REQUEST: Remove Aether Currents

[Shougun]

I disagree that the aether currents mechanic makes you deal with the obstructions and scale of the zone, and that they offer a progression step that is important to the game experience. The mechanic doesn't force any appreciation for the zones or game experience, at least definitely not in all users. For many it has the opposite effect. You can appreciate the scale of a zone, arguably even more so, from flight, a feature that the player has already experienced in the linear story progression. Also, the alleged intent of the aether mechanic and restriction of flight serving to force the player to slow down and enjoy the content is directly contradicted and invalidated by the real world money skip option, as if it were truly the devs intent, this option would not be available.

So we're left with the aether currents and restriction of flight being an arbitrary slowdown for the player in an already lengthy, linear main story content. There is no reason to restrict flying with the aether currents mechanic. Zones can easily be blocked off by many other simple solutions. Invisible walls would be one solution even. The game is already chock full of them as it stands, and it doesn't serve to disrupt the player base's immersion.

No one has yet to provide any reasoning as to why the restriction of flight in expansion content is necessary, nor any logical purpose to the aether currents mechanic.

I mean you can say that last line to the end of everything, doesn't make it true.

Forumaccount has provided no logical argument why it has to be removed.

This is fun. . .

I've seen quite a few arguments on the purpose of the system, you just don't think it does it adequately or don't personally value it. Both of those don't mean it wasn't a reason given. And with many systems there are often ways to circumvent them, this doesn't mean they've no purpose (like emergency valves.. super important). Many tax solutions don't adequately or fairly do what they're intended, doesn't mean we shouldn't have taxes. Just because some people don't like something doesn't mean it shouldn't exist. Although, it does raise the fair question "should it?" or "can we make it better?", but that's a question not an obligation to change- like I'm answering "yes it has a purpose, I might be interested in other variations that attempt to do what it does, but its purpose I find important and would not want flying to simply be a thing that is always on".

Now in some ways I might try to work with that concept with you if you were trying to improve aether currents but rather it just looks like you're removing the purpose they exist such that flying is available in any situation that it doesn't cause story concerns, and I don't think that is the right approach to content. The system exists for multiple reasons, and it might not do them all perfectly but it does have impact on them- I'd rather they're not removed so 'nothing' does what it used to do.

Naturally I disagree with pretty much everything you said about the system, especially since aether currents literally makes you deal with obstructions and scale of the zone else you /don't/ get flying. That not everyone might like it, being the thing I'd certainly go "certainly" to, but not everyone likes leveling up in an rpg too. I don't feel the argument to remove it, and what to replace it with, is good enough to do so. I might agree that they could mix the system up, but I don't think we'll agree for why for or the end result (like I might suggest making flying less strong overall, such as it has stamina or something and one must navigate the world rather than fly in straight lines like robots- perhaps best play tested in a specific zone like Eureka 3.0).

[forumaccount]

Forumaccount has provided no logical argument why it has to be removed.

Yes we can say what we please, lies included. I have provided logical argument as to why it should be removed or unlinked to flying.

The main argument being that it does not fulfill the alleged intent of the mechanic (slows players down to play story content at an intended pace) as it is logically contradicted by two things:

- You can pay real world money to skip it, logical evidence that the devs encourage that you instantly bypass story content
- And there are many simple alternatives that can restrict game areas without slowing player movement and disabling already unlocked features, logical evidence that the mechanic is redundant as per the alleged purpose.

Still no one has provided any reasoning as to why flight should be restricted in the expansion content, nor logical reasoning as to the purpose of the aether currents mechanic.

I've seen quite a few arguments on the purpose of the system

I have not. There have been two:

- I like it.
- It slows player down cause that is good.

Now in some ways I might try to work with that concept with you if you were trying to improve aether currents but rather it just looks like you're removing the purpose they exist such that flying is available in any situation that it doesn't cause story concerns

Flying being enabled for all content after it is first unlocked would not cause story concerns.

[EgilTheStressedMage]

Avoiding all combat is a reward, not a privilege.

[forumaccount]

Avoiding all combat is a reward, not a privilege.

I'll entertain that design philosophy, although it still doesn't remedy the aether current mechanic's redundancies:

- You can simply level high enough to avoid all combat in a zone
- You are already rewarded with flight, to have it disabled in later content

[Nezerius]

- You can pay real world money to skip it, logical evidence that the devs encourage that you instantly bypass story content

It's only possible to skip aether currents by paying for a story skip. The current expansion doesn't have a story skip yet, and won't have one until the next expansion has been released. Therefore it's not possible to pay your way to flight in the current expansion.

- And there are many simple alternatives that can restrict game areas without slowing player movement and disabling already unlocked features, logical evidence that the mechanic is redundant as per the alleged purpose.

Because everyone loves running into invisible walls.

I have not. There have been two:

- I like it.
- It slows player down cause that is good.

Those look similar to your arguments:

- I don't like it.
- It slows players down and that's bad.

[EgilTheStressedMage]

I'll entertain that design philosophy, although it still doesn't remedy the aether current mechanic's redundancies:

- You can simply level high enough to avoid all combat in a zone
- You are already rewarded with flight, to have it disabled in later content

- You have to be at least eleven levels above the red mobs to avoid them in the first place and there's no way you're avoiding them outside of sneak and...actually avoiding them.
- It's disabled because you are not meant to go there in the story yet. Your mount speed also drops to barely a sprint upgrade which makes flying painfully slow and you wouldn't get a speed boost until completing a certain quest on the map anyway.

[Iscah]

When you complete ARR, you are rewarded with flight in ARR.

The impression of losing flight is an unfortunate side-effect of apparently being granted flight in [all places you have access to]. This is not actually what you have unlocked.

The alternative was adding aether currents to ARR areas, or not adding flight to ARR at all and keeping it in HW where it makes logical sense. Which would you prefer?

[MsQi]

- You are already rewarded with flight, to have it disabled in later content

No, you are rewarded with flight in ARR zones. Flight has never been universal.

[NekoHina]

They are a pain, but they are there to “teach” you to navigate a new area. They serve a purpose but it is annoying how flying is blocked. I understand the reasoning, do to make it more fun to explore and find the currents my partner and I will team up together and do it. It is tolerable and sometimes fun that way.

[forumaccount]

It's only possible to skip aether currents by paying for a story skip. The current expansion doesn't have a story skip yet, and won't have one until the next expansion has been released. Therefore it's not possible to pay your way to flight in the current expansion.

The point made here is inconsequential. The pay to skip option still contradicts the alleged intent of restricting flying in expansion content.

Because everyone loves running into invisible walls.

More so than having an already unlocked feature arbitrarily locked behind a tedious, redundant task that is of no consequence to lore or gameplay, save for slowing down the player, yes. I also find it interesting, that you have a quip about invisible walls, well prevalent throughout the game, but you seem to take offense to the condemnation of a different even more pointless restriction.

Those look similar to your arguments:

- I don't like it.
- It slows players down and that's bad.

If you choose to ignore the arguments I've made in my initial posting and in my responses throughout the thread, sure.
- I do in fact not like it.
- It slows players down bigly, after they've been well speed up, which is indeed bad.
- The lore explaining it is shoehorned in, and is of no consequence to the main story.
- It's alleged intent is contradicted by the pay to skip option
- It's alleged intent is contradicted by the fact that there are many other simpler options to restrict access to zones without removing features the player has already unlocked

See initial thread post and responses for more detail.