Architecture that doesn't fit

[KiraRavens]

There’s still technical limitations exacerbated by the nature of MMOs having to load the maps on servers with lots of players and allowing minimum graphics requirements to net a larger playerbase that affects how big the zone can be and how densely populated by NPCs and buildings it can be too. They’re not going to build out an entire realistic city for the game, it’s just not feasible.

We get the main points of interest spread out from each other and filler bits in between, but it’s not the same scale as an actual, functional city.

Outdoor zones get hit with this as well. The idea that everything that ever happens in that area happens only in a single square mile also requires suspension of disbelief.

Sure, but I'd rather have more instancing/zones (e.g. split the cities into multiple areas like Gridania/Limsa/Ul'dah) and to-scale/full 3d designed locations.
It would be amazing if every place in the game was designed as one functional building and then put on the map as is with certain areas (like the main hall) still being instanced. And if they can come up with a city the scale of S9 (which feels way too empty unfortunately), they could also make places like Sharlayan bigger and actually work...
Personal perference obviously, but that would really add to the immersion imo.

[Alice_Rivers]

Moreso than having fully modelled buildings, especially when they're only used a few times anyway, I'd rather NPCs have actual daily routines. That would do a lot more for my immersion, I know then the devs would have to put time of day flags into dialogue that points to specific people so that it points you to where they are at the time the dialogue is given but I think it'd be worth it, they could add a number of semi-random events then to towns and cities that coincide with certain fates and hunts spawning.

[jomas_45]

There's a handful in Heavensward, my faves being the naughty children doing the shopping, and the man who is late for his shift then goes home for a pint or six.

[LeCorbeaux]

Maybe instead of being underground, it is just TARDIS technology, it is bigger in the inside.

They'd have to be quite a bit bigger in some cases. Did you ever fly up to the upper floors of the Beaconhill Lighthouse in Western Thanalan? That place looks cramped even for Lalafel from the outside.

[VeyaAkemi]

They'd have to be quite a bit bigger in some cases. Did you ever fly up to the upper floors of the Beaconhill Lighthouse in Western Thanalan? That place looks cramped even for Lalafel from the outside.

So I made the comment as a joke, but now I am curious, if you are willing to entertain the idea it is simply magically larger in the inside, why are you setting a limit to how much larger it can possibly be? if you are already manipulating space and time to your benefit, it can simply be arbitrarily larger as needed, no?

[LeCorbeaux]

So I made the comment as a joke, but now I am curious, if you are willing to entertain the idea it is simply magically larger in the inside, why are you setting a limit to how much larger it can possibly be? if you are already manipulating space and time to your benefit, it can simply be arbitrarily larger as needed, no?

Magic manipulates aether, and the stronger the effect the more of it you need to concentrate in a single spot. We can see what happens when this goes to the extremes - most notably in Mor Dhona, or what's left of it.

So that's the upper limit, above which spontaneous aether crystalisation starts making the effect impractical.

[Hyperia]

“It’s bigger on the inside”

[RedLolly]

Trailer for "The Backrooms" feature film dropped yesterday.

Having an unlimited interior has its drawbacks...

[tuypo1]

Moreso than having fully modelled buildings, especially when they're only used a few times anyway, I'd rather NPCs have actual daily routines. That would do a lot more for my immersion, I know then the devs would have to put time of day flags into dialogue that points to specific people so that it points you to where they are at the time the dialogue is given but I think it'd be worth it, they could add a number of semi-random events then to towns and cities that coincide with certain fates and hunts spawning.

That would be pretty cool, especially after Starfield dropped the ball