Suggestion: New adventures in Vana'diel

[Snowpaw]

Please note: This is a suggestion for a new Final Fantasy title related to FFXI. If this is an idea you would support, please post a reply about it so SE can see how much support this would get, and would be more likely to consider the idea. If this is the wrong forum, I apologize.


FFXI will eventually be shut down. We know this. SE said they would support it as long as there are enough players, but eventually that number WILL dwindle past acceptable levels as people move on with their lives, switch to other games, etc. But this does not mean Vana'diel will be a thing of the past.

I believe that when FFXI does get phased out, SE should put the game back into development, similar to FFXIV, but to remake it as a new title. The world of Vana'diel has far too much lore to be let die off. I'm not gonna make any suggestions as to characters, setting, how many years in the future to make it, etc. Those are up to the dev team. I think a game in this world needs to be made, and it should be made an MMORPG.

Now, I know what you're thinking. FFXIV:ARR is supposed to be the successor to the online final fantasy genre. Yes, but it has a different style, and a different world, that not everyone who played FFXI likes. There are many styles of MMORPG and FFXIV is a different one than FFXI. Updated graphics and sound, tweaks to the UI and battle system, and we can have a new online FF game with a more tactical, slow-paced feel than FFXIV.

Another issue with new MMORPGs is content. FFXIV has run afoul of this already and I believe a simple suggestion can fix the problem for both FFXIV and this new FFXI-related game. Let us re-play the old content. Remaking old storylines from FFXI will take MUCH less development time, especially if all the old lines are re-used and not voiced, and it will let new players experience the AMAZING stories that made FFXI what it is! I'm no game designer, but I know there are scripting and planning phases of development, and those can be almost completely skipped for these lines of content. The content could even be replayed from a menu to avoid complications with the location of a mission no longer existing in the new game, or you could simply have to get to the right area or nearby to start said mission. Only a few areas like Sacrarium would have to be added PURELY for the sake of these old missions.

The main idea here is to make a new game, with this rich lore, and allow people to play the old content, so the devs have more leeway to make new content. Old battle systems can even be re-introduced, like Dynamis, but with rewards that translate to the new system of the game.

So what do you guys think?

[Rainehx]

Good idea.

However very unlikely if it where to be remade it would stay FFXI'ish. The reason FFXIV went all spammy and is such a far stretch from FFXI's game play
is thats what most of the new "casual" players of mmo's want, long gone are the days where FFXI's slower (better imo) system will appeal to the mass market.

Personally I think the best option when servers do go down would be a system where they keep pol up and allow you to invite people to a server hosted on the inviters machine.
Perhaps just one region at a time though due to cpu stress, then after original development of the client its just a case of keeping pol up... much cheaper.

I still think there is life in this old dog yet though, and while the devs are still working its end of life is far off.

[Fritobandito]

I like the idea of allowing the game to continue on private server(s). Sega did that when they decided to discontinue service of Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst, if I'm not mistaken. Tho I must admit I have a hard time seeing SE do something similar.

[Brightshadow]

As long as they keep releasing expansion packs this game will always have people; however, they do need to put more effort into the level design of the next expansion with "Seeker of Adoulin" it made sense to make the paths narrow; however, with the next expansion they should make the maps much more open, and creative.

Hopefully we go to Rhazowa next, the frozen zones in vana'diel have always been beautiful.