YoshiP's thoughts on GC future and our compiled suggestions

[SenorPatty]

In his recent Dual Shockers interview, YoshiP had this to say about Grand Companies https://www.dualshockers.com/final-f...yoshida-soken/ :

G: You’re finally implementing the Captain rank for Grand Companies. Is it something you’re considering to accelerate in the future, or we’ll have to wait several more years to get to Major and higher ranks?

NY: We kind of feel that Grand Company content has become a bit too simple, always doing the same thing over and over. I don’t personally like that, so I want to change things a little bit. To change things up is going to require time. We ask players to give us a little bit of time after we implement Captain. Yet, in that time, we’re going to be thinking about something new.

I think this may be a good time to start compiling as much suggestions about what he can do for the Grand Companies in perhaps this thread. I would ask my fellow forumers to contribute and also, if they know of any threads that had some very good suggestions to link it here. The goal's to create a sort of unified thread so that SE can look at it instead of sifting through forum page after page. Normally, I wouldn't even bother going with this venture as I never know what Yoshi or SE's thinking about...neglected content but since he made the mention, I thought "why not?".

EDIT:

State of the Game: Free and Grand Companies + Campaign and Conquest System - Delmontyb
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...es#post4728304

Let free companies rent or buy factories from Grand Companies - Bacent
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...es#post4478387


I'd thought to organize the ideas into three main headings: Cosmetics, Gameplay and Features. Cosmetics referring to, well, GC aesthetics like for example Rank Titles, Glam ideas, emotes etc.
Gameplay would refer to what sort of activities can be added to GC stuff, like actually adding more guildhests, sidequests, exploration, etc.
Finally, features would be like QoL additions to GC. It can be things like adding jobs for your squadmates (we're currently restricted to classes), promoting or demoting units so they tackle harder missions--and speaking of which--maybe even having the ability to jump in a mission to assist your mates.

Here are my ideas for now. I'll scour the forums during the week for interesting threads regarding GC suggestion/improvements and add links here.

Cosmetics:
-Like I mentioned, wearing our rank titles
-More GC uniforms, for sure and even slapping GC insignas onto selective gear
-Editing your squad's idle animation to your liking
-Barrack editing. It's like housing decoration features.

Gameplay:
-Ability participate in your squadmate missions if you want.
-Sidequests, naturally. Maybe even throw in rep points with squadmates to discover more about them, their history, goals, etc.
-GC actions. This actually might be iffy. On one hand, it sounds cool to be able to execute maybe a GC leader's skill in actual duties. On the other hand, we'd have to contend with possible skill bloat and balancing issues. I'd leave that to the dev team to figure out.

Features:
-Ability to link some GC related activities with your FC. If your FC has picked a GC to ally themselves with, it'd be nice to actually act upon it from time to time.
-Job editing for your squadmates.
-Exercises can be more in-depth and give squadmates additional skills/bonuses

That's all I have for now. If YoshiP's given the GC some actual thought, I think he might be pretty serious about it in the future. Let's give him our 2cents

[Shirolumi]

I like all the ideas you mentioned, especially barrack editing and wearing our titles.

I would like if the mission where we rank up with our squadron was a solo instance with some story aspects to it (or something similar to Hullbreaker Hard).

[SaitoHikari]

Give us a Final Fantasy Tactics mode where you get to take your whole squad for tactical missions and fight alongside them through story-based scenarios that differ depending on which GC you're in.

Maelstrom? You take on the role of a commander upholding order among the pirates of Limsa, along with inspecting foreign ships for contraband (particularly the slave trade) and the occasional skirmish involving the Sahagin and Kobolds.

Immortal Flames? You take on the role of a commander investigating crime and corruption among the nobility (though obviously not as simple as it sounds, considering just how messed up Ul'dah is), along with the occasional skirmish against the Amaljaa.

Twin Adders? You take on the role of a commander trying to assist the Padjals in upholding the will of the Elementals, investigating poachers and criminals from other regions hiding out in the forests (particularly the Lambs of Dalamud), and the possibility of an expedition to the destroyed West Shroud. Other duties include maintaining relations with Ishgard for joint skirmishes against the Ixial.

