Open World FFXIV

So the game used to be open world back in 1.0, lets go back to open world, but good. Tera Online is making a come back in a small way, and playing through that game again reminded me we can have a beautiful MMO with open world. Why can Tera do it, which came out back in 2011-2012, but FFXIV in the year 2025 can't?

I want to run into Limsa or Ul'dah OR Gridania without hitting a loading screen. How about actual open world dungeons? The world doesn't have to look like a ugly maze like it was in 1.0, just keep it the way it is but connect everything so you can just run into an area instead of hitting a load screen. I would think you could do more interesting content instead of the same old, same old.

Something something technical debt, something something consoles and sony, something something too hard and effort and devs need rest.

Watch the excuses roll in beneath me

But we all know the real reason. The devs just don't want to put in the effort to make a better game when they can just roll out the same thing over and over again and cash in their cheque


This game is need of some new shiny features and things to look forward to with every expansion launch, but they keep giving us the same stuff in new shiny packages.

Devs excuses:

- Console
- PS3 code
- Don't want to bother and it costs a lot

Note that when you mention "cost", you will get attacked by fans saying that this is yet another 100000th miss translation.

They're not realistically gonna go back to ARR and combine maps, especially with how this would mess with S rank conditions.

You could argue that Occult is an "open world dungeon".

The new deep dungeon will be the open area of Il Mheg, exploring the old ruins. It will actually be outside.

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Originally Posted by Jeeqbit

They're not realistically gonna go back to ARR and combine maps, especially with how this would mess with S rank conditions.

You could argue that Occult is an "open world dungeon".

The new deep dungeon will be the open area of Il Mheg, exploring the old ruins. It will actually be outside.

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They absolutely could merge the old ARR zones but the resources needed to do that are the same as making brand new zones as that is what they would have to do when merging the old zones. They make new ones and delete the old. I don’t think anybody wants to give up an expansion for an ARR clean up.

Honestly, just make a new MMO and shut it out from console

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Originally Posted by Jeeqbit

The new deep dungeon will be the open area of Il Mheg, exploring the old ruins. It will actually be outside.

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What, is this new information?

I thought it was very likely that the map layout ends up being the same (quadrants connected by corridors) but without a lot of visual walls or ceiling to give the impression of being outside. If it's truly an open area with a very different layout structure, then it's actually a great thing.

ff14 just isnt an openworld game, now i will say if we want to try something new and try new ideas.

TL: DR what if they merged all the expansion maps together city and others and made one huge map that would be like having an open world even if its not persay true open world.

what if say a new expansion is open world? (not completely)

but say SE makes all 6 maps dungeons, trials, ect, all one big map and the game registers each area as its own (for flying/shared fate/hunts reasons) and there is no loading screen this would also mean either more hoofing it debuffs or what players would like flying in towns but it would have more of an open world feel without having to go back and rechange a bunch of stuff that just isnt built to be attached to each other (i mean look at how small ishgard is in coerthas but the bridge is actually monsterously large)

course there will always be limitations like even if you could enter a dungeon in the open world or a trials arena the primal wouldnt be there or you wouldnt be able to just do the dungeon as 200 players it would be more cosmetic so players could have fun in it, the game would still be done through the DF/PF just its would be part of the open world. (if they went that far)

also yes there is a 0% chance SE would do anything different but its a nice thought to have and talk about.

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Originally Posted by Raikai

What, is this new information?

I thought it was very likely that the map layout ends up being the same (quadrants connected by corridors) but without a lot of visual walls or ceiling to give the impression of being outside. If it's truly an open area with a very different layout structure, then it's actually a great thing.

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It's going to be a mix. It's not new info since they said at fanfest before Dawntrail that it would be "open battle content" or a "new take on deep dungeons". This was further explained with these pictures saying we would go across rather than above/below:
https://i.imgur.com/xwpBFQ1.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/i7geBeV.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/Nb4Oitn.jpeg

I personally wonder, why bother with redesigning old content for open world, when instead just making a new expansion be the focus of one? Actually make that one of the selling points of having long interconnected maps that don't have loading zones. Populating it with outdoor content that feels like an old mmorpg which entices players to go out and explore and do content. Throw in gear with unique effects (akin to stuff like strider boots) that is on level with the expansion and even takes notes from eureka where this unique gear can be upgraded to +1 or +2 or +3 so as it doesn't lag behind in new tiers. Even take notes for outdoor enemy behaviors and levels like from field operations for how dangerous they can be.

