What A Change a Few Years Can MakeFollow

I find it ironic that no matter the side of the debate, one thing you can be guaranteed on is that at least someone will be there to supply your need for confirmation bias, no matter how contrarian you are or how hypocritical your words to your actions become. I feel as we need to nip this in the bud.

And I've argued many times with my brother that there is a very large difference between reasoning and rationalizing. As stated before, simply expressing one's like for the game gets undermined when the majority of one's post is done through negative criticism. Additionally, stating you wish to participate in the growth and improvement of a game similarly gets undermined when said negativity prevents a friendly or civil engagement with said games community. Particularly the community which is not only dedicated, but is enjoying mechanics you may be putting into question, and therefore jeopardizing their enjoyment directly.

However it is in human nature to resist change as we are creatures of comfort, and we must recognize this instinct in us when faced with dissenting opinion. Our reactions should not, in fact become one of immediate attack or deface, but instead to try to ascertain the true intent behind the statement, given that it is provided civily. In instances which the opinion is smothered in offensiveness, the demeanor, not the ideal, should be discouraged and frowed upon. And once addressed the ideal then must be properly weighed in upon, as it is feedback and should be respected as such, even if the response is a staunch disagreement.

So, as a point of advice, do not rationalize your demeanor or rationalize your viewpoint. Reason with those opposed and trying to meet an agreeable compromise. Insisting your right in spite of the consequence is what results in poor reception of your posts, and carrying that around like a badge of honor is a dangerous demeanor to have if you're actually wanting to participate in the community rather than be ostracized by it.

Let me be plain. In no way, is any individual here 'better' than another either by default or through arguments. That includes claims of being higher minded, more intelligent, more logical, etc. Trying to insinuate as such is a thinly veiled insult to everyone of the opposing opinion and the tolerance for that within the community has been wearing thin, if I'm reading the trends correctly.

In my individual opinion it is not wise to continue, nor encourage, such negative behaviors. Believe it or not, some people stop playing games based on forum communities that surround them. The official and Beta Forums are already notorious for the polarized arguments and generally unhealthy environments. In such circumstances it is fan communities such as ZAM that become the bastions of civility and community that prospective players rely upon to create a friendly environment to interact with one another in outside Guilds and the Game itself - and everyone here is responsible for maintaining that.

Hope's VA was fine.

He's very mature and collected in FFXIII-2. I like the growth of character they made for him. Sure, some could find him annoying during his growth as a character. But I LIKED hope in FFXIII-2. It felt like he got it together and grew up into a fine young man.

Here's a couple to chew on.

Hildebrand:


I love this pairing - Yda and Papalymo


Oh, and don't forget the Black Wolf vs the rest of the good guys.


Edited, Jul 25th 2013 12:16am by Hyrist

Uematsu did a pretty good job with a lot of the music for 1.0, and I agree some of the tracks are pretty nostalgic, but overall I think 2.0's soundtrack is better.

Also there are some 1.0 tracks in 2.0 as well.

Isn't there an option for looping of the music?

It doesn't work iirc. I was really bummed that the music faded out all the time. This game has beautiful music and I'd like to hear it the whole time. I always wished they had added music in to areas like Konchtat and the Dunes in FFXI. I hope 2.0 remedies that.

Regardless of Yoshi's current stance, as the game progresses if enough people voice their issues, I think there is a good chance that they'll be addressed. The GCD is a problem to a lot of people right now on the main forums, so I'm not alone. Invisible walls are a long shot though, I agree. Much less game breaking than the other 2 issues however.

I think the main cause of battle pace and mechanic issues is that Yoshi has a tendency to underestimate his players. He said he wants people to transition over from other MMOs (WoW for example), but he makes the battle system and mechanics easier than in their current MMO. I've even read that the dungeons in beta were a little more difficult than they will be for release. That's a bit unnerving to me.

2.0 has a really good chance right now to headhunt and snatch up people that are tired of the same MMO they've been playing everyday for years, but want something that retains the classic trinity and mmo formula. I know quite of a few people like this. With the speed of updates and giant expansions these other MMOs have though, SE has a tough job of retaining players for more than a few months. Their best chance at doing so is to match the level of complexity and challenge offered in other MMOs while staying far away from AV style fights that offer timesinks instead of actual mechanics requiring reaction time and team work. I'm optimistic and I think they can pull it off if they take feedback seriously and continue to look at other games for inspiration.

Edited, Jul 25th 2013 12:56pm by Transmigration

That's unfortunate, but most likely true. It seems they'll be holding their own game back for the sake of people that only play with controllers.

Watch the ratings, if you're curious, the forum rules are here: http://ffxiv.zam.com/wiki/Forum_Rules , specifically the Karma section.

Edit: Fixed the link

Edited, Jul 25th 2013 8:54pm by Wint

It's the link. The comma got pulled into the link. Just open it, remove the comma at the end of the url, reload the page, and then the rules page should appear.