Overall Game Suggestions/Possible Improvements Discussion

Hello Everyone! Hope everyone is having a good New Year thus far!

I wanted to start this post as an idea thread for both us as the community and for the devs to look at as well. Got a few suggestions that might help improve the game for the future and I want to hear your ideas as well. Let's get started :3

Dungeon Design Changes

As it stands right now we see more boss mechanic design changes in the game than the actual structure of the dungeon itself.

It's been pretty much like this for a long time: 2x to 4x Mob Groups, Boss, Repeat as we pretty much go straight down a path.

EX

|
|
MOB GROUP
|
|
MOB GROUP
---------
REPEAT
---------
BOSS
---------
REPEAT X2

Now inherently, that isn't too bad of a formula as we grind them out for tomes and whatnot, but with it not changing since the early days it just becomes somewhat monotonous as time drags on. But what we need at this stage is different layouts, updating the dungeon design itself that both allows a little bit of depth and us interacting with the environment more, WHILE MAINTAINING OUR FORWARD MOMENTUM.

That is the most important thing is keeping a forward momentum in the dungeons. I don't think we need something like old Toto-Rak, but heres a couple ideas for new formulae.

E
|
BOSS
|
MOBS
|
BOSS
|-------|----------|
| |
MOBS MOBS
| |
|--PARTY SPLIT--|
|
BOSS
|
MOBS
|
S

Pretty much with this one, that that the dungeon starts off as normal and we have our 2 to 4 sets of mobs leading into the boss. After the boss, the dungeon splits and we have to divide the party w/ The Tank/Healer or DPS to Go one way and the DPS/DPS or Healer go the other way and each deal with their own sets of mobs. Afterwards the party reunites through various methods and then deal with the boss. Then the dungeon wraps up as per usual.

We could have something like this as well:

BOSS
/ \
/ \
MOB MOB
| |
| |
----BOSS----
| |
MOB MOB
| |
| |
----BOSS----
|
|
MOB
|
S

Dungeon Starts off as normal, dealing with the standard mob groups before the boss. After 1st boss defeat the party splits, needing to work together to clear the path for each group so that way you can reach the boss. Each party would have to fight the 2nd boss limited to the area on their path with different mechs depending on what path you're on. After the 2nd boss defeat, then the party would continue on as before until they reach the last boss where they reunite to deal with it.

Those are kindof some thoughts I've had when running dungeons nowadays.

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Instanced Travel Rides

Next thing I would like to throw in here is the idea for some solo or party style transportation instances where we can board either an airship or ferry and actually experience the ride to our destination vs just warping there, similar to FF11 without having to actually wait for the thing to arrive. This idea may have already been suggested idk.

Example on how it would work

-Player or party arrives at the airship landing or ferry docks
-Player or Party Lead interacts with the Ticketer, giving them the option to either instantly teleport to their location or take the instanced Ride to their location.
-If the teleport option is selected, the Player/Party Lead pays the fee for them alone and it would work like it does currently.
-If the Instanced Ride option is selected, the queue window pops up for the players allowing them to go into the instance. The ticket fee would be subtracted from all players upon entering the instance.
-Players enjoy a 5 to 10 min ride to their destination with possible random events.

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Full Dyeable Proto Ultima Mesh Armor Set

Would be lovely to have one to be honest. Been in the game for a long time and would just like to have a full armor set (Head, Hands, Body, Legs, Feet) and also would love it if it was dyeable.

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Reducing the amount of "Dumbing Down" of Dungeons due to Duty Support

This one is one of my biggest complaints right now to be honest. I understand that, when doing MMO's and such, you do have to have a workflow for things, but with how the duty support is being implemented at this time I feel like its more of a detriment for the long term health of the game.

My 3 big examples of bad changes:

1.Dzemael Darkhold: The removal of the kiting mechanic from the All-seeing Eye Ahriman Boss.

While I do appreciate the removal of the timers, how the 1st boss was changed is kindof a travesty. You can't tell me that duty support couldn't handle the crystal light mechanic with the boss if it was a bit more scripted. It's also a level 44 dungeon and at that stage players should know how the basics work so I really don't see the reason for the change.

2. Castrum Meridianum: Removal of the Ceruleum Plant Destruction and Plot Holes.

I think keeping in the Plant Destruction would have been fine and a bit of a change from just taking out gate guards to be fair. Now with Cid, he should have been given at least one thing to do outside of what he has now and that was disable Livia's Mech. Could have simply added an event after you deal with the mobs and Livia appears behind you but Cid comes in clutch and ends up disabling her mech before she has a chance to do anything, then she flees further in the dungeon.

3. The Aurum Vale: Removal of ALMOST ALL of the poison puddles.

I could have understood a reduction of them, I know that 1st room was pretty notorious for getting people killed a lot. But the removal of almost all of them, I felt like was too much in the wrong direction. We gotta have things that we have to watch out for outside of mobs and bosses and dungeons have to start feeling like a place more than a "Set Piece" or "Theme Park Attraction".

