Huge changes are being made to single player and solo content in FFXIV over the course of Endwalker to the point where we could see the MSQ become totally solo content. Where a new player could buy FFXIV and spend the majority of their time enjoying a single player game.
I just wanted to make a quick video covering this after watching the recent FFXIV live letter and thing about the future of ffxiv, the pro’s and cons of focusing on single player content and what it could mean for future players of FFXIV. This video is from the perspective of a 15 year wow player and a huge MMORPG fan who has seen an increasing push towards casual content over there.
Hope you enjoy the video and I’ll catch you in the next one
Reference:
https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/threads/456921
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I'll say this, the Trusts are what may entice me to level tanks and healers–then take those jobs into group content. The idea of learning jobs on my own so I don't spend valuable time wiping on alien mechanics blind sounds fantastic to me. I'm going to treat it like a more advanced training simulator.
I think this can only be a good thing. The trust system would allow people who prefer the single player life to do just that. Play a "single player" game. And those who want the MMO experience can play the dungeons how they were. More options = more satisfaction.
I'm only worried that taking away necessity to Duty Finder early on will make new players have much less occassions to interact with other players. People are afraid of queueing as tanks or healers because they're afraid of failing expectations – but that takes away the chance for them to realize that people embrace their mistakes and are willing to always help. People make friends by just meeting in dungeons and trials, by removing that window they'll close in the circles of their own friend groups and fcs. That is a worry of mine.
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https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLatBUqXIPJGj7c_CsXA3X6WeCYjRcT1Hz
I quite like the trust system. I really, really hate tanking, a bit ambivalent about healing so during SHB and Endwalker I made great use of Trusts to avoid imposing my ineptness on others.
As a consequence, all my trust people are max level. Got a cool acheivement for it too.
It's nice that it's an OPTION and not the only method. That would suck.
I think this is a good thing, overall. Trusts are how I level my alts and I always Trust a new dungeon now before I do the dungeon with other people. Some people are less social than others, and those who don't want to interact will not do so, but those who do want to will reach out. I think this will be amazing for casual players and those who play at off-hours. Me, I like doing solo content, but I also like being social and there will always be social things to do in this game. 'Pony' runs, treasure maps, alliance/high-end raids, PVP, hunts… these are content that are social and I don't see them becoming single player.
I don't mind Trust for new players. I think a lot of them who never played MMO, may use it to Learn mechanics and understand how-to-play-mmo. It's helpful. People for a long time asked for extra things to teach people more standard mechanics (like from first 24-man Alliance Rad), things like Guildhest or something like that.
Still, I will always prefer runs with other people
I do Trust after MSQ, once per day if I have time, and I am slowly leveling my characters up to 90 using jobs that I am not really into (like GunBreaker).
But, after today's Live Letter, I would really love to use my squadron for dungeons or some custom-made adventurer's (my Retainers maybe? xD_ that could be my second team – I think it would be great addition for role-playing.
I am conflicted. I got into tanking and healing solely to avoid queues, and they grew into my favorite classes as a result. If I could have just had Thancred take my hits — IT'S HIS TURN, after all — and Alphinaud heal my wounds, then I would have never expanded my experience and given up midway through.
I feel like queues will only worsen as a result of the Duty Support System, pushing more people into using it, thus worsening queues further, etc. As someone who mostly plays solo I welcome more accessibility options, but this is an MMO, and if you're not willing to interact with other players then there are at least 13-14 other single-player FF games, and at least 4 of them are actually good!
They did say that unlockable dungeons would not have Trusts (or Duty Support is what their calling it). That could be an opportunity for those who have only been running with NPCs to try running with other people.
Ultimately if it brings more people to play the game, I think it’s good. I think they’re so confident their content and the community will make them an MMO fan. Maybe starting out with the intention of experiencing the game solo, but FCs and interactions will most likely open them up to the complete experience. As best I understand it, only MSQ dungeons will get the trust treatment and odds are people will want to see the secondary content as well at some point. The idea is to pull people in and then hook them with their content and community.
overall it's wonderful, I'm a diehard fan of final fantasy but never want to play 11 and 14 just because it's an MMO game, and I know how an MMO works with the endless grind, vast empty world, and little to no storytelling so I never have a need to play them so I really know the feeling of somebody who just wants to play the game like a normal FF, I try the game back to 3. x days and immediately bounce back not until ShB drop and watching some review of old FF contents creator I decided to try again and the rest is history so overall I do believe if ppl play the game like a single-player game, after the MSQ a lot will stay and learn to play in a group or just take part in the social aspect of it
I think I'm somewhat in the middle on the whole solo vs. group play. I was not an MMO player, but I final fantasy fan, so I dove in to XIV back in 2015 with zero clue what an MMO was. When I first started I had a great FC that ran everything together, so I enjoyed the social play. Then when my FC disbanded, I was left without many friends and I was an anxious player, so I would have loved to have more solo content. I'm now in another large, active FC, so we run a lot together, but I did do all of EW with Trusts if I could because it was more immersive. I still use Trusts when I'm leveling a new job, I know I might have to step away, or I just feel like being alone. Even doing all of EW mostly solo, I still did social stuff with my FC and hung out at events, so I like the combination and hope that other people like me use both options.
