One to Fifty, One Zone - Long OP

The german thread now has a crown. but it's not a direct reply to the topic i don't believe. Google translate of dev comment "Did the thread title be changed." :P one step closer though haha ~German Link here~

Oh, Zahak, haha! Nice catch.

Here's to anything today, guys. Though, it couldn't get more exciting than to be able to expect a lively, diverse Eorzea to go along with future transportation.. :)

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Originally Posted by Zahak

The german thread now has a crown. but it's not a direct reply to the topic i don't believe. Google translate of dev comment "Did the thread title be changed." :P one step closer though haha ~German Link here~

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its more a sum up, left out some aspects of this OP but the core thoughts are the same pretty much. Just a bit shorter :)

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Originally Posted by Anty

its more a sum up, left out some aspects of this OP but the core thoughts are the same pretty much. Just a bit shorter :)

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ah i was just talking about the dev comment on it. Maybe they will comment ours soon :)

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Originally Posted by Zahak

ah i was just talking about the dev comment on it. Maybe they will comment ours soon :)

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oh sorry, yeah they had another title before that didnt quite fit... true, this got changed, but that was it :) no new information or an answer towards changes or future plans.

Man, that crysis mod of the Eorzea zone linked on the page before is amazing, I was so disappointed we didn't actually get any areas looking like that, with the giant waterfall and open forest.. Would've been fantastic. It's in the banner at the top of this page, and not even in the game, figures.

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Originally Posted by Sephr

Man, that crysis mod of the Eorzea zone linked on the page before is amazing, I was so disappointed we didn't actually get any areas looking like that, with the giant waterfall and open forest.. Would've been fantastic. It's in the banner at the top of this page, and not even in the game, figures.

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true true... another of these false advertisements :S

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Originally Posted by kurokawa

Well if you're correct then they're screwed, as it'll take a major overhaul for people to come back and pay for the game.

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Unfortunately, I believe this is true.

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Originally Posted by Sephr

Man, that crysis mod of the Eorzea zone linked on the page before is amazing, I was so disappointed we didn't actually get any areas looking like that, with the giant waterfall and open forest.. Would've been fantastic. It's in the banner at the top of this page, and not even in the game, figures.

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Always thought that would be the first end game region
but yea..none of our enviroments come close to that one.

I'd like to mention too, specifically for areas like that waterfall zone, that they REALLY need to make it so we can drop off 1ft cliffs and also run up them. In Mhor Dhona by the dodore spawn you have the little pools, which to me are cool running through the water/swamp/whatever, but in all of them you're restricted to a small area you can enter and exit them even though the 'cliff' is 1~ ft high. I'd hate to be given a totally sweet zone to still have these limitations.

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Originally Posted by Zahak

The german thread now has a crown. but it's not a direct reply to the topic i don't believe. Google translate of dev comment "Did the thread title be changed." :P one step closer though haha ~German Link here~

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the Dev came in to say "change the topic title" basically...Is that the best we will get ?

Most popular and meaningful thread ever and still no dev response? For shame.

SE does not care. How can i explain it to you? :P

8 months for adjusting battle system, 8 years for adjusting environments!

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Originally Posted by popdai

SE does not care. How can i explain it to you? :P

8 months for adjusting battle system, 8 years for adjusting environments!

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wasnt 8 also the number of the mobs you had to kill/quest when they got added? - i don't remember actually... didnt bother with questing after i did some of the thoughtful quests with amazing storyline and rewards.

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Originally Posted by popdai

SE does not care. How can i explain it to you? :P

8 months for adjusting battle system, 8 years for adjusting environments!

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please just leave.

We'll hear tomorrow I think, Bayohne is probably waiting for a translation.

Hopefully there's something in the letter from Yoshi about landscapes and levelling paths in tune with the battle system. It all ties in.

It'd be very strange for a thread this size to be ignored. Even a 'we'll look into it' would be expected after 58 pages of non trolling constructive feedback, surely?

