If You Could Improve XI

There's /lockstyle and there's blinkmenot. Don't whine about something that can easily be fixed.

Technical part
General Gameplay fixes
Enmity reworkingDamage reduction gearPet JobsAoE damage scalingScaling ContentJA/Magic delay (global cooldownBuffsEnhancing MagicSkillchainsEnemy TP

Job specific tweaks

This would also carry with it a new found reason to actually Slow/Elegy/Paralyze mobs, where as now slower auto attacks and/or a paralyzed auto attack does little to really be worth while.

On the other hand, making it possible to make TP moves happen less often would make most fights difficulty drop dramatically, as TP moves are typically the only threat with mobs. To further balance that, do we load up on truck loads of insta-gib or retardedly annoying status effect inflicting moves? Neither are preferred, but that's been SE's answer to mobs being a threat for the longest time.

#1 is easy. If you can't remove the illegal third-party players and the game cannot survive without them, then give the game a proper sendoff and be done with it. This game is supposed to be played on equal terms by players on all three platforms. That's it. There's a reason those rules were put in place, and the American players who've ***and spit in the face of them are one of the reasons that most of the rest of the players (esp. JP) want no part of us.

1) A real GM force. I can't count the number of times I've sent a GM thing and it's been multiple hours to get a response, even if the request is legitimate, even if it's simply checking to make sure something's legal. There are sometimes things which happen (which see the November update) which can't wait for the queue, so they need to strengthen that.

2) A real STF. It's hard for me to fathom too many upper-tier players in this day and age (especially on Comeatmebot-athan) who aren't some form of RMT. I'm sure I'd get more than a few people saying that RMT is about the only reason they're playing.

Probably been that way for years with some of the BG crew.

3) On the vein, if you're going to tell me that badmouthing the illegal play is actually detrimental to the (how did they put it when they've banned me and others from the OF...) player community or whatnot, that basically what they're saying is that these criminal pieces of crap (and that's what they are, see California law, which I've discussed before on my own at quite length) ARE the player community. And, in that vein, you're not going to get new players. Who would want to, especially with a more successful Final Fantasy XIV around?

So, let's presume for a moment that that's done, and the game has sufficient players to survive.

OK, first, you have to make clear of this timeline and, to the best of ability, stick to it. It's useless to give the timeline and then not adhere (which see the summons, new UI, the Aht Urhgan one from 2006 or so...).

The first and foremost is that you have to give people the understanding the game DOES have a future. Right now, especially for those of us who've finished Adoulin, we want to know what's next.

In 12 months (and it'd probably take a year), you'd get ROM10 -- "Final Fantasy XI: Final Frontiers", the sixth and final expansion. Yes, reality is reality, the game is probably too old to have much longer of a situation when it's playerbase shudders in the face of <i>World of Warcraft</i>.

Basically, the expansion would be a two-year situation. Everything leading up in that next year would be to ramp for that expansion.

2015 in general: Take a REAL LOOK at the job balance situation, and put all options on the table. (Yes, this does even include removing jobs like Red Mage, if they are seen as completely useless.)

You also have to find a way to create content that isn't like PLD BRD RNG MNK WHM SAM or GTFO...

2015 in general: Change the incentives for campaigns. The BC ones, the login campaigns, etc. Good idea, getting old. Find other incentives which can be used.

Hell, if you could get the RMT out of the game, you could even go with a subscription thing not unlike... EVE Online, is it, with the PLEX system?

Job/Capacity Points: Must be easier to get, somehow. That's getting to be an ultimate grind, especially with the "Gift" system which is coming December 2014 Update.

January-March 2015: Solidify Adoulin content, as that's going to be the basis for the new expansion. You're going to need as many players at 117 or better in at least a couple of viable jobs.

April-June 2015: Start introducing the new expansion. Yes, two new jobs to make 24. (IF any jobs are removed, then another will be added.)

