Where is all the content?

[Illmaeran]

I agree.

I really love that ARR zones are split into different sectors. The Black Shroud is beautiful and with the maps being smaller they feel more alive. The maps from HW onwards, on the other hand, are so vast but feel empty and lack life.

I agree with this, the Shroud especially as that's always what comes to my mind when people mention HW onward zones "lacking life". The point absolutely has merit but I chalk it up to designing world zones around flying vs walking/riding in ARR and try not to let it bug me too much.

To be completely honest, I would be quite happy if we never got flying and all the zones were small, but dense with assets, like ARR. Having larger areas without loading zones between them is nice, for sure, but I got so used to them in ARR that they don't really bother me and in a strange way feel like home.

And the restaurant learns nothing in the process. Ever watched an episode of Kitchen Nightmares? It may be hammed up TV drama, but a recurring theme in failing businesses is restaurant owners who refuse to acknowledge feedback and identify what they're doing wrong or where they could better please their customers. Why do you think businesses fixate so much on gaining customer feedback, to the point of sometimes hounding them for it? Although one does not need to "create a scene" or be dramatic about it, and do the whole "call your manager" schtick, complaints are very much part of the learning process for businesses.

Restaurants are a perfect example. If I get something that's undercooked or a side that wasn't what I ordered, it's a simple thing to call the waiter over and say "Excuse me, I asked for X but got Y, may I please have X?" or "This is a bit undercooked, on the rare side of medium rare, would you please ask the kitchen to cook it a bit more? Thank you.". Servers and chefs don't always get everything right, all you have to do is bring up the issue politely and quietly and they'll take care of it.

The same thing applies here. "I'm not a fan of X and would prefer if it were more ABCDEF." That says what you're not fully satisfied with and gives a solution. While it may not be practical to fix, at least the solutions mentioned open up an avenue for discussion and perhaps change in the future.