One to Fifty, One Zone - Long OP

[Kiara]

Hi All,

First, Reinheart, "Thank You!" for the translation of the JP Community Rep reply from Yoshida-san! Very cool.

Secondly, while it's frustrating that we got nothing yet, there are some positive notes in here (and to the naysayers who think we're getting nothing, I think it's clearly stated here that Square acknowledges the very core problem we're complaining about, *and* they are in the midst of changing it).

Firstly for overall direction of plans, we are still planning intensive renovation work is being made.

Also, regarding the main thread’s main topic “All level monsters being in single areas”
Just like reviews from previous, we feel the need to redesign but now feel much more is needed. For the changes we are aiming to have “a specific theme for each area”

If they are planning a major redesign, that's an enormous amount of work. 3 months isn't going to be enough time at all. Just some of the particulars they'd have to deal with include:

* Overall Eorzea Continent Changes. Where does Ul'dah, Limsa and Gridania lay now?
* Starter Areas: From the City outwards, what are the new starter areas and how does that change.
* Connecting Starter Areas to Next Rank Up Areas. What are the themes and layouts for those?
* From Next Rank Up to the Mid Level Areas.
* Mid Level to 40's.
* How does all this tie into Mor Dhona and Coerthas? (And eventually Ishgard?)
* How do we possibly salvage and re-use some of the existing textures and areas that are distinct? Like Nanawa Mines, Cassiopeia Hollow, Tam Tara Deepcroft?
* The above is just planning and layout.
* Then have the Concept Artists come up with the "specific theme" for each area that they mention in the JP post. That needs to be vetted and checked to see if it is distinct and standout with the Art Director and Creative Team.
* Then have the Artists start generating initial Designs, Textures, Geometry, Lighting.
* Then Designers go through and test this all out, making sure the new areas are distinct and work for the needs they're going for.
* Then going through 2nd Pass for Art, Design, etc.
* Optimizing, QA, Bug Fixes.
* Somewhere in there the Design / Combat Team need to readjust Old Monster Placement and possibly add New Monsters. Where will all the Rank 20 Undead go? What about Aldgoats? etc.

I'm not defending SE, but there really is a massive amount of work to go into a major restructuring of your entire game world, if that's what they're doing.

And from the JP Rep's newest post (last night) speaking with Yoshida-san, it sounds like our voices HAVE been heard and they are working on it.

This is great news.

Would we like to have it "NOW!!!" and play around in it? Sure.

But if they need time, they need time and the above example is something that can't be done in just 2 or 3 months, if they're also working on 2 new Raid Dungeons, 3 Frontier Quest Hubs, Grand Companies, and other changes coming down the pipeline.

Hopefully today's "The Last Word" (on Lodestone) with the coming 7th Umbral Age *is* a start of some restructuring (I can't wait)!

So let's stay positive! (^_~)

[Reinheart]

I agree that some concept art would be nice later on in development, but as far as player input, the current dev team knows what we like. All they have to do is log in to FFXI and run around for a couple hours to see what they need to do.

I hope so lol, hope they don't have god mode on where click map -> summon character with super gear, and testing in triple speed mode (good for developing/testing) but forgetting that's actually 3x and not regular speed lolol

Anyways I don't think it wouldn't hurt to keep posting ideas on here if the devs surely are looking at it, and using good ideas from different players + their own ideas to remake FFXIV the way we all want it.

Would be surprising if SE adds one small change in 1.18 just adding something to already existing map that adds uniqueness to a sub-area that we talk about and say boom! see it's possible; and we're actually working on it so please wait. Kind of like showing your dog a dog treat and saying sit!... sure I'll sit lol hopefully not for 1 extra year though... dunno how much time SE got.

[Roaran]

I expect them, if they do anything, they will vary the geometry of areas that are identical and add more landmarks. People who think they're going to change the continent or think we're getting new zones are completely out of their mind.

[Perrin_Aybarra]

Yup keeping the discussion up is a good thing, and I think the sketched/pics and stuff people came up with that were added on the OP could actually help the designer/concept artists to come up with something good faster.

[Perrin_Aybarra]

I expect them, if they do anything, they will vary the geometry of areas that are identical and add more landmarks. People who think they're going to change the continent or think we're getting new zones are completely out of their mind.

