An Eorzea that is more 'alive' and dynamic. - A suggestion for the future of Eorzea

[Venat]

Think FFXIV needs its own sorta Campgian battle, and Area of Control.

Like with Campgian you had waves of enemys running to destroy outposts that you needed to protect.
Area of Control is pretty much who has killed the most enemys in the area, with FFXI if your from bastok and you slay a monster in a area that region your nation would get credit. Players from that nation would get boosts beinging in that area or on top of having the most areas under control. SP/EXP boost anyone? FFXIV has its own areas that are very large and could count as a region by themselfs.

Empire, Ulha, Lims, Grindnna, beastmen... fighting over regions.

[Nakiamiie]

If we're talking about immersion I'd like it if they focused on Guildleves, to be honest. They're content you do daily, and they feel really random and lame the way they are, as far as immersion, "life" or story goes.

I made a thread about this in the Guildleve forums after reading this thread: http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...ugh-Guildleves

Feel free to tear the ideas down.

Posting the link here because it's probably better than writing another wall of text which is going to say the same things, but basically by creating the right NPC/building/object context for Guildleves (which is already mentioned by the game, it just doesn't exist), you take care of two problems:
-Guildleves feeling seemingly random
-The world having no interesting landmarks and a lot of repetitive areas

It's not something I want them to do as soon as possible (there are more important matters at hand), but it's something I'd like for them to do someday.

I totally agree with that, some leves really feel 'random' because the situation/consequences/objects/etc from the leve's description are nowhere to be found in the world. Feels like two different world on top of each other: one completely static for adventurers to walk in, one very dynamic described in the leves where things are happening BUT are not reflected in the world we play, the first world.

Here is something i posted time ago about beast tribes and enemies and maybe this could belongs here (sorry for wot):

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Premise: communication with these tribes could be possibile through special sidequest (with several chains) to learn their languages. A different sidequest for every tribe language.

[...]

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I really like your idea!

[Zenaku]

This may be nitpicking background nazi of me, but for real what killed immersion in the black shroud was those rivers, they had the same entrance to go across them, they were copy pasta'd (this i didn't mind as much, you don't have to make 7 different rivers just make the ledge to cross them in different places). Also these rivers do not go anywhere that I can physically see.

reflected in the water would Kill most players FPS, The game is running on DX9 i think onces they update to DX10 or DX11 we would have this but for now it's not needed. Most high end Video card still cost 160-250+$ i like for them to add this later with the idea that i can turn it on/off within FFXIV config.

[gifthorse]

Think FFXIV needs its own sorta Campgian battle, and Area of Control.

Like with Campgian you had waves of enemys running to destroy outposts that you needed to protect.
Area of Control is pretty much who has killed the most enemys in the area, with FFXI if your from bastok and you slay a monster in a area that region your nation would get credit. Players from that nation would get boosts beinging in that area or on top of having the most areas under control. SP/EXP boost anyone? FFXIV has its own areas that are very large and could count as a region by themselfs.

Empire, Ulha, Lims, Grindnna, beastmen... fighting over regions.

territorial control and warfare would be good, but perhaps implemented more naturally and organically than the way in which FFXI implemented it.

[Nakiamiie]

territorial control and warfare would be good, but perhaps implemented more naturally and organically than the way in which FFXI implemented it.

I second this idea, a more 'natural' and fluid transition in territorial control would be great (as well as REAL BIG changes when the enemy controls it, i.e. devastation, etc.)

[Procas]

