[dev1002] The world is boring!

I hope I'm not the only one experiencing this, but I feel every time I log on that I'm entering this lifeless world where nothing is happening, there is nowhere to go, and there is nothing to see or do but finish your guildleves and log off. Not only that, but I can't even finish the guildleves they are so boring!

I appreciate the fact that you have a lot of stuff on your plate when it comes to fixing this game, but will there be ANYTHING done to make this world feel more alive? Yes, there are 3 major cities and one forbidden city in the middle of nowhere, but if you haven't noticed, most games have little towns here and there that are more than just for scenery. I think in WoW, for example, I loved finding a new zone and seeing what cool towns were there, not these little camps that are in FFXIV. Even FFXI had Selbina and Mhaura, Rabao, Khazam, etc. There should always be the desire to explore in an MMO, but in FFXIV I know there isn't anything else out there so I stick to my train tracks and finish my leve before I log off.

What do you guys have planned to make the world feel like a real place? When are we going to get that "Final Fantasy" feeling? (I apologize if this isn't the right tag, I'm not sure what to use).

Personally, this is my absolute biggest issue with FFXIV. I'd even be able to look past some of the other flaws if the world was at least a tiny bit interesting. Nothing to see when you explore, repetitive zones, compact world where everything is close together. It's just no fun. You go through one zone, a boring boat ride that doesn't get attacked, and bam: Limsa Lominsa. What's near Limsa Lominsa? one zone. Tiny cities? Check. Little to no lore? You bet.

If there was ever something to compare to FFXI it's this aspect right here. FFXI had many problems but its greatest strength was providing a rich world with tons of lore that was begging to be discovered. Eorzea just has nothing on Vana'diel.

Maybe when they catch their breath from all the other (hopefully) developments going on, they'll throw in some random world events like cactars running through camps/cities in the hundreds or something.

Well there are all the little hamlets scattered around the major regions, and i'm guessing we're just waiting for hamlet defense to be implemented in order to see what these small villages have in store, but they've got shop signs and npcs already populating the area. So i'm not sure whats stopping them from having sidequest lines among other things taking place within the hamlets, and then implement hamlet defense in order to give us even more reasons to visit them.

There are a few areas that are actually kind of cool. Mistbeard Cove is interesting for example. There really isn't enough of this though. There are endless amounts of caves in Thanalan and La Noscea that just go in a few yards and have like 3 mobs in them. What's the point of that?

They should really change some areas. They don't really need to add other zones, just change certain areas to the existing ones. Like La Noscea for example should have a big beach somewhere completely with it's own aethryte, leves, and monsters (Fish, Crabs, elementals, birds, etc.). LL is right on the water, am I to assume there's only tiny beaches on this giant island?

One thing that really worries me is there are already areas set up in the 3 regions with mobs around level 80+. I've already ranked up in these regions from 1-50, I don't want to have to do it all the way up to whatever the cap will end up being also. There needs to be a cut off. We should be required to go into new zones to level up higher. Or at least be forced to go to Mor Dhona & Coerthas.

I completely agree with this when i go to explore I am greeted with 1 of 2 things usually either:

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheAlexi.../2/I5A_Fg_u9rg
or
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheAlexi.../3/8hON0vVUoGg

That pretty much deflates any kind of reason to explore for me. Another thing though I maybe alone on this is the map. Now I know FFXI could be extreme in some cases of giving you a map but this just gives you all the maps straight out so you know where everything is.

What I would have preferred is for the map to have been greyed out and as you visit places that bit gets filled in. That for me would give me a reason to explore a bit. Also maybe some hidden collectables or at least something to find, yes the scenery is all great but at least give it purpose.

They need to shrink down the zones and vary them like FFXI...I don't care for seamless transitions and pretty graphics, this game is boring as crap to even look at, whoever came up with the ideas for this game is hopefully long fired.

Wasnt there something in a letter from Yoshida about changing zone lines in the future? I remember reading something like that awhile ago.

I hope when he changes zones that he either:

Makes those small cavelike areas visible on the map
OR
Make those caves have mobs or loot or gathering points that actually give something special, that way even if you can't see them on the map, because they give something special they could be considered 'secret spots' or something like that.

Because at the moment I feel like exploring into one of those caves that I can't see on the map is kind of a waste of time, and sometimes I have to go through them to get to other areas on the map that don't have any obvious route.

I completely agree and even signed up for this forum just to post in this thread. FFXIV is in DIRE need of work to improve the game world. I don't think that any of the areas besides the black shroud need to be redone. The scenery just needs updated, change up the leve camps, add different trees and other objects to different areas!

Need more variety and life plz. There is barely any lore, there are only 4 zones even though there are technically 20+. all 20 zones look like the last just some more inclines or water. The mini towns are useless. There isn't much lore to the areas at all atleast for Uldah and limsa (not my home towns). Grid has this creepy elemental thing going on. I have yet to see an elemental there that was pissed at me for chopping down a tree. Better yet, see these things that the grid storyline keeps yammering on about. Please apply what little story you have to the areas.

Just here to voice my approval of essentially everything said in this thread.
Make the areas more engaging. The areas are big, but there's no real point to them. No interesting destinations or fascinating secrets. I'd be fine with you adding more, smaller areas that are widely varied. Part of the fun of XI was seeing all the different zones and sights. The areas in XIV are cool and all, but they can tend to get pretty boring when they are all you see, because it's not so much the fact that much of the terrain is reused, but it's more of the fact that it's so big it becomes obvious.