How the Hunts could be better.

So with the new Hunts system, there's a lot of displeasure with how it's been monopolised or just too convoluted with wait timers and information sharing etc.

One thread that's come to mind:
http://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/commen...rks_with_your/

I don't have a way with words but I would like to suggest a way to keep the Hunts similar as open world content while also being far better suited for small groups.

Excuse the fragmented posts but word limit and all.


B and A Ranks

B and A ranks often get decimated within seconds of engagement, it's really unsatisfying to make your way to a mark only to have it crushed without getting a hit in.

To fix this problem I would propose a similar mechanic to leves and Treasure Hunts.
What I mean by this is that Players are issued a certain number of daily/weekly 'Allowances' towards these kinds of marks. They may speak to the Hunting Board and receive a tidbit of information similar to a Treasure Map, it outlines an area to visit in order to find or summon the mark and hopefully defeat it. The Mark will be similar to a mob summoned in levequests, in that it's instanced to the participants.

However; the rank or type of Mark that appears is not known to the player, it could be a B or an A. This would encourage players to gather together as a party for two reasons:

-More Players mean more Marks to get, a shareable mark at the cost of a players limited (but rechargeable) 'Allowance'. Those inclined to Solo may certainly do so if they don't mind this.

-Players may not be confident in facing down an A class Mark on their own so would seek a party to do it with. Those confident enough... well it goes without saying!

There may be problems I have not addressed that could arise from this but they are often simple enough to resolve. (Lowered/Increased Seals per Mark for example...)

This is in my opinion very well suited to smaller groups of friends or FC's and even Linkshells. It will be extremely friendly towards casual groups and would enable everybody to participate in the system with moderation.


S ranks

I will admit that I really love how the current hunts are open world, however realistically it's not very fun... I love the idea of an S rank being something that small groups should struggle and so would look towards their fellow adventurers for assistance.

That being said, S ranks should convey this spirit of co-operation. They should be listed as a global mark that anyone can look at it, there is no location to go to though, similar to the existing clues provided by hunter-scholars there is only a vague clue that it is up to the server to figure out. It should span across multiple areas and essentially be a Super Boss. Impossible for any small parties to fight. This S Mark can be on a weekly cycle (The clue and mob in specific changes each week). It could have a 48 or 72 hour spawn gap. The idea behind this is that even if the method to summon it was known, It would be far too difficult to fight as a small group prompting the players to work together on a larger scale. It could also give the game designers a chance to create a challenge for players each week to solve.

Naturally this sounds like something better suited for the more Hardcore and dedicated players, although the casual players might not always be able to participate they are not excluded completely from Hunts as they are often now.

This is hardly perfect but I do feel it could be a step towards a solution everybody can take part in.

To Summarise:

• Marks picked up like a hybrid of Leve/Treasure Map.
• A daily/weekly Allowance
• Players can share Marks so parties may benefit from more Marks collectively
• S Ranks made a World Event
• A system is reborn so that any type of player may partake in it.

Cheers for reading.