Saving the Sultana (City Raid Design Idea)

/puts on flame retardant gear and a Lalafell-size gas-mask

Okay all set. This was just for fun - don't take it too serious. I just was trying to think of a end-game style content specifically designed for Free Companies that want to work together - content that cannot be done via Duty Finder for 24 people. Lots of mobs - lots of bosses - it wouldn't be a quick raid you can Duty Finder or pick up 16 randoms and clear. It's very Free Company oriented.

Hold-on for edit inc.


Free Company Raids: The Three Cities.

Example:

Saving the Sultana

The great city-state of Ul’dah has of late been plagued by plots to dethrone the Sultana. Sowing seeds of doubt within the ranks of the Paladins, brutality by the rising financial cabals employing ruthless brawlers, and sinister practitioners of forbidden Voidal arts have come together in a sinister crescendo. Their plan? Simple; Eliminate the Sultana with a hideous coup d'états - they’ve trapped the Sultana, Raubahn, and her Sworn guard in the Fragrant Chambers. Will the streets of Ul’dah now flow red with the blood of innocents? Commanders of the Immortal Flames turn in desperation to the adventurer’ Free Companies; as the body count mounts - it’s up to you to rescue the Sultana.

Requirements:
Party Size: 8-24 Free Company Members
Lv50 iL72
GC Rank Missions Complete.
Main Scenario Quests Complete.
Purchase a Torn Parchment: Plea of the Sultana (Immortal Flames) from Momodi; 25,000g + 10,000 FC Points

Quest: Access granted via completion of the Quest; “Breaking Oaths”
The Shifting Sands (Adventurer’s Guild) (X: Y: )
NPC: Momodi

A Company leader can purchase the “Torn Parchment: The Sultana’s Plea” from the Immortal Flames OFC Desk regardless of current Allegiance; Free Companies will be able to purchase another access to the duty “Saving the Sultana” up to three times per week*. Up to three groups of 8 (Full Party)** may directly enter the instance once the duty “Saving the Sultana” has been executed from the Entry point in Ul’dah. You will start with 120 minutes; and gain an additional 10 minutes for each Boss you defeat (5 Raid Bosses, 3 Optional Job Bosses); totaling 200 minutes if all bosses are defeated. This content is instanced.

*You will receive a key item upon duty completion; if you fail to complete the duty or otherwise leave the duty you will be locked out from that Free Company duty for 7 days from the time the duty was executed. You will still be able to purchase and execute “Aiding the Admiral” and “Seeking the Seedseer” if you fail to complete “Saving the Sultana”.
**Entering with only a single Party is significantly higher difficulty.

Job specific gear comes from the optional Job boss fights; As this content would be designed with a “city” raid for each of the city-states; gear dropped would be dependant on the classes that start within that city. MNK/BLM/PLD being from Ul’dah would mean that it’s optional bosses would be MNK/BLM/PLD - which piece drops would be random and the drop rate would not be 100% for - they will always drop a few Allagan Gold pieces to make them worthwhile. The required raid bosses drop Job accessories for SMN/SCH/MRD.

Essentially;
Ul’dah Raid - Saving the Sultana; MNK/BLM/PLD Gear - SMN/SCH/WAR Accessories
Limsa Lominsa Raid - Aiding the Admiral; SMN/SCH/WAR Gear - DRG/BRD/WHM Accessories
Gridania Raid - Seeking the Seedseer; DRG/BRD/WHM Gear - MNK/BLM/PLD Accessories




Map Example (4 images) for “Saving the Sultana”
Free Company Raids: The Three Cities.

http://i.imgur.com/v6vMeoW.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/l7hIXBA.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/KfcfbmI.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/YgI98C7.jpg

I like the idea... Just feeling that it might be too restrictive with FC only.

Makes me think of Dynamis, which is a good thing! :D

What if I want to see Ul'dah burn? ];-]

Dynamis Ul'dah baaaaaaaaaaam sign me up.

60 min max tho thx. and i set THF hands on prio #1 now.

Cool idea. I agree with an above poster that it shouldn't be FC restricted, though.

This seems awesome. If it were to implement, one of each set of team (since it looks like the typical 3 team raid) would have to take turns with choosing which optional boss they'd fight cause I don't see them getting all of the optional bosses in as one group. Time would seem to be an issue, unless the raid itself was unlimited...don't see it happening, but still really awesome.

I feel there is very little incentive to be in a Free Company at them moment - very little for groups to go out and do together as well... a company of adventurers.


Coil is small groups... once a week. Crystal Tower is promising but it's also rather simplistic, can be done (and by extension abused) via the Duty Finder, and you still cannot currently form your own Alliances.

That said! I believe Square could easily build a system into their Free Company menu & board that allows Free Companies to become allies and run content of this type together - even run multiple raids at once. Imagine making a Free Company alliance and activating all three City-raids and attempting to complete each of them in succession - or simply opening them to your members throughout the week.

