MMORPG Explorer: Final Fantasy 14 Patch 3.3

So, I know that I should probably start at the beginning to discuss the massive world that is Final Fantasy 14 (FF14) but I'm going to start at the latest content patch of 3.3. To break that down a bit though, 1.0 is the original version of FF14, 2.0 is FF14 A Realm Reborn and 3.0 is the Heavensward Expansion. All of the .xx stuff if the actual content that they add during the course of the expansion but anyway, moving on.

This patch added several new features:

• More main story quests (MSQ) that conclude the current crisis in the game, the Dragonsong War
• The Niddhog Normal and Extreme trial which drop I235 weapons
• More story regarding the Warring Triad story line with a mission attached
• The next tier to the 24 man/player raid called the Weeping City
• 2 new dungeons call Sohr Kai and Hullbreaker Hard Mode
• New Hildebrand quests (although they are short)
• Another map to the 72 man/player PVP (Player versus Player) mode called Frontlines: Shatter
• A new addition to the Dragonskin Map system that has a 50% chance to spawn a dungeon area called the Aquapolis for rare loot drops, lore tomes and Gil
• The next step to the Anima (relic) weapon story line. 
• They also added the last Moogle Beast Tribe Quest which focuses on leveling crafters

There were other quality of life adjustments added as well: 

• like being able to create different HUD layouts for each character or battle mode
• the addition of new furniture and flower pots, new gear for crafter, gatherers and battle classes
• adjustments to the crafter/gatherer script system and numerous other things that they put into the game that I can't even begin to name. 
• They also added something called the Raid Finder that allows for players that want to participate in the highest tier raids called "Savage" but can't find players to group with, the ability to find others in the same situation across their particular data center.

That's a lot of stuff included and all of it was great. For now, I wont mention any spoilers because it's barely 2 weeks old but, I finished the main story and the conclusion was satisfying although shorter than I thought it would be. It would be important for everyone to remember that we are still halfway through this expansion and 3.55 will probably be the long cinematic story that we are looking for. I think the most surprising thing was the Niddhog Normal mode battle because most people couldn't dickroll through it like the we normally do. That caused the player base to be kind of confused and I haven't seen this kind of frustration from the casual/midcore crowd outside of hardcore raiding. It was refreshing and I was all for it. (I cleared it with my 1st party btw :))

I got to play the Warring Triad Mission as well and it was very informative as well to the identity of the mysterious boy who has been leading us to fight these primals or Eikons as he calls them. This too was shorter than I wanted it to be but still satisfying. I played through both of the new dungeons and they were both pretty decent. Hullbreaker was definitely boring looking aesthetic wise in comparison to the other dungeon or content but hey, we have to slack of somewhere right?

Now, The Weeping City (or Wiping City according to the player base lol) has been the most surprising content this patch. The director of FF14, Yoshi P admitted that the development team made the 1st tier, Void Ark way to easy and this difficulty is how the 24 man raids will be from this point forward. This content has been very challenging because you have to coordinate with 23 other people to not fuck up mechanics of each fight and well... that hasn't gone too hot lol. I didn't clear it the first day and it took forever to clear it the 2nd day. Most people were probably waiting for online guides so they could get the mechanics right and some people have yet to do that. Its been frustrating but damn its a good time and I hope they continue to make content like this.

I've been typing a lot so i'll finish it up. I have yet to finish the Hildebrand side quests and my Anima weapon is not even close to being done. I'm not trying to burn out on the game like a lot of my Free Company (FC) members have managed to do. I'm taking it one day at a time and I'm waiting for the next patch that's going to add Deep Dungeon. All of the improvements are exciting so I'll continue to cover this content.

Sources:

All images are the property of SquareEnix

FF14 3.3 Patch Notes:
http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/topics/detail/197e9c8b2f04efdecffe26bebe43b40551d1e3e8

What are Role Playing Games Exactly?

So when I was about 12 years old, I discovered my first role playing game which was Final Fantasy 8. At the time I had no idea it was a role playing game but what I did know while I was watching MTV and saw the commercial was that it looked awesome and I wanted to have it immediately. Fast forward to today and I now know that there are a lot of sub genres to role playing games that I learned through trial and error. If you managed to stumble across my humble little blog, I figured I would try to give you the basic knowledge that I learned on my own so here we go. 

Role Playing Game (RPG):

A game by which the player (you) assume the role (haha) of an imaginary character and essentially play out their adventure from start to finish by some brilliant developer. The usual elements include character customization, classes, a great story, character battles, etc. Examples would be anything from Final Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons or Dragon Quest.

