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[iammeiam]

I've just been assuming Alexander Normal is the replacement for CT for a while now. It lets them reuse a bunch of assets, get the casual raid out on the same schedule as the srs raid, and make the raid storyline accessible to everyone.

What they'll do for odd-numbered patches, I have no idea, but I don't think it's inherently bad?

I'm also slowly coming around to the idea that they made FCoB too easy to overgear; I guess the ideal Alexander Savage has some of the Savage SCoB style mechanics to keep it vaguely involving after everyone gears up +echo without going quite as crazy. It'll be interesting to hear how they balance it I guess.

the bait worked \o/

Is this what fishing is like?

It'll be like fishing when you bait me 50 times and I don't respond, and then finally it looks like I'm responding but NO quoting somebody else.

 

[IvorB]

I guess I'm the only person on Earth who sees an issue with the only 2 difficulty levels of the new Alexander raid being 'CT' and 'Savage Coil'. There's a reason why Blizzard has like 5 difficulty levels for WoW raids now, some people don't want everything to be faceroll or impossible with no in-between options.

No, I'm totally with you on this. Looks like people who aren't in statics and want challenging content are out in the cold again.

 

[scy]

What they'll do for odd-numbered patches, I have no idea, but I don't think it's inherently bad?

Floating Continent is 3.1 so I guess whatever style of content that ends up being will be their "filler" one?

It'll be like fishing when you bait me 50 times and I don't respond, and then finally it looks like I'm responding but NO quoting somebody else.

And each time I'll think it's about me?

So just like normal then, actually.

No, I'm totally with you on this. Looks like people who aren't in statics and want challenging content are out in the cold again.

Hm ...

Do you want to do that kind of content with random people? The hard parts of Savage Coil, for instance, isn't really about the difficulty of the mechanics themselves. Most of them aren't that bad. It's the level of coordination needed on the fly for them. The idea of doing that with random people is frightening to me; you can't really build up that coordination quickly.

I liken the "CT difficulty" to more mean like ... CT/ST/WoD or even nerfed Second Coil design where the coordination checks are scaled back. You need mechanics to be dealt with at an individual level rather than at the group level.

 

[tiggerkiddo]

Oh dear, I hope Alexander normal isn't CT level of difficulty.

 

[Ken]

Anyone get early access code from Amazon or GameStop yet?

 

[Sorian]

Normal Mode Alexander is CT-level difficulty? What.

Wow, its almost like thats what I said the entire fucking time.

 

[Frumix]

Normal Mode Alexander is CT-level difficulty? What.

I think Extreme primals difficulty level is a better assessment. We won't really know until we see it I guess, but it doesn't sound like it's just gonna be a dumb faceroll.
Jumping from Lahabrea level straight to FCOB+ level would be weird.

Floating Continent is 3.1 so I guess whatever style of content that ends up being will be their "filler" one?

What? Floating Continent is 3.0. It's not the 24-man raid, it's an open world zone(s).

 

[scy]

What? Floating Continent is 3.0. It's not the 24-man raid, it's an open world zone(s).

I know it's not the 24-man raid, I just thought it was 3.1 as well. Hm. Guess I'm remembering incorrectly.

 

[aceface]

There is still gonna be a 24 main raid just not floating continent I guess?

next 24man raids coming in 3.1.

On normal Alexander, I would be fine with extreme primal levels of difficulty.

 

[Pellegri Testament]

I know it's not the 24-man raid, I just thought it was 3.1 as well. Hm. Guess I'm remembering incorrectly.

Alexander(derp on me thinking FC) is several weeks after launch. It's the same thing that WoW does with it's raids where they're giving people 2-3 weeks to not poopsock shit and still be ready for the raid when it's out. It puts everyone on a far more equal playing field when it comes to expac launch raids.

 

[Shamdeo]

If 2.0 - 2.1 is any clue...

3.0
Alexander (Normal, Savage)
Bismarck, Ravana (Normal, Hard)

3.1
24-man Alliance Tier 1
Bismarck, Ravana (Extreme)

 

[Valor]

I wouldn't go crazy on the difficulties of Alex normal and savage just yet. People are just going to end up disappointed in one way or another. We will have a decent way to go.

Opening up Alex to a more casual type of player is a good idea, I think, and the people who are currently FCOB raiding will still get their challenge with Alex Savage. I don't think they would scale Alex too high considering how few people have done SCoB Savage.

