What does exploration mean to you?

[Mutemutt]

Don't see the difference? The genuine excitement of discovery is taken away when we know what to expect. The side bar of things to find becomes a task without actually being one since we know its there for optional purposes. It may be exciting to find them, but we knew what to expect from the start.

I don't think the first would happen in either case is the thing. First off, I think we'd split up to find aether currents either way so that we can start flying around; having to walk everywhere would be troublesome, to-do list or no. You'd still stop to fight big monsters whether they were on the list or not since you know there's a good chance of getting nice stuff from them; end result is you still look around for the special stuff just the same.

In reality, without the list I see the situation going like this:
1) find aether currents, so you can start flying around
2) With flight in hand, ignore all small fry monsters and search for the big baddies
and maybe...
3)gather if you feel like it or have just given up on everything else/just burning time

That to-do list popping up on the screen was known to us before it even became a list. I think you're just really over selling it...

[Kurogaea]

...

Yeah the scenarios were little unlikely, just hoping my point crossed minds, and if they did there'd probably still be little reasons to cause a fuss.
Not sure who wouldn't be excited to what they can discover in these new places without the options thing though, but that's just me. :/