Quest Markers

(I'm hoping im posting this in the right part of the forums.)

Heres a few things I've noticed about how the quest marker system works.

1. Quest markers show up as the "!" bubble, regardless if its a flag or a step.

2. Quest markers have the same icon regardless of what TYPE of quest it is.

3. Quest markers only show up on the map if you are within a certain radius of the NPC or area.

So in the end, this can cause some confusion to the players. (It is better than before they added the markers though, that was horrible.)

My suggestions to these problems? Have DIFFERENT ICONS. For example, heres a picture of the UI Map in "Aion", another MMO I currently play. (Copyright NCSoft.)

http://static.aiononline.com/include...uide/EN/55.jpg

On the left side, you can see different icons for different types of quests, not to mention the status of it. For example, a normal quest flag is a light blue arrow, a step in the quest is a double light blue arrow, and the completion icon (as in the last NPC you talk to, etc.) is a light blue sun/star. The different colors also show what TYPE of quest it is, campaign (story), key quest (important), standard, and even event quests.

This diversity helps players a lot, and I can testify to this because the game didnt used to be that detailed, it was similar to this game's current questing flags.

The other thing I'd like to bring up (and i think this is the most important one tbh) is the fact that the icons do NOT show up unless you are close. I would reccomend that the icons should be visible regardless of distance, as long as you are in the same zone.

I know this isnt game breaking information, but I hope at least one of the devs reads this, it may help with suggestions for 2.0's UI system.

If anyone else has something to reply to this feel free to voice it here.

I'm new to FF XIV (pretty much to FF itself...), I had a lot of issues finding new quests due to the limitation of not knowing where to go next, we need a quest log / available quests listing and markers as stated above.

Anyone remember FFXI--no markers, or quest description--had to figure out where to go based on what was said and sometimes that was mega-cryptic! :)

I know it can be frustrating but Final Fantasy games have always had the "I have no clue what I'm supposed to do next so I shall talk to every single person in town" way of doing things. Sometimes you had to revisit places and figure out what you missed.

For me personally, I don't want a game where I am lead by the nose from one question mark to the next. There are already enough of those types of games out there and I think it is time for something different.

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Originally Posted by Xarius

Anyone remember FFXI--no markers, or quest description--had to figure out where to go based on what was said and sometimes that was mega-cryptic! :)

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Yeah, even when you found a quest you didn't know if it was level appropriate, if you should bring 5 friends, where you were supposed to go to next and what you were supposed to do there. Vague wasn't even the word for it.

I like that the current quests don't put a giant marker on your main map and an arrow to where you are supposed to go. I can usually figure out what I am supposed to be doing based on the quest text in the journal and if I get lost I can check the map in the journal for more detail.

Map in the journal is enough for me, otherwise ur maps get so crowded with markers that its just a big cluster of colored dots. And the fact that I dont need to be led from point A to point B. Im a grown up, i can find the way on my own. Its never really to difficult or overly complicated. The quest system in xiv I think is pretty straight forward.

For me personally RPG's are all about exploring...taking the little hints and name dropping and figuring out where you should go and what you should do next...I'll admit that in XI it was very hard to do this...but SE has done a better job in XIV...well they did...until they started using markers to identify npc's that you need to talk to, its not as fun as it used to be...they do need to tweek the text for questing a lot so you don't spend an eternity trying to figure things out, but at the same time they shouldn't hold our hands through everything...especially with the post the patch notes.

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Originally Posted by Xarius

Anyone remember FFXI--no markers, or quest description--had to figure out where to go based on what was said and sometimes that was mega-cryptic! :)

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This is a perfect comment. SE was always very good at making you think about what you had to do next. Some of you may remember everquest where they didn't even give you a map and you had to figure "everything" out. Having played WOW, where they give you all the markers and directions, FFXI and FFXIV are much better. In WOW you didnt even have to read anything to advance. Here you at least get to take part in the story SE worked so hard to execute. Personally i love how it works now. I do wish the maps were a little more customizable so one can figure it out and place the marker.

Keep up the good work SE. :)

FFXI had the single worst quest system I have ever seen in any RPG, online or off, bar none. It was so bad that you practically had to read a guide just to know where to go or what to do. That is not the sort of thing we want to imitate. A well designed game should make guides and walkthroughs redundant and unnecessary.

Exploration is one thing. Being completely lost and not having a clue where the hell you're supposed to go is something else entirely. A good quest system should show you exactly where you're supposed to go next, but give you the freedom to explore other places if you so choose.

Look at the Elder Scrolls games, for example. Back in Morrowind, it was a huge pain in the ass just trying to find a quest or progressing to the next step in your current quest chain. But this problem was fixed in Oblivion and Skyrim by implementing little pointers on your map so you didn't have to waste inordinate amounts of time wandering around, and you still had the freedom to explore the entire world at your own leisure. This is how an RPG should be.

So yes, I'm all in favor of improving the current Quest Marker system. What we have right now is decent, but it has an enormous amount of room for improvement.