The one thing I will say that drew me in to FF14 in the early days, was how the dungeons taught me how to do my job in a way. It was easy at times and more difficult at other times, but without that little bit of friction I had in those dungeons, with those parties, I would not have learned the important things. That's why I think the simplification of the early bits of the game are a problem, its not about nostalgia or anything like that, its about building a foundation for players as they continue their journey.

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Uncategorized Thoughts

1. Keeping Tank Stance On During Level Sync/Entering Duties: We just need this at this stage as most duties don't go below the level requirement for them. Stance should only be turned off if the level sync goes below the level requirement for the action (Which would only be fates tbh)

2. Keeping Jog through Area Transitions: This one kindof is self-explanatory. Keep Jog on unless you get aggroed or enter combat/duties. Kind of annoying when you go from one end of a city to another part and the loading screen takes it away every time.

3. Remerging of the City State Zones: Combining the two separate zones of each City State (ex: New Gridania & Old Gridania) into one zone. I don't know how possible that is systemwise, but we do have large areas like Kugane, Old Sharylan, Solution Nine. Couldn't the same be done with the Old cities?

4. New Poetics Style Currency For Dawntrail and Beyond: Pretty much a new generalized currency for things after Endwalker. Keep Poetics around for duties from ARR-Endwalker, but introduce a new one that we can get from Dawntrail and afterward. It could help keep older content in circulation as the game continues on.

But those are pretty much all of my thoughts on what changes could be made to the game. Would love to hear your thoughts on the ideas and what ideas would you all have? Would love to hear them.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CyphroInnudae

Reducing the amount of "Dumbing Down" of Dungeons due to Duty Support

This one is one of my biggest complaints right now to be honest. I understand that, when doing MMO's and such, you do have to have a workflow for things, but with how the duty support is being implemented at this time I feel like its more of a detriment for the long term health of the game.

My 3 big examples of bad changes:

1.Dzemael Darkhold: The removal of the kiting mechanic from the All-seeing Eye Ahriman Boss.

While I do appreciate the removal of the timers, how the 1st boss was changed is kindof a travesty. You can't tell me that duty support couldn't handle the crystal light mechanic with the boss if it was a bit more scripted. It's also a level 44 dungeon and at that stage players should know how the basics work so I really don't see the reason for the change.

2. Castrum Meridianum: Removal of the Ceruleum Plant Destruction and Plot Holes.

I think keeping in the Plant Destruction would have been fine and a bit of a change from just taking out gate guards to be fair. Now with Cid, he should have been given at least one thing to do outside of what he has now and that was disable Livia's Mech. Could have simply added an event after you deal with the mobs and Livia appears behind you but Cid comes in clutch and ends up disabling her mech before she has a chance to do anything, then she flees further in the dungeon.

3. The Aurum Vale: Removal of ALMOST ALL of the poison puddles.

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I just ran Dzemael and Aurum. Why is everything that requires a brain cell getting deleted? It was fine the way it was.

I would like to eventually see no restriction on the amount of roulettes rewards a day. Get rid of the tomestone reward after the first time but keep the XP reward (Even if lessened). I think that would help que times as well.

Bad luck protection on roulettes; it's very frustrating to get the same dungeon/alliance raid over and over and over again. There has to be some kind of counter they can implement and once it hits a certain number that duty will be excluded.

More difficulties around the board; something between normal and savage, something between normal and extreme.

Buff fate XP; make it a worthwhile alternative to roulettes for leveling alt jobs, it would make the world feel more alive.

They should just make it Boss > Boss > boss > Boss > Boss, if they still decide to go the route of not making the mobs actually do anything. Wooow, the mobs are doing a super telegraphed AoE around itself that I can stand on and maybe lose like, at most, 50% of my HP? That's craaaazy.

How about add in tank busters (cleaves the front, so ppl have to look where they are standing), add raidwide damage, add random mechanics where a mob maybe suddenly starts chasing a random player so the healer has something to heal. Add fun buffs, like if you kill a pack of mobs before their buff runs out, you get that buff for yourself .. and it could be the speed buff from CC/PT, or a damage buff, or a haste buff. Add casts that if they're not interjected/stunned/slept, will give the mobs all a damage up or vulnerability down. Add random environmental effects, that if you drag the mobs over to, they will take a vulnerability up. Add an esuna, but you can use it on enemy targets, and make mobs get powerful buffs that you can then remove.

Maybe remove walls and make just a big open spaces with mobs and a boss, and you have to kill a certain amount of the mobs before it lets you get out of that area, with varying mobs with different mechanics that the party can decide on which to do. Is your DPS high? Go for the mobs that have more HP and will count as 2 packs defeated out of 6 to progress, but if you fail the DPS check, they will explode for lethal raidwide damage.

Design mob packs to allow for creative uses of your tools. Stuns, interjects, invulns, repose, rescues, your mobility buttons, personal mitigation and heals like second wind + bloodbath shouldn't only be useful when a healer dies, or if you got aggro for a second.

And for anyone that this is too difficult for, make a trust version where you can RP walk your way to the end, maybe have all the people you've met along the way line up on both sides, clapping and congratulating you while 'Close in the Distance' plays. Maybe call it 'Endwalking' mode, because you are walking to the end of the dungeon.