A modest proposal

[Zfz]

I find that gameplay thrilling.

Just curious. What do you do? Do you teleport to each zone? Or do you ride the chocobo always? Or do you mix in the free teleport and Return to complete your efficient route? Does your round trip give you any down time? That is, do you find yourself arriving early with nothing to do for 2-3 real world minutes?

I would enjoy the traveling and all if the nodes weren't fixed. That's the one thing I've always hated about gathering---fixed node positions. Even unspoiled nodes are basically fixed. There's a few positions concentrated in a very small area and they will only spawn in these positions. It's boring. I wish all nodes would spawn more randomly. It'd make gathering more of a "venture" instead of just assembly line work.

[Shadygrove]

Asked a routing question.

My rotation: Return to Tranquil > Tele to Hawthorne Hut > 1:AM Crawler cocoons. Tele to Tranquil > Ride to E Than > 2:AM Antumbral rock. Tele to Ul'dah > Ride to S. Than 4:AM Platinum ore (1 game hour wait). Tele to Ul'dah > Ride to W. Than > 5:AM G3 Than. topsoil. Tele to Gridania > ride to C. Shroud > 6:AM Redolent Log. Return to Tranquil > Shroud topsoil. Ride to E Than > 9AM Gold Ore (1 game hour wait). Tele to Mists (FC house) > Tele to Costa del Sol > hunt Mandrake seeds. Tele to Wineport > 1:PM Dzmael tomatoes. Tele to Drybone > Black truffles. Free tele to Mor Dhona > 5:PM Thav. Mistletoe.

.... To give a real world example: Look at the current cost of crude oil, it's very low compared to a year ago, because demand lowered and supply stayed the same....

Actually supply increased AND demand lowered.

Well since now more people are able to gather, those who were unable to now will be making the gathering part of their routine, so there will definitely be a surge in supply and a decrease in demand....

How does that decrease demand?

[Zfz]

My rotation:

Ah, indeed teleports are involved. My ideal situation for a timed node system would be one where the nodes are distributed in such a way that the next spawn will always be in an adjacent zone, and at most times you have a choice of going one way or the other, resulting in the possibility of just wandering around Eorzea from zone to zone and enjoying the scenery while never having to work to a time table.

How does that decrease demand?

Because more people can easily gather the material they need, the demand for these materials on the market would decrease. In other words, there will be more people who choose to go the self-sufficient route because it isn't such a hassle to be so.