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[Yusaku_Kudou]

Square-Enix gives ample information about Final Fantasy XI. Perhaps a bit too much for the average MMO gamer, even. A monthly newsletter, advance warnings, frequent updates, instant bug fixes, no surprise downtime EVER. They have always been on top of their game with their players.

[Sekani]

On 2008-02-07 15:48, Yusaku_Kudou wrote:
Square-Enix gives ample information about Final Fantasy XI. Perhaps a bit too much for the average MMO gamer, even. A monthly newsletter, advance warnings, frequent updates, instant bug fixes, no surprise downtime EVER. They have always been on top of their game with their players.

This should be pretty much the standard for any online game. Unfortunately what FFXI also does is give little to no information on actual gameplay or mechanics. Some of the quests and missions are nearly impossible for the average person to figure out how to complete without some kind of strategy guide as well. Limit Breaks? Promyvion? Good luck. Even basic concepts like Skillchains and Magic Bursts are a mystery to newbies.

While I can sort of understand that not everyone here wants the type of hand-holding that WoW gives, I don't think it's unreasonable for a player to be able to find out, say, where the Casino is without having to search Google or something.

[GreenArcher]

Figuring out stuff on my own is probably the funnest thing about a game.

[Legendria]

I've been playing PSU for over 6 months and I STILL don't know what the Bow PA frag skills do.

Actually, without any external/fan sites, we wouldn't know much of anything about PSU that isn't directly hand-fed to us.

You have to admit, there are a lot of things that need to be explained. I don't think that the manual states that there are stat bonuses from certain race/class combinations, that protransers can see traps, the differences between SE levels and what levels enemies generally resist, buffs dont change at all from 1 - 10, 11 - 20, 21 - 30, 31 - 40, just what the hell the ranged PA's even do.....I could go on and on




<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Legendria on 2008-02-08 02:00 ]</font>

[physic]

as sekani said, I wasnt referring to updating the game and talking about it, I mean actual info on game content, it is nowhere in game or out of game 9/10 times. Missions may tell you something like lets go to this continent to fight this mob. (uuuuhhhhhh how the hell are we supposed to know to go to one tiny ??? in a whole continent?) only way is to ask someone who already did it or knows who already did it. That happens numerous times I remember having to get brown belt on monk, they gave you virtually no info on hunting a monster that spawns once every 24 hours, there is no way to know where in a large dunegon this monster pops, even searching the whole place you may never see it, since it spawns once every 24 hours + or - 3 hours.

In most games that would be considered bad game design, but its pretty much the norm for MMOs

[Finae]

Eh, most of the game devs will say they want you to find out for yourself on whatever in their game. They aren't going to hold your hand and say, well this is how damage is calculated or you should go to this place from lvl 1 to ???. This is exactly how MMOs are (i.e like ffxi) and when you're first put into the world, you decide what to do. Its like rl, if your parents had some sense (not spoil you a ton), when you turn 18, they are like, welcome to the real world, now have fun. Was I supposed to have some guide for this game called "real life?"

Hah, I shouldn't use real life as a example? Oh well, I did because a online game is just that (once again, if you are spoiled and your parents are dumb, you don't have to play "real life," just stay with your parents ;P). Devs not gonna tell you shit, just the basic stuffs to get you through. After that, its a total mystery and they want you solve teh many mysteries (can be anything ya kno ).