Or TL;DR: Field Ops as the expansion, not side content.

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Originally Posted by Jeeqbit

It's going to be a mix. It's not new info since they said at fanfest before Dawntrail that it would be "open battle content" or a "new take on deep dungeons". This was further explained with these pictures:
https://i.imgur.com/xwpBFQ1.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/i7geBeV.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/Nb4Oitn.jpeg

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Interesting about if it's the case about the 1st picture. I just assumed it was somewhere in Il Mheg's map just to point where the entrance is, or at least to illustrate that the DD takes place there. I didn't think the "open battle content" was meant to be about the Deep Dungeon.

I hope is not just a cosmetic thing - like I said before, not just the old DD quadrants+corridors but with open area instead of inside a cave.

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Originally Posted by Raikai

Interesting about if it's the case about the 1st picture. I just assumed it was somewhere in Il Mheg's map just to point where the entrance is, or at least to illustrate that the DD takes place there. I didn't think the "open battle content" was meant to be about the Deep Dungeon.

I hope is not just a cosmetic thing - like I said before, not just the old DD quadrants+corridors but with open area instead of inside a cave.

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My guess is that those open rooms with no walls in HoH will be outside areas. Just my impression. Apparently I missed this picture:

https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/...0&d=1751325200

I assume it'll be different every time due to pixies playing tricks.

One thing I really miss about 1.x's open world, other than it not just being a backdrop for the msq and nothing more, were the caves and elevations. There were actually hills and valleys you ran through that could give a better or worse view of what was ahead. There were caves that you could go into that were like small, open-world dungeons, with chests to unlock by getting keys from enemies and NMs that would spawn you could farm. There were maps stacked on top of maps, so you could see the area below, but were unsure of how to get down there since it wasn't blatently obvious. The map up top would be lvl 15, the one below lvl 40. Various mines were open as well, that allowed you to run on the tracks or on work bridges. It really added to the feeling of the world.

After they rebooted the game the maps became incredibly flat. Sure there may be a little elevation here and there, but nothing like 1.x which was much more realistic topagraphy wise. La Noscea is especially egregious with this. Running through La Noscea was like running on a roller coaster track, now its mostly just flat and if there is a big elevation jump or drop they put in stairs so instead of running through a valley or down a hillside, you take some stairs or just jump off the cliff.

And caves are all but gone. You used to run in and know you were going down into the ground. There were twists and turns, dead ends and little frogs hidden around that would sit and look at you like a shoebill, but cute. Now if you do come across one, they barely register as even being a cave and are no different than the rest of the map. Most of them don't even have actual ceilings since there are so many breaks in them.

I'm a bit confused like FFXIV is an open world where we can do questing outside in areas, fly, hunts, and wander around fighting FATES. The opposite would be like a few town hubs and nothing else, with everything in instances.

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Originally Posted by CCheshire

I'm a bit confused like FFXIV is an open world where we can do questing outside in areas, fly, hunts, and wander around fighting FATES. The opposite would be like a few town hubs and nothing else, with everything in instances.

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A lot of MMORPGs would typically have all the zones connected to eachother like 1.0, so instead of a loading screen, it just progressively loads the map as you move through it, making it feel like a proper world. It depends how they are designed, but it's more immersive when it's done that way.

I do believe that hunts are great open world content and it's just that few people truly understand how the hunt system works. However, a lot of past MMORPGs have had more meaningful content take place in the open world, such as PvP, maps, exploration and mob farming. The difference in FFXIV is that things like maps quickly insert you into an instance shortly thereafter, PvP takes place in instances only, exploration of any sort would be in an instance, and there is little importance to fighting most enemies in the open world as an endgame activity once you've farmed bicolor gemstones/ranks, quests and beast tribes. We have level 1-3 hunt bills and rank B hunts but they aren't even worth the effort, even just for fun.

But technically it is true that there are open world activities: hunts (of varying rarity), maps, beast tribes, fates (of varying rarity), gathering nodes (of varying rarity) - it's just that with the exception of A and S ranks, it's not the sort of stuff that most people regard as fun and exciting.

