[suggestions] About new MAPS in 3.0 and beyond

Please no Fatigue system!!!

you know what place had just the right amount of openess and didnt have to go crazy on topography? Pashhow Marshlands.

http://www.miingno.ch/wp-content/upl...09/01/0071.jpg

http://ic.pics.livejournal.com/sovie...8_original.png

and i dont know how SE or anyone else can say a PS3 (which isn't horrible) can not handle extra weather effects and passive animals / objects when a ps2 did just fine.

http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb2...epa_Desert.png

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pterois

you know what place had just the right amount of openess and didnt have to go crazy on topography? Pashhow Marshlands.

---

Well these images are literally empty.. one tower and a few bushes..

They said in game there was floating islands and something else. Hopefully we get to see them soon.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by StrejdaTom

Well these images are literally empty.. one tower and a few bushes..

---

i was more so pointing out the fact that it feels open, not what they decided to put in the zone, also that it didn't need to have crazy topography to make it look nice. Also notice that there is nothing on the horizon, this also adds to the expansiveness of the area making you think this swamp goes on more miles and miles.

I think what most are asking for here is expansive flatlands because it seems like ever zone in ffxiv is crowded in by impassable mountain ranges (which are nice don't get me wrong) just talking about diversity here.

I would really like to see a bit more fantasy in the areas. I will refer to Tera. Some of the zones there were pretty terrific. The opposites that you'd get from one area to another really helped produce a true "game-like" feeling and encouraged exploration. Thank you so much for the work behind this gorgeous game, but we need just a little bit more "Fantasy" in the terrain of Final Fantasy XIV.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MageBlack

Please no Fatigue system!!!

---

I didn't mean that fatigue though lol... i mean some sort of element you need to rest in a tent/cabin, only to use them like in the old FFs. :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Munba

I didn't mean that fatigue though lol... i mean some sort of element you need to rest in a tent/cabin, only to use them like in the old FFs. :D

---

Lol, I knew what you meant and I was being goofy. But on a serious note, I dont think that the type of fatigue system would make sense or be a feature that would enhance this game in any sense. At most, a regenerating stamina gauge when you run. Oh, wait, we already have that. To have the system you are talking about, many core features of the game would need to be completely reworked. FFXI you had to kneel down to recover your HP and wait. Even that was tedious. You do have some neat ideas but I think they would work better in some other game, something made from scratch with those ideas.

I do like having larger zones, more open landscape (less clutter), and fewer Aetherite crystals. What might work and be interesting would be some form of energy that prevents you from being able to return or teleport at all in that particular zone(except of course when you die, then you could respawn at the zone entrance you came in from.) There are ways to get some of what you want if you work with the systems that are already there instead of trying to add in another system. it would be like dominos in its affecting the rest of the gameplay. Keep those brain juices flowing man!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by StrejdaTom

They gave PS4 upgrade from PS3 for free. I have also heard that they are planning to make better water effects and add new HQ textures. It kinda feels that one day they will stop caring about PS3 players and I hope for that.

---

it was said that they can't promise to support ps3 after the first expansion.

Maybe with directx11 they can already add enviromental details like more 'life' around for the actual zones.

-Areas need more interactive elements
1.Water,snow,rain affect movement speed. The deeper the slower you move
2.Heavy sandstorms, rain, snow,etc affect visibility. The intensity affects the map.From slightly to rendering the map useless
3.Exposure like fire, hail,etc affect hp,mp,tp, skill use, gear when in hot pockets
4.Less invisible walls
5.Areas need more dimensions.Depending on what/where sinkhole, whirlpool, etc you fall into you start in a sub-terrain dungeon
6.Giant fish that eats all in path. Dungeon, enemies,leves,fates,city inside it,duty finder teleport doesn't work outside the fish

-One Aetheryte at the starting/entrance point of area
1.No resource npcs in non city zones
2.Players build camps and amenities in spots. Enemies/natural disasters wipe a camp out after a some time
3.Camps serve as a beacon/waypoint. Upon death you begin at last visited camp
4.Zones restrict teleportation/return. The only way out is make it back to the starting aetheryte to teleport

Now I'm kinda thinking natural disasters would be a great element. Things such as tornadoes (sandstorms) and tsunamis, to impact the player while they're fighting. Not annoyingly so, they could plan around it, but maybe only certain enemies would appear during these events and so the elite players would actually plan on fighting in these disasters.

