Hubs in XIV are underutilized

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Originally Posted by Menriq

snip.

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Hmm I disagree.
If they only developed in the sense of “let’s not do it because the players wouldn’t like it like that anyway” we would never see anything new in this game.

I don’t think players would say that about the mount glamour or the racing (at least not many) but actually say “cool now do that for other Hubs too” and frankly at some point at least with such small things it doesn’t matter what some players say because one of the big criticisms is that this game is too much of an instance simulator at times.

You will always have qol wants from the community (yes I was there back than with Mor Dhona) but that doesn’t mean they should overcorrect everything because honestly we are at a point where we don’t need new Hubs because they don’t have anything to give anymore.

What is the alternative?
Stop giving suggestions and accept the same routine for the next ten years because some people are too lazy to teleport to a city?
Or do we want to see the devs actually trying new things, failing with some but at least surprise us (and I mean small ones like the mount dyeing before someone comes at me with the DT MSQ because such small things wouldn’t uproot everything suddenly)

Edit:
You are also comparing scripts (something you had to do lots and lots of times for several things) with fun sidecontent.
A better comparison would be jumping puzzles and I see no one asking for them to be instanced.

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Originally Posted by Voidmage

Hmm I disagree.
If they only developed in the sense of “let’s not do it because the players wouldn’t like it like that anyway” we would never see anything new in this game.

I don’t think players would say that about the mount glamour or the racing (at least not many) but actually say “cool now do that for other Hubs too” and frankly at some point at least with such small things it doesn’t matter what some players say because one of the big criticisms is that this game is too much of an instance simulator at times.

You will always have qol wants from the community (yes I was there back than with Mor Dhona) but that doesn’t mean they should overcorrect everything because honestly we are at a point where we don’t need new Hubs because they don’t have anything to give anymore.

What is the alternative?
Stop giving suggestions and accept the same routine for the next ten years because some people are too lazy to teleport to a city?
Or do we want to see the devs actually trying new things, failing with some but at least surprise us (and I mean small ones like the mount dyeing before someone comes at me with the DT MSQ because such small things wouldn’t uproot everything suddenly)

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If you want an honest answer, I would say the hubs serve their exact purpose right now. The reason we have hubs is because they are part of the stories. Once the story is done, the hubs have served their purpose.

Your suggestion about 10 years from now means I'm porting to 11 different hubs to do 11 different things. Instead, I think there are tons of other suggestions that would be higher to me than hubs.

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Originally Posted by Menriq

If you want an honest answer, I would say the hubs serve their exact purpose right now. The reason we have hubs is because they are part of the stories. Once the story is done, the hubs have served their purpose.

Your suggestion about 10 years from now means I'm porting to 11 different hubs to do 11 different things. Instead, I think there are tons of other suggestions that would be higher to me than hubs.

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Agree to disagree then.
I think they are underused and could use more life in them.

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Originally Posted by Voidmage

Edit:
You are also comparing scripts (something you had to do lots and lots of times for several things) with fun sidecontent.
A better comparison would be jumping puzzles and I see no one asking for them to be instanced.

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To address your edit. There was also HW relic that involved Mor Dhona (depending on if you did the ARR relics), the StB totems, and other pieces of content that made go back to Mor Dhona. Even the bicolor mounts before DT require you go back there.

Feel like there will be alot of pointless drivel, so imagine skip reading most comments.

But say that Each City needs to be able to allow players to Move from world to world from them.

(And potentially once the zone has become "obsolete", and is no longer a Current Endgame City. For a Marketboard to become available in it. Who wouldn't like to see SE make A S9 themed Marketboard, or simply reuse a item that's already there.)

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Also Completely Ridiculous/Asinine, and Illogical/Unreasonable stance/position/opinion to have. That The Three ARR cities are worth replacing or diluting into 1 city, over/all other Cities in the game.

Otherwise, the cities simply just need extra small activities that ultimately don't harm or break other content.

Otherwise, the thread doesn't have much point, but highlighting the fact that you're limited to the three main cities for most things, Hold the cities back, and virtually doom the majority of them to be barren. (Outside of a player progressing through the area.)

(Just like Company Chests, or GC related things also restrict players to the Main Three. When so many players desire to "fully" live in other cities.)

