I missed my favorite part of FFXI...Follow

Job discrimination

It is truly amazing how many times a day I see "Unpopular job yells I need only popular jobs for super easy content". I think these are the same people that wonder why so many people are turned off by games like FFXI.

It's pretty much the product of MMO culture.

1) People only want those who've beaten said content before, generally enforced through linking achievements in other MMOs.
2) They'd vastly prefer you outgear it when/if possible since it helps cut down on the risk of fight mechanics or just makes things go faster overall.
3) Follow some random guide/video you've never heard of to the letter OR YOU SUCK AT LIFE!

#3 basically encompasses the job discrimination angle, since if your class of choice isn't mentioned, then obviously you can't do said content with it. Things get even muddier when you start adding some sort cost to the encounter like lockouts or needed consumables/KIs.

Some things simply aren't going to go away, like wanting to try and guarantee a win. However, I do feel devs can do more to encourage more established players to help those not so well off. Like in Ambuscade's case, if it's a first time clear for that difficulty, the whole group could get 3x the points per new member. Then perhaps add a cumulative system where if you help 10-15 newbies, you could pick some prize from the RME currency or whatever.

Eh, I'd put more emphasis on gear value than you might, but won't disagree some want overkill.

I mean, I look to Ambuscade as something meant to help new/returning players to hopefully catch up and get into the other endgame activities. However, since groups only tend to run VD or Intense, they're not going to want the guy in Sparks gear because it's mathematically impossible to have the appropriate ACC as a melee, etc.."Yorcia Skirmish is soloable!" some might declare, but then you throw a bunch of gil into pop items, convert some vouchers to fragments, and wind up with a bunch of gear you can't even use because RNG. Then, if you do manage a piece, the stones you need for augments probably aren't on AH or so stupid expensive that just getting "Ambuscade Ready" would have your desired month ending before you even could, presuming you don't no-life it all.

Then you realize there's even better gear past that, but even if you did manage a full Ambuscade set, people aren't going to want you in it for that very reason.

It's one of those **** ups of the current endgame system that I see some unwilling to acknowledge, often in part because they've stayed current or have reliable help at their disposal. Having been back and forth from the game these past couple years, the most common morale killer has simply been people not wanting to help get what I need between a mix of there being nothing in it for them and the rarely justified belief I can't contribute on my desired job.

And let's face it, the whole, "Just play a GEO until you gear up what you want!" line is bull, and was the case even when FotM was WHM, BRD, or whatever.

When I was having really, really bad nostalgia wanting to return, reading about how only a few jobs are desirable and how the 119+ gears or needed before people will even accept me sort of killed it for me... For someone who quit since the level cap 75 days, you know something is extremely, EXTREMELY wrong when even BRD becomes undesirable. SE gotta f*** things up pretty bad for that to happen.

I admit I play on private servers now that keeps FFXI the old way and I'm happier than ever. It IS the FFXI I remembered. Not exactly, but pretty close.

Edited, Sep 24th 2016 6:02am by Jazalas