What's the point with that quite lackluster story in Endwalker?

[aveyond-dreams]

As much as I'm all for varied locales, I don't think we've even begun to scratch the surface in regards to what could be put into the game when tapping into various real world European cultures. There's barely any Polish influence within the game, for example - and being Scottish myself, I'd love to see some zones that take heavy inspiration from Scotland's varied landscape and folklore.

This is where games like FFXVI and Dragon Age really show their strength, with each European culture they represent feeling distinct in various ways. Although some here may feel that Europe is full of the same castles copypasted over and over again, nothing could be further from the truth.

The stark contrast between the British-inspired Ferelden and the French/Italian Orlais was something I remember enjoying a lot when I played Dragon Age Inquisition. The party members of those games were also quite ideologically diverse despite being from roughly the same geographic region. I hope to see a similar contrast in FFXVI given how that game seems to have some inspirations from Dragon Age.

When people want to buy a video game, they are fundamentally looking for something that appeals to them whether it is a futuristic, European, or Asian style setting. In an ongoing game like this one, if it starts failing to provide what I am looking for and what initially attracted to me to it, then why should I remain? Why should I buy and play 2 years of a "New World Expansion" when another game could come out and actually give me the locations/characters I want to see?

I do not believe this is an unreasonable position. A quick google search of Scotland landscapes brings up beautiful images that remind one of Elden Ring's world or Coerthas when it wasn't frozen over that are very much worth exploring, and being a kingdom it brings with it cultural aspects that simply appeal more to me than something from Australia.

Bruh, what?

Final Fantasy X, a FF game that was specifically modeled on far eastern cultures and aesthetics, is one of the highest-selling FF games ever. I don't think gamers are so simple that having one or two less European castles or aesthetics is going to lower sales.

FF players are often interested in far eastern locations, myself included. I have expressed multiple times that I would like to revisit the ones in FFXIV again someday, but 7.0 isn't the time to do it. A return to a traditional Heavensward style expansion is what many want to see in 7.0. In any case one look at the numbers of Elden Ring's sales shows you that people worldwide are largely interested in worlds like the one it created, and if given the choice I will gladly spend my time there than the New World, especially with the state of the current main cast.

You will have a difficult time convincing me to play a game with Alphinaud once again mediating tribal conflicts in the New World or Australia while G'raha Tia eats the latest cuisine that most of the budget went into, and the others just being there barely contributing anything of value.