I already posted on the Japanese thread but for patch, dev notes, any dev replies... They should just release the damn thing in Japanese first if translation is the only thing holding back the info.

Tons of fans out there willing to translate it for free + all SE needs to do is make sure everyone understands those fan translated materials are not to be taken seriously just in case their is translation errors which might mislead people and once their official translation is done to post it as soon as the translation is done and gets the OK from the higher ups.

We're nearing 600 replies, with nearly all of them in agreement with the OP without getting off-topic (too much). Has this ever happened in the short history of the Lodestone?

Back in the 90's, we would've clogged their fax machines with complaints, preventing them from doing normal business until our demands were met. Technology makes it that much easier to ignore people.

Letter from the Producer XI is make or break time. Don't let us down, Yoshi-P!

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Letter from the Producer XI is make or break time. Don't let us down, Yoshi-P!

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quoted for massive trufax

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Originally Posted by Eekiki

We're nearing 600 replies, with nearly all of them in agreement with the OP without getting off-topic (too much). Has this ever happened in the short history of the Lodestone?

Back in the 90's, we would've clogged their fax machines with complaints, preventing them from doing normal business until our demands were met. Technology makes it that much easier to ignore people.

Letter from the Producer XI is make or break time. Don't let us down, Yoshi-P!

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In all honesty if i say another thread getting the devs attention and the rest of the day this one does not get anything, im going to be quite pissed off, it will be a VERY clear sign that they intend to ignore the masses.

Everyone wants loading screens back? What is this insanity?

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Originally Posted by charliesheen

Everyone wants loading screens back? What is this insanity?

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I'd rather have 4 or 5 unique zones with loading screens than one massive monotonous zone.

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Originally Posted by charliesheen

Everyone wants loading screens back? What is this insanity?

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you're obviously no longer #winning

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Originally Posted by Tonka

I'd rather have 4 or 5 unique zones with loading screens than one massive monotonous zone.

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exactly.

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Originally Posted by Tonka

I'd rather have 4 or 5 unique zones with loading screens than one massive monotonous zone.

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Why can't they just have more variation to the world.... ? I don't really understand why people are asking for loading screens, it's pretty bizarre. They should just make 'areas' different within the giant zones and have the music change in said areas. Isn't that what they were aiming for but haven't delivered?

And so I repeat, loading screens... what is this madness?

@Richard: I'm always #winning! I'll blow your mind with my torpedoes of truth.

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Originally Posted by charliesheen

Why can't they just have more variation to the world.... ? I don't really understand why people are asking for loading screens, it's pretty bizarre. They should just make 'areas' different within the giant zones and have the music change in said areas. Isn't that what they were aiming for but haven't delivered?

And so I repeat, loading screens... what is this madness?

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No one is asking for loading screens, people are saying if that's the compromise then so be it, considering we teleport everywhere anyways and there's loading screens there isn't there?

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Originally Posted by Mack

No one is asking for loading screens, people are saying if that's the compromise then so be it, considering we teleport everywhere anyways and there's loading screens there isn't there?

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Ah hah, but there is really no need to 'compromise'. I only read a couple of pages but it seemed like people were asking for loading screens. It's perfectly within their means to have giant zones with varying landscapes within them, just like when you travel from the outside region into a city.

As for teleporting, that's entirely different. I never said the game should have no loading screens as that's impossible. What I am saying is that asking for them where they aren't required... what is this madness?

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Originally Posted by Richard

But what does that have to do with the topic at hand? No one was comparing difficulty in leveling. For some jobs, like BST FoV was a huge success (lol). The point is it's not just forced partying.

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It's actually quite relevant since "leveling on your own" constitutes content that can be soloed with relative ease. FoV mobs stop being of that category after the 40's. It's why some get together to kill stuff in places like cape terrigan when they aren't in abyssea.

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There are always trends set by players and there will always be people who level on their own terms. You've dipped and dodged around every point of fact given to you, which is perfectly fine, but you've made no real headway with your original point.