 

[Frumix]

Finally traced the source of the Alexander-related questions.
Comes from this guy's blog on lodestone: http://jp.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/character/1633046/blog/2192330/

Could be bull, could be real, idk.
Main takeaway from it is that Alexander Savage difficulty is imagined to be on the level of what FCOB Savage would be if it had one. No direct answer on what normal is like.

FCOB Savage... FCOB is technically simplier in most of its mechanics than SCOB was.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

This convo is also happening on the official forums:
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/threads/230913-Alexander-Normal-difficulty...

 

[BadRNG]

Finally traced the source of the Alexander-related questions.
Comes from this guy's blog on lodestone: http://jp.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/character/1633046/blog/2192330/

Could be bull, could be real, idk.
Main takeaway from it is that Alexander Savage difficulty is imagined to be on the level of what FCOB Savage would be if it had one. No direct answer on what normal is like.

FCOB Savage... FCOB is technically simplier in most of its mechanics than SCOB was.

Does Yoshida normally give interviews to random dudes on lodestone.

Anyway, the bigger take away for me was that Heroic Alexander difficulty is not even technically decided yet. Depending on clear rate and feedback it can change if you go off from what he says there.

 

[Shamdeo]

I think the only official context we've had was that it's like Binding Coil with full echo and good gear, which isn't really on the same level as CT.

 

[Frumix]

Does Yoshida normally give interviews to random dudes on lodestone.

Anyway, the bigger take away for me was that Heroic Alexander difficulty is not even technically decided yet. Depending on clear rate and feedback it can change if you go off from what he says there.

No no, that line of thought is like...
"Internally, we think of Alexander (Savage) as Heroic"
"So does that mean there's gonna be a level beyond that?" (Mythic)
"Depends on player feedback and clear rates"

 

[Unknown Soldier]

Does Yoshida normally give interviews to random dudes on lodestone.

Anyway, the bigger take away for me was that Heroic Alexander difficulty is not even technically decided yet. Depending on clear rate and feedback it can change if you go off from what he says there.

I'm thinking this guy on Lodestone met Yoshi at some event and asked him a few questions and that's what Yoshi told him.

I think the biggest take away is that we should stop using WoW raid difficulty names to refer to FFXIV raids. Alexander has Normal and Hard. There is no Heroic or Mythic or whatever in FFXIV. Also the term Savage seems to not be used in Japan, what we called SCoB "Savage" was just called SCoB "Hard" in Japan AFAIK.

 

[Frumix]

I'm thinking this guy on Lodestone met Yoshi at some event and asked him a few questions and that's what Yoshi told him.

I think the biggest take away is that we should stop using WoW raid difficulty names to refer to FFXIV raids. Alexander has Normal and Hard. There is no Heroic or Mythic or whatever in FFXIV. Also the term Savage seems to not be used in Japan, what we called SCoB "Savage" was just called SCoB "Hard" in Japan AFAIK.

The event in question is yesterday and today - the same one that is being streamed on Niconico. It's plausible that he talks to fans off-camera there I guess. The term for Savage in Japanese is reishiki (type 0) - both Alexander Savage and SCOB Savage are called this way, and the comparison to WoW tiers came from that interview.

 

[BadRNG]

No no, that line of thought is like...
"Internally, we think of Alexander (Savage) as Heroic"
"So does that mean there's gonna be a level beyond that?" (Mythic)
"Depends on player feedback and clear rates"

Huh? K'aziro mentioned Mythic when he was talking about Alexander Hard's difficulty, Yoshida was saying in his mind he still thinks of it as the Heroic mode name? That's how I understood it at least. As far as I know Mythic isn't above Heroic mode, it's just a renaming of the same thing for the new expansion, it's pretty much the same level of difficulty of the old Heroic modes.

 

[Frumix]

Huh? K'aziro mentioned Mythic when he was talking about Alexander Hard's difficulty, Yoshida was saying in his mind he still thinks of it as the Heroic mode name? That's how I understood it at least. As far as I know Mythic isn't above Heroic mode, it's just a renaming of the same thing for the new expansion, it's pretty much the same level of difficulty of the old Heroic modes.

Uh, I suppose. WoW is a mystery for me.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

The event in question is yesterday and today - the same one that is being streamed on Niconico. It's plausible that he talks to fans off-camera there I guess. The term for Savage in Japanese is reishiki (type 0) - both Alexander Savage and SCOB Savage are called this way, and the comparison to WoW tiers came from that interview.

That's uhm way cooler sounding than Savage and why would they change that for the localization. Actually never mind that, we know that Koji changes shit for localization all the time for no good goddamned reason, I'm looking at you Middawg.

