
It was straightforward, simple, dull, boring and soul crushing.
At level 65, most online macros recommend getting Manipulation. I realized I'd have to go back and do old content just to get this skill. So I went back and started doing all early quests and... holy crap. Instead of being parked somewhere spamming macros, I was actually engaging with the game. I found myself making lists of the items that I needed. Deciding what I could gather and craft myself, and what I'd rather just buy. I went on expeditions to find materials, and used my old knowledge of Eorzea to remember where certain mobs that dropped specific mats were.
I was engaging with the game and its world. And it was fun.
Though far from a perfect system, the whole process was so much more fun than Cosmic Exploration, which is horrendous at being engaging, besides helping Server Progress projects, but those got steamrolled through in like a week.
We need more organic friction brought back into the normal experience of doing anything in the game. I had forgotten how interesting the Alchemist quests become post Level 50, and meeting new NPC friends associated with the guild is so much more fun than shipping whatever I just made through a drone to accomplish whatever in Cosmic Exploration.
Just something I experienced recently.
Continue reading...
I headed to Cosmic Exploration, the most straightforward and fast way to level up all crafters. I found a spot and just started spamming macros, working on something else while the game just played itself and I gained dozens of levels across all jobs.
It was straightforward, simple, dull, boring and soul crushing.
At level 65, most online macros recommend getting Manipulation. I realized I'd have to go back and do old content just to get this skill. So I went back and started doing all early quests and... holy crap. Instead of being parked somewhere spamming macros, I was actually engaging with the game. I found myself making lists of the items that I needed. Deciding what I could gather and craft myself, and what I'd rather just buy. I went on expeditions to find materials, and used my old knowledge of Eorzea to remember where certain mobs that dropped specific mats were.
I was engaging with the game and its world. And it was fun.
Though far from a perfect system, the whole process was so much more fun than Cosmic Exploration, which is horrendous at being engaging, besides helping Server Progress projects, but those got steamrolled through in like a week.
We need more organic friction brought back into the normal experience of doing anything in the game. I had forgotten how interesting the Alchemist quests become post Level 50, and meeting new NPC friends associated with the guild is so much more fun than shipping whatever I just made through a drone to accomplish whatever in Cosmic Exploration.
Just something I experienced recently.
Continue reading...