As you mentioned in this video it seems it is impossible to criticize this story poorly written because fans are overdefensive and not able to be objective on a story that is written with too many repetitions in the dialogues and with artificial emotions instead of building them as it was done in previous expansions. Seriously in some parts of the story i was even expecting the fake laughters of the sitcoms that make you "understand" when it is the moment you have to laugh. It is a long visual novel, with too little voicing, where we have to read lines and lines about tacos and peace and happiness until we cannot take it anymore. I love this game and I play it since 2013 but still I think this expansion story has some horrible dialogues and many quests that are incredibly predictable or repetitive. The characters are flat even some old ones lost any depth.
Cahciua. The reveal wasnt impactful because we already knew she would be there. We knew she was dead the moment Erenville asked his villiage friends if they rememberend her - which they didnt. We also knew that the person we met there wasnt a person anyway: she was ghost, a spectre, a simulacra. Of course it would've been harder for Erenville (knowing isnt feeling after all), but for me it wasnt a surprise, nor what we had to do. That being said, none of the "people" we interacted with were people to begin with (personally, I'm questioning if anyone in Everkeep can be considered being a whole person at all, since lets say half of them live of borrowed/stolen souls), they were just memories. The stories in Living Memory were good, and it was very good piece of writing in all sub zones. G'raha hit the nail on its head though with what the problem of this dystopican nightmare is: I'd rather they would live again. 11:15 --- Not living. Everyone there was dead. Thats why they were there: because they died. 13:25 --- Wuk Lamat didnt adress Zoraal Ja there but Sphene ;) 14:35 --- I dont know what Koji is up to these days, he was highly involved with FFXVI from what I've heard, but the lead for english translation is Kate - which she has been for two or three years now if I'm not mistaken. FF14 is one of the rare games were "lost in translation" doesnt exist - not really... Many other games seem to outsource their translations to other studios but for FF14, the translators work with the writers - at least thats how I understand it. Which should be the norm. I think its save to assume that the translations of all languages are as close to the original as possible. Which means, any critizism storywise and writing-wise lies with the original writers - which is confirmed now it seems. 15:45 --- I think what they wanted to do with Wuk Lamat was give her a development arc where we get to know her and where we watch her grow through the trials. And in the second part we would witness how her convictions and what she learned gets challenged by Shene (and Zoraal Ja), who is so alike Wuk Lamat but who went too far with it to the point that she would ruin others for her dystopian paradise. I think the purpose was showing Wuk Lamat the limits of her own skills as well as where compassion turns into the opposite. - Again, I *think* this was the story they wanted to tell: the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Execution sadly leaves much to be desired... She is too much of a "good noodle" and there is no real growing except that one moment in MSQ where we teach her that she doesnt need to be that omnipowerfull person to become Dawnservant, that she can rely on others, that she cant do everything herself. However, compared to another princess, Nanamo (okay, Nanamo is actually queen...), she doesnt really change. Until the very end, her convictions dont get challenged really, she only learns that there is a limit even for good things. Nanamo, though comparably, had the advantage that her story was more of a side story told over three expansions, but even in ARR we see her struggle and learn - and ultimately fail. This is why the community loves her: we empathise with her, we understand her situation and how she tries to do her best for others, only be ultimately held back time and again, to the point that she gets killed (at least we thought she was killed). Wuk Lamat on the other hand was never allowed to really fail or have any weaknesses. Seasickness and getting spit on by alpacas dont do the trick, and even the kidnapping doesnt. 17:25 --- That... was his entire motication: Daddy issues. Believe it or not but that was his sole reason. Wuk Lamat was right there: Zoraal Ja's mission was and always had been to surpass his father. The father to whom he wasnt enough (after all, Gulool Ja Ja adopted two children, which can often be difficult for the trueborn child), the father who left him "nothing". Zoraal Ja wanted to conquer the world because that would finally prove that he was his father's equal, even if he just had one head. 20:36 --- lol What you describe there is the time when Disney went strong and was the producer of countless beloved movies. The last 10ish years, it went down the drain: they try to sell political statements now. They no longer tell stories, they now want to tell a message about the current political environment and social situation. Especially their last movie, "Wish", was horrible with a heroine who nobody likes, a forgettable side-cast of characters, and a villian who everyone thinks was actually the good guy. - In regards to Wuk Lamat... comparing her to current Disney is rooted in her being the all out flawlessly good character who is always right and cant do wrong. 27:25 --- WoW is a completely different can of worms. Trashing on their game is the norm, not the exception. However, the community is still bound to that game for several reasons: community (players have friends and family they play with), gameplay (say what you will, gameplay in WoW in has always been good), cost-sunk-falacy (the time and money invested make it hard to make a cut and just stop), and last but not least habit (the world is for many WoW players a cozy familiar place where they can relax from their rl stress - they know the game, its comfortable and they know what to expect when they logg in). As for Asmongold: when he temporarily left WoW when it was at a low, many took it badly. Like you said: fans are rarely cohesive, no matter which game they play :P
Oh wow... thank you so much for taking the time to watch the video and provide such an in-depth response. On your input for 11:15, I thought maybe she would've figured out a way to get there alive similar to what our group was able to do. Your Zoraal Ja analysis rings true especially as we conclude the story, but still seemed like weak writing throughout. Your take on Wuk Lamat is spot on as well and great contrast with Nanamo. So Disney has changed... I'm getting old lol. Good insight on Wow as well, I've never really played it, so I appreciate the context. Thanks again for taking the time to do this, would love to discuss FFXIV related content in the future!
