Poll: Seamless+CopyPaste VS. Zones+Variety

[Tezz_Xivectro]

I prefer variety and i don't care how they do it. That's their problem.

The zones are so bare atm, but if they keep adding more things like hamlets, quest hubs, or any kind of landmarks then the world will start to seem less Copy/Paste. There are long stretches of terrain though, so this would require alot of additions. Don't really see it happening.

At any rate, it's not something i'm going to worry about. But i hope SE doesn't forget about it either.

[Zantetsuken]

Perhaps a good solution would be to break the main maps into 3rds with new texture maps and some terrain variety in each area...

Even if there is some copypasta in the new maps, it would be enough variety in the overall landscape that people wouldn't care too much.

There was quite a bit of that in FFXI as well. I recall encountering the exact same topology in certain sections of many different caves across Vana'diel, but the variety of textures kept most people from noticing it.

A handful of new "tiles" (including a few more unique ones) and some variations on textures might be enough to fix this issue. I especially like the idea of the Black Shroud having slightly more coniferous forests in the north and a bit more tropical in the south...

Also, part of this is looking to the future as well. Even if they don't change anything with the current zones, at least they will know what the players prefer when making new ones.

[Nuru]

I'm with making multiple zones for each area. Perhaps separating each of our current zones into 3. My idea of having a "Hyrule Field" per Camp and then branching off into different and unique areas.. For example..

Ul'Dah (Because I started here before it became Jeuno, so shut up. :P)

You venture out into the first zone, which contains Camp Blackbrush. The zone is about the same size as it always is. Nanawa Mines will still be a seamless zone. There will be the zone that branches off into the Camp Horizon map, which will contain the ferry to Limsa Lominsa. Then another Zone into Camp Drybone.

The Camp Drybone and Horizon Zones will alter in appearance, instead of having to use copy/paste from the Camp Blackbrush, they will have their own unique textures, that of which could expand the creativity of creating even more zones that these maps can branch off into.

Each zone with a camp will be like a "Hyrule Field" in this case.

[Tahlia]

If this is anything to do with potential PS3 limitations on memory then I'd go with option 2 but code the PC version to be seamless loading since they should be more than capable of handling it. The evolution of graphic quality since the release of WoW is a poor excuse as PCs have evolved too over the years to meet those demands. Also after the long initial loading when logging on, zoning takes up hardly any loading time at all on my PC and its a far cry from top of the line. So I'm sure PCs can handle it.

The only thing I hate about zoning and loading screens is the lack of transition. I'm running through the Black Shroud (a heavily forested area), hit an invisible wall, everything goes black and bam....I'm suddenly in the middle of Cortheas or Thanalan wondering how on earth I got there. It's like if someone knocked me out and dumped me in the middle of nowhere.

Maybe they could even do it like the old FF games and have you exit onto a world map.

[Nevrath]

I think its hopeless some dont want so see the diffrence between LotRO(someone forgot to explain those guys the meaning of "motion-capturing" -.-)/WoW/Linage2(zomg realy serious here? XD).
I advice to log in that games now after playing ff14 and if it isnt clear then... im not sure how i could explain any better then: If it was how some here want it their PC would fail at them, they would lag like hell and whenever they'd enter an opening with more objects to load (yes even a bush is an object, the more diffrent ones the worse it gets) you would freeze for a short time.
I can imagine the forum-flames in that case.. :P
Nah thanks i dont want this there are enough laggy mmos out there.
Besides, Red Dead Redemtion is not an mmo. There is a reson why a mmo with same graphics costs alot more then a single player.
Also they again do copy-paste, look at the plants. ;-)

Oh the long useless roads in the Black Shroud are to hide zoneing i found that out already but Black Shroud one are like 4x as long as the other ones...which is... i dunno that rather feels like bad level design.

Are they realy redoing it? XD I love how it looks at the water parts, but every way to the "upper" level looks same which wouldnt be bad if there werent so damn MANY of them, its hundrets! They are everywhere! Run they will get you!
...
Ok now i lost it.

I like the idea of it being a giant wood labyrinth but i dunno. It doesnt "feel" like a real wood.
Actually as crappy as LotRO is that dark scary wood is done quite well. Also the lanscapes are nice but they also copy-pasted alot. Everyone copy-pastes their enviroment objects and textures. There is damn good reason for that: You couldnt play it if they didnt. Might be they all just hid it a little better then SE.

I like how they made La Noscea, i realy do, the Music is nice, the weather fits the Area.

I also like Thanalan. Even the Swamp Parts look like some weird nature-occurence. Would be nice to get a story behind them at some point. The only thing about Thanalan which REALY is totaly atmosphere breaking is: Why in the nine hells is it 80% of the time im there raining? XD
It rains so much there how come its not a tropical paradise thingy jet? :P

Towards FUEL: Is there the possibility in that game that 100+ player happen to be in the same sight area of each other and will that not cause the game to crash?
How exactly is the world generated? Can you return to placed where ou previusly where? Will they look the same? That might be a trouble in a mmo where you need to be able to return to certain places which need to look the absolute same for Quest positions for example...

[Chrees]

I also like Thanalan. Even the Swamp Parts look like some weird nature-occurence. Would be nice to get a story behind them at some point. The only thing about Thanalan which REALY is totaly atmosphere breaking is: Why in the nine hells is it 80% of the time im there raining? XD
It rains so much there how come its not a tropical paradise thingy jet? :P

In regards to the rain, you might want to check out threads like this one. It doesn't always rain that much; it's just a part of an ongoing event.

[Gramul]

Defiantly more zones with more variety.
Part of what I loved about XI was the fact that it was an adventure through a bunch of different places to get anywhere.

For XIV you just have to take a boat and climb up an orange hill and bam, you're in the next city.

[Nevrath]

Hm maybe i was "lucky" then when i first went there a month ago and fetched rain right away. o.o
Im not there alot so i think this event thing+my seemingly raindancing abilitys add up.. lol

[Chrees]

Also, FYI to everyone who doesn't know already:

You know those long valleys that connect Black Brush to Drybone, Black Brush to Horizion, Skull Valley to Bald Knoll, Bloodshore to Cedarwood, etc?

Those are there to hide the rest of the environment while the game loads the next area for you. Those long, pointless valley parts are in essence, a loading zone in itself.

I just wish the other players wouldn't disappear when you cross these borders. Makes for a loss of immersion, and as I said earlier, breaks any auto-follow you might have. Lord knows how many times I've gone AFK to go to the bathroom and put myself on auto-follow, only to find myself running into a wall when I come back.

[Masamune]

I love the big seemless world. I may be the minority because I like to walk around and explore. Makes it actually feel like a world not just some instance. I've had a lot of problems with games where there is an epic scene and it is interrupted with a loading screen. Half life 2 had major problems with this when it first came out. I also find there is enough variety in the zones that you can visually tell which part of the zone you are in. There are many unique parts of the world as well that just require you to explore a little. The copy and paste complaints are just from people who like many people on this forum, are just trying to find something to complain about. It's not like they made a suburban zone here.