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You don't seem to understand my original point. My point was that there are games where the game by design sends you from point A to point B (WoW, CoH, LotRO) while others that are more open ended and as such the players decide the progression path (in part due to other factors like forced partying).

The latter has happened in this game, but it doesn't involve moving through various zones. That's pretty much all I'm saying.

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I'd rather have 4 or 5 unique zones with loading screens than one massive monotonous zone.

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I wouldn't mind seeing the terrain clipping from WoW make an appearance here, if it had to come to that. The alternative would be the addition of more zones to the game that are as equally massive. Could go either way, really.

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Originally Posted by charliesheen

Everyone wants loading screens back? What is this insanity?

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Hi charlie,

Not for the sake of loading screens. If you read this thread, it's about Square delivering some distinct, visually unique zones as we progress from Rank 1 - 50.

If this means we need loading screens to load up a new area, then most of us would gladly take that, to gain distinctive, interesting zones that don't all look like the exact same area from Rank 1 - 50 (the way it is now, if you stay in Thanalan, or The Black Shroud, etc.).

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Originally Posted by charliesheen

Ah hah, but there is really no need to 'compromise'. I only read a couple of pages but it seemed like people were asking for loading screens. It's perfectly within their means to have giant zones with varying landscapes within them, just like when you travel from the outside region into a city.

As for teleporting, that's entirely different. I never said the game should have no loading screens as that's impossible. What I am saying is that asking for them where they aren't required... what is this madness?

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Well I've read this entire topic and for the most part people are saying if that's the compromise then so be it, they ma not say it straight up but that's what I get from it because obviously if we can have seamless zones with variety no one would ask for loading, that would be insanity.

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Originally Posted by charliesheen

Everyone wants loading screens back? What is this insanity?

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In case you haven't realized, there are "loading corridors" all over Eorzea, I rather wait & get zones with more variety than run these corridors and get same terrain everywhere.

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Originally Posted by charliesheen

Ah hah, but there is really no need to 'compromise'. I only read a couple of pages but it seemed like people were asking for loading screens. It's perfectly within their means to have giant zones with varying landscapes within them, just like when you travel from the outside region into a city.

As for teleporting, that's entirely different. I never said the game should have no loading screens as that's impossible. What I am saying is that asking for them where they aren't required... what is this madness?

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Cities are actually part of the zones they reside in, if you go from one zone(region) to another you hit a loading screen. People would want at least that much variation between the zones and given the apparent technical design of XIV, it probably is something they'd have to accept to get the type of zone differentiation they want.

This seems an odd thing to be nitpicking at here, the desire is a more diverse world no matter how you cut it.

Loading screens, no loading screens, meh. No one will care if the game has variation and a progressive way of adventuring as you rise through the ranks.

This thread calls for an environmental design change. How that change happens isn't the point.

Are they going to change the copy paste landscapes and introduce real character to the land of Eorzea, or are they limited to adding a few camps and dungeons?
If they can't change it, why are they limited? Is it cost, manpower, Memory or the actual engine?
Will the starter area landscapes stay the same?
Whats the deal with everything being copy paste?
Will new areas be better thought through?
Will every camp look similar in future??
Do they agree that leveling from 1-50 in a barren canyon is most people's idea of hell?
Are they going to shoot the person who thought it was a good idea?
When?

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Originally Posted by charliesheen

Ah hah, but there is really no need to 'compromise'. I only read a couple of pages but it seemed like people were asking for loading screens. It's perfectly within their means to have giant zones with varying landscapes within them, just like when you travel from the outside region into a city.

As for teleporting, that's entirely different. I never said the game should have no loading screens as that's impossible. What I am saying is that asking for them where they aren't required... what is this madness?

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I agree SE could make more unique areas without loading screens. Wouldn't bother me at all if they did have to make smaller zones though. But again..don't think they would need to.