I don't see any reason to not have aetherytes in places. The reason this world *feels* small is because, hello, it *is* small. SE just needs to make a bigger world, and then it will feel bigger. No need to artificially inflate the time to traverse to a location just because we walked uphill in the snow both ways back in Uleguerand Range.

Even that game had plenty of ways to get to a zone.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Souljacker

I don't see any reason to not have aetherytes in places. The reason this world *feels* small is because, hello, it *is* small. SE just needs to make a bigger world, and then it will feel bigger. No need to artificially inflate the time to traverse to a location just because we walked uphill in the snow both ways back in Uleguerand Range.

Even that game had plenty of ways to get to a zone.

---

Most of the reasons I've heard about not having aetherytes is the age-old "it makes the world feel smaller, and forcing people to walk everywhere will make it feel larger/you'll see more people travelling between areas". Which is a bad reason to not have them, in and of itself.

Duelle, on an earlier page, makes a good reason about why aetherytes should be limited in certain cases. One of these reasons involves maps which are not explored or not inhabited by people, especially those who are connected to the people who know how to build them. It'd make no sense for some remote peoples to have knowledge of how to build an aetheryte crystal for us to simply attune to and use. Having them become uncommon, or even non-existant, in some areas is completely acceptable within the lore. Other means of transportation should exist there.

This is really the only justifiable reason for nodes not being as prevalent in future maps. At least in the beginning. As we begin to explore further afield, we should see less nodes being available to us and require use to actually navigate to these areas. But eventually, as patches come and go, these areas should be given camps and nodes placed there to ease travelling. This would give the effect of expanding, and that too would be completely acceptable.

Ultimately, though, if people don't want to use aetherytes they do have that option; just don't use them. Requesting their complete removal is stupid and simply an attempt to push their preferred game play on others (not acceptable at all). But limiting them, especially further afield, is completely ok in my opinion and only enriches the world by being true to the lore that's been created for it.

And because it's helpful to refer to, here's the info regarding the nodes from Camate a few months back:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Camate

Ever wonder exactly what an aetheryte is? I mean, you use them every day to get around.

Luckily we have some cool information from the lore team to share!
* Updated at 8:00 p.m. with the help of the Localization Team!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by The Lore Team

What is an aetheryte?
Aetherytes are colossal structures comprised of crystallized aether. So that they may serve as waypoints for aetherial travel, these crystals have been amplified through the use of advanced Sharlayan technology.

Why doesn't everyone use aetherytes?
To traverse the Lifestream safely with Teleport and Return requires a great deal of spiritual energy, known as anima. While many individuals, such as adventurers, possess the fortitude to endure such travel, some individuals do not. What’s more, even if one has the ability to use aetherytes, the frequency with which one can do so varies. In essence, for some, the recast time for these spells can be far longer than for an adventurer.

As a result, only a fraction of the populace can utilize aetherial travel habitually, which is why chocobos, airships, and other forms of transportation still play a major role in Eorzea.

Why does it cost gil to use aetherytes?
Many aetheryte camps were destroyed during the Calamity, which necessitated their reconstruction. However, this came at great expense, and so teleportation fees must be collected to repay the as yet unpaid debt.

However, the gil doesn’t just magically disappear from your purse! Though it's not shown in the game, it's collected by the guards keeping watch of the aetherytes.

On a side note, guards posted by each city-state's aetheryte can tell you about aetherytes and teleportation magic. If you're interested, see what they have to say!

---

---

At the very least we might see some remote, since-deactivated/broken aetherytes around Eorzea (like the old 1.0 style) that may have been set up by Sharlayan people many years ago. And that, too, would be a nice thing to have because of lore reasons. And there's no reason why something like that can't be a thing.

I want more spelunking. I loved exploring a new map in FFXI and then discovering that there's a twisting tunnel that leads to a massive cave underneath. Or when I found a way to get to a river at the bottom of the canyon, looking up and wondering, "Wow, I can't believe I was way up there!"

Agree with open dungeons and more nature events.

Also more spelunking! :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Granamir

Agree with open dungeons and more nature events.

