How about this for an idea.

Okay I want to float an idea by the FFXI community and hopefully the developers as well. The overall common consensus is there's no new exansions, so to speak, for the game because of the PS2 and no new areas can be introduced. This seems to bear credence with the addition of Grounds of Valor, which has introduced higher level mobs into lower level zones. Well here's my idea, there are 3 zones which currently have no place in the present, Grauberg, Vunkerl and Ft. Karugo-Norugo. How about introducing them into the present day Vana'diel populate them with mobs to fight, all at levels creating a challenge for the 90s of course. Not only that but introduce another tier of nation quests involving these "newly discovered" areas. It's just an idea I had, which several people I've talked to seem to like. I'd like to know what you all think about it.

this would make things little more interesting in the current time.. i've never why they were never brought into the current time stream as it is..

I heard somewhere that there was a zone number limitation.

There is, but they can just increase it. All of the Abyssea zones and [S] zones count as new zones anyways, so it's not like they're recycling because of that limitation. They recycle because it's less work and they're understaffed.