[Suggestion] Quality of *GAME* improvements thread

[Niwashi]

To properly see the animations it would become almost required to basically turn off all the effects animations from other players just to see the mob.

Turning off all those irritating glowing lights that surround everyone with each movement they make would be a pretty good improvement in itself. Even with our effects settings on what they call "off" a fight will light up like a disco with meaningless and annoying swirling lights. Not even crafting is immune to it. It really disrupts immersion (and in crowded situations, makes it hard to see as well).

[Sida]

As for marks on quest targets. They only show for quests that are in your active quest list. Nowadays it is possible to actively disable a quest from showing there. Yes, it is possible to have completely clear duty list which only pops into action with fates and such temporal duties.

What would be nice would be to have toggle to make all newly received quests disabled in this manner.

[Niwashi]

As for marks on quest targets. They only show for quests that are in your active quest list. Nowadays it is possible to actively disable a quest from showing there.

The only downside is that for many quests, there's no other indication of what to do next. In order for the game to not rely so heavily on those destination markers, quests would have to be written so they'd tell you what needs to be done and and at least some good hints as to where you could find what you need. In too many FFXIV quests, without the quest list or checking the journal, you wouldn't even know what your next objective is, let alone where. (Well, the quest giver will usually tell you the quest's first objective. It's the later objectives that might not be suggested by any in-universe source, but only by HUD elements like the quest tracker or Journal.)

On a semi-related note, when I get a quest item I'd like to see it. Too many quests include a pattern similar to:

NPC quest giver asks us to go fight such-and-such baddie
objective: go fight such-and-such baddie
<fight ensues>
objective changes to: take the note you found back to NPC so-and-so
Huh? Note? What note?
<open inventory window and go to Key Items where a new "note" item has mysteriously appeared that wasn't there before>
Ah, well, ok, I guess a note must have dropped from that fight. Guess I'll take it wherever the quest objective is telling me to.

I'd like to see finding that note (or whatever item) being added to the action of the quest, where it's our in-game character (rather than just the quest journal and tracker) that finds it and decides what to do with it.

[Daniolaut]

I included your suggestion in the original post about a scene or event showing your character obtaining items from enemies.

Instead of just it magically appearing in your satchel.

[Laraul]

-Option to hide quest markers
(players discover quests by speaking to each and every resident of Eorzea)

How do having quest markers prevent players from speaking to the residents of Eorzea? You may talk to anyone you wish regardless of quest markers. If you wish to "wander about" simply hide the minimap.

-Option to hide visual zone lines
(players finds zones by simple exploring, and using common sense.)

Common sense says zones may only be found by exploring with or without the zone lines.

-Option to hide FATE zone markers on a map.
(players find FATEs by exploring)

Again, like the quest markers, you may hide the minimap.

[Daniolaut]

I have updated the original post to be less confusing. Thank you Laraul.

[Niwashi]

-Auto hide chat log
(Existed in 1.0, as well as XI. Some people like to play without the chat log constantly in their view of sight, but also dont want to miss important /tells from their RMT buddies, or linkshell conversations.)

While it's not "auto" at least they did add the ability to manually hide the chat log. That helps. But yes, an auto-hide option would still be an improvement.

-Option to hide quest markers
(Quest markers are just clutter in my opinion.)

Are you referring here to the markers on the map or the icons hovering over the NPC's heads?

On the map, we have the option of hiding all icons. It can show just area names, just icons, both, or neither. Specific selections to show/hide each icon type individually would be nice, though.

Being able to hide the icons over NPCs heads would be nice as well, and that currently isn't available except by turning off the entire HUD, which in turn means you can't talk to them either (which would kind of defeat the point here). But as far as incentive to talk to everyone, quest icon or not, there are a number of side stories that you can only see by regularly talking to NPCs even when they don't have quests.

-Option to hide visual zone lines
(Zone lines are needless clutter. Its extremely easy for any RPG veteran to decipher where a zone is.)

Well, that's one I actually like. People can quickly learn approximately where the zone lines are, but when I'm gathering near one I don't want to accidentally cross the line and get stuck in a loading screen to go to another region I didn't even want to go to. They aren't really for a "here's where to cross" indicator as they are a "here's where not to cross unless you're headed to the next region" indicator.

-Option to hide "Quest accepted" and "FATE joined" indicators.
(it is common sense when one accepts or joins a FATE.)

Oh yes. And it even has the big FATE succeeded or failed indicators for FATEs we hadn't even taken part in.

Also, why in the world does it explain in multiple warning messages how level sync works every single time you enter or pass through a low level FATE? That part belongs in one of those new player tutorial windows that come up the first time someone encounters the situation. Those of us who have been playing a long time already know what level sync is. We don't need it explained every single time.