@@ApocalypzysXIV About the 11:15 topic... I think it would've been possible for the Endless to exist outside of Living Memory. Thing is their Aether would drain and without suply, they would dissipate anyway. After all, they arent alive to begin with. Its similar yet not the same with the Scions in the First: the Scions still had their souls which sort of generated the Aether (through the act of eating and via the air, which we learned in EW). The Endless dont have their own baterie, if you will, and I dont think they could eat normal food. - At least thats how I understand it ^^°
@@markup6394 The way they present the Endless makes somehow acceptable the "mass slaughtering" we make switching all off. They are memories without souls, photos of people that once were alive. On the other hand the consumption of souls, which is not clearly eplained on how where they go once used or if they are just destroyed after empowering someone leaves a lot of ethical dilemmas on the people of Alexandria and Solution Nine.
@@markup6394 The thing is, the Endless probably could have lived outside of Living Memory and there's a very good reason, one introduced inside of DT even. OTIS Otis clearly shows us that the technology to implant human memories inside of robotic bodies already exists in Alexandria. We dont know too much about Otis but he's been kicking around since before the barrier so clearly he either has a self-sustaining power source or a simple way to recharge. Sure, he's a robot so he cant do human stuff like eat or smell, but hes still alive even in a different state. You could have given the Endless the option of dying there or living as an unfeeling robot, at least its a choice, and at least its theirs, not yours.
The reason we do not have spanish is that our countries do not force software to have a Spanish version to sell in stores. In France in order to sell it needs to have a French version. In Germany is the same. But in spain and other spanish speaking countries there is none. So square didn't gave a rat ass about Spanish speaking people. If they didn't sell in French, they wouldn't be able to sell in french stores. And if they didn't have German, they wouldn't be able to sell in German stores. But they didn't have that limitation in Spain or latin america. Of course this is mostly historical due to the way it started (wanting to sell ps3 games in stores). Right now they wouldn't even bother with a French or German translation and just have them in English and Japanese.
Interesting... thank you for the info, I didn't know this was the case. It's definitely frustrating being a Spanish speaker and feeling completely ignored by SquareEnix, but I guess it's not deliberate and just a matter of selling the game in those markets.
Personally I felt there were a lot of ideas and the writer was struggling to connect all of them. Probably had a roadmap like a dungeon needs to go here, here, trial, here here, etc. There were things written that could've had meaning rather than being just fluff, so much potential for duties were squandered. The thing with Wuk Lamat too... I wonder if things were so focussed on her because the writer maybe isn't too sure how to write the scions well? If that was the case, then they should've created more of their own characters and written those instead of flying over more scions. Characters from the local communities could've joined Wuk, as they had done with her father. It would've been fun to see, and a nice mirror. And even better: we'd have had non-player character trust / duty support characters! Been dying to see more of them. I don't mind Wuk Lamat's voice. After having played through the entire MSQ, I can't hear her with any other voice without finding it weird. She has that bit of a hair in mouth kinda vibe, which fits for a Hrothgar.
To me, it has nothing to do with age at all. Sena Bryce is a horrible person, she never have had a part in FF14. The devs made an error for employing her as the VA of Wuk Lamat in English. She had to delete posts on Twitter, etc due to how toxic she is. I don't understand why SE decided to go with her, when she isn't a good person in general, and much less VAing. And the writer for the expansion should re-evaluate how things should be written. We had such bangers from previous expansions. Story was amazing previously. But Dawntrails? It was slow and lagging greatly. I even skipped CSs because the story was so boring to me. I know it's a new journey and all. It's a new story. But, that does not mean you should slack on writing and quality of VAing. This expansion was so bad. I even view A Realm Reborn being better than this. Again, this isn't about age. It's about quality.
As you mentioned in this video it seems it is impossible to criticize this story poorly written because fans are overdefensive and not able to be objective on a story that is written with too many repetitions in the dialogues and with artificial emotions instead of building them as it was done in previous expansions. Seriously in some parts of the story i was even expecting the fake laughters of the sitcoms that make you "understand" when it is the moment you have to laugh.
