More holiday instance areas, please!

I'm part of a farmer's market themed ingame roleplay group on Aether. We hosted a Starlight-themed community market in the Starlight Stalls special instance and had a blast! Part of the reason why it was so successful was the instance itself -- the area was just the right size to feel busy without being overwhelming. The stall areas were also perfect for the various player vendors to use!

Thank you to the team that worked on making this area! I'll be sad to see it go. More like this, please! Imagine how fun Heavensturn, Valentione's, and Hatching-tide zones could be!

I agreeee !! More I love these instances!

I'd rather have some actual content.

I agree.. as a german i was very fond of the christmas market theme they went with this year.
Hope to see more of these instances in the future. :)

And yeah the content question is a long drawn out issue.

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Originally Posted by BigCheez

I'd rather have some actual content.

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It is 100% "actual content." It might be content that doesn't interest you specifically, but that doesn't make it any less content. Personally, I loved all the little details they put in this year...the snowmen giving gifts (proposing?) at the Christmas tree in Ul'dah, seeing Rudy (the mini-yeti from another year's story) and his pal on the upper portion of the Stalls looking at everything, the new music in the Stalls zone. It had a big ole' smile on my face the whole time :)

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Originally Posted by Striker44

It is 100% "actual content." It might be content that doesn't interest you specifically, but that doesn't make it any less content. Personally, I loved all the little details they put in this year...the snowmen giving gifts (proposing?) at the Christmas tree in Ul'dah, seeing Rudy (the mini-yeti from another year's story) and his pal on the upper portion of the Stalls looking at everything, the new music in the Stalls zone. It had a big ole' smile on my face the whole time :)

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I don't agree. There aren't any activities to do there therefore it is not content.

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Originally Posted by BigCheez

I'd rather have some actual content.

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"Yes, we can't have one world designer work on this minor thing because it'll take away from the work being done by the instance/quest/mechanics designers. Why?... It just would, okay?"

Don't drink the SE kool-aid, they can absolutely do both things at the same time, they just choose not to because a shareholder's portfolio might have one less 9 than he was expecting at the end of a quarter.

https://i.imgur.com/TNx5VLO.gif

I love the holiday instances! This game can be very lovely and pretty and they always make really great backdrops for group pose shots. It's a very fun way to indulge in the holidays and I hope we get more!

Honestly it's surprising they haven't done something like that for the Rising.

The only ones who got any of the sort was way back when in the early years.

of course it's the Rising, nothing much to say or do special for. But if they make things more impactful for the players accounts overall. then it might just make sense for those who not only have alts, but one character only.

We can't really do much for Moonfire, as Costa basically gets repurposed.
Although what they could do with a specialized instance would be far, FAR GRANDER, than that costa could supply.
Almost wish It wasn't at Costa to begin with.

NewYears/Heavensturn could involve something more personal. Though not as necessary as other things. But they could make it more personal regardless of any ties to the world or not.

The Easter(forgot its name) could have a small set of rotating games. Maybe even a Repurposed Treasure Map/lookout mechanics to find "objects". But that could just be a seasonal Fate.

Little Ladies and Valentines is a given on what they could possibly do for it.
(The one difference, it would either change with the year, or the decorations will be tame outside of zones within the instance. in said specific sectioned off areas could the decorations be pushed to 1000%

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Originally Posted by NegativeS

"Yes, we can't have one world designer work on this minor thing because it'll take away from the work being done by the instance/quest/mechanics designers. Why?... It just would, okay?"

Don't drink the SE kool-aid, they can absolutely do both things at the same time, they just choose not to because a shareholder's portfolio might have one less 9 than he was expecting at the end of a quarter.

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They can rarely bring themselves to do more than the bare minimum for content behind two paywalls. The modicum of effort needed to make the special instance drained their effort budget for the next year of events.

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Originally Posted by BigCheez

I don't agree. There aren't any activities to do there therefore it is not content.

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There's clearly a been lot of effort and - dare I say it - love put in this year's event by the XIV folks.

It's two (pre-setup and post-setup) instanced zones, a quest line, and multiple items to get from completing the questline, which is very clearly "something to do."

If "quests" and "quest rewards" and "new instances" don't count as "content" in an MMO any more..? I'm not even sure where to start with that line of thinking.

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Originally Posted by NegativeS

"Yes, we can't have one world designer work on this minor thing because it'll take away from the work being done by the instance/quest/mechanics designers. Why?... It just would, okay?"

Don't drink the SE kool-aid, they can absolutely do both things at the same time, they just choose not to because a shareholder's portfolio might have one less 9 than he was expecting at the end of a quarter.

https://i.imgur.com/TNx5VLO.gif

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The people who build these event spaces are absolutely the same people who build the instances for exploration zones, dungeons, trials, raids, alliance raids, deep dungeons, varient/criterion dungeons and pretty much all of the other meaningful content in the game. Of course it would take dev time away from other things.

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Originally Posted by BigCheez

The people who build these event spaces are absolutely the same people who build the instances for exploration zones, dungeons, trials, raids, alliance raids, deep dungeons, varient/criterion dungeons and pretty much all of the other meaningful content in the game. Of course it would take dev time away from other things.

