I'd love to see a large PVE based dynamic war based zone in FF14

[Klaleara]

In more specifics, a zone where players fight an enemy army for bases throughout a large zone. Something a couple of MMO's have done for PVP, but none really have done PVE (Discluding Tabula Rasa).

The reason I think it would especially work for FF14, is the Disciples of the Hand. Including a means for crafters to come in and actually directly help with overall gameplay would be a unique, and I think very neat feature. Have Carpenters rebuild walls, blacksmiths making gates/increasing armor of allied NPCs, alchemists making siege oil/healing potions for players and NPC's.

Then add bases that hold resource based roles, like mining. Where miners can help mine for zone specific ores to help the blacksmiths. Give them certificates for their work that they can turn in for special rewards, and player related crafting resources.

Have supply lines that might need protection depending how close to the frontline it is. Plenty of small, and large things for players to do throughout the zone.

TLDR: A zone where players fight an AI controlled army for bases. Every class, combat and crafting, come together to help towards a zone wide goal.

P.S. I debated on making this a lot longer and detailed. Buuuuuut, I figured I'd keep it much shorter.

[Roda]

Honestly the game world just needs a lot more interaction and life so they're not just pretty terrain with splashes of monsters in groups wandering aimlessly for you to kill.
FATEs and untargettable wandering NPCs aren't enough. :T

I hope that SE will look to GW2 for future map design inspirations like they looked at WoW for ARR's system overhauls.

[Klaleara]

Honestly the game world just needs a lot more interaction and life so they're not just pretty terrain with splashes of monsters in groups wandering aimlessly for you to kill.
FATEs and untargettable wandering NPCs aren't enough. :T

I hope that SE will look to GW2 for future map design inspirations like they looked at WoW for ARR's system overhauls.

Couldn't agree to this more. GW2 does a pretty good job at bringing the community together with the way that public quest system works. Everyone in FF14 seems super disconnected, super rare for me to see anyone talk outside of the capital city.

Even in GW2 though, I'd love to see the PQ's mean something on a greater scale than just a mini-quest. Want to see it matter as a whole across the map, from minor things, to major.

[DrWho2010]

Look up Hamlet Defense from 1.0.

Then see dev comments about Hamlet Defense and how they never want to do it again.

[Klaleara]

Look up Hamlet Defense from 1.0.

Then see dev comments about Hamlet Defense and how they never want to do it again.

That is indeed sorta similar. Cept I wouldn't create a wait period, that seems annoying (Warfronts in WoW have this issue, among many others).

I was however unable to find why they don't want to do it. Do you have a link by any chance?

[Sylve]

Hmmm.

Maybe ... Something like Eureka or Diadem, where its a large scale PvE zone separated from the main world. Borrow from the Firmament, with constant Crafter tasks focused around building up structures with constant Battle tasks clearing the land of hostiles to enable the crafters to work.

If it was tied to a Story similar to how Eureka played out with a hostile force intent on invading a location with the players tasked with helping build fortifications and forward bases to push them back, We'd be able to progress it ourselves up to a point like how Firmament works with each new patch opening the map more as players clear invaders and build the necessary structures to push forward.

Could do something like BA, with largescale open world 'raids', except players would need to defend locations or lose progress in the location of the raid. Maybe let crafters participate by building and placing defensive structures during those events to ease the burden on the players fighting. Have it so an NPC Commander 'orders' a specific set of constructions at a location, with Crafters producing and supplying parts 'onsite'.
Example being, NPC Commander orders a set of cannons atop a wall facing the raid event. Crafters would see an outline of the cannons, interacting with it allows you to drop off specialized parts that you craft right next to it. Finishing the cannon allows the crafters to either man the cannons themselves, or move to repair damage structures and such.
Hell, even allow Gatherers to participate by supplying ores and woods etc to a global 'supply box' that the crafters draw from to build those specialized parts, with the gatherer being rewarded based on their contributions to the supply box.

But ultimately, it would end and we'd get a similar type of content in the following Expansion. For example, Having a Garlean themed one during ShB and then a Beastman war scenario for 6.0 etc.
Kind of like how once the Firmament is 'finished', we wont be able to reset it back its launch state. The story is finished and we'd move onto the next story somewhere else with the mechanics and 'playstyle' of Firmament.

[Roda]

eehh I really don't want a zone that is basically a large-scale instance, timer and every other restriction that comes with instancing. Eureka never felt like it was a part of the world. It was just another mini-game content like guildhests or chocobo racing, except large.

[SilverObi]

I had been hoping we'd see something similar to FFXI's Besieged when HW and later SB were announced. Large zones that get attacked by hordes of enemies and everyone bands together to ward them off while protecting/assisting key NPCs and would carry punishment for losing. We see a small scale version of this with the Highbridge FATE series in Eastern Thanalan and I was so sure a more intricate version would've been a good fit for expansion content. Hamlet Defense was also similar and it's a shame that it got thrown out in the transition. Could even throw in a minor hi-score aspect like they did in XI and keep track of each server's successful defenses.

[Sylve]

eehh I really don't want a zone that is basically a large-scale instance, timer and every other restriction that comes with instancing. Eureka never felt like it was a part of the world. It was just another mini-game content like guildhests or chocobo racing, except large.

Every world zone in the game is essentially a big instance. Having a dedicated place to go for a particular kind of content helps keep the players present focused on the relevant tasks. Also lets them go a little more wild with the kinds of things that could happen there.

[Roda]

Every world zone in the game is essentially a big instance. Having a dedicated place to go for a particular kind of content helps keep the players present focused on the relevant tasks. Also lets them go a little more wild with the kinds of things that could happen there.

I mean the fact that you have limited social functionalities like you do in dungeons, and like you still have this arbitrary timer ticking down that you have to refresh despite the zone being supposedly persistant. :T