So I'm not seeing how this is them changing things up from 2.0/3.0

[OcieKo]

Commentary on recurring points I see:

1: Add flying to ARR Zones: from an art perspective this is a MASSIVE undertaking, doing this would pretty much require building all the zones from scratch. Video hame assets are generally made with certain viewpoints in mind, when you add a new viewpoint the art has to reflect that ability. Your average video game tree looks like garbage from above. One point of reference here for specifically flying in old zones would be WoW Cataclysm, had very few new open world zones in comparison to other expacs and even some major patches.

2: Improve the Graphics: this is more of an issue with maintaining a reasonable min specs. PS3 support being dropped is a beginning step here, and quite frankly this game doesnt look bad enough to warrant this big of an overhaul. Also CG graphics are nearing an indefinite plateau, its more of an issue of the speed of rendering and the cost efficiency of production. Only MMO i know of that has done a major graphics overhaul was EQ1 in Shadows of Luclin expansion, even than i think some parts of the game werent actually finished being redone for a few more expacs.

3: Cross Realm Interaction Hindering Community Building: is everyone mentioning this seriously ignoring that theyve been telling us theyve been working on cross realm friends lists, tells, and link shells to follow up on the group finder improvements? Or that they have plans to hopefully eventually allow cross realm Free Companies?

4: Proposed Combat Changes Seem Like a "Dumbing Down": while in some regards this is true, but so far im optimistic as to the methid they're proposing. Skill bloat is an issue that has been plaguing long running MMOS since UO. Eventually left unchecked being a top teir player becomes physically improbable bordering on impossible. Which can lead to the production of bots that can run scripts far better than a player can actually press so many buttons in the necessary time frame. Essentially players would cease to surpass the systems expectations because they literally cant. GW/GW2 countered this by having a limit on usable skills at a given time, others games simply remove old skills or let them become irrelevant by making new improved versions, which would be no just rehashed old stuff still anyways.

5: Casual Friendly Gear Progression: Tomestones/Tokens/Crafted/Handouts/Quested/etc fall here. Anyone whos played MMOs at endgame for the past 20 years or so has probably felt the frustration of getting nothing for weeks because "nothing for me dropped". These systems simply exist to make a goal achievable, pure RNG sucks, a lot, imagine alexander savage without the manifestos when the weekly lockout is still in place, ya ouch. You say you want new ways, but realistically there isnt any. Sure they could never add new tomestones and we could use soldiery for everything, but the incentive to do harder content would drop and i mean harder as in like doing EX roulette as opposed to a premade lvl 50 dungeon with a high tomestone count so an actual 50 can get 50 gear at a humane pace. If it helps think of it like at work everyone rolls 5 d20s and top 4 rolls get paid that week as opposed to top 4 rolls get a bonus... Situation one most people would quit and sue for their pay, situation 2 youd hope for a high yahtzee. Try to say you like the first option better. In the end Quest Reward, General Currency, Special Currency, Item Turn-In (Pre-Determined Barter), Make It Yourself, or Freebie is literally about all the ways to obtain an item within human knowledge limitations. This is a wheel not a battery it cant be reinvented anymore. You can make it look different but eventually you realize it still rolls pretty easily just like all its predecessors...

[Lambdafish]

2: Improve the Graphics: this is more of an issue with maintaining a reasonable min specs. PS3 support being dropped is a beginning step here, and quite frankly this game doesnt look bad enough to warrant this big of an overhaul. Also CG graphics are nearing an indefinite plateau, its more of an issue of the speed of rendering and the cost efficiency of production. Only MMO i know of that has done a major graphics overhaul was EQ1 in Shadows of Luclin expansion, even than i think some parts of the game werent actually finished being redone for a few more expacs.

Two other MMOs that have had massive visual upgrades that I know of are WoW and runescape, both of which are many years old and had to do so to keep current. You are right that XIV has no real need, and even then I'd say that stormblood has indeed had a visual upgrade, compare the models of gosetsu and lyse in 3.55 to some of the ARR models and you can see a definite improvement in poly count.

For reference on WoW and runescape:

[OcieKo]

WoW did a few character model updates after either Cata or Mists but for the most part it wasnt a complete overhaul. And are those two pics the same runescape? IIRC Runescape was completely remade at some point. And in terms of the models used for Gosetsu and Lyse, thats more of a hand built character than a graphical upgrade, even Yugiri has been using a hand built face since 2.55 along with most of the scions. Quite a few NPCs have been gettin that treatment.

Also if Runescape is i believe, its the same reason i didnt include RO>RO2 and EQ>EQ2. But alas runescape kindof fell off my radar by the time i picked up EQ2.

Edit: you could say WoW has been gradually improving their graphics in new content, but even FF14 has been doing that so kindof moot for this discussion at least. Just look at 2.1 > 2.55 cutscenes, and HW zones look vastly better than ARR, and from the looks of it SBs are doing it again. Ill make sure to clarify my meaning on graphical update in my previous post tho, was more directed at the complaints that everything wasnt being improved.

Edit: Also the Lyse/Gosetsu/Major NPC updates have more in common with the Sylvannas/Tyrande/Faction leader updates when they got unique models. Still dont think lvl 8 Boars Wolves and Raptors have been graphically updated yet even during the run when they improved old character models texture maps to match the newer races, not sure if they update the polycount during that run tho, will have to look into it to be sure. And a side note to this, upgrading character models usually gets a pretty poor reception until people calm down and realize they can make em look better 3-4 months after release (highly advisable to hand out a fantasia type service with these updates in MMOs)

[Berethos]

WoW did a few character model updates after either Cata or Mists but for the most part it wasnt a complete overhaul.

I take it you missed the big deal that was made about "new character" models for every race except Worgen, Goblins, and Pandaren, that was a hot topic for months before the release of Warlords of Draenor?

[OcieKo]

I take it you missed the big deal that was made about "new character" models for every race except Worgen, Goblins, and Pandaren, that was a hot topic for months before the release of Warlords of Draenor?

Pretty sure in my reply to that earlier i mentioned it not going over very well with the community. But yes, i remember the whole "They're ruining my beloved character" tirade/angry pitchfork mob response to them working on it. Tho it settled down later and people accepted it pretty well. Tho give credit where its due, blizzard did a good job of maintaining the character of the faces through the upgrade. Other developers have been a bit less... gentle? on the subject.

That isnt to say im against having more face/facial features/racial features options for all the race/genders, just that i accept its a far more difficult undertaking than people seem to make it out to be. Sometimes the current options feel kindof pidgeon-holed and that im mostly playing with like 3 sliders and a paintbrush rather than all the options there are, tho that could have more to do with my personal aesthetic preferences.