I'd look to the other Final Fantasy games for concepts, say, like even Mascot from X-2 and create the ultimate catch-all job, which was really what Mascot was in that game.

How about an Alchemist who can Mix items?

Whatever the jobs have to be has to fit the canon of the Final Frontiers -- literally the ultimate hidden arcana/skills of the Far East and Far South (even the Far North, which we were supposed to get some of in Adoulin and did not!!!).

July-September 2015: Introduce the Academy of the Far East. (It goes full-scale in the expansion, but you get a preview, not unlike the Voidwalkers for Abyssea, six months beforehand) You want ultimate power? You have to train for it. This could be just about anything, given the job, but you could use anything from a straight Maat-style fight to increase the maximum ilevel you can use on an incremental basis.

Perhaps even some BETTER one-hours (and not ones that take two years to foul up) as part of this Academy?

October-December 2015: Start dropping more hints about the Far South and North. Even give them an idea of where things are headed: 18 months from the release, a final move is made by the ultimate enemy of the game (whether created now or especially for Final Frontiers) to cut things off. You want to play that final six months? You have to prove your worth, not only to yourself and your friends, but to the server.

Other things in 2015, though I could list forever and you won't read them anyway:

DRG: A Deus Ex Machina for the wyvern. It's almost as if BST now has Call Beast as a Deus Ex Machina vs. Bestial Loyalty. Work it out right, you not only no longer need to spend any jugs for Dynamis farming, you don't even need the pet food either!

So it's time the DRG gets on even footing.

RDM: Make it viable or delete it. Period.

Content wise:

-All significant bosses build immunity to stun, so as a result, you'd spend stuns wisely.

-Significant reduction on the haste cap, making Haste spells weaker in light of that.

-Self Skillchains weaker, Skillchains with others stay the same, Magic burst buffed.

-Increased Enmity on Coronach/Namas Arrow so everything isn't RNG burn.

-Significant nerf to Aegis and Ochain.

-Nerf to all Refresh Spells. Make a Refresh cap in equipment.

-More instanced Endgame content that requires you to climb tiers.
To expand on this, make it a similar fashion to VNM, where the KI to traverse higher tiers isn't guaranteed, atleast for the upper-tiers. KI's are lost upon use. Or maybe something in similar fashion to Limbus. The important thing being, content has blocks.

-Bosses loot do not have guaranteed checks for equipment like the Delve bosses do. Bring back percentage drops, I'm not really sure how severe and don't really care to think that far, but, yeah.


I just fixed your endgame in 5mis.

Only thing I can think of is, introduce official support/QA for third party tools, the game would be so much better for everyone if SE collaborated with 3rd party tool creators than victimise them, no stupid ***like Cupper being suddenly OK but stuff like windower and most of the plugins/addons, apradar or w/e map equivalent, tools that query popular sites while you are in game.

That sort of thing.

So kill Paladin then?

I concur that over time the list of situational gear has grown too much, it would be nice to see more and more and MORE consolidation options being released by SE, and less very situational items ("can only be used during the 7th moon when there's double fire weather between 5:00 and 6:00 and you're using a light based skillchain").
I can agree to this. In its attempt to add interesting sidegrades, the game brings it too further away with the situational stuff.

This being said, I don't want to sound like a moron but if you're playing FFXI expecting to use a single set of gear you're clearly playing the wrong game and please allow me to suggest to check the rest of what the market is currently offering. There are several really nice titles which use a "single equipment set" model. Actually FFXI is one of the few if not the only title left with this "original" and unusual model. Please let it be and let people who like this model still have the choice of playing such a game ;)

No, make Paladin killable.

You would have to nerf more than Ochain and Aegis then, Priwen for example is comparable to Ochain providing you keep reprisal up, which is very easy to do in an event you'd bring PLD to.

You're not wrong, yeah. All shields would need reworking in light of a nerf to Aegis/Ochain so while they still remain top-tier, don't make PLD simply a impenetrable wall.