Also more spelunking! :D

---

Sticking with the side activity thing, I'd probably make spelunking something akin to a minigame. Like...you'd have air as the limited resource while spelunking, performing certain actions help you go deeper into the cave/tunnel, doing certain things cost you more air than others, certain events could maybe restore a bit of air and so on. If you run out of air or go dangerously low you pass out and wake up outside the cave/tunnel, explained by members of the spelunking guild rescuing you before you died in the cave/tunnel.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kio

1.0 had ridiculously large maps and hardly any Aetheryte crystals and it was dreadful and a waste of time. Traveling a half hour to drop off a leve quest then spending another half hour running back...rinse and repeat. I just don't think it was as appealing to the masses as people imagine it would be and was some of the reason why the game flopped in the first place.
I truly feel that the few people whom do not wish to have the convenience of Aetheryte teleports should just not utilize them as a personal discipline.

---

The Aetheryte network was in 1.0 bigger than in ARR. Not only was there the Aetheryte crystals, but also the natural Aetheryte nodes. It was possible to go to every place in the world in just 1 minute. But it have cost Anima instead of gil, so we walked a lot. That changed with hamlet defence and Atomos event, where it was then possible to fill up all Anima in just a hour instead of days.

I'd like to add.. give the sea some damn effects! Seriously, no matter what weather is up, be it fair, windy, or a thunderstorm, the sea is always as flat as pool of olive oil. Even in cutscenes with ships, the sea is yet still and unmoving, with only a "rippling water" effect at the edges of the ship happening. I want to see big raging waves during storms, and maybe even some random animations like the whales and dolphins on the FFXI ferry/manaclipper rides!

What I want them to do is some how mix Final Fantasy XI world with FFXIV world.

like a Instance where we work together just like when they enter a burn circle for a big fight, we enter the same type of burn circle in FFXIV and we end up together.

Not on FFXI server or FFXIV server just something inbetween where we could go exist and fight a few battles together.

That would be something to see.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bluevann

I'd like to add.. give the sea some damn effects! Seriously, no matter what weather is up, be it fair, windy, or a thunderstorm, the sea is always as flat as pool of olive oil. Even in cutscenes with ships, the sea is yet still and unmoving, with only a "rippling water" effect at the edges of the ship happening. I want to see big raging waves during storms, and maybe even some random animations like the whales and dolphins on the FFXI ferry/manaclipper rides!

---

So true... i hope with directx11 they'll have the possibility to add some 'physic' waves on the ocean and change the water surface in a 'dynamic' one.


- They should add more natural caves (also small) around as well.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by StrejdaTom

They gave PS4 upgrade from PS3 for free. I have also heard that they are planning to make better water effects and add new HQ textures. It kinda feels that one day they will stop caring about PS3 players and I hope for that.

---

Well at the end of the day marketing rules supreme.


If there are....


1,000,000 subscriptions and;

500,000 are PC

300,000 are PS4

200,000 are PS3


You're not going to cut out that substantial number until it drops to the point where you'd feel it was justifiable as 'redundant hardware'.




Nothing would be worse than cutting it off too early with tens of thousands of players who enjoy the game on PS3 then suddenly loose access. It'll have to be planned WAY in advance.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Munba

So true... i hope with directx11 they'll have the possibility to add some 'physic' waves on the ocean and change the water surface in a 'dynamic' one.


- They should add more natural caves (also small) around as well.

---

A DirectX 11 client is already in the worlds along with a set of high-resolution and uncompressed texture options, there's a huge list (which I'm sick of posting at this point) of potential things they could add to the game (some of which were possible in DX9).

One of the things they're not likely to add just yet however is more complex physical simulations. Currently simple physics exist in the game for cloth/hair and accessories/enemy mobs.

It's not going to be an easy task to implement new physics to the game with the PS3 client still floating around, that would require a seperate check to be added to see "Are they on PS3, if so disable [x]".
So for now it's easier to just leave it out.

They discussed adding these sorts of details after the PS3 drops.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bluevann

I'd like to add.. give the sea some damn effects! Seriously, no matter what weather is up, be it fair, windy, or a thunderstorm, the sea is always as flat as pool of olive oil. Even in cutscenes with ships, the sea is yet still and unmoving, with only a "rippling water" effect at the edges of the ship happening. I want to see big raging waves during storms, and maybe even some random animations like the whales and dolphins on the FFXI ferry/manaclipper rides!