I will wholly admit to being one of those "I've played/owned every FF except XI and XIV" people and likely still would have been if a friend hadn't nudged me into XIV by buying it for me (I want to say late HW/nearly Stormblood) and Battle for Azeroth making me turn to XIV full-time for my MMO needs. Still haven't touched XI, though, since it's an older MMO that likely wouldn't be as fun for me to play even if I had friends to play it with. Enticing others like me is always a smart investment. Should be interesting to see how it affects the early game in later years though.
I think that they are being a bit smart to introduce trust to the lower level instances because some of them can be rather hard to get into when trying to get into them for level an alt, level a new class at a lower level, or using lower level dungeons to learn the basics of a class (this is what i did to teach myself sage, i eased up into harder content). It also allows people to play alone if they want but it's not closing off playing with others.
I have an older cousin (who got me into gaming in general) thats a huge fan of the final fantasy franchise but has yet to touch xi and xiv because theyre mmos and doesnt consider them real final fantasy games. This push to solo might what would be the thing ive needed into have her try and play the game with me. But better start of with the free trial as to not make her think shes wasted money on a game she might never play again.
TBH, this is the exact concerns that people were panicking over when Trusts were first introduced in ShB. For the most part, I don't think they've panned out, simply because grouping provides enough advantages on its own (speed) and roulette bonuses ensure there's at least some population to work with for any particular content. The mandatory group content that IS there, like CT, does also provide some on-ramps for people to get a bit more used to interacting with others, if they are more on the fence.
They also just clarified in the live letter that it's unlikely they will be able to get up to automating Alliance Raids or Raids (and that Trials won't be updated until 7.0, if they do so at all).
When I first started FFXIV I ran a dungeon for the first time and after I died from not knowing a boss pattern my team just said to me "leave please, not looking to have my time waisted" I told them it was my first time and I just got "so? nothing you haven't seen before." after the dungeon I did report and it seems like the guy was actually prema banned since they've never logged on since. After that though I let my sub roll and didn't touch the game for a few months since that just killed all my motivation.
I even remember seeing someone on reddit mention how his party vote kicked someone in their VERY FIRST dungeon, no advice. nothing said they just kicked him when he was brand new to the game. That kinda stuff just kills the game for people
If my experience with lost arc (playing solo) has ever taught me anything, if the community shout/say/tell/etc chat box that garners a respectable and fun discussion, it encourages solo players to try out multiplayer mode, knowing when players are forgiving for any mistakes a sprout would make. the sense of disconnect between community and solo players starts to show when the solo player, in an attempt to dip their toes into playing multi-player content, only to be met with scorn and bad faith advice for not knowing how specific dungeon mechanics work.
There is something that's been said by Yoshida and his team more times then i care to count: FFXIV is a Final Fatasy first and MMO second. Personally i agree with you that it might backfire later on but overall i think it's a good thing. if you do your daily roulettes you have to play with other people. there is no way around that. But it will only effect dungeons for now. Raids and other 8 man content might follow but alliance raids will not get Trust/Dungeon Support System (as they will call it for dungeons pre shadowbringer). another point in favor of the trust/DSS early on for me is that i might help get familliar with those stackmakers so THAT THEY DON'T CONSTANTLY RUN AWAY WITH THEM!
Even though I am shy in the chat when I’m in groups, I still like running with a live group. It’s just something about going through content for the first time with people. But as a primarily solo player I also like the option of the trusts.
I'm really happy they're doing this. I know people who won't play XIV because they're afraid of having to interact with other players. But at the same time, they're interested in the game itself and want to see the story and gameplay. I can see this being especially useful to console players who don't use keyboards and have a hard time communicating with other players. I once got a duty with a tank who didn't have a keyboard, and it was difficult communicating. At first I thought he just wasn't seeing the chat, but we managed to work out communication where he jumped if he understood what I was saying. lol For people who are more okay with the social side and want to meet people and learn together, we can all still play normally. And people who start out as solo players may warm up to playing with others over time. When the Trust system was first announced, a lot of people were against it, saying it was going to kill the activity in dungeons, queue times were gonna be impossible, it was gonna ruin the game, etc. But none of that happened. It was just an option, and a lot of players prefer playing with other people instead of NPC's. So I expect this is probably gonna be the same deal. lol
A lot of people get anxiety issues when it comes to dungeons, especially for new players. they don't want to be a burden to the othe party members. This isn't mandatory, if someone wants to do it solo, let them do it solo, if they want to do it with actual players, they have that choice to. The whole game is about choice and what the player wants to do and not what they are forced to do. I like that. Sometimes I like grouping with people, sometimes (most of the time) I prefer to be alone. For me, this is great and I am sure many others will agree as well!
