2.0 Teleportation and you!

[Hulan]

If people want to spend their time traveling to an event then they have that option. Stop trying to force people into playing the game your way I could give two s**** and a f*** about YOUR immersion.

Hmmm, this is an interesting point, though I have a question pertaining to it: Why is it that traveling cannot be part of the fun of the event. Let me pull an example from the game itself.

Have you done the Castrum Novum mission? (Off topic, but if not, I highly recommend it, hours of fun *cough* anyway) This is an example where classically the "event" would be the 15-30ish minutes long fight in the back of the outpost. However, the actual time it takes to do the event, traveling included is probably closer to 1-1.5hours due to walking all the way from the gate to the instance. This extra hour is merely "travel time" between the teleport and the event itself, and yet, many people I have talked to find it just as compelling as the instance itself.

"Slow" travel has somehow become a dirty thing, something boring to slog through to get to your actual content. Changing topics to your last sentence, you'll notice I never mentioned "immersion" in my first post. This is because I tend to agree with you. Immersion is a bing word that doesn't mean anything important and should have little to do with actual design. At the same time, I believe "travel time" is a critically important component of an event and does not in any way need to take away from the event itself. I would, in fact, contend that it is itself part of the event.

[Doho]

let's squash this now. there's nothing wrong with teleportation as long as you have to physically walk there yourself and/or meet certain criteria to teleport there. is that fair or no?

[Krausus]

Hmmm, this is an interesting point, though I have a question pertaining to it: Why is it that traveling cannot be part of the fun of the event. Let me pull an example from the game itself.

Have you done the Castrum Novum mission? (Off topic, but if not, I highly recommend it, hours of fun *cough* anyway) This is an example where classically the "event" would be the 15-30ish minutes long fight in the back of the outpost. However, the actual time it takes to do the event, traveling included is probably closer to 1-1.5hours due to walking all the way from the gate to the instance. This extra hour is merely "travel time" between the teleport and the event itself, and yet, many people I have talked to find it just as compelling as the instance itself.

"Slow" travel has somehow become a dirty thing, something boring to slog through to get to your actual content. Changing topics to your last sentence, you'll notice I never mentioned "immersion" in my first post. This is because I tend to agree with you. Immersion is a bing word that doesn't mean anything important and should have little to do with actual design. At the same time, I believe "travel time" is a critically important component of an event and does not in any way need to take away from the event itself. I would, in fact, contend that it is itself part of the event.

which you only have to do once.

CN is fun not just because of the travel to the instance, once you do the instance the only reason to step foot in it again is to help others do the instance for their quest. The main part of CN is actually outside the instance farming H1's for keys and materials for new gear. What I dont want to do is run from Uldah to CN more than once to obtain the ayther points. CN is not a very good example to use since CN is actual content and I'm sure no one has asked for an ayther point to be added to the instance entrance.

Game is adding in trains, I hope this will be fun travel content. Having to fight your way to every ayther every time you want to go do something that involves the end destination would get old fast. Like I mentioned before I like the OP's idea, I just dont want to have to do it every time I want to go back to that ayther. The game already has more than enough time synchs in it if people are willing to participate in said time synchs, adding in constant travel time would hurt the game IMO.

[Gramul]

I think the game is being pretty well designed around the mechanic.

[Jynx]

Personally I want the world to be awesome enough that people have the option to teleport but are often inclined to not use it because the game world is just that damn awesome to travel around in.

I am of the firm opinion that players should at LEAST have to travel to a area once before getting some kind of shortcut. That shortcut also should not be free from harm or repurcussions and limitations. If your teleporting too often that you run out of anima all the time, you are not without time on your hands to walk around the game world.

People who don't want to experience a awesome game world in a MMO have no place in it IMHO, obviously just my opinion. The world should be fun to traverse and if that is accomplished the need for teleportation will decline as people will want to skip the "World" as it were less often.

[Hulan]

CN is not a very good example to use since CN is actual content and I'm sure no one has asked for an ayther point to be added to the instance entrance.

Ah, see, now this is the heart of the debate, I would contend that Castrum Novum is a perfect example, because it proves that "travel" can equal "content". I think I speak for most of the proponents of "slow travel" when I say that there should be some form of fast travel, to be sure. I cannot think of a single example of a massive world wherein you cannot quickly travel between hubs.

This debate, rather, I think is about at what point traveling quickly becomes detrimental to the game instead of helpful. Conversely, how can we make the simple task of "getting from point A to point B" as engaging as possible. My original point - well okay, actually my second point, since my original point was just to lay out the benefits and detriments of each - was that the process of getting to an event can add value in and of itself.

[KiriA500]

Neat! A bunch of level 50's having to learn how to "Return!"

[Doho]

Personally I want the world to be awesome enough that people have the option to teleport but are often inclined to not use it because the game world is just that damn awesome to travel around in.

I am of the firm opinion that players should at LEAST have to travel to a area once before getting some kind of shortcut. That shortcut also should not be free from harm or repurcussions and limitations. If your teleporting too often that you run out of anima all the time, you are not without time on your hands to walk around the game world.

People who don't want to experience a awesome game world in a MMO have no place in it IMHO, obviously just my opinion. The world should be fun to traverse and if that is accomplished the need for teleportation will decline as people will want to skip the "World" as it were less often.

^ THIS. there should be things a long the way between point A and point B that you would miss if you otherwise just teleported. Also, you should have to walk their first! lol

For anyone who played FFXI, I'm sure you remember that first trek through Ranguemont(sp?) Pass to get the Xarcabard telecrystal. That was fun! granted there wasn't much along the way except some dumb hecteyes NM, it was still a journey.

[Jynx]

Hell XI had TONS and TONS of ways to teleport around the world in the blink of an eye.

They were all just hard to aquire or cost a great deal.

[Andrien]

I think its fair if you can accept teleport request if your character have arrived there on foot first. And, if you want to teleport on your own you do a quest. Perhaps build up some fame first before you can unlock the quest.