One to Fifty, One Zone - Long OP

[Richard]

Akabas didn't aggro, noob. Free bump.

SHHHH. They Linked!

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Also I'd like to take the opportunity to let everyone know what an excellent thread this has been. The most unified and constructive thread on the forums to date with the least amount of trolling or arguing. Let's keep it that way and not feed the Gifthorse.

[Valhinjin]

I think it went over your head. Yeah, there are some cool looking places, maybe like, one per zone. But even those are copied. Cassie Hollow looks like Mistbeard which looks like the new dungeon. :O Mun-tuy looks like tam-tara looks like...the new dungeon! If you have low standards for how unique zones should be, and the sense of adventure you want, awesome! But you are in the minority. that sense if adventure you have isn't going to be refreshed when you level your second job, or your third....or your fourth....fifth....

Reliving that adventure is just as important has having it in the first place. Perhaps its because we are seasoned MMO players and we've become disenchanted with MMO's that do not reach a standard expectation, but when you compare zone diversity and adventure in XIV to any other MMO on the market, it falls flat, that includes F2P's. How broke game developers who are hardly making any money at all can develop games to be more interesting than the juggernaut that is SE is boggling! XIV feels like a second hand journey in a half-finished world. I like to see things in-game and not only appreciate the aesthetic value, but the lore and purpose behind it. Why are Nanawa and Copperbell abandoned? What are the closed doors in mistbeard for? So many things that are just up in the air!

Over my head? Lol, implying that I'm not a veteran MMO player or simply haven't experienced "adventure" just doesn't apply here. I'm a mid 30s MMO'er who has been around since EQ. Played FFXI to cap. Still re-sub every couple months just to make sure my character doesn't get deleted. Played SWG in the hayday. 5 capped toons on WoW. Played WAR to cap (yeah, I know), have a lvl 60 on AoC, every major MMO that comes out I play. That includes games like STO.

Talking to me about your "standard" .... Not to be an ass... but implying that the game is that horrendous isn't a standard, it's entitlement.

While I don't doubt that I will eventually "run out" of things to do, the game gets a bad rap so far. To imply it "falls flat" is absurd. I'm sorry I haven't gotten high enough to have come back to these places 100 times over, but when you first arrive in them, they are fantastic and provide plenty of adventure for a Final Fantasy IP style game world. Most people I see playing are doing nothing but leves, and standing around waiting for behests. Maybe after r50 things get dull, but right 1-50 is awesome so far, and I haven't even seen Ishgard or much of Mor Dhona. I do feel like I've seen more than a lot of higher level players who waste their time hanging out at camps.

Here's the reason why: lack of progression. I don't think people don't level in those spots because they haven't taken the time to go, it's because they're not aware of them. The subzones of each region not only look and feel the same, but the game hardly gives you a clue that there's anything else out there. And what is out there is blocked by weird monster placement (sort of like the lvl 40 antlings that use to smite the lowbies trying to get around Thanalan). I'm not saying this game needs to be 100% linear with one clear path from point A to point B. We've already established that the map and existing layout can allow for multiple choices. But when there is a complete lack of guidance, organization, or structure, then people just sort of go with the flow and assume this is all that awaits them.

I dunno... I guess I'm a different breed than most of you. I find it challenging and fullfilling to sit and wait for the mobs to become perfectly placed, to allow me to take advantage of the sight/sound aggro system and sneak by. I enjoy open world exploration with no linear path. I like making my own discoveries. These are steps others just don't seem to want to take. If you followed my leveling path, and didn't just sit in camps waiting on behests, you would have seen forests, deserts, canyons, mountains, deep cellars, mines, traveled by ship, and explored multiple cities by r30. Not to mention taken part in a great cinematic story. If you just sat around and did leves, well then yeah... that would suck.... and thats what most of the server pop does.

