The fantasy MMO Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is flying relatively under the radar in Germany, but it has some fascinating design ideas that would work well in other MMORPGs.
Final Fantasy XIV is overshadowed in Germany among the top MMORPGs. Maybe it’s because Germans have a problem with the Asian look, or maybe it’s because Final Fantasy is more of a console thing, and MMORPGs and consoles haven’t really gone together in Germany. Or maybe it’s because many have already written the game off after a disastrous launch and are only interested in “new things,” not in “it was terrible, got better, is now slowly becoming fantastic.”
About me: I am not a Final Fantasy expert. I heard about the game a while ago, but I was skeptical. I don’t even know why. After Dawid wrote a review of the game that spoke to me, I gave the game a chance over the past three months and have to say: It is a polished MMORPG with great and unusual ideas. It is not perfect, but it is damn good and has some fresh ideas that I would love to see in other MMOs too.
So: What can other MMORPGs learn from Final Fantasy XIV?
1. The recommendation system in dungeons
This is a very logical and simple system: Once the last boss in an instance is defeated, each player can give one of the three companions a “recommendation,” meaning they can choose one of the other three and virtually pat them on the shoulder and say, “I liked you the most of the three.” And when that player gets a shoulder pat 50 times, they can somehow get a teddy bear or some other in-game reward, but what they receive is not really that important. The main thing is that they get something.
This simple system leads to people being nicer to each other. Either that or every unpleasant player runs away screaming after being called “Kupo” eighteen times in the first three minutes by a fat flying Moogle that only they can see. Maybe they do something to the Final Fantasy drinking water, but people are incredibly nice to each other, and I’ve heard that from many.
In the three months I’ve played Final Fantasy XIV, I’ve made mistakes, but I was never yelled at or given passive-aggressive hints about what people think of me; instead, I was simply explained the situation. That such a thing is still possible is just amazing!
The recommendation system seems to be so logical that it should be used in many more MMOs. A similar system has even somewhat normalized the completely crazy community at League of Legends. And for that, someone should be given a statue, or the person who had this idea should be made a special ambassador and sent to the regions that always appear in the news.
A small fix with a big impact: Reward kindness. It helps so much! People are so incredibly nice in Final Fantasy XIV that it would really be mean to be unkind to someone. Amazing.
2. The multi-class system
This is the design decision in Final Fantasy XIV that has fascinated me the most from the very beginning. Even when I read about it, my first thought was: “What?!”
The character’s class is determined by the type of weapon: Pick up a bow, and you are an archer; grab a wand, and you are a mage; take a cooking spoon, and you are a cook. You need to unlock the classes beforehand, but a visit to the trainer is all it takes; it’s not a big deal.
I don’t have to twink, but I have everything on one character. And if I wanted to twink, I could ignore the system and just create twinks. But I don’t have to mule items, I don’t have to log out, I don’t have to be in eight guilds with six different characters, or repeat the starter area twelve times, pretending to be interested in a Tauren druid or anything else. I have my character every time, to whom I slowly develop a connection, until I actually identify with this “main character,” rather than a family of characters where I sometimes play dad, mom, and sometimes the hairy uncle (again Tauren).
This is a design decision that seems kind of “crazy” at first glance and takes some getting used to, but after a while, it appears very logical and natural. One wonders: Why is this so rare? Why am I so limited to a specific class with each character in other games?
Now with Skyforge and ArcheAge – and certainly other games – the trend is moving towards this new system and breaking out of the narrow parameters of classic roles. I think it’s a good thing.
3. No /played in Final Fantasy XIV
You cannot display the /played. I don’t know how it is for you, but I always flinch when it has been said in any game, “What is your /played?” the first thought is: “Oh my God!” and the second: “Yes, but… I was afk most of the time and was doing totally meaningful things!”
In Final Fantasy XIV, this number cannot be displayed. Thank God!
Do you have any ideas about what other MMOs could learn from Final Fantasy XIV or other games? Are there particularly great systems and design ideas in an MMO that you would like to see in other games?
You can find more about Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn on our topic page.
