What size x details of locations do you prefer?

Hello,
I was curious what is your opinion on the size x details clash when it comes to locations.

A few years ago people were asking for bigger locations and we got them, but I feel like they are less detailed than the small ones (lets compare Eastern La Noscea, especially the Wineport side, and Coerthas Western Highlands).

The best case scenario would be bigger locations than 2.X with the same amount of detail but if we couldn't get it, what would you prefer?

http://www.strawpoll.me/10684282

Thank you for your votes. :)

in my opinion i think most heavesward zones are gorgeous and at the same time huge

my favourite are , sea of clouds and churning mists

Honestly I think it depends on if a zone has flying or not. There are a lot of nice little areas to explore in the HW zones even though most of them are less... diverse than a ARR zone. However HW zones NEED flying in order to be traversed in a reasonable amount of time. Conversely most ARR zones were designed for ground mounts and the zones would feel minuscule if we could blaze through them in seconds on a flying mount.

Personally I'd prefer HW sized zones with flying enabled.

Prior to 3.0 I was one of the people hoping for larger zones, but I think they went a bit too far. They seem big for the sake of being big with less thought put into the details. It feels like a chore to cross them sometimes, particularly if you're trying to make it to a timed gathering node (now that they've shortened their windows) or to a hunt for instance.

I'd prefer something in the middle between 2.0 and 3.0 moving forward.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by itti18

in my opinion i think most heavesward zones are gorgeous and at the same time huge

my favourite are , sea of clouds and churning mists

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Yeah, this is the matter of taste I guess. :)
The poll somehow shows my opinion, because if I believed the HW zones were detailed enough I wouldn't create the poll.
But I respect all opinions ofc.

I realy like the size of HW zones. You cant call dravanian forelands less detailed at all - it has loads of variety. So does Azys Lla. I also like that there are secret areas / hidden gems in these zones such as the lit-up cave in hinterlands near the middle.
I think, as well as more room to fly, the biggest reason I like larger areas is less loading.

I don't feel it really matters with flying enabled, because it turns into distant background scenery anyway. And less detail is often more in such cases, since it quickly becomes visual noise.

So...with flying I don't really care. Might as well use low poly models in the future. Without flying...I'd definitely rather more detail and much smaller zones.