Dungeons we need to talk dungeons

[Kacho_Nacho]

aurum vale... isn't exactly what i had in mind... still too few adds.
but i guess that wouldn't work in this 'fast, go go, faster' community.... people would have to learn having more patience again xD

Too few? Seems to me that place is chock full of adds.

Anywho to quote Lucky_Cj, "I love the idea of Aurum Vale 2." That's exactly what we need. Instances where you have to really be on your toes to get through it.

I'm not talking about bosses with super difficult mechanics. I'm talking about places were you need just good old fashioned dungeoneering skills. Things like being aware of aggro radii, needing to use crowd control and interrupting abilities, etc...

I also love Aurum Vale.

It's a real shame that dungeons have become so linear and streamlined. For whatever reason, the development team appear convinced that the best way forward is to avoid any optional paths or objectives. I don't think it's true that players would only ever focus on the quickest, most efficient route to completion. It's just a matter of making it worthwhile to go off of the beaten track. Maybe that means a chance of a rare enemy appearing, or a treasure chest full of gil that disappears if a randomised puzzle isn't solved correctly. There's a lot of things that could be done, really - and many other MMO's have embraced such design choices.

I agree. In fact, that's why I love PotD*. It's not linear. Every floor has a random layout and you have floor traps, patrolling mobs, and trapped chests. It's unpredictable, except for the bosses.

I kind of disagree about players not seeking the quickest, most efficient routes. Many individuals are like that; but, not all. Some of us like exploring and taking our time to enjoy the experience.

They should just stop doing them, honestly, given by the responses dungeons complaints get from the average XIV player.

They just want to do their dailies in a hurry to cross off items from their chores checklist required to get weekly capped currencies for gear with item level they won't use. So let's just not even bother with adds and the atrocious hallway design, just have them be 3 bosses and with checkpoints between.

After all, adds don't matter. Dead-ends with chests don't matter. Dungeon mechanics are bad. And I just want to hurry up, get my glamour and gpose. The least amount I can dedicate to, eyuck, doing combat and exploration in a japanese RPG, the better.

All the pve content design issues XIV has is resulted from players feeling entitled to rewards they have objectively no need for and then the developers bending to their entitlement. Players mistaking rewards for a "right" rather than something you're supposed to earn by clearing optional challenges.

Things aren't quite that bad. But, I do agree there are some vocal players out there who are very self-entitled.

But, I feel it is up to us players, who do enjoy adventuring in a world where dungeons challenge us, to speak out and let Square Enix know what we want. If we just remain silent, dungeons will continue to be streamlined and simplified.

On a side note, I miss your contributions to the Show Off Your Lalafell thread, Reyn. You are a talented digital artist and I was impressed by your works.

Dungeon are fluff content and will remain as such.

Bologna. Dungeons are as big a part of the adventurer's experience as the story line, side quests, and the world in general.

No dungeon will be interesting when you run it 50+ times, so no point in wasting dev time for that.

That is true. But, the devs have ways to keep players on our toes. Just as with PotD, they could change the floor plans. They could change the mobs or even the boss mechanics with each new party.

We just have to let Square Enix know we want more interesting dungeons. They aren't mind readers.




*If Square Enix came up with an MMO which was nothing but one infinite Deep Dungeon like Palace of the Dead, I'd buy it in an instant.