Japanese Role Playing Game (JRPG):

These are role playing games that are usually created and/or modeled after Japanese culture and history. Even if the concept is new in concept, usually the models are made to resemble anime characters or have traditional Japanese features. These types of games also used to have a set way they were made like being turn based, sometimes linear and contained an immersive story. Examples would be the Persona, Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest and those are the popular ones.

Western Role Playing Games (WRPG):

I don't really see the acronym used a lot for these RPGs but for the most part take the Western (American) culture, history and character model references for their games. Unlike JRPGs though, these games tend to be open world and expansive allowing the player as much choice as possible to customize their experience. Examples of this are Dragon Age, Skyrim, Witcher etc.

Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game {MMORPG):

Did I mention that most RPGs are single player experiences? Well with MMORPGS these games are usually played with other people online through computers or console game systems. These games are open world, open ended and usually player run ecosystems. They try to encourage social interaction while you escape and play the role of your character. Some Examples are World of Warcraft (WoW), Final Fantasy 11 and 14, Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) etc.

Table Top Role Playing Games:

These are Role Playing Games that the players describe their character's actions through speech. There is definitely a lot of imagination used for these types of games but they have their own lore, world and rules to help the players make the game immersive. Examples of this are Dungeons and Dragons.

Now that we got that out of the way, there are several subtypes of RPGs that you should be familiar with.

Strategy Role Playing Game (SRPG):

A type of RPG where the player gives commands to a unit of characters to complete the assigned objective. Usually the battle field is grid like requiring you to move your units in a certain amount of moves or turns. These aren't my favorite because they actually require strategy lol. It reminds me a lot of planning for a war which is usually the main plot thread in the game. Examples of this are Valkyrie Chronicles, Final Fantasy Tactics, Fire Emblem Series.

Action Role Playing Games:

A type of RPG where the player gives commands to their character and the moves are executed in real time. Like if you press X and X makes ur character strike with a sword that's exactly what your character will do immediately. With that being said, the enemy characters can also attack you with that pace. Examples of this would be Kingdom Hearts, Tales of Series and Final Fantasy 15.

Turn Based Role Playing Game:

The traditional form of RPGs that require the player to input commands to their characters that the characters will then execute after a time delay. It goes in the order of character, monster then character depending on the game. This type of rpg gives you time to plan without having to worry about commanding a whole unit and you can normally recover quickly. It also usually has the battle take place in an alternate space than the field. This type of RPG gas fallen out of flavor recently to more action rpgs but tis is my favorite type of RPG. Examples of this would be Final Fantasy 1 through 10, Dragon Quest, Person Series.

Rogue Like Role Playing Game:

This is a type of RPG that has the player take their character through a randomly generated dungeon that's grid like. Usually each time the player enters they will start at level one and will lose all items found if they are killed in the dungeon. This type of rpg can be very unforgiving and require for the player to be patient and have good item management. You can normally see your character on screen but they are normally super-deformed in comparison to their cut-scenes. Examples of this would be Azure Dreams etc.

Dungeon Crawling Role Playing Game:

This is a type of rpg that is normally shown in the first person perspective as the player navigates through labyrinth type dungeons. You are unable to see your character and most times unable to see the whole dungeon or rooms as a whole. Some dungeon crawlers can have rogue like elements like starting the whole dungeon over when killed and losing all items. Some examples of this would be Diablo, Persona Q, Mind Zero.

So we went through a lot in this article but of course if you have anything that you want to add that I missed let me know. This list is by no means comprehensive and there is definitely more information out there but this should at least point you in the right direction. As my blog posts continue a lot of these will be elaborated on when I describe games that I play. But I hope the information is here was helpful. Be sure to share, subscribe and comment.

Until Next Time

DreaPoetic :)

Images found:

FF14: http://www.justpushstart.com/2013/06/final-fantasy-xiv-a-realm-reborn-beta-is-live-once-again-for-pcps3/

FF8: https://www.pinterest.com/krilynebluemage/final-fantasy-viii-ix/

Witcher 3: http://www.gameondaily.com/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt-hopes-and-fears/

Dungeons and Dragons: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons

Final Fantast Tactics: War of Lions: http://www.emuparadise.me/PSP_ISOs/Final_Fantasy_Tactics_-_The_War_of_the_Lions_(Europe)/157288 

Tales of Zestria: http://kotaku.com/tales-of-zestiria-takes-a-cue-from-classic-literature-1692549754

Persona 4 Golden: http://gamingtrend.com/game_reviews/following-the-golden-rule-in-persona-4/ 

Azure Dreams: http://lparchive.org/Azure-Dreams/Update%2042/

Mind Zero: http://www.3djuegos.com/15855/mind-0/