Final Fantasy XIV’s game director Naoki Yoshida has told fans that the addition of single-player content in what was originally multiplayer content, creates an entry point for players who might come to love playing with others.
In an interview with Eurogamer, Yoshida said that the scale of the game has enabled them to tailor content towards solo players who might find queueing up for dungeon or trial content with others daunting. He hopes that by providing a path for solo players to get through the main part of the game, it will create enough curiosity to team up with other players and fully participate in what the MMO has to offer.
“Another reason is that in further developing Final Fantasy 14 and expanding its scale, I want to guide people who have been thinking that ‘connecting with other players is a pain in MMORPGs’ so that ultimately they’ll come to appreciate the ‘fun of playing with others’. As an entry point into the game, being able to play the main scenario solo is a huge plus,” Yoshida said.
When the solo duties were first added to the game, fans were skeptical about it but didn’t have much of an issue with it, especially considering that the traditional queue system for the main story content is still functional.
Final Fantasy XIV has one of the most clever designs for filling the gaps for those going through the main story with the intention of playing with others by implementing the Duty Roulettes. These roulettes award players who have already completed the content with extra bonuses, providing an incentive to do older content.
Although some fans were upset that the game was adding support for a single-player experience in what is meant to be a truly multiplayer game, it hasn’t affected queue times or stalled anyone from completing the game the way it was first implemented.
The vast majority of players are with Yoshida in hoping that those who play the game as a single-player will eventually come to enjoy the community that is constantly voted one of the best in the MMO genre. Now that there is a path for those who might have been turned off by the multiplayer aspect, the solo duties will only add more players to the FFXIV player base.
