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Final Fantasy XIV outlines changes to the enmity systems

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Patches, Previews, News items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV

Enmity, hate, threat, or whatever term you prefer is a big part of combat in any MMO. It's the principle around which the concept of a tank is based, the idea that you can have one person responsible for drawing the attention of monsters. And in Final Fantasy XIV, the process of holding that enmity was complex, lacked an indicator, and was generally difficult to gauge. As part of patch 1.18's major battle system overhaul, the functions of enmity are being changed, streamlined, and improved to make tanking more straightforward for all players.

Monsters will be gaining a new indicator for enmity, allowing each player to effectively judge whether or not to hold back on attacking based on enmity. Similarly, the process of accumulating, holding, and dispelling enmity will be significantly streamlined. Final Fantasy XIV players fond of taking on the tanking role will want to take a look at the breakdown, which promises to make threat that much easier to hold on to.

Final Fantasy XIV outlines changes to the enmity systems originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 Jul 2011 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Soapbox: Spoiled solo

Eliot Lefebvre — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Endgame, Opinion, The Soapbox

Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column.

Back when I got started with MMOs, I was playing Final Fantasy XI and complaining quite loudly about the nature of the gameplay. I think it was after yet another night of sitting in Jeuno looking unsuccessfully for a party that I went on a real tear, complaining at length about how ridiculous it was that the game didn't let most classes just do things solo. Grouping up for everything was a gimmick, a cheap way to throw roadblocks at players. If you wanted to experience the game solo, you should be given that option by the game.

Final Fantasy XI never really changed to support that playstyle, but it wasn't long before we saw a flood of games with a much more solo-friendly attitude launch. World of Warcraft launched with solo leveling as a core feature, and over time we've moved on to games, such as Star Trek Online, which can be played solo almost the entire way through. You would think I'd be happy -- and I am, really. But I look back at games that required me to party up before I could even go out and earn some experience, and I can't help but think about what we've lost in the interim.

Continue reading The Soapbox: Spoiled solo

The Soapbox: Spoiled solo originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The replacements

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Classes, Expansions, Game mechanics, Opinion, A Mild-Mannered Reporter

Hey, guys, did you know that Going Rogue is launching in less than a week? That's crazy. It feels especially strange to me, since this was an expansion that had barely been announced when I started here, and has since become pretty personally important. But we're not here to talk about my vague feelings about the impending launch, we're here to talk about its larger implications for City of Heroes -- namely, the obvious systemic changes that might well be coming when the expansion goes live.

Now, some of you are doubtlessly going to point out that we're not even getting our first Incarnate slot, the expansion isn't changing any part of the system, and so forth and so on. But you forget that there is an interesting change to the system coming that we all know about: the fact that archetypes will no longer be allegiance-locked. That's right -- whether you're in City of Heroes or City of Villains, you'll no longer be limited to five different archetypes. And considering the fact that the archetypes are roughly analogous on both sides now, this might have just a bit of an impact.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The replacements

A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The replacements originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Party like a rock star in Final Fantasy XIV

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game mechanics, Previews, News items, Final Fantasy XIV

There are players out there who might be dreading parties in Final Fantasy XIV. Well, not precisely; they might well be dreading that the mechanics will be similar to the parties from Final Fantasy XI, where some classes could seemingly wait for ages without a trace of a group. Mercifully, the fine bilingual team at FFXIVCore has continued its apparent tradition of translating information to coincide with the new beta testing, with the newest translation being a guide to getting a working group in the game.

Guildleves are the game's core leveling mechanics, but new ones can only be accepted every so often, and they can be hard to complete on higher settings alone. By grouping up, players gain access to more guildleves from other players and more support in tackling the game's bigger challenges. The full translation has information on everything from the interface to form a party to the game's battle regiments, the equivalent of Final Fantasy XI's skillchains. (We're guessing they meant regimens, but that's the challenge of translation.) Final Fantasy XIV fans are advised to take a look at the article to start gearing up for the game's release in two months.

Party like a rock star in Final Fantasy XIV originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Tattered Notebook: Mail time

Seraphina Brennan — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Classes, Tips and tricks, Grouping, PvE, The Tattered Notebook

Ah ha! Finally! Freedom from the human reporter, Seraphina! She is going to PAX East, leaving me to my own devices! Now, finally, I can enact the plan I've been waiting so long to do!

...answer one of your e-mails. Muhahahahahahaha!

Ok, ok darlings. I know that perhaps this is not quite the same as world domination or the destruction of Qeynos, but it's special for me, yes? Usually I have to be somewhat pleasant in these weekly scribblings. But, with my oversight gone, I can let you experience the wrath of a true Tier'dal!

...with helpful advice along the way, of course.

