#sigmundite plays a thing

[sigmundite]

my thoughts on dawntrail (SPOILERS)

FFXIV twitter has decided the spoiler embargo for DT is mostly over. While I'd like to share my thoughts about the expac there, I figured it was all too much for a tweet thread (and I was right). Decided to post it here because it's a blogging platform and I keep telling myself I want to come back one of these days.

To put it simply: Dawntrail is fine.

I love power of love/friendship storylines so the fact we got a shounen protagonist in Wuk Lamat was something I enjoyed. Shounen stuff tends to be dragged out too long for my tastes so I haven't dabbled in any of those fandoms, so I don't know if people hate modern shounen heroes with as much vitriol. I think I'd have seen it if they did? But the Wuk Lamat hate is a classic case of misogyny with a transphobia multiplier because gamers sure do enjoy stat boosts.

DT is the ARR of whatever the new direction of FFXIV is. It became clear to me during this MSQ that this is a commitment to a new beginning - specifically in the sense of 6.1 as a fresh starting point for new players. I understand and respect their desire to simplify new player onboarding (especially as someone with too many alts) but it's also the center of the pain point I have with 6.x and DT so far.

I'm frustrated with the direction of FFXIV in its current state. The Hydaelyn/Zodiark arc took one main story and built upon it over multiple chapters. I loved that arc and have varying levels of fondness for the characters and places that got us through it. I am the CEO of #FREEAYMERIC and will continue to be a pest about that as long as I play the game*. Aymeric was always a favorite of mine, and I've never forgotten his wish to go on an adventure with WoL someday. I want to take him up on that!

But DT follows SHB's example of planting WoL and the Scions in a brand new setting, far away from Eorzea and all its creature comforts. Norvrandt was still reminiscent of Eorzea, but beyond that focused on characters specific to its region and story. It made more sense then, considering it takes place on a different shard and overlap was damn near impossible. 6.x and DT are still on Etheirys, but are so self-contained that they'd rather avoid referencing old content if they can avoid it. I hated this in 6.x and I still hate it now. There's an entire world full of characters, places, and possibilities left to discover and expand on, but new expansion packs seem to be heading in the direction of dropping all that and focusing on a new set of toys. Tural will probably be done and dusted in 8.0, aside from a bit of side content here and there regardless of the response to it. Hell, SHB is so sacred to the fandom and yet we only went back for a bit of patch story and crafting relic quests during EW's entire run!

This sort of "okay, next" manner of storytelling is only one side of my issue. On the flip side is how eagerly they seem to want to retread certain tropes that worked in past expacs. So many people have commented on this being the fourth final dungeon in a row that shows the end of a society and how that feels so much more hollow now. Running Amaurot for the first time was a masterpiece of storytelling because it made the end of the fucking world more tangible. I hate running that dungeon because to me it feels like a panic attack, but I respect what it does. The Dead Ends was similar but didn't hit the same way (and tbh its payoff is mostly backloaded). Alexandria pulling the same thing stole all of the feeling from it. Like oh okay, we're doing this again.

It's not the only part of DT that retreads old ground. We have yet another scene where everyone comes together to overcome a seemingly insurmountable obstacle, and the only thing I found noteworthy about that is that it had shards of characters who had helped us do the same thing in SHB outside of the dreary context of Norvrandt. Zoraal Ja, one of the main antagonists, is comprised of retreads of other story arcs done better (including one in this very expac!). He's like Zenos Lite - a royal heir with violent intentions made into the perfect weapon of his homeland - but he's missing all of the things that made Zenos interesting and the screen time needed to flesh him out. The circumstances of Zoraal Ja's birth weigh heavily upon him, but Bakool Ja Ja covered that territory in one of the strongest parts of the MSQ. Zoraal Ja is such an afterthought that bringing him into the shared Dawnservant title isn't even considered. WTF.

TL;DR: This all comes down to FFXIV being torn between retreading well-tread story beats that have worked for them in the past while at the same time, willingly discarding almost everything you've come to love over the past several hundred hours of gameplay. They're trying to recreate their past successes by using shiny new pieces in frameworks that have worked for them in the past, and that rings hollow to me. My love for the old pieces overshadows my impressions of the new ones, but the structural similarity is so blatant that comparison is inevitable. As time goes on, the comparisons are less and less in DT's favor for me, but that doesn't mean it's bad. It succeeded in what it set out to do: expand FFXIV.

It's fine, but if FFXIV is a choice between familiar storytelling and familiar story elements, I'd rather they keep developing the friends we've already made along the way.

*Which may not be long, given the lighting issues introduced by the graphical update and the fact that doing certain things in game trigger IRL migraines for me. Still no official acknowledgment of that yet. The graphics update is the biggest step forward in DTm and yet its existence and problematic state make me play the game less. I hate it but efforts to get the devs to notice have been unsuccessful.

If you made it this far, please perceive my catgirl:

[sunnythanalan]

✦ Nine people I'd like to know better ✦

Last song I listened to: Over & Over by Reignwolf. Had it on repeat for three days now.

