Could we, please, access MWs, GC Halls, & airship boarding gates like 'real' places?

Every time I go to the Market Wards, or the Grand Company Halls, or use the Airships, I'm made aware of the eleventh-hour nature of those additions within the game design schedule. Unlike any other area in the city, all of which contribute with their presence to the liveliness and feel of the world, these rooms constitute instances which, alas, can only be approached from a prosaic and clumsy menu.

Not only are the menus poorly designed (the highest floors appear at the lowest position on the lift menus, the two market related items are separated by grand company and quest locale's menu entries, thus causing frequent incorrect clicks which become yet further reminder of the mounting inconsistencies within the world) but their continued presence also smacks of amateur and time-pressed carelessness.

I understand these were acceptable compromises when content was being hurried out and details just couldn't be finished. However, if they continue to accumulate, the world could become a lackadaisical mosaic of half-assed design.

So here is which I (and I'm sure most of us in the player community) would kindly ask from the devs:

While you are devoting efforts to fixing the mess that was the visual representation of the world (the so-called "maps,") please mind the sorry state of these menu-zones within the city "maps."

a) Please, stop using menus to give access to future, crucial parts of cities or the world. These should include the graphic representation of a visible façade you can actually approach and enter through, within zones that contain other places as well.

b) Please, build such adequate visual representations for those which currently depend on menus for their access.

I'm aware there are many balls on the air right now. None of us, I'm sure, mean for these things to be fixed tomorrow, or even next year, but please, give an indication that you intend to do so.

The future Eorzea deserves better than that.

R

Sadly, this is likely gonna have to wait until 2.0

http://gifs.gifbin.com/1233928590_ci...20clapping.gif

I couldn't have said it better myself.

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Originally Posted by Rutelor

I understand these were acceptable compromises when content was being hurried out and details just couldn't be finished.

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We're still very much in this phase, and will most likely be up until 2.0 arrives. So yeah, expect a lot of half-assing up until then =/

This seriously hits the nail right on the head. I don't think anyone could have articulated this issue as well as you did. That said, personally I'd be 100% satisfied as long as we get confirmation that this WILL indeed be implemented in 2.0. It does seem likely as a result of all the server re-structuring and the development of a new graphics engine, and of course the zone redesign as you mentioned, but let's hope to get a "Yes, this is coming" comment from the reps just in case. Otherwise the immense faith I currently have in 2.0 could easily go right out the window.

Thanks all for your statements above. I'll bump this so that it doesn't get swept away by all the posting activity likely to come from the patch notes published today.

R

I don't expect anything before 2.0 on this, but I seriously hope that the dev team will take this into acount with the city map redesigns.

I'm fine with the world zones being less seamless, but would really like the cities to be more seamless -- with the obvious exception of player housing.

They are changing the zones and whatnot in 2.0.

I'm pretty sure this could happen with the new maps. It would almost be a waste of time to implement it now.

One of the main reasons that Ul'dah became immediately popular is due the proximity of the Market wards to the Aetheryte.

In 2.0, each city-state ought to have the Aetheryte as central as possible to the Guild Hall, GC Hall, Market Wards, Housing, and Exit gate -- along with some spare buildings for future expansion. They don't have to be as close as the current Ul'dah MW-Aetheryte is, but there should not be a noticable difference between the cities in regards to convenience.


Everything else can be scattered throughout the cities, but the critical stuff should be convenient.

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Originally Posted by Zantetsuken

One of the main reasons that Ul'dah became immediately popular is due the proximity of the Market wards to the Aetheryte.

In 2.0, each city-state ought to have the Aetheryte as central as possible to the Guild Hall, GC Hall, Market Wards, Housing, and Exit gate -- along with some spare buildings for future expansion.

Everything else can be scattered throughout the cities, but the critical stuff should be convenient.

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I thought it was because the guildleves had a better rewards with the sp rewarded back in the day.. and it was in the center of Limsa and Gridania... lol

BTW I love your signature.