---

Not sure why they didn't add this, there's some VERY low gemoetry solutions to make waves in the sea, it's really not that difficult at a minimal performance cost, but I'd wager yet again "If we can't implement it on the PS3, its best just to wait".

I too would like to see expansive areas with fewer aetheryte crystals, to help make Eorzea feel bigger in some cases and give the open world more atmosphere and a sense of danger. Here's how I think it could work:

SE could do it by making these areas limited to certain parts of the world - as in, the entire game map is not designed with large, wide-open exploration in mind, but select maps, maybe 1-2 for each "region" at most. So I guess it’s sort of like a big, outdoor, open-world dungeon in a sense. Because these maps are only part of a few areas in the overall world, they are optional to the majority of the player base when clearing casual content like simple traveling or main scenario missions.

When exploring these areas, the lore behind it could be something like a persistent, heavy mist/aether (a la FFXII) prevents players from using teleport while traveling within. This is also the reason why there would be few aetheryte crystals scattered through these zones. To make it easier on players, Return could still be used (it's a stronger form of magic than Teleport blah blah lore reasons etc., which is also why it can only be used every 20 real life minutes). This way it is still possible to get out of these more dangerous areas quickly if need be, though the drawback is that you are taken out from wherever in the zone you were and it could take some time to get back to that spot later if you warp out. If some players are still hesitant about that, the zones could be designed such that sticking to the main path or trail in each zone stays relatively safe (no high level mobs, little chance of getting lost, etc.) should the player simply wish to get from A --> B quickly. Only by exploring off the beaten path does it actually start to get dangerous, and the further away you are the more danger you risk.

Mobs in these areas are a notch or two stronger than most other open world mobs (again because of the Mist/aether exposure), so it is beneficial and recommended to travel in groups. It would also be nice if there were ways to prevent or at least make it more difficult to simply skip them while mounted. The heavy effect when mounted doesn't really go far enough and is more annoying than a real hindrance. If anything, being attacked by one should knock you off your bird completely, forcing players to either be smart about avoiding mobs or being prepared to fight.

Of course, none of this will actually matter if the actual process of exploring is not worthwhile. I admit I don't know what would be appropriate reward-wise to actually include in these zones so players want to traverse through them, but I do think this is a decent way of putting "dangerous" open-world areas in Eorzea that could fit into the preexisting lore.

TL;DR:

- 1-2 open-world areas in each region designed to be more dangerous than the typical maps we have now
- Players traveling through these areas cannot use Teleport but may use Return; very few set camps or aetheryte crystals to hop to while exploring
- More dangerous mobs that can knock you off your mount; need groups to defeat
- Implement rewards for exploring these zones appropriate to the risk:reward ratio

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Shioban

Not sure why they didn't add this, there's some VERY low gemoetry solutions to make waves in the sea, it's really not that difficult at a minimal performance cost, but I'd wager yet again "If we can't implement it on the PS3, its best just to wait".

---

It has to be on the to do list lol. Personally hoping that when Yoshida was talking about how Water was one of the bigger differences to notice (in the DX11 update) that they were talking about some sort of tessellation/displacement (I know those are not exclusive to DX11, just helped a little).

I noticed you visited the aesthetican.. :P

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MuzakFan

SE could do it by making these areas limited to certain parts of the world - as in, the entire game map is not designed with large, wide-open exploration in mind, but select maps

---

This is why I think Dungeons should have been turned into open world zones upon their completion. There are lots of places in dungeons where I think "Where does that go?", and it would have been nice to actually explore them. Instead they just give them a light reskin and open up a few paths while blocking off others and called it a Hard Mode Dungeon; would have been so much better if you could explore (and mine) in Copperbell Mines after beating it, then at 50 you get a quests, go into the zone, and access a whole new Dungeon sized area for the "Hard Mode".

They could have just turned some of them into open world Dungeons. I don't know why they don't want to have such a thing; 1.xs open world ones could have been adapted for ARR fairly easily, FATE bosses for keys, Treasure Map style fights at the coffer. I guess they worry it would take people out the Dungeons? But the Duty Roulette is there for that, and open worlds could just lack Tomestones.