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<Example: Kugane has Company Chest near their Marketboard. but it could have a Embassy as a General GC point for those who don't want to travel back to their Respective ARR city.> It also gives SE incentive to add more to old area or content. Like Expand/Remake/Adjust the GCs. [Completly unlike to have any new ones, for other nations/regions, but i wouldn't be against more content or ranks to push through.]

<HW has complications due to the highly unused Leves from the Knights. But it definetly be expanded into something more. As well as invite a singular representative for "Cooperation/Cross-Training Purposes" with the GCs in the other city-states. They do have the Overarching alliance.>

The places that are largely unused are endgame or old expansion cities.

And lifting or adding features to them will make them much more lively.

The only thing the Starting zones actually need, is basic QoL.

i just wish we could get more faction to join for seals haha and be able to use every aetherite to be able to change server and only main city of every expension

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Originally Posted by Voidmage

This is honestly the truth imo and more or less one result of the overall problem.

They can’t make other Hubs interesting because they don’t know how to make anything else than the regular anymore.
The fact that Yoshida only sees marketboard and aetherites as what makes a Hub is pretty telling.

Solution 9 could have had a highway where you can drive the motorcycle mount in some kind of racing (and yes Chocobo racing already exists so take that technical limitation).
There could have been a shop where you can dye your mount (there even is a tuning shop but unused).
Even simple things like an inn room there would have been something new.

The only place not empty there is the typica trader place and that one will also be dead as soon as the next expansion comes out.

To answer the thread.
You can make Hubs more interesting by actually not just using them as a “checklist number 49 content that’s needs to be implemented because we always did it”.
That’s the main problem.
A completely over bloated project planing from Yoshida that follows the same formula to the letter.

For all the “DT wants to try something new” it honestly did everything but that.


I know you don’t mean it like that but… shouldn’t this game want to be better than the competition?

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i would have loved a virtual arcade in S9. seamed like the perfect place

It's not just hubs, it's every zone. Hubs least of all.

Every expansion the art teams are forced to design, model and texture six beautiful new open-world zones (for the sake of The Formula) only for you to occasionally fly over them for hunt trains or FATEs. Each one interchangeable with the rest, save for the look of the scenery. It's a colossal artistic waste.

This is partially the fault of adding flying in HW which I maintain was a mistake, but that's another matter.

The open world in general is underutilized.

Doesn't really bother me but thanks to the title I couldn't help but think about it.. so here is my idea to that: Each WEEK (or maybe even month) a hub is picked, the game informs you in some way that isn't too obtrusive (perhaps a cute mini-map icon or buff).

This chosen hub gains:

Free teleport

Weekly quests that grant a substantial select-able bonus: like a pile of all tomes (including end game), extra beast tribe quest tokens and rewards from them, increase drop rate for rare/ex items in epic echo content, etc), maybe general tokens to be spent on neat things like special dyes, mounts, token conversions (hunts), rare chance to earn a khole token that allows you to move one stamp to any location and other neat things on completion (like a buff that lasts 24 /played/ hours of free teleports, unlimited spring out of combat, etc)

Substantially faster porter services (the choco, falcon, things we almost never use)

Faster regen and larger rested exp pool

Slightly cheaper tax on the market board (for locations you're buying out of)


Players who are not the appropriate level for that hub will get a weekly quest to visit and interact with players, this will apply a buff onto them to gain pertinent benefits. Interactions will be cheering, repairing gear (for free), and other activities on npcs and players, when targeting players they get an actual buff (and so does the caster so it is not like "polish my shoes" type vibe).

If it goes well can add special NPCs and quests thematically relevant, like while Ul'dah is selected you can earn some nice ... 'miners' gear by completing a quest chain available during that period. Limsa may have special water buffs that cause you to move 200% faster in water.

Major downside is a new person showing up in a hub that is a bit lore unique. Can delay new areas for a while to prevent that a bit (new area isn't a hub for a few months). Alternatively always have one cycle from OG city states and house wards and then one modern, but that splitting across two at that point.. eh.. lol.

Then do that to the area they belong to too (like scaling rewards during that period, so a level 70 is leveling in south shroud- if they wanted). You know.. use the open world space for stuff XD.