It is intentionally less "casual" in the sense they are not immediately accessible nor are they easily cleared in a single sitting, and you will need to win to do mutliple runs of that particular raid; but gear is laid out in such a way that if a group is low on people they can bypass Job boss fights and take a time penalty - it also addresses the issue people have with Coil; that is to say getting gear for Jobs nobody in the raid plays as!

It certainly draws on older generation raid structure - especially in the fact that loot is not 100% guaranteed - but that also makes the content last without requiring loot locks or entirely blocking people from doing the raid once they've completed it for the week.

-> If you clear the raid - you can try again - if you are short people or don't have a use for that gear you can skip those extra bosses - it's relatively flexible depending on your group and it's needs/wants. <-

I understand the reasoning; giving FC's something to do.
Alliances between FC's may be enough to let smaller FC's participate as well, but I still have my reservations about that particular detail.

FCs already have something to do together - all content released up to date.

Imagine the uproar if a cool fun dungeon was released that required all people to not be in an FC.

It feels like an unnecessary requirement.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BoomerOU

FCs already have something to do together - all content released up to date.

Imagine the uproar if a cool fun dungeon was released that required all people to not be in an FC.

It feels like an unnecessary requirement.

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So do you feel that Free Company housing requiring you be in a Free Company to purchase a house is unnecessary?

If - similarly Free Companies could open their Raids to the public as many do with their Housing it would be an acceptable format? Preventing the abuse* or lack of cohesive strategy while giving players an incentive to invest time and effort into their micro-communities beyond a vanity system such as housing was my overall goal with this post; give Free Companies something active and engaging!

*The reasoning behind it being limited to Free Companies is it would immediately discourage the negative and derisive attitudes you encounter in dungeons like Crystal Tower. Accountability is sometimes a necessary evil - just as joining a static group, or a Free Company to access certain types of content might be considered a "necessary evil" to have a more stable and like-minded environment.

In the end - this is just an idea. Nothing more - and it's very unlikely we will see content of this nature make it's way into FFXIV: ARR for sometime if we do at all.

reminds me of the raids that happened in Aht Urghan in FFXI. If you did poorly during the raid, some of the NPCs would get captured to and someone would have to go rescue them.

I more worried how this will come down to with certain FCs.

ya some can be nice but I still remember the day when Elite Dungeons in GW1 can only be access by the Guild that owns the city to enter it.

It resulted in Guilds requiring other players from other Guilds or not in Guilds to pay them just to enter the Elite Dungeon.

Worst case scenario this will turn into another method of paying for runs because the only way for people to join these dungeons when they have time to will be to pay people to join their runs since their FC could already have a set of time already placed which they can't join due to their conflicting time frames for playing time.

On topic of Housing:

There are actually 2 types of Housing for FF14 and FC housing is just a house for the FC and later will be given FC Housing rooms. We will still get the Personal Housing later so Housing isn't restricted but just that not fully released yet.

I really like this idea. My only real complaint would be that the lower level players wouldn't get to participate due to ilevel restrictions. I have very strong ties with my FC mates, and if one of them (or in this case most of them) get's locked out because of level or gear, I would rather not do the content until we could all do it together.

FCs are more than just the highest level people carrying others, at least where I'm from. There's got to be some way lower level members could particpate, too.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dhex

So do you feel that Free Company housing

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No, because I wouldn't call it content. There is no character progression involved. Sure you can sink time into it, but you can also sink time in to running in circles.

Conversly, your raid proposal that would presumably (hopefully) have interesting boss mechanics, immersive events, and rewards I would consider content, and (to me) tacking on an FC tag is unecessary.

Also (if im understanding correctly), with regards to FCs opening the gates so to speak of opening their run to others similar to their FC house, would that not circumvent the whole requirement altogether? An FC of two, or one, would 'open their run' to strangers or LS mates.

The requirement feels like less of a promotion of FCs and more of a 'You don't play like me so you can't do this'. People who want a community have already found it if they are looking for it, and will run the content in said community.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BoomerOU

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I come from the era of community based scheduling; particularly FFXI's Dynamis reservations and being able to join a run in the only available instance if you were given an entry item and invited to come.

The point for me and from my point of view is to make content that gives Free Companies content to do together as a group. Giving the option to let non-company members or being able to alliance with other companies is an idea.

I just presented this thread as ideas on what could be made; nothing here is likely to be implemented. The notion that you have to be able to progress to the highest tier of content entirely as a solo entity or small (less than 8) group without tying yourself to a Guild/Company/Linkshell of any kind is utterly foreign to me and contrary to my understanding of the MMORPG genre so I structured my ideas on how content should be made from those previous experiences.

They just need hard 24 man content that allows full premades, that alone will be conductive to statics and make larger fcs more cohesive.