Hey everyone!
I have been reading many of the replies to the thread and I am surprised almost everyone focused on battle and danger to make the games world more alive. I have been studying sociology and human behaviour my whole life (thats my job actually) and I say that because I think if what you really want is the feeling of a real world where things happen, devs should focus on feelings, not in random battles or attacks. I cant disagree more in the idea of implementing FFXI's campaing battle. A piece of terrain where music changes suddenly and random monsters come to get control of a flag won't make the world look more alive... it might be fun, I dont disagree with that, but won't make us love Eaorzeans more.
Fists of all the game lacks of personal background. When you first choose a city the main storyquest starts and it focus on you and shows no background of inhabitants or city story. My second thought is the world is pretty much empty as there is a lack of small citys and towns (sure there is the "Bazaars in Thanalan, and some other small points, but not like NPCs there got a living or do anything special), so basically the world is not alive because there is not live there at all. So why do we want more monsters and more ordes attacking towns when we dont care about citizens at all? Sure the devs made a huge, huge world, which we sense as a copy-pasted terrain, not as territory we want to fight for. Comparing to previous game (which is something I dont really like to do, but at this point might be necessary) FFXI, we had smaller areas, but many of them, which different characteristics and landscapes. Each of them had its part of story and you need to know them in order to advance in game. Sure we have "Camps" , but in my oppinion camps don't have an old lady washing clothes which has lost her son in a battle or a wise elder which hates lalafels and wants to make soup with them. Again comparing to previous SEs MMORPG, around Windy we had Sarutabaruta and there we had Horutoto. That gave us a background of the area, and the story of the place, quests and main scenario helped filling our brain with the idea the world was ritch and alive, and that it was alive before we even started playing around it. Eaorzea is not like that. It's empty, but not empty with things or battles, is empty of culture and history, it feels like a bunch of beautiful graphics all togheter. In my opinion it feels like a big and well decorated gift box, and when you carefully unwrap it and open it.. it's almost empty. So my point: Why do we want more monsters attacking, and acting around camps like random when we don't care what they do or their intentions? In FFXIV we kill animals just to kill them. Honestly has anyone found the point (not personal gains but for the good of Eaorzea) on Behests? Hey! Gather togheter, lets kill some random animals that are around here to keep adventurers busy!
Sure we need more battle content and the feeling that something terrible is about to happen to make our hearts anxious, but we need to care about the world first, because you can add as many actors you want to an act, but if the story lacks of feelings and interest it's going to be boring anyway. How are we going to feel the World alive without feelings, and how are we going to have feelings for a World if its empty of those? Let's add content, but not empty one please.

[Nakiamiie]

Hey everyone!
I have been reading many of the replies to the thread and I am surprised almost everyone focused on battle and danger to make the games world more alive. I have been studying sociology and human behaviour my whole life (thats my job actually) and I say that because I think if what you really want is the feeling of a real world where things happen, devs should focus on feelings, not in random battles or attacks. I cant disagree more in the idea of implementing FFXI's campaing battle. A piece of terrain where music changes suddenly and random monsters come to get control of a flag won't make the world look more alive... it might be fun, I dont disagree with that, but won't make us love Eaorzeans more.
Fists of all the game lacks of personal background. When you first choose a city the main storyquest starts and it focus on you and shows no background of inhabitants or city story. My second thought is the world is pretty much empty as there is a lack of small citys and towns (sure there is the "Bazaars in Thanalan, and some other small points, but not like NPCs there got a living or do anything special), so basically the world is not alive because there is not live there at all. So why do we want more monsters and more hordes attacking towns when we dont care about citizens at all? Sure the devs made a huge, huge world, which we sense as a copy-pasted terrain, not as territory we want to fight for. Comparing to previous game (which is something I dont really like to do, but at this point might be necessary) FFXI, we had smaller areas, but many of them, which different characteristics and landscapes. Each of them had its part of story and you need to know them in order to advance in game. Sure we have "Camps" , but in my oppinion camps don't have an old lady washing clothes which has lost her son in a battle or a wise elder which hates lalafels and wants to make soup with them. Again comparing to previous SEs MMORPG, around Windy we had Sarutabaruta and there we had Horutoto. That gave us a background of the area, and the story of the place, quests and main scenario helped filling our brain with the idea the world was ritch and alive, and that it was alive before we even started playing around it. Eaorzea is not like that. It's empty, but not empty with things or battles, is empty of culture and history, it feels like a bunch of beautiful graphics all togheter. In my opinion it feels like a big and well decorated gift box, and when you carefully unwrap it and open it.. it's almost empty. So my point: Why do we want more monsters attacking, and acting around camps like random when we don't care what they do or their intentions? In FFXIV we kill animals just to kill them. Honestly has anyone found the point (not personal gains but for the good of Eaorzea) on Behests? Hey! Gather togheter, lets kill some random animals that are around here to keep adventurers busy!
Sure we need more battle content and the feeling that something terrible is about to happen to make our hearts anxious, but we need to care about the world first, because you can add as many actors you want to an act, but if the story lacks of feelings and interest it's going to be boring anyway. How are we going to feel the World alive without feelings, and how are we going to have feelings for a World if its empty of those? Let's add content, but not empty one please.

