Feedback/Discussion: Make Open World Content Appealing

[ElysiumDragon]

Actually, I just had another idea inspired by something someone else said.

In ESO, you could find random chests scattered about in the overworld. They almost never had anything good in them, perhaps a little gold, some outdated materia equivalent, random crafting materials, etc.

But even a small incentive like that had me exploring off the beaten track while doing quests, purely because I could. It's not even about the reward, but the little hit of dopamine that comes from finding a shiny thing.

[Alice_Rivers]

I've been reading a lot more lately and struck upon one where doing a quest set off a world event and thought to myself: Why can't we have such cool things? Why weren't the Final Days a week long event? It's not like they couldn't have put a week long pause in the MSQ while the scions did something and we get fates, city defence, event hunts or a plethora of other things. The Alexandrian invasion in DT the same, why wasn't that an event across the DT maps? Then in 6.1/7.1 they could have reconstruction events for the crafters and gatherers and it would have been really neat.

[Raenra]

I'm not talking about lore or NPCs, I can't actually say I care enough about fates to have ever paid attn to the npcs or lore of them. I am talking about the actual fates themselves. It's the same objectives again and again. Kill all mobs, kill until bar fills, boss fates, collect items > turn in > wait, etc etc. It's always just the same thing again and again, even in the field zones. They need to shake things up a bit and give us new objectives.

Making fates change the world in some way would also be good, like beast tribes or rival factions fighting over control of resources. When one has control the area is much more hostile and when they don't certain vendors are available is a good jumping off point for that. But they would need to put enough worthwhile rewards behind it that it doesn't become obsolete after a couple months, like Odin, Behemoth, Ixion, etc. Large scale, world bosses with actual mechanics would be the good way to incorperate relic items into the world instead of just putting them behind standard fates.

And I agree with you.
Like it would have been neat if before Stormy Weather in Hanuhanu-land, fates appeared oriented around harvesting their crops and securing down their stick-houses etc.
They have an intricate weather system, but rarely use it beyond fish spawns.

Was just saying, given this is a story-focused MMO I'd assume a lot of players, a good story-motivation behind what I'm doing really helps keep me engaged.
I will seek out those aforementioned 'story' fates in ShB when I'm in those zones because I care about those NPCs and want them to succeed.
Just like defending the bridge and freeing the captives in Thanalan felt more impactful because it directly tied into the greater narrative of the zone's story.

[JohnLakeside]

Keypoint is having more points of interests, towns, villages, OPEN BUILDINGS FOR TWELVES SAKE, OPEN UP AAAALL THE BUILDINGS.

Having barely any open buildings completely kills side quests for me. How the hell am I supposed to care about the people in the settlement when I can't even see how they live. When you can’t see how people actually live, settlements stop feeling like communities and start feeling like staged backdrops. The absence of open buildings makes NPCs feel less believable (in no world is an NPC standing idly outside their home as real feeling as an NPC inside their home, even if that NPC is also standing idly inside) and strips away the environmental storytelling (!!!!) . It also really pisses me off when I see people say its not possible to have open buildings. Bruh, its possible! They did it in ARR, they can do it again!!!

[Mawlzy]

Having barely any open buildings completely kills side quests for me. How the hell am I supposed to care about the people in the settlement when I can't even see how they live. When you can’t see how people actually live, settlements stop feeling like communities and start feeling like staged backdrops. The absence of open buildings makes NPCs feel less believable (in no world is an NPC standing idly outside their home as real feeling as an NPC inside their home, even if that NPC is also standing idly inside) and strips away the environmental storytelling (!!!!) . It also really pisses me off when I see people say its not possible to have open buildings. Bruh, its possible! They did it in ARR, they can do it again!!!

Many of the settlements feel more like lots at Universal Studios than places where people live.

[JohnLakeside]

Many of the settlements feel more like lots at Universal Studios than places where people live.

Agreed. This is what the houses in Wright feel like lol.

[Kozh]

My brain isn't braining rn so I can't give amy suggestions. I just want to say, I really missed the feeling of ARR zones. They feel alive, and it's like the zone is created for itself first, rather than created for msq quests if that makes amy sense. We get settlements, explorable building, non quest giver npc who creates immersion. That sort of things.

But anyway, I think ever since they introduce flying mechanic, the area have been getting bigger and bigger but also empty. I think if they make it smaller, have more population, it could also introduce new(ish) interesting type of FATE (i.e defending settlements)