Yep, I had that in mind when I thought that.


I thought about that as well but forgot to articulate.
In FFXI for a long time the typical behavioural model of NMs has been:

1) Monster generates TP (regain, his attacks, but mostly attacks received)
2) When a certain amount of TP has been reached, the monster will use a random TP move between those available in that moment
3) Being under a certain % of HP will unlock more dangerous TP moves to be used

In a scenario where TP gained from received attack is minimal, with such a model the ability of noticeably slowing the monster ==> slows his TP gain ==> slow moves usage ==> easier content.
Just like you said.

There are two possible solutions here imho:
1) Make a strong regain the main source of TP for mobs. That way even if slowed down, they will gain TP more or less at the same rate.
2) Make individual changes, situational and mostly HPbased variables to the monster's behaviour.

I advocate solution number 2 and this is what I'd aim for if I were magically made the main designer with a lot of resources (back in-topic! :P)
It's the way things already work, partially, for some FFXI NMs, and it's generally the "standard" in every MMO.
Mobs will use specific moves in specific situations/HP% regardless of their TP value. This is more work on their side because you would have to code these things into individual "AIs" for each NM, but it doesn't seem impossible.



Furtherly stretching this concept though we could get to the conclusion that Monsters (at least NMs?) do not really need to behave like players do. They don't need to have TP and to gain it to use certain moves, they could work a different way to handle their AIs and make them use moves regardless of their TP level.
Just talking in pure concept theory of course. Realistically this is too big of a change, it could never happen.

^These are brilliant

If your bored enough... heres my opinions

There would be NO NEED for that if the game did NOT delete the player object while it's reloading the armor data after the user re-equips. It's as if they were using part of the zoning code for making the other players machines reload the player which re-equipped the gear.

Some JPs use the re-equip stuff characteristic to cause the "/checking" player to lose target when they feel offended from a /check. That's the only reason I might think they consider keeping such a stupid behavior ingame.

Blinkmenot is third party stuff. Not everyone is willing to use that. (like me I don't use windower)

And /lockstyle depends on collaboration from the "blinking" parties. WTF you're thinking, SE ?

Band-aid fixes for everyone ?

The colaboratinh from blinking party, if you mean the others blinking, i also dont have that problem, i use show armor static.

I aggre my life is pretty sad, seeing everyone as new player, i even dont have a clue what the others are wearing aside the weapon, but it makes playing a lot better.

/lockstyle on and static armor, its not an optimal solution, but hey! Its a working solution.

It still don't solve the issue. SE is unwilling to change stuff on the game engine. I dunno if they're worried about breaking it and being unable to fix but I doubt they could not run experiments with that on their "laboratory" (Atomos and the game development kit build). They just don't want to rework the core of the game no matter what. That sucks and that's why most of the good suggestions on this thread have absolutely zero chances of being even considered.

If I know you well enough, you just do that to see all the mithra in the skimpy RSE. ;P

Thats a side bonus.

A good one.

I have no words to express how cool a JSE Wardrobe would be!
In an ideal world when you zone into MH it would load in memory all the possible JSE wardrobes for all your jobs, then swap to the right one once you pick a job and once you're out of MH, once zoning, only that specific one would be loaded.

Would solve all of my inventory woes for like... forever.


Realistically I'm not sure it's possible to implement. It could be possible if Mogs only existed in Mog Houses/Garden, but they also exist in open towns (Tavnazia, Rabao, Norg, Selbina, Mhaura, Khazam etc) and we know that Mogs are present in the game's memory even inside all towns, they just aren't normally accessible.

I'm sure we all ran into the "mog appearing out of mog house" bug in Lower Jeuno at least once. Yesterday it happened to me in Adoulin, right outside of the Courier's Coalition. I could access my moogle there, swap jobs etc. Then it disappeared after a few seconds.

This means that they would have to apply this "load all" technology to ALL TOWNS at least, if not even more. As far as we know there might be an unaccessible moogle present in memory even in open areas.