I mean it's SE, it's the company that brought us "dodge 200 lightning bolts" in FFX. No way anyone would have figured that out without research and devotion. Their games are crazy, nonsensical, and difficult, which is part of why I find them so endearing. I guess I'm also the "elitist" type who only likes things when they aren't popular. I have already had more adventure here than I ever had in WoW - and it's the most popular MMO of all time. It's just too spoon fed, which absolutely destroys the epicness.

It was the same the the "revered" FFXI. You went to Valkurm, then to Korroloka, then to Quifim, then to Khazam, and so on. There was only "progression" because the masses discovered it, which they don't care to do i this case. There was hardly much diversity until you started ranking up (not leveling, but the ranking system) or at least passed level 50.

Anyway, I'm not saying the game is perfect. But for me there is plenty to do at the moment, I'm not totally disgusted by the regions/maps, I don't find it monotonous, and I'm quite enjoying it. So is my entire LS, granted there are only about 20 of us but we are always in full parties and always having fun. No problems for us that an expansion won't fix. No need to gut the place whatsoever.

But I'll get back to you at when I have a few 50s.

Just know there are a lot of players out there having great adventures, they just don't post on forums.

[Richard]

While I don't doubt that I will eventually "run out" of things to do, the game gets a bad rap so far. To imply it "falls flat" is absurd.

It's not that absurd considering a) Still F2P after 9 months. b) 90% of the threads in this forum are about how bad the game is, so the community can't all be wrong can it? and c) Yoshida has said himself the game is in a state of rebuilding because they just don't think it's up to par; or even close to it.

Maybe after r50 things get dull, but right 1-50 is awesome so far, and I haven't even seen Ishgard or much of Mor Dhona.

The first R50 I got I will agree was an awesome experience. From that point on it was just 30-50 doing 3 leves with a static group. That is the only way to efficiently level. I am now on my 7th R50 and it is just as dull as my 2nd R50.

I'm sorry I haven't gotten high enough to have come back to these places 100 times over, but when you first arrive in them, they are fantastic and provide plenty of adventure for a Final Fantasy IP style game world.

I will agree that when you first get to a new place it's exciting, but the same can be said for any game. Discovering the unknown is a huge driving force in games. I will however disagree that XIV provides anyone with "adventure" and almost all other FF IPs provide it on a much larger and in-depth scale compared to this game.

Their games are crazy, nonsensical, and difficult, which is part of why I find them so endearing.

At the moment, XIV is none of these.

I guess I'm also the "elitist" type who only likes things when they aren't popular.

That has nothing to do with being an "elitist". That is actually the definition of a Hipster.

I have already had more adventure here than I ever had in WoW - and it's the most popular MMO of all time.

I find this incredibly hard to believe as there are more quests in WoW than 5 FF IPs combined. There is more lore and more exploration in it too. Vanilla WoW released with more content and great content than XIV has. Unless you were literally just sitting in Org all day leveling up your tailoring, I don't see how you could honestly say this.

There was hardly much diversity until you started ranking up (not leveling, but the ranking system) or at least passed level 50.

San d'Oria > Ronfaure (Forested highlands) > La Theine Plateau (Grassy plains) > Valkrum Dunes (Tropical beach) > Jeuno (Central city) > Qufim Island (Snow drifted coastline) > Kazham (Wild Jungle) > Crawlers Nest (Underground crawler dungeon) > Quicksand Caves (Desert Dungeon) > The Boyhada Tree (Huge dungeon located inside a massive tree) > Kuftal Tunnel > (Underground mine/dungeon) > Ru' Aun Gardens (sky).

Vs.

Ul'Dah > Black Brush (desert) > Horizon (desert) > Nanawa Mines (desert mine) > Nophica's Wells (desert) > Broken Water (desert)

Did you level in FFXI with a blindfold on?

[Orcishgrappler]

Thanks so much for creating this wonderful topic. This really captures the feelings that alot of us have. Final Fantasy 11 was really something special and I hope that this game can one day live up to that!

[Kafeen]

watch the dev video "Link"

We need less barren/exact landscapes and more of those really diverse looking areas and landmarks.

Link

Dude, what went wrong?