Uh, I suppose. WoW is a mystery for me.

I commented on that in an official forums post. I'm under the impression that WoW is not available in Japan still, is that correct or no?

 

[Valor]

FCOB Savage... FCOB is technically simplier in most of its mechanics than SCOB was.

I may go on a bit of a tangent/rant here, just to be forewarned.

Second Coil was utter garbage for basically every turn besides T9. Not saying that the fights weren't enjoyable (they weren't) but mechanically speaking the entirety of Second Coil is well below the more finely tuned aspects of First and especially Final coil.

It's a shame that the shittiest mechanics were given the Savage treatment because now that's all we have to base what "Savage" means in Final Fantasy XIV. It's honestly way too small of a sample size to judge anything going forward, especially because of how poorly Second Coil was designed at a very base level.

You can say Final Coil's mechanics are technically simpler, and I would say that they're more straightforward and direct than Second Coil's mechanics are. I can't even imagine what a savage mode of Final Coil's mechanics would look like since they're already very punishing and require you to actually do them, as opposed to the original concept of Second Coil, which many mechanics were ignored or cheesed (inadvertently or otherwise) even during the first time people were clearing them.

Before I diverge too much and talk in circles as I'm prone to do, I'll just say it as simply as I can muster:

Savage Second Coil is difficult because the Second Coil of Bahamut is inherently poorly designed, and tightening the mechanics just amps the artificial difficulty of the turns even more than was originally designed. Final Coil fights are, in my opinion, much better designed and infinitely more enjoyable than any fight in Second Coil aside from T9 (which I still personally love).

In the end, people shouldn't necessarily be afraid of the difficulty of a future unknown encounter because of the phrase "Savage" being attached to it.

 

[Ruruja]

Finished my atma weapon today and took part in that Odin FATE for the first time which was fun. Got his armour with the 5 things, looks pretty cool when I wear the Blood Sword from Gold Saucer with it.

 

[Mr. Bubble]

That's uhm way cooler sounding than Savage and why would they change that for the localization. Actually never mind that, we know that Koji changes shit for localization all the time for no good goddamned reason, I'm looking at you Middawg.

You can make an argument for "coolness", but "type 0" doesn't convey a general sense of difficulty especially to a new player.

I commented on that in an official forums post. I'm under the impression that WoW is not available in Japan still, is that correct or no?

There's no official service for WoW in Japan, but they're not blocked from buying the game, making a battle.net account, and logging on the NA/EU servers. Some years ago, a large contingency of JP players started playing on the Blackrock server.

 

[chrono01]

Wow I feel sorry for male career BLMs.

RIP Makoto time to go female.

Spoiler

Or glamour.

Yeah, I'm really not too happy about the look of our new AF. Actually, I haven't liked the look of our casting gear since the original AF, and even that was...very...puffy.

I mean, if you think about it, having baggy clothes mixed with fire spells isn't exactly a great idea. All of that flammable material waving about, just waiting to be used.

Also, our hat situation. We desperately need something I can actually display. I don't think I've shown anything head-related on my character since the High Allagan Mask, which even then was just something covering the mouth. :/

Oh well. As you said, Glamour will save the day!

 

[Tomat]

Yeah, I'm really not too happy about the look of our new AF. Actually, I haven't liked the look of our casting gear since the original AF, and even that was...very...puffy.

I mean, if you think about it, having baggy clothes mixed with fire spells isn't exactly a great idea. All of that flammable material waving about, just waiting to be used.

Also, our hat situation. We desperately need something I can actually display. I don't think I've shown anything head-related on my character since the High Allagan Mask, which even then was just something covering the mouth. :/

Oh well. As you said, Glamour will save the day!

I feel about the same. We tend to get screwed on a lot of gear, although I do kind of like the dread coat.

Why do we always get stuck with stupid hats that clip through our weapons? You'd think they would take that into account when making the BLM gear...

 

[chrono01]

I feel about the same. We tend to get screwed on a lot of gear, although I do kind of like the dread coat.

Why do we always get stuck with stupid hats that clip through our weapons? You'd think they would take that into account when making the BLM gear...

Actually, thinking back I really liked the look of the Allagan set from First Coil. The High Allagan set from Second Coil was decent too, although more purple than I would have liked. Dreadwyrm...is okay [if you can get over the "Butt Wings"]. It's actually what I'm wearing/showing now [but definitely not that head-piece!].