Favorite color: Nearly all shades of red

Currently Watching: I rarely watch things. I'll probably just end up re-watching Haikyu, Suicide Squad 2 or Chainsaw Man if I wanna watch something. Maybe rewatch Mob Pscyho if I'm feeling really compelled.

Sweet/savoury/spicy: Definitely a savoury person. Don't like sweet things and I'm too scandinavian to handle much spice.

Relationship status: Separated

Last thing you googled: "weed strains"

Current obsession: This fic I'm writing. I've been writing on it every available minute I've had to myself. Only four chapters left to go and pushing 150k words. I'm looking forward to being able to read and play games and see friends again.

Tagged by @sundered-souls Thank you! <3

Tagging: @sigmundite @neriyon @anpansblog @lavendertune @dominyk9 @wpip-raham @xiv-wolfram @birues @mrpinchy (I always end up tagging people who've done it a million times, so sorry about that!)

[sigmundite]

i’m loving the divine force because it’s already feeling like the most star ocean of all time

the cast includes, so far:

plucky space man

anime heroine

disaster gay

the kid

older man i don’t care about

punch woman

and the hits just keep on coming! i haven’t met the sexy spellcaster yet but they’re usually among my favorites and i’m looking forward to it

[sigmundite]

been playing star ocean 6 lately

it feels like coming home. as someone who’s loved the series for a long ass time i see elements of the previous games, like the devs revisited each one and considered what would be best to bring forward. there are an overwhelming amount of skills, and they’re spread out between stat upgrades, traits, and actual moves in a blend of the systems from SO2 and SO3. blindsides from SO4 are back but retooled in a way that fits into the narrative. it’s a lot and i’m still experimenting with characters and builds, but i’m still excited at new developments. i love zooming around with duma, but it’s also clear someone on the design team was familiar with SO4 and sprint bursting to travel. it’s just a toggle now, and it’s so smooth!

oddly, the aspects that evolved from SO5 are the ones i’m most mixed on. 5′s big thing was that everyone on the team was always there and private actions/conversations popped up naturally as you explored various areas. i feel like the cast of 6 has fewer natural conversations and a lot more HEY WE NEED TO GO HERE type dialogue. which... it’s a star ocean game. wandering off the beaten path is encouraged! SO5 tried so hard to course correct from SO4′s faults and also lacked the budget for the high energy battle systems the series is known for. SO6 still has obvious budget issues but time and effort has been put into not making that mistake again. i feel like it course corrected from SO5 a little too hard, but i’m happy to see so much love put into the game in spite of its flaws.

i think i’m still pretty early on but i’m feeling pretty good about it so far! definitely better than i felt about valkyrie elysium by miles

[sigmundite]

Of all the butt pics Prompto has given me, this may be the greatest.

[sigmundite]

My time approaches!

[sigmundite]

NieR Automata is game of the millennium and anyone who disagrees can fight me.

[sigmundite]

Wait mode kicked in at the best possible moment.

Prompto’s face re: the boob grab is killing me rn

[sigmundite]

THE ABYSS EVENT HAS TWO NEW ASCHES

THIS IS NOT A DRILL

the rng will bend to my will

[sigmundite]

I LOVE HOW RIDICULOUS SOME OF THE PAS ARE IN THIS GAME

Anne asks Fidel “If someone gave you a stuffed animal, would it make you happy?”

You can choose the response and so I chose, “Yes, because I sleep with one every night” because that is MY KIND OF BADASS SWORDSMAN

Anne is flummoxed and wonders if this is a common cultural thing, to which Fidel is like, “Well yeah, if they’re like me.” So she starts wondering aloud about various serious guys in the party

THIS IS SO SILLY I LOVE IT

[sigmundite]

211!

I had many adventures with private actions in SO5 last night, but I gotta talk about a few. Specifically a set of pas where you're in the same town as Fidel's father, Daril, and he tries to get the deets because their relationship is awkward so Daril asks other members of the party. It's cute and kind of sad. Victor, who is his apprentice (and only rarely shuts up about his admiration for Daril for being the best swordsman ever) ends up talking to him in three separate events. Highlights include:

During the first conversation Victor says while speaking of Fidel fondly, "I noticed he has your eyes." He's also jealous that Fidel gets to carry on Daril's legacy.

The second conversation is about whether Fidel's getting better as a swordsman. Victor is a cool bro and says "you should ask him yourself". Daril is like "Yes, but I can tell by your eyes that he has." OKAY MAN

The third conversation is Daril telling Victor to take care of Fidel if something happens to him, which Victor is glad to do but insists he shouldn't think like that.

I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO FEEL ABOUT ANY OF THIS. WHO AM I SUPPOSED TO SHIP HIM WITH?

[sigmundite]

I MISSED YOU TRI-ACE

victor is pretty much my favorite (though i love pretty much everyone in this bar. everyone except fiore’s outfit, an entity of perversity and senselessness)

his fighting style is very reminiscent of dias and albel (and maybe arumat?) but he’s also got edward’s massive boner for the main character’s dad

i fucking love this game