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And Area generally Smaller than even Half of a Dungeon that will keep getting reused year after year. One Time Only, Barring any small colorscheme changes or additions, slowly over time.

Or Content that Keeps being made from scratch, each time, and the only thing that is shared between them is the fact that the core combat or systems are the same.

I'd say making just one Reusable and returning instance is nothing at all taxing for them.

And I don't mean reusable as in the instance can be booted every day.
I mean that the map will be used the exact same way for different content. (Like how old ARR and HW <Hard> dungeons used to be.)

Instead they lessened the number of dungeons they made for other good content.

SO OVERALL
ONE REUSEABLE AND RETURNING INSTANCE
that doesn't even take more than half a Dungeon in space

Is really not that taxing for them in resources.

Many just don't have good optics on how things will take for them to actually complete.

If it was actually that much, we'd never have the Saints wake and Starlight instances.

let alone the repurposing for minigame instances for saints wake(Dng)

It isn't if they can, or if it'll cannibalize the rest of the game.

it's if they want to do it or can imagine it, or if we would want one.

Literally a everyone can have both their cakes, and eat their own.

It's just a matter of when they make a plan, and when they'll slot it in.

No One Really Loses out here?

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Originally Posted by GTK0HLK

And Area generally Smaller than even Half of a Dungeon that will keep getting reused year after year. One Time Only, Barring any small colorscheme changes or additions, slowly over time.

Or Content that Keeps being made from scratch, each time, and the only thing that is shared between them is the fact that the core combat or systems are the same.

I'd say making just one Reusable and returning instance is nothing at all taxing for them.

And I don't mean reusable as in the instance can be booted every day.
I mean that the map will be used the exact same way for different content. (Like how old ARR and HW <Hard> dungeons used to be.)

Instead they lessened the number of dungeons they made for other good content.

SO OVERALL
ONE REUSEABLE AND RETURNING INSTANCE
that doesn't even take more than half a Dungeon in space

Is really not that taxing for them in resources.

Many just don't have good optics on how things will take for them to actually complete.

If it was actually that much, we'd never have the Saints wake and Starlight instances.

let alone the repurposing for minigame instances for saints wake(Dng)

It isn't if they can, or if it'll cannibalize the rest of the game.

it's if they want to do it or can imagine it, or if we would want one.

Literally a everyone can have both their cakes, and eat their own.

It's just a matter of when they make a plan, and when they'll slot it in.

No One Really Loses out here?

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This would be a fair point if lack of content wasn't already one of the primary complaints about the game.

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Originally Posted by BigCheez

This would be a fair point if lack of content wasn't already one of the primary complaints about the game.

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This would be a valid response, if it had any substance.

There's a lack of content, and a lack of content people themselves like.

The problem with that is just SEs unwillingness to push up content that would actually keep players entertained. Like Exploration Zones.

So thanks for making out point for us.

So no one is really against instance Seasonal social spots.

The only issues, are pointless and irrelevant. Related only to SEs poor release schedule.

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Originally Posted by GTK0HLK

This would be a valid response, if it had any substance.

There's a lack of content, and a lack of content people themselves like.

The problem with that is just SEs unwillingness to push up content that would actually keep players entertained. Like Exploration Zones.

So thanks for making out point for us.

So no one is really against instance Seasonal social spots.

The only issues, are pointless and irrelevant. Related only to SEs poor release schedule.

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And do you think the exploration zone would be ready for release earlier or later if they had more of their level designers working on event spaces?

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Originally Posted by BigCheez

And do you think the exploration zone would be ready for release earlier or later if they had more of their level designers working on event spaces?

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You already given up your position. there's no need for you to keep pushing it.

The only reason you keep pushing your point is to gum up conversation.

Everyone who's paid attention to game studios know it's all subjective to the team. growing larger can be a detriment. Just as not enough can be stressed this.

If you want them to get more hires, simply make a thread about it.

You're attempting to hijack and derail this thread at this point.

The cozy instance added for 2024's Starlight Celebration was the only part of the event I enjoyed.

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Originally Posted by TheGrimace

The cozy instance added for 2024's Starlight Celebration was the only part of the event I enjoyed.

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It was the only part of the event that wasn't walking from cutscene to cutscene in Gridania.

100% agree.

In game holidays are one of the things I look forward to the most in this game!

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Originally Posted by Daralii

It was the only part of the event that wasn't walking from cutscene to cutscene in Gridania.

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Exactly. Walk and talk quests have become the majority of what most holiday quests are nowadays. It's so boring.

This has my stamp of approval and put some actually activities in the area.

I would love to see both fun, themed, instanced areas AND stuff to do like little mini games in them. Remember that one Valentione's event from a few years ago where you could invite a friend in to do a little puzzle/maze thing and then there was this whole beautiful area to gpose in at the end? Why on earth did they make all that and not have it come back each year? I love how every All Saint's Wake we get to go to a special instanced area clearly made with gposing with your friends in mind + decorated Haukke Manor to run around in. Every season should have these kinds of cute decorated areas to take pictures in and play little games with your friends.

Seriously, give me and my friends a reason to log back in and have some fun, because it's really lacking lately...