Regardless from these implications which I cannot judge, if this could be possible it would really be an incredibly awesome change, I have no words to express how much I'd love it.

The cost to "rework the core" would be immense, and time consuming.

To the point where they mine as well just make a new game. Would be nice if FFXI-2 happened but never will. Too risky.

lol they remade FFX and FFX-2. And these two use the *same* 3D engine as FFXI (the "dancer" engine crap they developed for the PS2)

Yet look them on the PS3 now. FFXIII is on Steam, too. Because the "white" engine was natively developed on the PC all they had to wait was the exclusivity contracts expire to make the Windows PC release.

Game specific behavior has nothing to do with the graphics engine. More to do with the game logic. And they don't seem to be willing to mess with that.

Get back to WoW and stay there.

Run off all the whiners

So what you are saying Is we kill off pld and everyone starts to bring a nin tank or DDS go /nin? A pld is supposed to be an impenetrable wall that is what a tank is. Nin blocks all single tank AoEs so are shadows going to be nerfed to 1 per spell or make it on a JA with a 40 sec timer so FC and haste doesn't make it so you can get them back up once they drop off. If you nerf Aegis and Ochain a lot of other things need nerfing too.

Tsumaru
Dharp
GHorn
most if not all RME
MNKs
Shadows
jobs with JA haste and equipment that enhances it.
Whm empyrean legs and those other legs from puppet in peril


Thats just a short list and im so glad that people like you don't make MMOs.

The team working on FFXI isn't big enough to do such a thing this is why we are getting rehashed stuff going go till they finally finish the bigger things they have planned. This is also why things get pushed back to a later date Cait Sith is a good example would only have taken one person to do it they just couldn't spare that one person from other things. You lot seem to be thinking the dev team is the same size as what it used to be.... its not its a lot smaller and there probably isn't that many left, if any, of the original dev team.

You sound like you don't use <stal> in your macros.
Because you sound exactly like this WHM a friend picked up for his PUG of a SKCNM.... Spent the whole fight bitching at the BRD to use lockstyle cause they couldn't cure him.
I said to use <stal> instead of <stpc> and they gave me some *** about how that won't change anything.
"***, I'm an endgame WHM, you in your full eminent gear thinking that that's ok." Is what I wanted to say... But I didn't since the dumb ho ragequit cause she didn't know about how to play the game.

So I have to ask, are you using <stal>?

No, because I play with a game pad, like the game was originally designed to be played... lol But really I don't have much trouble with that because I usually keep the monster targeted instead. And I only "navigate" to the curing target after the spell is selected (that's pretty much what <stal> does for people playing on a keyboard, no ?).

Dunno if this was said but..

-Discontinue PS2 support globally
-Hire a guy to redesign some recolored armor, and design new armor in the future
-Remove iLv and implement up to job level 125
-Adjust current iLv gear to to a higher job level
-Readjust the damage mods of Atonement from being based upon enmity to being based upon VIT and MND, give it the added effect of "Provoke" (Always annoyed me)
-R/M/E fairness, DNC would get Mandau, RUN would get Ragnarok and Cladbolg, etc. the two Ergon weapons would be rebranded as Mythics and acquired the same way.
-Lv. 52-60 AF for RUN and GEO. (why not?)
-Extend old content into new content; new Dynamis zones, new VW paths, new tiers of Salvage, new HNMs, etc.
-Job adjustments; one example is allowing RUN to use chain mail armor. (I'm sure RUN has been adjusted since I played it, but when I did there wasn't really anything for it to tank; it was a RDM-school drop-out, using a greatsword, wearing THF gear.)
-With the discontinuance of PS2 support, start upgrading graphics.
-Explore the possibility of Xbone support and discontinuing Xbox 360 support. Movin' on up.
EDIT:
-HNMs would be returned to a timer spawn, no more item pop BS.

/shrug

Let BLU turn into soulflayers in their mog house :)