It is a long visual novel, with too little voicing, where we have to read lines and lines about tacos and peace and happiness until we cannot take it anymore.
I love this game and I play it since 2013 but still I think this expansion story has some horrible dialogues and many quests that are incredibly predictable or repetitive.
The characters are flat even some old ones lost any depth.
I don't know what fans you're talking about. Sounds like a twitter problem. Everyone in normal discussion groups are dunking on this expansion hard.
Cahciua. The reveal wasnt impactful because we already knew she would be there. We knew she was dead the moment Erenville asked his villiage friends if they rememberend her - which they didnt. We also knew that the person we met there wasnt a person anyway: she was ghost, a spectre, a simulacra. Of course it would've been harder for Erenville (knowing isnt feeling after all), but for me it wasnt a surprise, nor what we had to do. That being said, none of the "people" we interacted with were people to begin with (personally, I'm questioning if anyone in Everkeep can be considered being a whole person at all, since lets say half of them live of borrowed/stolen souls), they were just memories. The stories in Living Memory were good, and it was very good piece of writing in all sub zones. G'raha hit the nail on its head though with what the problem of this dystopican nightmare is: I'd rather they would live again.
11:15 --- Not living. Everyone there was dead. Thats why they were there: because they died.
13:25 --- Wuk Lamat didnt adress Zoraal Ja there but Sphene ;)
14:35 --- I dont know what Koji is up to these days, he was highly involved with FFXVI from what I've heard, but the lead for english translation is Kate - which she has been for two or three years now if I'm not mistaken.
FF14 is one of the rare games were "lost in translation" doesnt exist - not really... Many other games seem to outsource their translations to other studios but for FF14, the translators work with the writers - at least thats how I understand it. Which should be the norm. I think its save to assume that the translations of all languages are as close to the original as possible. Which means, any critizism storywise and writing-wise lies with the original writers - which is confirmed now it seems.
15:45 --- I think what they wanted to do with Wuk Lamat was give her a development arc where we get to know her and where we watch her grow through the trials. And in the second part we would witness how her convictions and what she learned gets challenged by Shene (and Zoraal Ja), who is so alike Wuk Lamat but who went too far with it to the point that she would ruin others for her dystopian paradise. I think the purpose was showing Wuk Lamat the limits of her own skills as well as where compassion turns into the opposite. - Again, I *think* this was the story they wanted to tell: the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Execution sadly leaves much to be desired... She is too much of a "good noodle" and there is no real growing except that one moment in MSQ where we teach her that she doesnt need to be that omnipowerfull person to become Dawnservant, that she can rely on others, that she cant do everything herself. However, compared to another princess, Nanamo (okay, Nanamo is actually queen...), she doesnt really change. Until the very end, her convictions dont get challenged really, she only learns that there is a limit even for good things. Nanamo, though comparably, had the advantage that her story was more of a side story told over three expansions, but even in ARR we see her struggle and learn - and ultimately fail. This is why the community loves her: we empathise with her, we understand her situation and how she tries to do her best for others, only be ultimately held back time and again, to the point that she gets killed (at least we thought she was killed). Wuk Lamat on the other hand was never allowed to really fail or have any weaknesses. Seasickness and getting spit on by alpacas dont do the trick, and even the kidnapping doesnt.
17:25 --- That... was his entire motication: Daddy issues. Believe it or not but that was his sole reason. Wuk Lamat was right there: Zoraal Ja's mission was and always had been to surpass his father. The father to whom he wasnt enough (after all, Gulool Ja Ja adopted two children, which can often be difficult for the trueborn child), the father who left him "nothing". Zoraal Ja wanted to conquer the world because that would finally prove that he was his father's equal, even if he just had one head.
20:36 --- lol What you describe there is the time when Disney went strong and was the producer of countless beloved movies. The last 10ish years, it went down the drain: they try to sell political statements now. They no longer tell stories, they now want to tell a message about the current political environment and social situation. Especially their last movie, "Wish", was horrible with a heroine who nobody likes, a forgettable side-cast of characters, and a villian who everyone thinks was actually the good guy. - In regards to Wuk Lamat... comparing her to current Disney is rooted in her being the all out flawlessly good character who is always right and cant do wrong.
27:25 --- WoW is a completely different can of worms. Trashing on their game is the norm, not the exception. However, the community is still bound to that game for several reasons: community (players have friends and family they play with), gameplay (say what you will, gameplay in WoW in has always been good), cost-sunk-falacy (the time and money invested make it hard to make a cut and just stop), and last but not least habit (the world is for many WoW players a cozy familiar place where they can relax from their rl stress - they know the game, its comfortable and they know what to expect when they logg in). As for Asmongold: when he temporarily left WoW when it was at a low, many took it badly. Like you said: fans are rarely cohesive, no matter which game they play :P
Oh wow... thank you so much for taking the time to watch the video and provide such an in-depth response.