Not really out of our mind if you take that they will give each area it's own theme as was mentionned in the rep's reply which was what Yoshi said in march. So, that would imply a major change in the environment of each area, not only just different ground layout and a landmark here and there.

[Anty]

I expect them, if they do anything, they will vary the geometry of areas that are identical and add more landmarks. People who think they're going to change the continent or think we're getting new zones are completely out of their mind.

some well placed changes, landmarks or even colour changes might do the trick together with mob placments imo.
roaming animal herds in uldah gathering at some kind of pond/oasis etc. etc.

if they get rid of the copy pasted stuff and replace or sometimes just rotate things that would even help. or decrease/increase/recolour textures... i also don't think they will completely redo the areas.

On the other hand ... these zones are pretty big and a lot of love and engine optimisation is needed to get a turnaround here. So who knows i just hope for the best but expect nothing.

[Reinheart]

Siobu - just a suggestion but for the threads in other language boards that has been responded could you add a link to the translated (or original post fro mod) into the OP? might be easier for some people just starting to read going through 91 pages lol.

English Response - http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...l=1#post186771

Japanese Response - http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...524#post186524

French Response -

German Response - http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...357#post184357

*looking for the response page....*
EDIT 1 - added german response
EDIT 2 - is there French response??? I couldn't find it... orz
EDIT 3 - ENGLISH RESPONSE!!!! looks like translation of the Japanese one lol better translation than mine

[InuraBera]

This game is going to undergo a dramatic overhaul. The constant negativity is really getting on my nerves now, as well as the seeming lack of understanding that things are going to...you know...change. Not just small changes, but large scale changes. The combat system is currently getting overhauled (And easy as it is to think that that is 'nothing' it is a pretty large scale undertaking, to say the least) and that is but the beginning of everything.

As I've said many times before, they really should have shut down the servers for the year or more it is probably going to take them to do this correctly, as at the moment it is like popping in on an artist who has thrown his latest crumpled effort in the bin, unfurled it and told him it is crap, even as he begins working on another piece. Honestly, I am still in 'pre-launch' hype for this game (particularly after hearing the different music used in the Auto-Attack video...documented, no - but seems that will be one of the changes we may see)

I'm glad to see the update from the Japanese forum, though I remembered the quote from back then, saying that I didn't expect them to redo all the zones with themes to them, which is a pleasant surprise. Anyway, until this game is properly ready I have plenty of other stuff to do minus depress myself on these forums, so thank you all for your time and see you in a few months.

*haunts the Lodestone main page*

[Perrin_Aybarra]

This game is going to undergo a dramatic overhaul. The constant negativity is really getting on my nerves now, as well as the seeming lack of understanding that things are going to...you know...change. Not just small changes, but large scale changes. The combat system is currently getting overhauled (And easy as it is to think that that is 'nothing' it is a pretty large scale undertaking, to say the least) and that is but the beginning of everything.

As I've said many times before, they really should have shut down the servers for the year or more it is probably going to take them to do this correctly, as at the moment it is like popping in on an artist who has thrown his latest crumpled effort in the bin, unfurled it and told him it is crap, even as he begins working on another piece. Honestly, I am still in 'pre-launch' hype for this game (particularly after hearing the different music used in the Auto-Attack video...documented, no - but seems that will be one of the changes we may see)

I'm glad to see the update from the Japanese forum, though I remembered the quote from back then, saying that I didn't expect them to redo all the zones with themes to them, which is a pleasant surprise. Anyway, until this game is properly ready I have plenty of other stuff to do minus depress myself on these forums, so thank you all for your time and see you in a few months.

*haunts the Lodestone main page*

Well said, I too think they should have closed the servers and do the changes, while keeping a beta server test of course for player feedback. All it did right now with allowing everyone to play for free is yes more feedback but also a lot of boredom and quiting since there is nothing to do right now. Also once all the content is added, everyone and their mom will have multiple classes/jobs at max level and people already have way too many gils, the economy and fun are greatly hurt because of that.

[Zanfire]

now if they could just tell us in this monstrous thread what the deal is, so we all understand it, without need to deal with translation issues (they can sometimes be hard to understand, even the official English statements) I think people would calm down more on this specific issue....yet we still have NO RESPONSE AT ALL.

As for them shutting the servers down, im in 100% agreement, leaving them all one not only costs them more money, but gets all the people on the fence, playing it more then they should, then getting tired of waiting for stuff and bail completely.