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Originally Posted by DeadRiser

I thought it was because the guildleves had a better rewards with the sp rewarded back in the day.. and it was in the center of Limsa and Gridania... lol

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True, but I said it was one of the reasons.

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Originally Posted by DeadRiser

BTW I love your signature.

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thanks~

I didn't have additional space for it in my sig (and no linking ><), but I wanted to state that future jobs should be combinations of the classes:

for instance:

Thaumaturge + Gladiator = Red Mage
Tamer + Scout = Dancer
Evoker + Conjurer = Geomancer
Gladiator + Lancer = Samurai
Scout + Archer = Ninja
Arcanist + Musketeer = Gun Mage
Marauder + Arcanist = Dark Knight

You get the idea...

they are all temporary additions.except MW they always sucked

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Originally Posted by DeadRiser

They are changing the zones and whatnot in 2.0.

I'm pretty sure this could happen with the new maps. It would almost be a waste of time to implement it now.

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As I wrote, I (and I'm sure most of the community) don't expect, or even want this to be fixed before 2.0. It would be tantamount to wrongheaded prioritization. However, as I said in the OP, I would like to hear a commitment from the dev team to fix this.

R

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Zantetsuken

One of the main reasons that Ul'dah became immediately popular is due the proximity of the Market wards to the Aetheryte.

In 2.0, each city-state ought to have the Aetheryte as central as possible to the Guild Hall, GC Hall, Market Wards, Housing, and Exit gate -- along with some spare buildings for future expansion. They don't have to be as close as the current Ul'dah MW-Aetheryte is, but there should not be a noticable difference between the cities in regards to convenience.


Everything else can be scattered throughout the cities, but the critical stuff should be convenient.

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I think you make some wonderful points. Food for thought, map designers!

I also find Ul'dah, despite its popularity, rather cavernous and depressing. Those long twisting corridors to nowhere, and the sense that stairs and ramps crisscross each other in rather absurd fashion. It tastes a bit like rushed design.

R

Totally agree, hopefully in 2.0 you will be able to just walk into the area's and zone straight in.

Also hoping they add AH NPC's similar to FF11 or completely design a seperate AH as is already the case in Limsa.

I'm going to bump this, post patch... Still hoping to get the Moderator's eyes.

:-)

R

Yes, I agree with the OP.

Menu-based town navigation is sloppy.

But on the other had, I would like the important locations arranged for easy access. I would also like this ease of access to be similar amongst towns.

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Originally Posted by Zantetsuken

True, but I said it was one of the reasons.

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Ul-dah also sports the Miner's Guild. >.> ^.^ <.<

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Originally Posted by Rutelor

As I wrote, I (and I'm sure most of the community) don't expect, or even want this to be fixed before 2.0. It would be tantamount to wrongheaded prioritization. However, as I said in the OP, I would like to hear a commitment from the dev team to fix this.

R

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the dev team stated that marketwards would be revamped. Yoshi found the current wards creepy. As for the others, I dunno.

I agree that menu navigation should NEVER be obgligatory. But the lifts to the airships would be nice if it was an option (i.e. you could take a ramp). And the lifts definitely can save time in Limsa right now.

I'd also like to be able to continue walking forward and have loading happen in the background. It's weird going to the market wards and hitting an invisible wall, when chances are by the time I could walk to the end of the bridge, it would be loaded anyway (or at least a black screen)

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Originally Posted by Rentahamster

Yes, I agree with the OP.

Menu-based town navigation is sloppy.

But on the other had, I would like the important locations arranged for easy access. I would also like this ease of access to be similar amongst towns.

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I totally agree with these two points. FFXI took care of both those issues. This fact gave the game a very satisfying, harmonic and fair feel.

R

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Originally Posted by Rutelor

I totally agree with these two points. FFXI took care of both those issues. This fact gave the game a very satisfying, harmonic and fair feel.

R

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11 didn't have multiple destinations via the same entrance though did it ?

In some of the past interviews Yoshida already stated that the goal after the remapping is to give all those places actual locations within the cities.

I hope they heed this topic, or at least had plans of it on their own for 2.0. Good post.