How should The Black Shroud be redesigned?

[Cairdeas]

Like Sanctuary of Zi'tah

[Tigercub]

Three words. Sanctuary of freaking Zi'tah.

Like Sanctuary of Zi'tah

Edit - Posted at the same time O_o

[Munba]

In Black Shroud, some parts should be more 'open'. I would love to see some parts similar to these:
http://wallpapers-diq.org/wallpapers...rest_Floor.jpg

where you can actually walk in middle of several trees,
http://www.wallpapersforvista.com/im...3-1280x800.jpg

with some clearings (with very sparse trees) here and there,
http://wbrody.com/clearing.jpg


and long rivers to follow alongside (not only those mini-torrents that brake the path and end after 3 meters.. and all identical)
http://imagecache2.allposters.com/im...ta-Posters.jpg
http://imagecache5d.allposters.com/w...?ch=671&cw=894

some rivers could enter in caves too,
http://public.commpub.com/hiking/dev...ingsInside.jpg


so as unique (little) caves to find (along with some 'normal' ones),
http://img.ezinemark.com/imagemanage...tional-pa.jpeg
http://www.designswan.com/wp-content...aveView/13.jpg

Not only to view but putting inside something to find and interact with... like:
- a secret spring or waterfall where you can take some special water (for cooking or alchemy or quest) or drink to have some benefits for a limited time,
- a special NM that appears randomly inside,
- a bandits campfire (this cave could be behind a waterfall, with treasure chest inside -one of the bandit will have the key for it of course-),
- random beast-tribe scouts, patrolling the area and rest in the cave,
- lost or wounded npcs (quest)... or simply someone who live in the cave (but also he could give you a quest lol),
- particular plants or flowers (some fluorescent) you can actually take (for alchemy or quest),
- ancient remains to examine or old writing to read, learning some lore about that area. Some could also give you a particular quest when examined.. like to find a particular item, to interact with that particular ancient mechanism (to reveal a reward inside -a piece of equip or something for crafting-). This could bring also to collect particular stuff (for a long lore-quest).

But these kind of things should be extended to all Eorzea field areas and undergrounds, of course. Because, imo, places also need something 'concrete' to explore and find, and player to have something in the hands for that exploration effort, not only a viewing pleasure to take photo.


And, in the end, unique landmarks and secret places around,
http://www.destination360.com/europe...cjan-caves.jpg
http://cghub.com/files/Image/015001-...2_realsize.jpg
http://www.arcidiocesibaribitonto.it.../image_preview
http://www.evado.info/files/449-xcms...0waterfall.jpg


For the forest life around, like mentioned in the OP, there is an awesome thread already:
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...ture-of-Eorzea

[Venat]

More Ruins, Make Lakes more exploreble, Some Dead Trees, More Open spots, More Mazer spots, Larger Caves to hidden areas, More Designs, More Rocks, More Trees, More Grass, More Roots, Less Flat land,

More Enemys... Walking Trees, Sapplings, Forest Rats, Ghosts, Sprits, Fish, Owls, Pugrrgoo's FFXI Frog Beastmen, Leeches, Forest Bandits, Garlean Troops, Elementals, Zombies, Unicorn HNM, Snakes.

Try not to put snakes enemys near airship docks are were gonna get alot of snakes on a plane kinda jokes.

[OMEGA_HACK]

Actually just made a post that talked about all three of the "starter" regions (I guess I should say the three content regions but anywho) one of the problems with the black shroud is the strange feeling of "Am I on the ground or is this whole region really floating". You never really see a large stretch of ground and you are quickly encased by rock walls to make it feel like there is no more ground past you. Also the use of the vista is misleading as well, you see it lush and full of large trees and the like but there are really not too many large trees in your path, which is strange.

Anyway the post I made was something that has already been touched up on (and it seems like I was the only one thinking this) in this thread is that make the forest two layers, one layer is the ground floor, massive trees, and I mean MASSIVE tree trunks and roots can block the way occasionally to create a "path" if they really don't want to have a completely open area. Then up above there is a system of connecting tree branches large enough to walk on and find the occasional tree climbing monster (monkeys, frogs, bandits, elementals, squirrels, ghosts and the like) they could even go as far as making it only possible to cross a river or a lake or something that we cannot pass through by having to climb up to this tree-top area to get over it (just don't copy paste it all over the place!)

Also to add to the tree top area, make it go to the top! Where we can peer out over the tops of the trees to an ocean of green leaves and a vista that is breath-taking (or so I would imagine it to be). And to throw out an observation that has me a bit erked of late:

The reason I feel that the Black Shroud is so big is because they are missing the Thanalan <=> Shroud connecting region entirely! My case and point comes from the world map which labels a region named "Paglth'an". If you look at the world map you can see that it should go Thanalan > Paglth'an > (Possibly another zone in here as well but that is debatable) > Black Shroud.

The way it works now is that Thanalan's connection to Black Shroud would have it passing through Mor Dhona (but that doesn't make sense since we can do Thanalan > Mor Dhona and Thanalan > Shroud separately. Anyway, I'll end it there as this is getting long and I have slightly derailed my thought process enough for this thread. Happy observations to all!

[Cairdeas]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkPHi...eature=related

[Anonymoose]

One word: Craters. That's what the smug little xenophobes get for returning my heartfelt offers for aid with judgment of my virile character as "Filthy with woodsin."

[Ilean]

How should The Black Shroud be redesigned?

Something like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLnzLCzDsdY&hd=1

[Eekiki]

How 'bout this:

Garlean empire uses nuclear weapons (or better yet, the FF equivalent, Meteo). Mini-nuclear winter turns the Black Shroud into a glacier. Glaciers, being nature's bulldozers, leave SE to redesign the Black Shroud to anything they like, and they'll be able to explain why it looks completely different than it did before.

[Esk]

I would just much prefer all those dead ends to have sub zones/areas at the end or a huge old dead hollow trees with a mini beast man camp or wolf den inside or up in the branches, more/better use of hi ground overlooking the valleys we run though now.
Underground routes that take you across the zone in a different way, Hell even a whole new zone below it made up of caves, underground rivers and lakes between all the tree roots.

I like the area as it is now tbh but it needs more adding to make it an interesting zone to be in.