Continue reading The Tattered Notebook: Mail time

The Tattered Notebook: Mail time originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Mar 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Mog Log: Those grapes were probably sour anyway

Eliot Lefebvre — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Game mechanics, Grouping, Opinion, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, The Mog Log

So, guess what beta I didn't get an invitation for. You can go consult with the instant replay if you want, I can wait.

I know that everyone is stunned. I certainly was. Of course, I assuaged my sadness by telling myself that I didn't really want to be in their stupid beta anyway, because I bet it smells bad and it sets my computer on fire. That line of reasoning worked real well. I don't honestly think my column got me kicked from the running for a Final Fantasy XIV beta slot, but it's a bit more reassuring than the idea that I just didn't get picked for some other reason. (I'm putting money on Square-Enix not knowing I exist, for the record.)

All things considered, I can live without the beta, even though I'm chomping at the bit to play the game. But I'm not the only person, place, or thing not currently darting about the world of Eorzea. And as long as I'm on a streak of making long-winded predictions, why break with formula? There are three other things that I suspect aren't in the beta either, and I intend to make a guessing game out of seeing how close I am to the truth.

Continue reading The Mog Log: Those grapes were probably sour anyway

The Mog Log: Those grapes were probably sour anyway originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 13 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A big thanks to all those that came to the Champions Online launch day partying

Seraphina Brennan — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, Culture, Events, in-game, Launches, New titles, Massively Meta, Champions Online

Yesterday was the superheroic launch of Champions Online, and we were very happy to get to play alongside some of you! Throughout the day we were jumping around on our characters, breaking from our former plans of camping in the Crisis zones to tackle challenges all over the Champions globe! From Canada to the Desert to even the fouler reaches of Millenium City, Massively readers were taking down some serious threats to the safety of the NPC population.

Didn't get the chance to catch up with us? No worries! We're on your friends list (most likely) so it won't be that hard to catch up with us while we're in-game. Thanks to the wonders of sidekicking, we're here if you ever need backup or just want to go out and save the day.

We hope you're all enjoying your time in Champions Online and your time partying and defeating villains with us. We know we're enjoying it, and thanks again!

A big thanks to all those that came to the Champions Online launch day partying originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anti-Aliased: Yu rack disriprine

Seraphina Brennan — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Culture, Game mechanics, Endgame, Opinion, Anti-Aliased

A few nights ago, I was in one of the worst pick-up groups I have ever seen. It was World of Warcraft, we were in Halls of Lightning, and we had opened up with a dramatic wipe on the first boss. (He wasn't even in his powered mode, which surprised me.)

Valiantly, we tried the battle again, but found the same effect. Everyone looked like they had enough gear -- I had done that boss with "worse" people backing me up. Of course, while I was pondering that, the squabbling had already begun in the party. Priest blames hunter, hunter blames mage, mage blames paladin, then the paladin stops pondering why we were failing, realizes people were blaming her, and becomes flustered that someone would actually blame her for the wipe. Meanwhile, the rogue sat in stealth and went afk. Perfect party dynamics.

Before long I found myself outside of Halls of Lightning again, sitting on the steps in my pristine holy plate armor. I held up a sign that said, "Will tank 4 food," while I kept up hopes that another party would take me in. (Note: Apparently Game Informer used "Will tank 4 food" in their latest magazine, which just read 5 minutes ago, well after this article was completed. Scary.)

Party dynamics seem to be on the decline, but why? Pick-up groups were always a scary prospect, but lately they seem to have become something entirely more nightmarish. What the heck has changed?

Continue reading Anti-Aliased: Yu rack disriprine

Anti-Aliased: Yu rack disriprine originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Mar 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Why you should be playing Final Fantasy XI: Level sync

Seraphina Brennan — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Tips and tricks, Why You Should Be Playing

"Why you should be playing ..." is a free form column from Massively.com intended to inform you about our favorite parts of our favorite games. We want you to know why we play what we do!

This should be a story that any MMO player is intimately acquainted with. You've just picked up an awesome new MMO and have been flying through the levels. It's gripping you and you really want to share it with your friends. Then you realize the fatal problem that occurs with most MMOs -- you're too high level and you don't want to wait for your friends to catch up.

With Final Fantasy XI, this was the brutal nature of the game. Being one or two levels away from your party resulted in decreased exp for everyone involved. Being three levels or more meant the party just didn't work at all and experience was ruined for everyone. It was unbearably hard to get parties, because everyone had to be within 2 levels of one another. With the recent advent of level sync, however, those days are long gone.

Continue reading Why you should be playing Final Fantasy XI: Level sync

Why you should be playing Final Fantasy XI: Level sync originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 30 Dec 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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