But yeah, they really should test the armor with the character models more. Even if I did manage to get head armor I liked to display, the clipping issue would probably bother me too much to even display it anyway.

 

[tiggerkiddo]

Black Mage AF should be the classic Black Mage look from the first Final Fantasy.

 

[chrono01]

Black Mage AF should be the classic Black Mage look from the first Final Fantasy.

I've wanted this since Day One.

You can vanity armor in-game to "kind" of get that same effect, but it's not 100% accurate.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

You can make an argument for "coolness", but "type 0" doesn't convey a general sense of difficulty especially to a new player.

It does now that Type-0 HD has been released outside of Japan. That game has a reputation for being really hard. Also who gives fuck about that, if you're even thinking of trying out Savage Coil you aren't anywhere near being a new player.

You could make that argument for Fire, Fira, and Firaga even though every FF game ever has had that and every version of FFXIV excepting the English localization uses it instead of Fire, Fire II, and Fire III. It's a bunch of shit either way so why not avoid fucking with things that don't need to be fucked with.

 

[Tomat]

Black Mage AF should be the classic Black Mage look from the first Final Fantasy.

That's would it should have been from the start. Instead we got some pseudo-BDSM eye mask build into a wizard hat and some patched up leather.

 

[Absoludacrous]

So I'm getting back into this game after putting it down for a year, and decided to check out some Triple Triad.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwV9ftbQH64

I clearly have no idea what I'm doing.

In an unrelated note, I put in a request to get back into the FC, if it's at all possible.

 

[Relaxed Muscle]

Normal Mode Alexander is CT-level difficulty? What.

So normal is CT and hard is Coil Savage...

I think some middle point is necessary here.

A whole bunch of skills are coming between 51~60.
No, you don't get them every 5 levels.
Everyone will need to re-work their rotations.
There isn't enough space on the current HB/XHBs for all those actions. They have a plan.

I hope is a genius plan, I don't want to have to use a keyboard.

 

[Ravidrath]

The fighting game video is interesting, because I happen to know that Mori from Arc System Works is a big FFXIV player. His laptop was covered in XIV stickers. He's a PLD, BTW, and it sounds like he's got his Zodiac Zeta. He's also friends with Yoshi-P and they are frequently in touch with each other.

So I can't help but wonder if they're testing the idea with this video.

 

[ViciousDS]

I was going to do this in the giveaway thread but I wanted to do a FFXIV contest for it because it originally was for my FC.....and out of the 300 members...not a single one uses the forums lol. They Lucked out, whatever.



I'm giving away my GTX 680 since I just got a GTX 970

this one in particular its fucking huge

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007ZT2E1C/?tag=neogaf0e-20



You can enter in this thread with the Title FFXIV Giveaway


that way I can search real quick, Cutoff will be tomorrow night by midnight Central Time. April 26th Midnight Central




Post your most breathtaking in game screenshot and I'll pick a winner by Monday

the screenshot cannot be altered! However external capture software can be used....because we all hate that watermark and quality

and hopefully get the card out by the end of this week! I work 12 hours so its not easy to get to the post office or UPS store.

 

[Kenai]

WoW Raids: LFR (looking for raid aka DF) < Normal < Heroic < Mythic.

Mythic is designed specifically for 20 raiders and is the default hardest content that takes priority regarding balance (for better or worse since some specs in raids are janky in low content/pvp and visa versa), Normal and Heroic bosses scale with number of players present, and LFR just searches for new people which usually show up fast since LFR is easier than several low man dungeons.

And that's it cause I dun wanna talk about WoW very much.

If I am not mistaken, we see the following in regards to new skills:

SCH and WHM starting to buff and seems like an advanced insta cast protect goes off by the WHM and the sound of succor and some shield effect from the SCH (advanced succor?).

A pretty cool initial attack from the PLD (advanced taunt I would assume)

A kickass fire attack by the WAR

DRG Swing

Some default casting animation by the SCH and camera pan

Cool jump attack by the bard

Monk Backflip attack that looks boss

WHM casting Stone III

BLM with really cool casting effect (advanced Flare?) I assumed the cast time was linked to the actual flare like end so yeah..probably advanced Flare stuff..

SMN skill either DD or pet skill? (Egis are bigger!) They also confirmed that Summoner is getting a pretty heavy revamp and Tri-Disaster is said to actually be made useful (took them long enough..)

Channeled/charged skill by the dragon and PAL shielding himself with really cool new effect.

New DRG LB 3 supposedly? Looks like he is summoning Midgardsorm in a pretty breathtaking animation attack.
!

