Am I the only one that feel that adding more geographical landmarks to Eorzea would make the game a lot more immersive? I'm typing this as I look at a lovely waterfall in the middle of a rainforest. I envisage walkways being built out over the edge of the waterfall, allowing people to gather to chat while being surrounded by the sound of thundering water. In FFXI, I remember that I would commonly refer to various landmarks in FFXI (eg. windmills). I'm aware there are some dotted about the place, but it would be nice to see a few more along the main roads, where you would expect them. Oddly enough, even the camps are kept away from the main roads - this seems rather illogical from a city planning point of view ;)
Would you like to see more dotted here and there, big and small, in Eorzea?
Also, what kind of geographical landmarks would you like to see around Eorzea?
Geographical Landmarks
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03-09-2011, 04:59 AMLoony_BoBGeographical Landmarks
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03-11-2011, 05:18 AMPrestige
I agree 100%. Take a look at how FFXI even just had little things here and there, it made the world feel alive - which is what I think you're driving at. It feels like an empty, lifeless world.
Check it out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iesY1XssACM -
03-11-2011, 05:26 AMKillirz
I agree. Also adding things like the holes in the ground like in Yuhtunga Jungle from FFXI are always fun, though most people will flame me for saying so :p
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03-11-2011, 05:32 AMRhianu
Honestly, SE just needs to have quest-related NPCs out in the wilds, rather having all NPCs congregate in the cities and camps like they do now. Having a unique visual landmark is nice, and helps to give a bit of flair and personality to the environment, but what good is it from a gameplay perspective if there's nothing to do there?
Going with the waterfall example, rather than simply building bridges around it, why not have an NPC who gives you a quest standing next to it? Say like the NPC was carrying a valuable wedding ring so he could propose to his one true love, but he tripped over a rock and dropped the wedding ring in the raging torrent of water, and now fears it may be lost forever. And in order to retrieve the wedding ring for him, the player must jump down the falls, plunging into the depths of the water below and look around for the wedding ring in the mud and silt at the bottom of the lake or river.
Redesigning the maps should be more than just a visual change. It should have an impact on the gameplay as well. -
03-11-2011, 05:36 AMOnidemonDid you see that thread where it links a post by Yoshi-p saying they will redesign the maps?Quote:
Originally Posted by Loony_BoB
The new teams sees the same thing we do.... it's hard not to notice the poorly designed maps and areas but they are aware on in due time it will be fixed. So now let's stop all those threads about the maps and landmarks please... -
03-11-2011, 05:42 AMLoony_BoBImmersion! Making you feel like the world is alive! However...Quote:
Originally Posted by Rhianu
Absolutely! This would be taking it to another level. I would be delighted with this sort of thing. :)Quote:
Going with the waterfall example, rather than simply building bridges around it, why not have an NPC who gives you a quest standing next to it? Say like the NPC was carrying a valuable wedding ring so he could propose to his one true love, but he tripped over a rock and dropped the wedding ring in the raging torrent of water, and now fears it may be lost forever. And in order to retrieve the wedding ring for him, the player must jump down the falls, plunging into the depths of the water below and look around for the wedding ring in the mud and silt at the bottom of the lake or river.
A bit of both, really. ;)Quote:
Redesigning the maps should be more than just a visual change. It should have an impact on the gameplay as well.
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03-11-2011, 05:56 AMRoaran
I believe the zone design for FFXIV is as follows:
Several key areas within each zone that have their own unique theme/design.
The problem is, they are connected by copy/paste and an extremely boring landscape.
Now, heres the real problem. Many people spend most of their time travelling through the boring parts to get to the interesting parts.
For example, if you travel from gridania to uldah, most likely you will be traveling along the road. So all you see is the same layout of forest for 15 mins then you get to Thanalan, and you spend another 15 mins of seemingly, and often times actually, the exact same landscape.
When you finally reach your destination, you're like WOW this is awesome, but that last 25 mins of landscape was total crap.
So, I think improving the areas along the road and the paths people take to travel should be a priority. And adding special landmarks would certainly be one of many tools that could be used to accomplish that. -
03-11-2011, 06:40 AMLeonesaurus
I've seen some really beautiful landmarks and rural villages out in Coerthas and other regions. I feel they all have an interesting story to tell as time goes on but right now the have no ties to the average player seeking quests and level advancement.
I recommend everyone check out Falcon's Nest and Owl's Nest in Coerthas for starters. Most lore you'll get in the game in my opinion. Hope quests for those places come out sometime in the near future. I just wish there were more places like those in the game. I enjoy chatting with the NPC's there. But I feel disconnected after I talk to them all since their are no mini-games or what not to par-take in to tell stories about. -
03-11-2011, 06:43 AMDemacia
It would be a huge step forward. Next step would be zone variety as opposed to a few gigantic zones.
