Honestly I don't think it would be that difficult/time consuming to create these rich landscapes depicted above. They don't have to be massive zones of sprawling foreverness like we have now. Condense the zones, add diversity to new zones, and for god's sake don't make it so easy to teleport everywhere. FFXI was one extreme where you had to walk everywhere. Now FFXIV is the polar opposite where a click of the button takes you anywhere. Neither is ideal. Find the balance in between. Make each zone small but with one or two central themes such as a giant abyss, an ancient tree that reaches to the heavens, or a dark cavern with an underground waterfall and an inner sanctum the size of a football field. That's all I can ask for.