Quote Originally Posted by Esk View Post
I'd say the art style and atmosphere.. If fits with all of those games, FFXIV is amazingly scenic but misses a lot of the fantasy needed to get it up to that level.
Especially around city's/hamlets/camps, they look at best like a small village/trading post/old woman's hut or overnight camp.. (or outpost/castle in the case of UL) ....

IT feels like the whole continent of Eorzea is the size of N.Ireland.. (opps off topic a little)
Exactly, Esk... exactly!

FFXIV is a gorgeous looking game but what it misses right now is the unmistakable "fantasy" grandeur of Ivalice... there was a certain richness to those final fantasy titles that Eorzea only possess in a subtle manner. This is why the development team can use 2.0 to really push the envelope and bring us some of the great concept art they have shown us.

Also, we I think for 2.0 we really need a few more NPCs that we can identify with on Eorzea. Right now, other than Hildebrandt, Merlwyb, Legatus Darnus, and a handful of undeveloped heroes we are lacking that excitement revolving around characters. Ivalice had an abundance of well fleshed out characters.

For instance, we have the echo ability... so why not bring us an old epic fight between Travanchet and Urianger? Or a quest revolving around some Ishgard knights (since we cant access the city at least pacify players with a some characters who come from the city).

Or allow our echo abilities to do short instanced quests with Thancred, Y'shtola, Papalymo, Yda or E-Sumi_Yan... all of whom had great entrances at the beginning of the story but then we don't really interact with them during the course of our adventures until that cutscene in "Futures Perfect" (and later, the "United we stand" quests).

I just think these are the kind of things that could've given the development team an opportunity to show us glimpses of a unseen places within Eorzea (other than the 3 main cities, the camps and the hamlets).

(Shrugs)...Ahhh well, 2.0 doth cometh... I still have high hopes for what it will bring.