I play this game as single-player rpg right now xD all content except mandatory dungeons solo, no talking
Looking at WOW, putting too much single player content in an MMO could reduce the size and dynamics of the community. I think an MMO should ideally have a community like classic WOW which was amazing, lasting friendships were made and there were actual in-game cultures. One way to do this is to require other people for some content.
I think instead of making multiplayer content single player, they should try to make systems that encourage people to talk to each other more and make communication easier, thus allowing them to experience all the content more time efficiently.
If they can't do that, I would prefer they simply ignore the people who don't have the time and prefer a single player experience then just create a game that's marketed to those looking for a strong community and multiplayer content in an MMO. They already have a lot of single player games after all. If they try to get both, they might lose more from one or both sides.
A lot of people are naturally nervous when talking to others in an MMO, so if new players are not encouraged to do so, the community will shrink. A lot of people might not want to talk to others at first, but start to like it when they are incentivized to try and then grow better both as an MMO player and as a person.
Well those are my thoughts, peace out !
as long as it’s just an option say for people catching up from the beginning of the game… and it doesn’t erase the whole reason for an mmo – then i think it’s a good move.
I think that the reasons that lead to Trusts throughout all MSQ content are multilevel. First, SE experimented with Trusts in Shadowbringers, and players enjoyed it enough to ask for it to be extended to past content. Second, there are a number of gamers who've played one of the Final Fantasy series who are turned off by the bad reputation of multiplayer games, who might enjoy the great storyline without the hassle of queueing up for dungeon instances with three players of unknown temperament. If I went by the themes and attitudes present in the Final Fantasy XIV forums with regard to "other" players in multiplayer instances, I'd be a bit hesitant to even try the game.
While I understand the concerns about the aftereffects of the implementation of single player elements to the game, only time will tell how it will impact the game.
In my opinion however, since the game is designed to unlock content by talking to NPCs and watching multiple cutscenes, its going to be hard to sell this game as time goes one.
I introduced this game to a couple of friends who almost gave up on the game because they want to play as DPS but because the queues are long, they are forced to roll tank or healer just to progress to the story a bit faster because they only have limited amount of time to play as they're always working away from home. They don't like being at tank or healer because its not appealing to them and not because of anxiety or whatever (they're super chill and goofy). Sure you can ask for help via party finder but its not always that someone will help them. With this new system, new players don't feel like they are being punished for playing DPS because can just quickly queue. It might take 10 more minutes to complete the run, but at least the can move on to the next quest.
Now those friends of mine have like 1 tank and 1 healer at max level, the reason? So that they can queue faster, and they still don't find tanks/healers appealing to play even in Raids (They cleared Ultimates while I didn't because I don't have the patience and time to raid so I remained a casual). They cleared Ultimates using Tank/Healer but re-cleared with their mains as MNK/NIN and the other is BRD/SAM.
I think your "tin foil hat" stuff is really what people are worried about. There's concern that this heralds a more expansive change to the game than just what is announced so far. A slippery slope, if you will. And while I understand that concern, I really think it's unlikely to be an issue.
I think making ARR a "solo-able" experience from start to finish is perfectly fine, but I think it's important to remember that they are only making story dungeons trust-compatible. Joining non-story leveling dungeons and the like will still be something a lot of players will be doing even during their first playthrough. There's still non-story post-ARR dungeons as well, along with the requirement to complete the Crystal Tower raids. Making the latter work with trusts, or changing it to work as a standard dungeon, would be so resource-intensive compared to the payoff that I sincerely doubt they'd even bother, notwithstanding that I doubt the playerbase would go along with it.
This is all to say that all but the most absolutely dedicated solo players will find themselves in the company of others fairly frequently. Those who don't will likely never be the kind of social players that people are worried will disappear. Frankly, that's the real truth here. FFXIV is a game with a vibrant community. Bringing more players in will bring in some folks who are initially anxious or uninterested in the social aspect, but ultimately join in. Others may play the game and never really engage with the community, but those people were never going to do that. The chance that all of the current social activity will suddenly disappear because everyone prefers running their dungeons more slowly and without resurrection is nonexistent.
Ita definitely a good thing while giving the options of those players to go full on Multiplayer MMO
I really wouldn't worry this would lose the category as an MMO.
And if the hame is actually considered as a single player game as well, that just bring more opportunities to win more rewards
Hey Marty! Unrelated comment, but I just want you to know how amazing it is to have your channel to work alongside as I make my own journey through FFXIV. I started about three months ago and found your channel not long after. Every time I complete a big chunk of the MSQ I watch your your video that parallels what I just did. It's great to see your animation and that you share the same excitement for having a new MMO to call home.