I agree with your opinion on this, it is true that I don't feel anything about the citizens of Eorzea and mostly for the reasons you said. I am not an expert on this, but making the players realize their land and its people are important may just be what we need to enhance our Eorzean adventure. Why would we want to protect we don't care about? Why would we want to protect the land that needs no protecting, because in the end, nothing will change if we don't.

Same goes for behest; ever since my first behest I always wondered my the battlemaster talks about protecting Eorzea from danger when we just go out in the field and fight disorganized regular animals. These animals fill the whole place and then we wake up one morning and go kill them to "protect the land from danger"? Shouldn't it be a bunch of bandits, priates, assassins, whatever that we get to fight (and they could have some tamed animals too) in behest? And when nobody participates in behest, these bandits/assassins/whatever come at the camp and the guards have to fight to protect it. Of course, that would need to be different from each camp, lower rank camps should still just be aggressive animals to make the roads safer (and the battlemaster should say it: make the roads safer since there are too many wolves for example). That would be epic to see, that would make sense with the description of many leves (including local leve) we do, that would make sense as a threat.

(Please note, the examples given are just examples. Focus on the idea behind them, that's what important.)

But still, it would mean nothing to have such great behest without the key element...
I'll finish with the key quote of Procas:
So why do we want more monsters and more hordes attacking towns when we dont care about citizens (and the land) at all?

[Munba]

I'm agree with you Procas and Nakiamiie and i think something is moving in this way with the new sidequests. Lore also means you know who you are defending, in case of war. And they have to add more citizens making stuff and living around as well. But also having a dynamic and evolving world is important to make it alive and real.

Btw, i'm agree on Behest. An activity without a real meaning. They could bring the Behest to a new level, with the Companies. Maybe to contribuite to defeat the Garlean or beastmen patrols instead of poor animals, if a war incoming.

[Munba]

Some suggestions about music and sound effects,

- some 'far' parts of an area/region (maybe some corners of the map) should have no music and only sound effects, like to say that place is so far from the city and so desolated that also the music doesn't reach it.

- villages should have a music theme, maybe one per region (ex. Aleport and Winport = same music) ...or also one for all.

- La Noscea region needs some extra sound effects during the night (during the day there are seagull sounds, so it's ok), because now we can hear only the wind sometimes and the place seems not to have night life. Because the region is blowy and there aren't so many trees (so i don't think there could be owls around), some 'single' cricket sounds here and there could be good to add. Btw also during the night we could hear some sparse seagulls near the coast.

- Adventures Guilds should have some 'tavern sounds', like glasses sound, voices 'buzz' and stuff.

- and, like said in a previous post, volume music should be more 'subtle' in the night. So maybe the system could lower the music volume automatically during the night time (8pm-6am) so to emphasize the sound effects and the quiet in that period.

[gifthorse]

Some suggestions about music and sound effects,

- some 'far' parts of an area/region (maybe some corners of the map) should have no music and only sound effects, like to say that place is so far from the city and so desolated that also the music doesn't reach it.

- villages should have a music theme, maybe one per region (ex. Aleport and Winport = same music) ...or also one for all.

- La Noscea region needs some extra sound effects during the night (during the day there are seagull sounds, so it's ok), because now we can hear only the wind sometimes and the place seems not to have night life. Because the region is blowy and there aren't so many trees (so i don't think there could be owls around), some 'single' cricket sounds here and there could be good to add. Btw also during the night we could hear some sparse seagulls near the coast.

- Adventures Guilds should have some 'tavern sounds', like glasses sound, voices 'buzz' and stuff.

- and, like said in a previous post, volume music should be more 'subtle' in the night. So maybe the system could lower the music volume automatically during the night time (8pm-6am) so to emphasize the sound effects and the quiet in that period.

The also need to trash the Ul'dah theme when you reach places like the Thaumaturge Guild and the Alchemy Guild. Those areas are way to solemn too have such a happy theme song.