Still hopeful of some kind of mention be it in a dev comment (crown) or in the letter from the producer. Would be extremely surprised if Yoshi did happen to add a small snippet of text concerning this thread though. Don't really see that happening so I await our friendly forum moderators. *lays out dead lalafell for Malboro Bayo bait* <_<

Minions, let me be clear. I understand that you all want distinctive areas to adventure in. I also seek this ultimate goal. However the reason they don't have these in place yet is down to lazy designing and nothing more. Split zones with lots of loading screens are not required. Just less copy-pasta terrain that was done in a rushed release.

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Originally Posted by charliesheen

Ah hah, but there is really no need to 'compromise'. I only read a couple of pages but it seemed like people were asking for loading screens. It's perfectly within their means to have giant zones with varying landscapes within them, just like when you travel from the outside region into a city.

As for teleporting, that's entirely different. I never said the game should have no loading screens as that's impossible. What I am saying is that asking for them where they aren't required... what is this madness?

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Apparently it's not possible, and this is the answer we were given to "prove" it, if you will. Now whether or not it's true doesn't matter, but for the moment this is all we have to base our assumptions on:

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PC Gamer: Recently, players have been posting videos of terrain they think was copy and pasted (eg. 1, 2 – maps showing all the relevant areas). Is that the case, and if so why?

Hiromichi Tanaka: Since FFI, we have always used the same design to show the scenery. We have one map divided into different parts, and then we use those parts. Otherwise, the data size is going to be terabytes. So, from the memory size point of view, it’s important to compile the data size. That being said, because we wanted the game to be seamless, we do understand there’s a lack of variation. So that’s why we do want to have more unique aspects in the area, depending on what area of the game it is. However, even for the 3D version for other MMOs, using the same data is quite common in designing the game.

PC Gamer: I understand when it’s elements of a landscape, like a tree or rock. But these seem to be whole areas, to an extent that you don’t see in something like WoW.

Hiromichi Tanaka: One of the explanations for that is the size of the parts of the data that we use. Back in the days of FFXI and even WoW, the memory of each part was much less than what we have to use now. These days, because of the graphics, the same size of the parts costs more memory size. If the PC itself has that same size of the- has got larger in the same manner, then we can increase the map in the same way. But the same size of the data is now like ten times more memory size, so that’s really costing the game data size.

PC Gamer: If WoW could do it then, why isn’t it doable now?

Hiromichi Tanaka: One of the reasons why is because of the quality of the graphics – it’s different from WoW. What we’re trying to do in each part is costing more memory. Basically that’s the difference. WoW was designed a few years ago, before FFXI. FFXIV is designed with the latest graphical technology; that’s why it costs that much of memory data.

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http://www.pcgamer.com/2010/11/15/in...happy-players/

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Originally Posted by Petori

In case you haven't realized, there are "loading corridors" all over Eorzea, I rather wait & get zones with more variety than run these corridors and get same terrain everywhere.

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Indeed, I am aware! And it is through these loading corridors that they would be able to provide the more distinct landscapes within 'zones' that we crave.

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Originally Posted by charliesheen

Minions, let me be clear. I understand that you all want distinctive areas to adventure in. I also seek this ultimate goal. However the reason they don't have these in place yet is down to lazy designing and nothing more. Split zones with lots of loading screens are not required. Just less copy-pasta terrain that was done in a rushed release.

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I wish you were really Charlie Sheen. Bit sad really isn't it.

Correct. There is no reason why we need cut-away loading screens. The zone transitions are fine the way they are, they just need to load different stuff!

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Originally Posted by kurokawa

I wish you were really Charlie Sheen. Bit sad really isn't it.

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Everyone needs some Sheenius in their life! #winning

@Chrees: You have my gratitude Sir. Clearly SE have a special way with programming, and by special I mean not very good. So they are incapable of doing it without loading screens... Pitiful. Alas, I will continue playing even if the dreaded loading screens do return. My soul is already possessed by the satanic corporation.

Anyone master of the photoshop? Would be nice to have even more detailed paintings like these
http://www.seahorror.com/thumbs.jpg

Image created by Siobu