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Originally Posted by Lintora

In WOW you didnt even have to read anything to advance. Here you at least get to take part in the story SE worked so hard to execute.

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Invalid argument. There is absolutely nothing stopping you from taking part in WoW's story if that's what you want to do. The fact that there are quest markers on the map doesn't stop you from reading the entire quest text if that's what you prefer.

Plus, let's not forget that the people who skipped over the story-text in WoW did so precisely because they didn't care about the story. With that in mind, forcing people to take part in something they may not care about isn't a good idea. Cut-scenes and story dialogue in games should always be skippable.

Honestly, it seems to me like the people who dislike quest markers hold that opinion only because there are quest markers in WoW, and anything WoW does is automatically bad. -_-

quest marker is optionnal in wow anyway so if you love looking for something you can do it. Also wow involve a lot of rerolling.

I enjoy how quest is done so far, you can check the map if you're lost but you can read the diary too and can easily guess where to go next. a few. At worst the marker/GPS system could aim for an area rather than where the NPC is.
So if you need to meet X in the LostVillage, you have a marker that tell you to go look for X in said village rather than the exact place where X is.

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Originally Posted by Doulifee

At worst the marker/GPS system could aim for an area rather than where the NPC is.
So if you need to meet X in the LostVillage, you have a marker that tell you to go look for X in said village rather than the exact place where X is.

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That would just force players to wander around more for no real reason, which would accomplish nothing but making quests take longer than they need to.

I'm all for having quest markers up on the main map and different colors to signify different quest types/completed quests/new quests/etc, although if markers show up on the main map I'd like an option to filter out different things so the map doesn't get too cluttered and you could turn them off if you so desire.

There's hand-holded quests and then there are FF11 quests, like the one Zilart mission where you are told to find some Mithra that found a crystal and are given a hint at the name and no indication at where the hell she could be. If you don't have a guide or someone that knows good luck going around the entire damn world looking for a NPC that you never had any reason to talk to before. It wouldn't have been so bad if you got any sort of hint or it was someone you were involved with story-wise previously.

Short: I'm for markers.

Extended
Many of the Final Fantasies from 3 and upward, save 11, did a great job at guiding you where to go next without having to backtrack, talk to every NPC, explore every crevice, open every chest (13 even moreso, hehe), and MOST importantly, refer to a guide, walkthrough, web page, or a friend who had already done those steps.

Given the evolution of the MMO interface, I believe FFXIV should continue to have markers. And those that prefer the 80's RPG style can toggle off the markers to have something closer to Everquest, FFXI, or Dark Souls (none of which are 80's RPGs, but share similar philosophies).

I still don't agree with EQ, FF11 at English launch, or many older games where you had no clear indication of what step you were on in a quest. The longer you were the away, the worse off you were when you came back. Where FF13 and Tales games have learned to provide recap summary for this for those that don't keep notes while playing the game.

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Originally Posted by Hagito

I'm new to FF XIV (pretty much to FF itself...), I had a lot of issues finding new quests due to the limitation of not knowing where to go next, we need a quest log / available quests listing and markers as stated above.

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We do have a quest log, it's called a journal in FF... And it will mark the map where you need to go next, but it's not very intuitive. I don't know why I have to go there, to pull up the map to see the marker, when I'd rather just see it on the main map once I have the quest that is.

Hopefully they look at this tread and take this feedback into 2.0.

I'd also like to add that repeatable quests would have it's own style as well. :)

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Originally Posted by Delmontyb

I don't know why I have to go there, to pull up the map to see the marker, when I'd rather just see it on the main map once I have the quest that is.

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I agree. The Journal Map and the Main Map should be combined into a single map.

Also, the Journal History should not include the latest entry, since that already appears at the top of the Journal window. Having the Journal display the quest-text twice in the same window just feels redundant and unnecessary, and it makes SE's UI designers look sloppy.

It would also be nice if the Journal History was hidden and you had to expand it to read what it said. That way it makes it easier to focus on what you need to do next, without cluttering up the main Journal window with info about what you've already done.

I would rather not see the marker on my main map. If I need the extra help of a dot on my map I can open the journal. For most quests I know where to go and what to do based on the text anyways...

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Originally Posted by Yelta_Sumasu

I would rather not see the marker on my main map. If I need the extra help of a dot on my map I can open the journal.

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But then we would perpetuate the problem of having two separate maps. It's better to have only one.

If you don't want to see the Quest Markers on your map, then the best solution would be to add a checkbox on the bottom of the map that toggles the markers on and off.

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☑ Display Quest Markers

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It's fine to want options, but there needs to be only one map.

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Originally Posted by Rhianu

But then we would perpetuate the problem of having two separate maps. It's better to have only one.

If you don't want to see the Quest Markers on your map, then the best solution would be to add a checkbox on the bottom of the map that toggles the markers on and off.

It's fine to want options, but there needs to be only one map.

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And that's what those checkboxes on Aion UI Map are for, they enable and disable each icon. And there's quite a few things if you look close. Gotta love UI customization.