Suggestion: Atomos as a gateway for content

I've always been fond of the idea of being able to travel across space and time to see crucial parts of history or the past. Aside from giving the player something to do, it does help in explaining why things are set up as they are. Games like Chrono Cross in particular managed to use this to explain and expose things that would have been difficult to convey to the player.

Now, people who played FFXI will remember that the maws and Atomos played a role in our being able to move through time and between worlds. As such, I though that it would be neat to use this not for an expansion, but as a way to present content related to Eorzea's past to the player by letting them be part of history.

Concept

In the five years since the fall of Meteor, the Circle of Knowing has endured inner turmoil between its members over what their role should be in this new world. Without the leadership of Louisoux to keep the circle together, several members have broken off to form the Pearled Enclave.

Unlike the circle, who focuses on studying Eorzea's mysteries and understanding the world and its magic (note: I made that part up), the enclave aims to forcibly bring change to the world. Using information obtained by studying the maws of Atomos before Meteorfall, the enclave is attempting to:

A) tamper with key moments in Eorzea's history under the delusion that it'll be for the better

or

B) tamper/sow chaos in the new worlds accessible via the maws

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As I see it, players would be able to use the maws to go into the past if we go with Option A. Say, the enclave is trying to meddle with the Battle of Silvertear Lake by trying to change things so that the wyrms win instead of the double KO between the wyrms and the Garleans. The players would enter an instance built and scripted around the battle itself, helping keep history intact. Another example would be the enclave maybe trying to prevent then captain Merlwyb Bloefhiswyn from winning the...err....that race thing with ships, thus preventing her from becoming admiral of Limsa Lominsa.

Conversely, Option B would be more for shout-outs to other Final Fantasy games through the use of the maws. The example that sparked this idea was the enclave ending up in Kefka's Tower just as it is collapsing after the final battle, and the players would have to fight behind the scenes to ensure the Final Fantasy VI cast makes it to the Falcon and fly out in time.

It needs a lot of work and fleshing out, but that'd be the basic idea.

tl;dr - Use Atomos as FFXIV's version of the Caverns of Time.

Can we wait untill 2.0 is released before making suggestions for new expansions?

I think they should explain FFXI as where the adventurers when between FFXIV and FFXIV:ARR. I think that'd be a neat way to tie them together that has no real impact on either game. It kind of makes sense with Atomos showing up in both universes. I stress the emphasis on the words "kind of."

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Originally Posted by Xerius

I think they should explain FFXI as where the adventurers when between FFXIV and FFXIV:ARR. I think that'd be a neat way to tie them together that has no real impact on either game. It kind of makes sense with Atomos showing up in both universes. I stress the emphasis on the words "kind of."

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You mean to say in the lore that we popped into vanadiel for a drink while Eorzea was burning?
Strange, but funny idea.

Didn't FFXI already do this to death?

If you don't kill the dude, Atomos floats to dungeons. He goes to Aurum Vale, Cutter's Cry and Darkhold. He IS story progression.

When they change all of the dungeons for 2.0 the excuse will be that Atomos barfed out a bunch of monsters from another dimension into them. It's very "Final Fantasy" for once. Be happy with that.

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Originally Posted by Renen

Can we wait untill 2.0 is released before making suggestions for new expansions?

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I'm against it being used as material for an expansion. I thought I made that clear.

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Originally Posted by Alhanelem

Didn't FFXI already do this to death?

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FFXI did the whole dimensional thing to death. There was not much of an on-going threat related to time/dimensional travel. At least, no local threat. There was no villain from the home dimension/time period using this to wreak havoc or twist the current world.

I just really like the idea of the caverns of time as it was implemented: dungeons that allowed players to take part of stuff from the past. Eorzea doesn't have as much history that is known to the players yet, but I felt the idea had merit and potential. Not to mention it wouldn't constrict the developers to stick to fortresses and caves.

Only way they gonna make something like this is with an expansion

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Originally Posted by Duelle

tl;dr - Use Atomos as FFXIV's version of the Caverns of Time.

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Tbh, for me the Caverns of Time were probably the most disappointing instances in WoW. Small-scale battles shaped to look like key events gives more a feeling of historical fantasy pulp-fiction than anything FFXIV-related. The Option B only seems further cheapening, even indignifying.

[Edit: To be clear, I have nothing against creating more ideas or critiquing things in advance. I'm glad to see a post of this type, rather than continual corpse-beating on well-known, often bi-modal, subjects.]

Yes, we have, to an extent, time-travel, but we can only go back as far Echo can take us -- as far as existent and reachable memory. We are bound to the survivors of both the Eras and generations. While that seems limiting, I think it's been my favorite thing in the premise of FFXIV. We're a group of ragtag nations, practically children as civilizations would go, trying to grow up before we have to start again but without the knowledge to actually pursue that cause. Threat vague or unknown. Past knowledge, unknown. And yet the rest of the world might function normally around this fatalistic setting. But it's irrelevant to us, whose magic is at the mercy of these cycles of disbalance and the primals, a sort of paralleled manifestation.

Wouldn't then more relatable connection be in basically making something that can carry over between eras? It's unknown how much destruction is supposed to occur in each, but in either case, bridging the connections between eras, and between generations, such as with some manner of immortal memory, be only solution available to the Circle of Knowing?

The strange thing is that, although unnoticed, the solutions might already be in place, through both the primals and the beastman who worship them. We've been through 3 Umbral eras so far, and have 3 primals to show for it, if we count Good King Mog. I'd rather see those points of the world setting reconnected, and then develop theoretically first -- rather than the emphasis being on a quick concept for an instance.

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Originally Posted by Shurrikhan

Tbh, for me the Caverns of Time were probably the most disappointing instances in WoW. Small-scale battles shaped to look like key events gives more a feeling of historical fantasy pulp-fiction than anything FFXIV-related.

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The main draw of the Caverns of Time was the fact that you can go back in time and take part in historic events in the warcraft lore. Not to mention that, with the exception of the battle of mount hyjal, every instance had some sort of significance, either to the history of the world as a whole or the current expansion.

This is the department where XIV is kind of weak; we don't have a ton of history laid out before us. That's really the major hurdle to implementing something like CoT. I can admit my examples of important events are weak, but I know SE would be able to come up with something that makes a lot more sense and flows better.