I do understand why they put everything into instances though. Open World content was always problematic in MMORPGs because they struggled to scale it to the number of players there. Hunts are an example of this even. You can get too few, or too many players, and even if the content can scale it can be too laggy.

Black Desert Online did this really well, but it still failed because of corporate greed and incompetent shitdevs. Naturally, the lesson learned from its failure wasn't "don't be a shitdev." Instead, the MMO genre learned that "gAmErS doNt wAnT oPeN wOrLds ackshually" so we'll probably never get anything like that ever again.
XIV is basically a lobby waiting game. You wait in your house or one of the main city states until your content pops in the queue. Then you go to another instance to do it. The game makes money like this and there's no reason to revamp it and take risks to change it. Sure, the overworld is dead, but who cares? The people spending the most money never leave their goonshack anyway.

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Originally Posted by MrJadeOfStars

Tera Online is making a come back in a small way, and playing through that game again

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Wait, Tera Online is back? Are you talking about the mobile version or the unofficial versions?

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Originally Posted by Avoidy

XIV is basically a lobby waiting game. You wait in your house or one of the main city states until your content pops in the queue. Then you go to another instance to do it. The game makes money like this and there's no reason to revamp it and take risks to change it. Sure, the overworld is dead, but who cares? The people spending the most money never leave their goonshack anyway.

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To be fair, this is intentional due to listening to feedback from 1.0., where people were deeply unhappy at having to travel on foot for hours to get places. The game was remade primarily so it could have a cross-world duty finder, which would pool people from multiple servers together. Teleporting everywhere all the time was done to address the travel complaints. Everything was made ultra quick and convenient because 1.0 tried the opposite and it was a failure.

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Originally Posted by Hallarem

Something something technical debt, something something consoles and sony, something something too hard and effort and devs need rest.

Watch the excuses roll in beneath me

But we all know the real reason. The devs just don't want to put in the effort to make a better game when they can just roll out the same thing over and over again and cash in their cheque


This game is need of some new shiny features and things to look forward to with every expansion launch, but they keep giving us the same stuff in new shiny packages.

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But you don't understand, the engine! That pesky engine won't let them do anything :C They try really hard but wouldn't ya know it, that mean old engine tells them no :(

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Originally Posted by MoofiaBossVal

Wait, Tera Online is back? Are you talking about the mobile version or the unofficial versions?

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There's a Tera Classic server that has experienced a massive influx of players the last few weeks.

Can't imagine where they're all coming from.

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Originally Posted by MoofiaBossVal

Wait, Tera Online is back? Are you talking about the mobile version or the unofficial versions?

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TERA Classic. Although they're getting DDOS'd a lot lately. Their main point is that they're playing on an old ass patch before Ninja, Brawler, Valk and the elin variants of them came out, and the original tutorial in the Island of Dawn. It's pure nostalgia drug if you played that game back then lol

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Originally Posted by Hyperia

They absolutely could merge the old ARR zones but the resources needed to do that are the same as making brand new zones as that is what they would have to do when merging the old zones. They make new ones and delete the old. I don’t think anybody wants to give up an expansion for an ARR clean up.

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The resources would generally be far more than creating a brand new zone. There are tons of quests, Fates and other things tied to specific maps that would need to all be adjusted to accommodate moving to a new map. It’s a massive rework.

The best I’d ask for is merging the city states to be a single map each, which is still a massive task for the same reasons.

I mean, considering they literally can’t afford to make ‘normal mode’ content along with ‘raid content’, somehow I’m dubious about them having the funds to somehow turn the game open-world lol

i just want the open world maps to feel more alive an have more exploration points more sights too see without there being locked doors, gates, etc i want to feel like traversing the land is an adventure itself again an that it gives us more reason to be there longer outside of hunts, treasure maps, beast tribes an sidequests etc.
i liked how ARR did its map designs an how HW and Stormblood further expanded how we traverse by adding in flying and swimming/diving we definitely need a return of some elements an additional things to do as well they could like add a jumping puzzle for example to climb up to the second half of the map or like add ladders for us to climb an a winding cave network to go thru to get to the other side and such.