One to Fifty, One Zone - Long OP

[Perrin_Aybarra]

Thanks Siobu just trying to do my part to make all this possible and fixed to some extent.

Also I wanted to add that yes we might get an answer using that they are working on the battle system first and will look into this after but from what I understood, Yoshi did say they had multiple teams working on different aspect at the same time and I don't think the map/level designers has anything to do that might be related to the battle system... so they might as well start working on that right now :P

[Rentahamster]

I don't think the map/level designers has anything to do that might be related to the battle system...

They're making the new dungeons and quest hubs.

[Perrin_Aybarra]

They're making the new dungeons and quest hubs.

Yeah that's true. They should be pretty much done with those. Also I have a feeling quests hubs are surely done and all copy/pasted like everything else

[Rentahamster]

Yeah that's true. They should be pretty much done with those. Also I have a feeling quests hubs are surely done and all copy/pasted like everything else

Even when they're done with those, there's still more content they're developing for the future.

As for copypaste quest hubs, I didn't get that feeling when seeing the pics YoshiP posted in that letter (but then again, I haven't looked at it in a while), so I'll just wait till I actually see it in person before making judgement.

[Sorel]

Yeah that's true. They should be pretty much done with those. Also I have a feeling quests hubs are surely done and all copy/pasted like everything else

Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of putting together a whole new team?

[Cairdeas]

Yeah that's true. They should be pretty much done with those. Also I have a feeling quests hubs are surely done and all copy/pasted like everything else

You'd be surprised. One wrong brush, one wrong prim, one wrong physical item and an entire chunk of the map has to be re-meshed, then re compiled.

My most extravegant map that I've made in CS:S took me 15 hours to recompile and it was a small combat arena with a bit of water and weather effects.

I can only guess at how much time it takes them to compile huge world environments for XIV.

[Perrin_Aybarra]

Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of putting together a whole new team?

Yes it would, and I really hope I am wrong and that each camp is different than the next one. Just not setting the bar too high.

@Cairdeas, altho I know next to nothing to level/world design I am sure you are right but still those are part of patch 1.18 so they should be pretty much done no?

[Sephr]

I personally think a lot can be done to make the current zones more interesting. Whilst I do agree that we need more variety, the more I think about it the more I'd prefer they focussed on expanding the world and adding new areas, rather than redesigning what we have now.

For example, they could fill up a lot of currently empty areas by adding new content like the hubs to the pre-existing base. A large space in La Noscea could be filled up with a farm or something for example, with quests and things related to protecting the animals/harvesting/building structures etc etc. Then they could add beastmen and human settlements spread around. If they could make it so that wherever you are in a zone, there's always SOMETHING unique to see and explore, I'd be pretty happy.
I don't think I'd really care about repeated objects, if that were the case.

It would probably take the same effort as redesigning areas to implement new and much more varied/interesting high level zones surrounding ishgard/ala mhigo/shariayan.

I really hope the 'hubs' are the start of making the current zones more interesting in a relatively efficient way. If they added things like OP teleports to the Hamlets dotted about and had hamlet defence too (as well as chocobos available at said hamlets) I think the world would have a much better feel without having to redesign it.

[Meph]

We got an answer in the german thread:

Seid gegrüßt,

ich habe eine frohe Botschaft zu verkünden. Yoshida-san teilte uns mit, dass eine Umgestaltung der Maps in Planung ist und sie damit auch gut voran kommen. Da dies allerdings einige fundamentale Änderungen bedeutet, wird es leider noch einige Zeit in Anspruch nehmen.

Greetings,

I have good news. Yoshida-san told us that a revamp of the maps is in planning and thus they are also making good progress. However, since this implies some fundamental changes, it will unfortunately take some time.

(Sorry for the bad translation, google helped. ^^)

[Sorel]

Isn't that the same thing we were told in March, sentence per sentence?

EDIT: Correction. I cannot find a post by Bayohne, Rukkiiri, or Hvinire stating what the german post said. Therefore, this is news.