The Hunts - Solution: Party Content in open world.

[Thayos]

Or, your idea could be a completely different system... perhaps elite guildhests instead of elite leves, even. The development team could probably set up some amazing guildhest scenarios.

That said, I don't think the answer here is to make the hunt system popped or instanced. This game already has enough popped/instanced content, and desperately needs more open-world content, not less.

The system just needs to be improved, and/or players should have more options like the one you described. However, some people really enjoy the competitive nature of chasing down open-world marks, which are basically NMs. While some people may enjoy the content more if it's popped or instanced, then others will enjoy it less if it's no longer open-world, competitive content.

[Nukocafe]

That said, I don't think the answer here is to make the hunt system popped or instanced. This game already has enough popped/instanced content, and desperately needs more open-world content, not less.

Most games have stopped doing "open world" content like this because this is exactly what happens when they do.
People fight over stuff and it just becomes nasty and offputting. That's why his idea still keeps a bit of the "open world" feel, but still has it be "controlled" so that it's fair for everyone.
The old fashioned "open world" stuff is too old of a system that was never good enough to continue running. That's why a lot of games utilizing it have shut down or are filled with bots.

[SendohJin]

However, some people really enjoy the competitive nature of chasing down open-world marks, which are basically NMs.

there are very very very very few people like this. if you can get Sands with no lockout in another part of the game within a reasonable amount of time (not 7 Allied Seals a day), i'm going to guess most people would not be competitive at all.

[Alexander_Dragonfang]

Or, your idea could be a completely different system... perhaps elite guildhests instead of elite leves, even. The development team could probably set up some amazing guildhest scenarios.

That said, I don't think the answer here is to make the hunt system popped or instanced. This game already has enough popped/instanced content, and desperately needs more open-world content, not less. The system just needs to be improved, and/or players should have more options like the one you described. However, some people really enjoy the competitive nature of chasing down open-world marks, which are basically NMs. While some people may enjoy the content more if it's popped or instanced, then others will enjoy it less if it's no longer open-world, competitive content.

This is not less open world content.

The boss will be in open world, everyone will be able to hit him. The thing is, open world content is bad if it is just there, for everyone to get, becomes a zergfest, and is the mayor problem here. The competitive nature of chasing down the hunts has nothing of competitive thanks to radars, and is not even healthy, just 2 minutes in any elite mark map will tell you that. We have enough zerfest content, we have enough instanced content, we need true open world content. Hunts are not that, hunts in fact are only being played by the reward. Remove oils and sands out of the allied seal rewards and Hunts die as a system completely.

My proposal covers both points, having open world content and not letting it become another zergfest, braindead race only motivated by reward but something players will do to have fun with their parties. You might be even farming arround when a party spawns the boss and you will get the chance to get into the action. Is perfectly sane open world content.

[Nukocafe]

My proposal covers both points, having open world content and not letting it become another zergfest, braindead race only motivated by reward but something players will do to have fun with their parties. You might be even farming arround when a party spawns the boss and you will get the chance to get into the action. Is perfectly sane open world content.

This is exactly what happened with us. We were on our way to do a peiste map and one of our party members is like "omg i found a hunt mark!" so we rushed to it, it was one of those giant tonberry scholar things. There was 4 of us in the party so we immediately attacked it along with our chocobos. A few other people came by and began attacking too. So then then a bunch of other people (presumeably linkshells?) came over and were all upset that it was dead. But we thought it was so much fun killing it with our party and the few others nearby. That's what it felt like hunt should be like. Not the entire server rushing to 1 location and killing it in 2 seconds.

[Alexander_Dragonfang]

This is exactly what happened with us. We were on our way to do a peiste map and one of our party members is like "omg i found a hunt mark!" so we rushed to it, it was one of those giant tonberry scholar things. There was 4 of us in the party so we immediately attacked it along with our chocobos. A few other people came by and began attacking too. So then then a bunch of other people (presumeably linkshells?) came over and were all upset that it was dead. But we thought it was so much fun killing it with our party and the few others nearby. That's what it felt like hunt should be like. Not the entire server rushing to 1 location and killing it in 2 seconds.

This is exactly what should happen, like, all the time. Even if happen to you guys, the crude reality is that the Hunt gets zergrushed and the whole experience last 3 seconds.

[Jacost]

OP, I think this is the best alternative system anyone's proposed so far. Somehow I think that SE's just going to apply a band-aid to the problem rather than completely overhaul it (if they bother to do anything at all), but if they do then this is how they should do it.

[ExHeroKid]

This............ Sounds like Sky/Sea Gods in FFXI (Last expansion I played was WoTG) but I heard that since then some HNMs that was back in my day was able to be forced spawn or something like that but that's about the same thing, only difference is that other players are able to help out if they feel like it.

Don't forget to address the whole if "this" party wipes to that NM can "these guys" take it? In the case similar to Sky/Sea gods they shouldn't be able to.

I can't really see people helping also unless they just want to out of kicks and giggles and not get anything for it and using up 5-15 minutes of their time.

POST IS TOO LONG BRB.

[ExHeroKid]

Idea is all fine and dandy though but I feel that the current system can actually be fun with some tweaks to it. Buuuuuuuuuuuuuut (don't kill me for this guys) whats the difference between 4-8 person parties and forced spawning monsters that come out and have their own mechanics compared to you and your FC/Friends queueing up for a primal EX fight(other than the monster, location, and it being forced spawn through an item + condition cause then you just have one of those treasure maps)? I might be missing it, someone tell me if I am. I just felt that everyone so far agreed with the OP too quick.

POST STILL TOO LONG HOLD ON ONLY 1 MORE.

[Dyvid]

This is exactly what happened with us. We were on our way to do a peiste map and one of our party members is like "omg i found a hunt mark!" so we rushed to it, it was one of those giant tonberry scholar things. There was 4 of us in the party so we immediately attacked it along with our chocobos. A few other people came by and began attacking too. So then then a bunch of other people (presumeably linkshells?) came over and were all upset that it was dead. But we thought it was so much fun killing it with our party and the few others nearby. That's what it felt like hunt should be like. Not the entire server rushing to 1 location and killing it in 2 seconds.

Yea, I tried to be nice today and did a zone <pos> for a B I found today. Kept hearing the "please wait, please wait" and after 20 people showed up I got 1 seal.... I'm sorry if this sounds selfish but if I find a low rank hunt I'm taking it down. It's not worth it for me to wait when I can just get 7 seals from dailies.

For a S I can understand wait for enough to take it down, but it's ridiculous to expect people to wait for the server on something that is designed to be killed by 1-4 people.

Hunts should be party content, forced spawns individual to each player. Easy and simple.

You forget we already have this in the form of treasure maps. Sadly devs haven't done anything with it since 2.1. Elite Hunt was designed for people who wanted NM's from FFXI and FFXIV 1.0.