To add to this, I just went through pretty much every spell I have and there's not a single one SCH has right now with that Mountain Dew Baja Blast-colored greenish glow effect when they zoom in midfight, but it looked like they just finished casting so that glow effect was the end of it so we didn't get to see any real animation from it.

Totally expecting Protect/2Succor 2 though.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

The fighting game video is interesting, because I happen to know that Mori from Arc System Works is a big FFXIV player. His laptop was covered in XIV stickers. He's a PLD, BTW, and it sounds like he's got his Zodiac Zeta. He's also friends with Yoshi-P and they are frequently in touch with each other.

So I can't help but wonder if they're testing the idea with this video.

It worked for Persona 4 Arena, I think a lot of people would be interested in a 2D fighting game with FF characters

 

[Ravidrath]

It worked for Persona 4 Arena, I think a lot of people would be interested in a 2D fighting game with FF characters

I actually half-jokingly pitched Yoshi-P a FF Monsters party fighting game.

Idea was that you'd play as all the iconic FF monsters, get crystals to do summon supers, etc. Sorta like a Smash / Powerstone hybrid.

Then I really liked the idea.

 

[Wilsongt]

NicoNico is such trash for foreign users lol

 

[Glendemonium]

Pardon the brief derail of topic, but I came to a crossroad.

I've came a ways into the relic questline but just finishing the Atma phase, and started the book phase. I'm looking at the books and they seem pretty doable, albeit just time consuming. However a FC member suggested I work on an alternate weapon that can be 130ed in a few weeks.

If I understand this right, It would involve doing CT and Coil (I haven't done yet) a few times and greed lotting the item needed on top of a large amount of Solidery tomes for the weathered weapon, then doing the shorter quests for upgrade. I'm still working on getting blue for the rest of my gear and conflicted if I should just settle for the alternative until after the newness of the expansion wears off and I can go back to grinding dungeons and such.

I was planning on saving tomes for Machinist too, I just got back in the game a month ago and really enjoying myself. I want to finish the relic, it seems doable... just really time consuming but feel obligated for a stronger alternate weapon until I finish it.

Suggestions GAF?

 

[PhillipCostigan]

finally got my Dreadwyrm slaying earring today after months of not seeing it except for one time when Ranketsu got it.

the dreammmmmmmmmm

 

[Teknoman]

I hope is a genius plan, I don't want to have to use a keyboard.

You and me both.

 

[Wilsongt]

Tit slider. FailFish

 

[Ken]

Tit slider. FailFish

How is it?!?

 

[Aselith]

Pardon the brief derail of topic, but I came to a crossroad.

I've came a ways into the relic questline but just finishing the Atma phase, and started the book phase. I'm looking at the books and they seem pretty doable, albeit just time consuming. However a FC member suggested I work on an alternate weapon that can be 130ed in a few weeks.

If I understand this right, It would involve doing CT and Coil (I haven't done yet) a few times and greed lotting the item needed on top of a large amount of Solidery tomes for the weathered weapon, then doing the shorter quests for upgrade. I'm still working on getting blue for the rest of my gear and conflicted if I should just settle for the alternative until after the newness of the expansion wears off and I can go back to grinding dungeons and such.

I was planning on saving tomes for Machinist too, I just got back in the game a month ago and really enjoying myself. I want to finish the relic, it seems doable... just really time consuming but feel obligated for a stronger alternate weapon until I finish it.

Suggestions GAF?

http://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/wiki/Augmented_Ironworks_Magitek_Weapons

He was talking about Magitek weapons I believe and I think they're the sane alternative yeah.

What you need is an Encrypted Tomestone by doing the weekly Gifts of the Archmagus quest and you also need 1300 Allagan Tomestones of Poetics which will take you maxking poetics for nearly a full month as you can only get 450 per week then after you have your Magitek weapon you'lll have to augment it with Carbontwine. It's gonna take some time to get this other alternative but it shouldn't be horrible.

You don't need to do Coil for any of the stuff but some of it drops in there.

 

[Altered Juice]

lmao i swear the people who voted for number two are thirsty

edit: mrhappy's friend doing the stream translation
http://www.twitch.tv/mrhappy1227

 

[chrono01]

Damn, female Au Ra look so unique. I love their face.

 

[Wilsongt]

YoshiP has terrible taste in character designs, confirmed.

 

[chrono01]

YoshiP has terrible taste in character designs, confirmed.

He's literally throwing every option he can in there, haha.