Where is the middle ground?

[Alerith]

In all the posts of people saying this way is better, that way is better, etc. etc., where and on what points can we agree?

What is the middle ground between Old School XI and Abyssea XI? What features can we take from both to make a game many can enjoy?

I would like to propose a new, story driven expansion, making use of an area that all can enjoy.

Tavnazia.

Give us access to the rest of the Tavnazia Archipelago. Give us the plains and forest areas around it, and the city itself.

In this area, make EXP camps for mobs that require parties like the old days, but at a reasonable amount of EXP per kill. Make these mobs weak to skillchains and magic bursts and create camps for ALL level ranges.

Add notorious monsters that work on the dynamis proc and drop system. You must possess a key item in order to be able to proc. Key items and pop items for NMs. A few roaming NMs as well.

Story Driven: Reclaim the damn city. Make it a hybrid Campaign sort of deal, where there are "checkpoints" around the plains and forest areas that must be captured to besiege the city. Intertwine the battles into a story. This opens up siege warfare where a mass of players can assault points at will. No tags. Open war once you enter the zone.

Create two Tavnazia City zones. One war-torn one where the beastmen hold it and where battle can take place. Then have another for when people complete the storyline where the city is restored and clean and now run by all five races or restored to San d'Orian glory. Connect this restored Tavnazia via Airship routes and auction houses.

Turn atma effects into useable items. If you're getting your ass kicked by some NM, pop an "Animite of the Ruins" for your Razed Ruins effect for 3 minutes. (3 Animite active at a time.)

Lastly: DON'T ALLOW ACCESS TO THIS CONTENT UNTIL ROZ AND COP HAVE BEEN COMPLETED.

Combine the old and the new. Embrace change but respect tradition. Find a way to meld!

[Concerned4FFxi]

I love the idea, but requiring both cop and roz to be completed for access, in my opinion, negated the need for a lower xp camp as most people that have those completed will have access to abyssea and can leech there unleveled subs/future mains there, and know how to play a job even if it's leeched because they have other jobs they leveled and had for a while.

Perhaps having the camps for 75-99 would be more suited, with only a few 75 camps, a few 85 camps, a fair amount of soloable at 99 camps, and alot of 99 4-6 man party camps. Then, perhaps make one entire section, a small section but it's own section, an area for pick up alliance type things or perhaps this is where your campaign/besieged idea comes into play. All in all I suppurt the idea, and thanks for taking the time to post. It's a fantastic concept.


However....
I think what we need now is a total revamp to WOE to make it end-game, instead of the joke it is. Because SE has stated that 2012 IS NOT the year for add-ons, its the year to tweak and revise the damage caused by lifting the cap so hastly, without proper considerance as to the unbalancing this would cause.

So, what I'm saying is I love your idea, but I don't see this for 2012, I think if SE accepts that WOE is a mess and does something about it, we could see WOE end-game in 2012, otherwise alot of veterans might quit because they aren't willing to continue to wait around now that abyssea is finished for most people and there is no end-game.

Making some parts of WOE reserved might entice LS to do it, lower tiers solable with auto rr, and other mid tiers 6man party able, with a point system and rare/ex drops that are useful, if it were revamped and not the current pet glory/auto-rr wtf is this bs? Adding hmp to the popint system purchase, and the AH able ingrediants for the ah gear form VW, this would be fantastic. At no time should any of the VW rare/ex gear be in the point system, nor should any future WOE gear that's worth a dam.

As it stands now, if I need WOE gear, I buy it. Hello SE, nobody doing it if it's outdated or can be bought off AH.

[Concerned4FFxi]

Also, I wouldn't be against another xp boast to all areas outside of abyssea, this would encourage xp parties in older areas, in the 6 man party concept. Or, perhaps giving the experience bands themselves a boast, if the overall xp boast would unbalance the game. As it stands now, there's nobody but a few soloist here and there in the dunes, in qufim, in east ronfaure {S}, something needs to be done your right.

[Alerith]

Much needs to be tweaked all across the board, I certainly agree. I'm sort of taking a preemptive strike at what SE may not have considered for the next "story installment."

If SE can tweak current content properly this year, they could release something like what I suggested to really bring the game back up to our standards.

Abyssea
It's great for what it is. Personally I think it's too easy for the rewards, but what's done is done. What I would suggest though, is raising the level requirement for entry to 75. If this were implemented, we could add more EXP options across the board. Otherwise, I really don't think anything else needs to be changed.

General Adjustments
Give another EXP boost across all zones. I can't see how it would unbalance anything if EXP were near abyssea level outside of abyssea. If anything, it would repopulate and make use of older zones.

Drop Dynamis currency and Alexandrite in other events. For example: Drop Alexandrite from certain mobs or as a reward on Nyzul Floors 101-200, Salvage, Einherjar, etc. Drop dynamis currency in RoZ and CoP endgame zones. (Sky, Limbus, Sea).

Give an option to do CoP missions at their original level caps for a key item. Completing a set of Key Items from capped CoP BCNMs would allow you to augment your CoP ring.

Use something other than Colibri as an exp mob.

PVP
This is just a personal thing I'd like. Change the way you earn ballista points or allow us to use conquest points. Also, create an area where players can enter just for the sake of dueling. Ballista and Brenner are fun mini-games and all, but most of the time, it turned into duels on the beach.

There's a multitude of other things to do. But all this would lead to a favorable reception of a Tavnazian expansion.

[Meyi]

Middle Ground to me would be implementing similar gear with two paths of obtainment; one with challenging content and luck of drop (which would most likely result in the armor being acquired sooner) and the other more relaxed, guaranteed, and easier to low man. As long as there's contents for all sorts of different play styles, I think the overall playerbase would be happy.