FFXIV dungeons are a little bit too linear?

[TheUltimate3]

People say "oh, SE can build multiple routes, but nobody will run them once the most efficient path is worked out."
Fine, don't give them the choice. You can have 3 routes through each zone which is randomly determined at the start. In turn, this can lead to alternative bosses.

Just so we're clear, you're talking about making a single dungeon that has 3 separate routes that are randomly generated and could lead to different bosses?

Why not just make 3 different dungeons then?


As much as it sucks, the best way to probably keep dungeons relevant for longer periods of time would be a Badge of Justice method, with Badge of Justice acquisition levels.

And for those of you that don't know, in the Burning Crusade a full completion of a heroic dungeon would reward at most was 5 Badges. Items themselves cost at most 100 badges. Which meant you were running dungeons, a lot.

Now this badge system is pure garbage for many obvious reasons, but by keeping the amount of Badges the player got very very low, but had the cost of the items very high you pretty much kept the dungeons relevant through out the entire expansion, because damnit you needed to get those badges if you weren't at the end game raids.

[Mieck]

Just so we're clear, you're talking about making a single dungeon that has 3 separate routes that are randomly generated and could lead to different bosses?

Why not just make 3 different dungeons then?

Because it just goes back to the original complaint; that dungeons are too linear. I proposed an alternative, and you said why not just do the thing the OP was complaining about. Not sure I get that...

Anyway, I'm not saying the routes are randomly generated - they will already exist. I am saying the route will be randomly determined.

[TheUltimate3]

Because it just goes back to the original complaint; that dungeons are too linear. I proposed an alternative, and you said why not just do the thing the OP was complaining about. Not sure I get that...

Anyway, I'm not saying the routes are randomly generated - they will already exist. I am saying the route will be randomly determined.

But they would still be linear if the route is randomly determined, just now instead of having the choice of going left or right, the game decided I am going right this run and damned if I wanted to go left.

I just fail to see the difference between the two.

[CrimsonThunder]

Diadem was probably an experiment to test out the viability of a non-linear instance and look how that turned out.

[Tint]

Diadem was probably an experiment to test out the viability of a non-linear instance and look how that turned out.

i have to agree.

but on the other hand you can't compare the diadem... it's not just beacuse it's non linear. the bigger problem is you can fly. wich means you can skip 95% of the "dungeon". and there are too many people inside, wich leads to this hunt zerg... diadem would be much better without flying and with less people o.o/

[Kurogaea]

Diadem was probably an experiment to test out the viability of a non-linear instance and look how that turned out.

Lol, well thats a horrible way to do it. You have 72 people in an instance not working for one goal and includes gathering classes. No, its most certainly not a test for non-linear instances. -_-

[Sylve]

Now this badge system is pure garbage for many obvious reasons, but by keeping the amount of Badges the player got very very low, but had the cost of the items very high you pretty much kept the dungeons relevant through out the entire expansion, because damnit you needed to get those badges if you weren't at the end game raids.

They stayed relevant not just because you needed Badges of Justice no matter what tier you were at in Raiding, you also couldn't do any Heroic more than once in a day.
They also stayed relevant due to sheer difficulty. Heroic Shadow Labyrinth was incredibly difficult to get through if your CCers weren't on the ball with every pull, even in raid gear.
It helped that the drops themselves were almost a requirement for getting started in Raiding, not to mention the Attunement quests.

But by far, what kept every heroic relevant was the daily lockout. If you wanted to cap your daily Badges, you were required to do each one once instead of *just* the fastest one. Which is why places like Shadow Labs and Shattered Halls were run regularly every day, despite being both long and difficult. But lets not forget that people were perfectly willing to do Heroic Magisters Terrace, despite being among the hardest of Heroics.

I too would like to see more complex dungeons, but I want them to be something I can explore on my own terms.

I would love to see some explorable dungeons that we can do solo but that could also scale up with more players, kind of like Hunts and FATEs.
Hell, Just give us an Exploration Mode on existing Dungeons, make it an Instance through the DF but requiring you physically going to the entrance, really open up the interiors, make the mobs within like the Diadem mobs with scaling difficulties and rewards, hidden treasure chests etc ...