[Rinsui]

San d'Oria > Ronfaure (Forested highlands) > La Theine Plateau (Grassy plains) > Valkrum Dunes (Tropical beach) > Jeuno (Central city) > Qufim Island (Snow drifted coastline) > Kazham (Wild Jungle) > Crawlers Nest (Underground crawler dungeon) > Quicksand Caves (Desert Dungeon) > The Boyhada Tree (Huge dungeon located inside a massive tree) > Kuftal Tunnel > (Underground mine/dungeon) > Ru' Aun Gardens (sky).

Vs.

Ul'Dah > Black Brush (desert) > Horizon (desert) > Nanawa Mines (desert mine) > Nophica's Wells (desert) > Broken Water (desert)

Sometimes I don't even know why I come back to these forums. Whenever I think about what this game could have been given the experience they had with XI, my heart cringes in pain. Just thinking about the first time I discovered there's a basement level in Jeuno that leads to Qufim and it's snow-covered wormholed Giant-infested frozen coastline I shed a tear.

DAMMIT IT'S UNBELIEVEABLE THEY FAILED SO COMPLETELY.

I just don't get it.

[Daedae]

Over my head? Lol, implying that I'm not a veteran MMO player or simply haven't experienced "adventure" just doesn't apply here. I'm a mid 30s MMO'er who has been around since EQ. Played FFXI to cap. Still re-sub every couple months just to make sure my character doesn't get deleted. Played SWG in the hayday. 5 capped toons on WoW. Played WAR to cap (yeah, I know), have a lvl 60 on AoC, every major MMO that comes out I play. That includes games like STO.

Talking to me about your "standard" .... Not to be an ass... but implying that the game is that horrendous isn't a standard, it's entitlement.

Rereading my reply, I guess it could be interpreted as an attack on your MMO prowess, but that wasn't my intention lol! I meant the community as a whole who are invested in XIV, not specifically you! But if XIV ranks top on your list of adventure it does question me to what games you have played(which you answered). But like I said, you are in the drip drop drizzly little pond of a minority of players fully satisfied, or nearly with the game. Thats not a bad thing necessarily, you're having your fun, thats nifty and all, but as you can tell from the countless posts and suggestion threads, the majority of players want some change. So we'll see what the future holds for the both of us!

(Sorry again if it sounded bad, I didnt mean it that way ) And yes, after a few 50's, or just one, it's a drain to even log on, beginning on my fourth(fifth) and like tearing off a bandaid, I just get it done :<

[Kafeen]

watch the dev video "Link"

We need less barren/exact landscapes and more of those really diverse looking areas and landmarks.

Behind Mistbeard doors are a dock; where that ship will take us probably hasn't been decided yet. :3
But yes, the lack of 'life' in areas (not defined by having mobs) is definitely an issue as well.

Maybe to Norg

[Siobu]

I hope everyone knows I read every single post and appreciate every one stopping by.

I threw together some random scenery thumbnails for every one to pick apart if desired, randomly choosing sections of the map that seemed different than the others immediately surrounding it:

http://seahorror.com/thumbs.jpg

With unique areas connecting our regions together, unique dungeons, and each zone serving a purpose in our characters lives (a level range, a milestone), I believe the world of Eorzea will flourish thereafter.

Stay tough through the weekend and let's get ourselves a crown. And hopefully an adventure.

[Richard]

I hope every one knows I read every single post and appreciate every one stopping by.

I threw together some random scenery thumbnails for every one to pick apart if desired, randomly choosing sections of the map that seemed different than the others immediately surrounding it: http://seahorror.com/thumbs.jpg

With unique areas connecting our regions together, unique dungeons, and each zone serving a purpose in our characters lives (a level range, a milestone), I believe the world of Eorzea will flourish thereafter.

Stay tough through the weekend and let's get ourselves a crown. And hopefully an adventure.

Looking through each of those conceptualized areas you made makes my mind explode with the possibilities of how unique and awesome each sub zone would look if they actually put work into them. A+++++++