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03-11-2011, 06:50 AMAva
I don't think the problem is that they lack landmarks, I think the world is just so huge that you never see them. You can actually find really interesting corners of Eorzea (there's a video on Youtube for XIV scenery as well), it's just the average player who only has to go to the same 3-4 aetheryte for leves and has no reason to explore those corners will never see them. I think what they need to do when they redesign the zones is make them significantly smaller.
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03-11-2011, 06:56 AMAkuun
I'm totally for land marks. Spacial distance is harder to navigate by in game.
Also heavy use of terrain blocks makes it that much more difficult to tell where you are.
Most game solve this with land marks, something that helps break the repetitiveness of scenery.
I think this is a great suggestion. -
03-11-2011, 07:32 AMMunba
I posted some suggestions in this similar topic (with the same purpouse) :)
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...-world-to-life... -
03-12-2011, 10:19 PMSeif
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iesY1XssACM
Two years of adventures in XI and I haven't seen even half of those beautiful places yet.
I saw every zone in XIV in few weeks and none of them have anything interesting to look at. =( -
03-12-2011, 10:21 PMMunbaI always loved that video. Vanadiel is so beautiful..Quote:
Originally Posted by Seif
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03-13-2011, 01:29 AMNilheimQuote:
Originally Posted by Roaran
I agree completely. I rarely find the motivation to visit landmarks because most of them are in the corners of the zones, and they're just so huge it's tiring to get there. Maybe when Chocobos and content arrive it'll be different but I doubt it. Take the Black Shroud for example, it's probably the size of Zi'tah, the Boyahda Tree (plus Dragon's Aery) and Ro'Maeve combined, but what's the use of large zones when they are lifeless? The FFXI areas I just mentioned all had personality and felt alive, and I'd rather have 4 small and varied zones than one big forest that's full of nothing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ava
PS: That FFXI scenery video is amazing ;)
Sadly it also shows what a poor job Square Enix did when they designed Eorzea, it doesn't even come close to Vana'diel... -
03-13-2011, 01:35 AMomnibahumut
I really wonder if the Designer for The Black Shroud has ever entered an actual forest. Its designed almost like a city... In a forest you're going to have hills, fallen trees, old huge trees, saplings, glades, rodent holes in the ground...
Just one giant tree, or one aged, fallen tree (or maybe a tree that appears to have fallen before its prime), all adds wonder and and interesting things to the zone with relatively little effort and resources. Why would a young tree fall? What might have made its home in an old fallen tree that is now rotting?
How about the giant redwood-like trees from Zi'Tah that you could walk UNDER? What about trees that make a home exclusively on bodies of water?
Honestly... just a little research =\ -
03-13-2011, 01:42 AMviion
How does that Vanadiel video only have 33k views lol its passed around like its someones birthday.
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03-13-2011, 02:15 AMAlexiaKidd
The problem with the current zones it that while they do have some (not many) landmarks there is no reason to go see them and explore, you know you are not going to get any reward from exploring every nook and cranny or Mor Dhona so why bother. Yeah the crashed Airship and Leviathan look great but they serve no purpose at the minute.
Another thing is that annoys me is a complete lack of variety in the zones, this is supposed to be a next gen MMO. When I go from Ul'dah to Gridania it goes from desert to huge forest(horrible layout forest ><)!!!! Why couldn't they make the forest gradually thin out to desert or something to make it a better transition.
I think it is unfair to compare this game to FFXI at the minute as that has a lot of years and expansions behind it but it still doesn't excuse the fact that the zones we have now are lifeless and pointless. -
03-13-2011, 02:44 AMsolracht
There are quite a few things they could do to add some life and diversity in our current maps without completely changing the terrain layout or palettes. The problem is they didn't even bother doing this.
Take Coerthas, for example: The raptor areas could be full of grass. The grass is already there, just take the grass object, paste it all over the place in different sizes and angles, and you have a unique grass-field within Coerthas without altering the terrain.
Making a pine forest could be just as easy in the stag areas. It was definitely easier to just paste the generic group of objects all over the place without thought, however.
Personally I don't even care about landmarks unless they actually put some thought into it: Take Coerthas again, for example. There are a lot of structures scattered across the map (mills, buildings). The problem is they feel more random than something that was actually put there on purpose to me. Mobs run into them, and there isn't any sign that anyone either lives there or ever did.
Our current world needs a lot of love, and I'm not only talking about layouts. While the Black Shroud needs the most, it's definitely not the only. I don't know how much of a priority going back to every area and making sure most corners feel "right" should be for the development team at this point, however. -
03-13-2011, 02:51 AMSoda
There definitely needs to be "landmarks" or things that particularly stand out in the world. That's for sure. But an extension of that would be the addition of NPCs out in the actual world to interact with. It's sad knowing I'm entering a land where I'll never find any humans besides those around crystal camps. There needs to be an incentive to get out there explore around. How about some escort quests? Or a warrior NPC near an enemy encampment who needs help defeating the enemies there. How about a little village with a whole slew of NPCs with problems and quests and things to do in the area?
Right now there is none of that. Just maps.