Grand Company lore is... Very, very lacking, which is baffling considering how important they are to the game's narrative. This would be a very good way to shore that up.

I imagine the Squadron member limit would also be increased to 10, to account for potential story members joining your squadron.

[Vidu]

Introduce a new way of recruiting Squadron-Members: Instead of them applying (randomly) for our Squad, give us the "permission" to recruit people "from the street". I'm thinking of this a bit like the Blitzball-recruit-system of FFX: Have a number of possible recruits all over Eorzea, old NPCs could be utilised for this, aswell as new ones introduced. When speaking to them as a recruiter, you can convince them to join you or not - that could be tied to what you've achieved with your Squad so far, aswell as things like relationships between squad-members (a wildwood elezen joining you not as easly when you have a duskwight in your ranks, for example).
I know this isnt so much about the new rank, but more about the Squads, but I'd really like them to do something more with them - obviously tied to our rank.
As much as I like getting new glamour and gear and so on, I feel that thats very much "just the same" and I would like to see some "fresh wind".

Another idea: Give us more "responsibility" - the GC-ranks always felt pretty weird to me and just like fluff, because its not like we'd actually ever have to do something for them. I didnt touch my Squad in weeks before I sended them out on excatly that one new mission that was needed to rank up.
So my idea would be to give us a weekly mission that we "have" to complete (maybe in order to earn "points" towards earning the next rank?) - that mission can be selected at random and either be done with 3 of your Squad-members or 3 people of your same GC. The missions should include a certain variety - I really like Saitos idea of having missions specifically for your city-state and I would like to adapt it for this. I could see a variety of escort, investigation or plain battle missions - we could also utilise the PvP-maps for this, seeing how the idea once was that the GC are fighting over the information stored there. No PvP obviously, just "Go there, get some data, come back". I would like those missions to be more "exploring" than just a boring "go to the next questmarker, hand this in"-type of thing.

[Theodric]

I'd like them to add more squadron recruits. Or perhaps allow us to design one to our liking.

[TheMightyMollusk]

I'd like more things to spend GC seals on. Not just armor and weapons. Maybe some exclusive mounts? Minions that aren't just reskinned mammets and chocobo hatchlings? How about a nice big banner to put in my yard, like the ones outside the Adders' Nest in Gridania?

[Gemina]

I would like to have actual content with them. By actual content, I mean a questline. Almost like a mini MSQ. My squad still feels robotic, and they have no personality. I want to interact with them, even if it is only forced in cut scenes.

I think it would be really awesome and incentivizing to give them exclusive instanced content. Currently, they make adjustments to dungeons to make them clearable with a squadron. Instead of doing this, why not design instanced content around the playability of the squad? It would be a great opportunity to create instanced dungeons sending us into Beastmen strongholds, and/or other areas and give them back that element of danger and hostile threat.

Basically, breathe life into the squadrons.

[Deceptus]

How about work on the AI because the squadron is dumb as F@#$

[Ramesses]

This is great news... and I like the fact that the Devs are considering adding something different. I just made Captain on Thursday night and I feel I should be able to do more with my eight member squad.

Personally, I hope they add something like FFXI's Campaign system (see image below). Amoung other things (deliveries, escorts, investigate etc), the way it worked was that the basic system allowed players to assist NPCs out in the fields in fighting the beastmen. It was particularly fun when the high level NPCs (the generals or commanders) appeared in the field and helped out (they could be cured as well).

In order to make it unique to FFXIV, I reckon we should be able to go out into the field with our squadrons and actually do real-time battle and take over strategic locations in the name of our respective GCs or countries. Since 5.0 is coming, perhaps there will be a war zone with the Garleans and participating for say 20 or 30 minutes in this warzone will net exp, great rewards, and a new type of point "standing" chart table within Grand Companies.

Heck, maybe even make it competitive whereby people's points could be recorded and every week the top 100 squadrons in each GC gets a special piece of loot or boon or something.

Or go on timed supply missions, say, from Gridania to Ala Mhigo... faster times with high numbers of mob kills gives extra bonuses, rare loot, crafting items etc. Real good rewards that will keep people engaged.

[MarniDawg]

I would like to see some type of sidequest. Stuff to make us feel like we are contributing to the gc. And of course more rewards to spend deals on is nice