On your input for 11:15, I thought maybe she would've figured out a way to get there alive similar to what our group was able to do.
Your Zoraal Ja analysis rings true especially as we conclude the story, but still seemed like weak writing throughout. Your take on Wuk Lamat is spot on as well and great contrast with Nanamo.
So Disney has changed... I'm getting old lol.
Good insight on Wow as well, I've never really played it, so I appreciate the context.
Thanks again for taking the time to do this, would love to discuss FFXIV related content in the future!
@@ApocalypzysXIV About the 11:15 topic... I think it would've been possible for the Endless to exist outside of Living Memory. Thing is their Aether would drain and without suply, they would dissipate anyway. After all, they arent alive to begin with. Its similar yet not the same with the Scions in the First: the Scions still had their souls which sort of generated the Aether (through the act of eating and via the air, which we learned in EW). The Endless dont have their own baterie, if you will, and I dont think they could eat normal food. - At least thats how I understand it ^^°
@@markup6394 The way they present the Endless makes somehow acceptable the "mass slaughtering" we make switching all off. They are memories without souls, photos of people that once were alive. On the other hand the consumption of souls, which is not clearly eplained on how where they go once used or if they are just destroyed after empowering someone leaves a lot of ethical dilemmas on the people of Alexandria and Solution Nine.
@@markup6394 The thing is, the Endless probably could have lived outside of Living Memory and there's a very good reason, one introduced inside of DT even.
OTIS
Otis clearly shows us that the technology to implant human memories inside of robotic bodies already exists in Alexandria. We dont know too much about Otis but he's been kicking around since before the barrier so clearly he either has a self-sustaining power source or a simple way to recharge. Sure, he's a robot so he cant do human stuff like eat or smell, but hes still alive even in a different state.
You could have given the Endless the option of dying there or living as an unfeeling robot, at least its a choice, and at least its theirs, not yours.
@@technochrome8183 Otis still had his soul. Thats the difference.
Great video, thanks
The reason we do not have spanish is that our countries do not force software to have a Spanish version to sell in stores. In France in order to sell it needs to have a French version. In Germany is the same. But in spain and other spanish speaking countries there is none. So square didn't gave a rat ass about Spanish speaking people. If they didn't sell in French, they wouldn't be able to sell in french stores. And if they didn't have German, they wouldn't be able to sell in German stores. But they didn't have that limitation in Spain or latin america.
Of course this is mostly historical due to the way it started (wanting to sell ps3 games in stores). Right now they wouldn't even bother with a French or German translation and just have them in English and Japanese.
Interesting... thank you for the info, I didn't know this was the case. It's definitely frustrating being a Spanish speaker and feeling completely ignored by SquareEnix, but I guess it's not deliberate and just a matter of selling the game in those markets.
Personally I felt there were a lot of ideas and the writer was struggling to connect all of them. Probably had a roadmap like a dungeon needs to go here, here, trial, here here, etc. There were things written that could've had meaning rather than being just fluff, so much potential for duties were squandered. The thing with Wuk Lamat too... I wonder if things were so focussed on her because the writer maybe isn't too sure how to write the scions well? If that was the case, then they should've created more of their own characters and written those instead of flying over more scions. Characters from the local communities could've joined Wuk, as they had done with her father. It would've been fun to see, and a nice mirror. And even better: we'd have had non-player character trust / duty support characters! Been dying to see more of them. I don't mind Wuk Lamat's voice. After having played through the entire MSQ, I can't hear her with any other voice without finding it weird. She has that bit of a hair in mouth kinda vibe, which fits for a Hrothgar.
Estoy de acuerdo con tu análisis. La historia de DT se siente vacía porque la escritura no fue tan buena. Espero que esto mejore en el futuro.
People wanted female Hrothgars. Now eat your food 😂
Well, two things are the total bangers in this expansion: female Hrothgar (I dont play one but they look awesome ^.^) and Alpacas!!
To me, it has nothing to do with age at all.
Sena Bryce is a horrible person, she never have had a part in FF14. The devs made an error for employing her as the VA of Wuk Lamat in English. She had to delete posts on Twitter, etc due to how toxic she is. I don't understand why SE decided to go with her, when she isn't a good person in general, and much less VAing.
And the writer for the expansion should re-evaluate how things should be written. We had such bangers from previous expansions. Story was amazing previously. But Dawntrails? It was slow and lagging greatly. I even skipped CSs because the story was so boring to me.
I know it's a new journey and all. It's a new story. But, that does not mean you should slack on writing and quality of VAing. This expansion was so bad. I even view A Realm Reborn being better than this.
Again, this isn't about age. It's about quality.