One to Fifty, One Zone - Long OP

[AmyRae]

One thing that's easily forgotten but is still very impressive is seeing the towns looming in the distance, knowing you can actually walk over and see it in detail (well, except Ishgard). If this effect were used more often in more in the "regular" areas, such as with Mor Dhona's fallen airship, along with a little more variety in the terrain, such as with Blue Fog's mysterious peaks, I think exploring will become a much more rewarding experience, even at low levels.

[Seikninkuru]

I think it's great it means the zones will stay more populated.

[PanTone]

I don't understand where people are saying the zone feel "copy+pasted", visually I find them pretty dynamic. Being able to see cities off in the distance is majorly gorgeous and the night skies in all of the zones are so beautiful. I also enjoy the bits and pieces that I have seen within XIV from XI. There are already a lot of strong comparisons:

• Parts of Coerthus look like Konstant Highlands and Jugner.. other parts look and feel like Bata Downs, snowy winds included!
• Mun Tuy and the Tam Tara look a lot like Temple of Uggalepih and KRT.
• The beaches of La Noscea (like near South Bloodshore) remind me of Valkrum and of course La Noiscea in general reminds me of La Theine.
• Aleport reminds me of Bibiki Bay, you can even grab a quest where you go collect clams, lol (remember that event!? :D)
• Gridania screams Windurst with its red awnings and long pathways carved out of the mountains.
• Parts of the Shroud remind me Kazham with its random docks and other parts remind me Grauberg with the cool water falls and walking through the screams and climbing next to rapids. When you get to walk through the huge rotted out trees that have fallen over, that reminds me of Zitah!
• Thanalan has got to be a reincarnate of Tahrongi Canayon with its gorgeous orange and red hues. Other parts remind me of Dangruf Wadi, Gustaberg, Meriph, and Fort K-N.
• Mor Dhona..ahh, Mount Zhayolm, anyone? :p

In concern with the OP... The mob placement works for me, it seems lower ranked mobs are closer to the more traveled paths while higher ranked ones you have to go poking around to see. Besides, it exciting to cross a bridge in Gridania and see a rank 70 Waterdog staring you down (nom nom nom!)! More of a challenge too, when reaching the Sea of Spires or Longroot or Dragon's Peak or wherever has tons of aggressive mobs, it feels like a great accomplishment dodging those those crazy beasts and grabbing the aetheryte points.

Honestly I find it pretty funny to see a R99 Goblin.. I really don't care that I cannot fight it now or even in the near future. Just makes sense that there is still something in the world of Eorzea (no matter if I am max rank or not) that can still kick my butt if I try to mess with it!

I really hope this is not a pressing matter for the Dev Team. Asking for a redesign is so greedy and will take away from other more important matters that really need addressing. The sense of adventure is there, I suggest maybe not being too scared to take a death or two? Or maybe just have some patience and be excited for when they release the new zones and expansions. :D

[Madruk]

All you have to do is look at the map to see how much was copy pasted. Before the 1.18 patch there were 0 points of interest other than the camps. Even after 1.18 the beastmen camps and towns are randomly scattered across the map. There's no sense of handcrafted to it at all.

What I find extremely odd is all the interesting places are closed off. There's quite a few areas that don't have this feeling but are not populated and can only be accessed by outside the box means.

[Exni]

Preypacer, your ignorance on what your attempting to speak on is just a little too high for me. I can't believe you just tried to make the same arguement again. This thread is about the level of mobs in the zones of XI vs XIV. In order to level, you need level appropriate mobs. In XI, that basically required you to travel to the same zones, following the same path to level each time. In XIV, since zones are not pigeon holed into a small level range of mobs each (not to mention zones in XIV are much larger than in XI), you could level from 1 - 50 in the different areas of the Shroud, OR in Thanalan, OR in another zone, OR mix it up, and you wouldn't hindering yourself by doing this (as you would in XI if you chose to not level at the optimal camps/zones). If you decide to waste your time by attempting to find your own less efficient leveling places in XI, thats your deal. Even still, its not like you could go level in high level zones as a low level anyway (like you can in XIV because there is no 'high level zones' vs 'low level zones').. Do you see how your completely missing the point?? Most of prefer to play other aspects of the game, grinding xp wasn't all that XI was.. but I guess for you maybe it was.. since you enjoyed dragging the process out. Again you attempt to make some point about XI having more zones than XIV.. what that point was?.. noone knows.. Your just rambling at this point. You have no arguement, because your not even arguing against the point I made. I can't make it anymore simple than that.. If you'd like to attempt to discuss another topic w/ me we can give it a shot, but I just can't stand debating against ignorance.. nobody wins. ==> /ignore

[Perrin_Aybarra]

There was no drama for 1100 posts, please read the OP + links. This issue was discussed, commented by the reps and even Yoshi-P agrees with this issue of bland copy/pasted zones with no sense of progression.

It's not just about monster placement, its how within one zone that looks exactly the same everywhere you can level to max. Sure you can choose to go to another zone since there is no specific place to go but the issue remains.

Yoshi knows about this and this is why he confirmed that zones will be redesigned to have 2-3 themes per zones.

So instead of having Central Shroud, Western Shroud, Eastern Shroud that looks all the same, you'll have 3 different looking sub-zones. Sure you'll be able to level from 1-50 in the black shroud if you want, but the sub-zones will make it so you don't feel like you've been in the same exact place forever.

This is in short what it is. Please cut the drama, this thread was doing fine without it.

Edit: Plus there is nothing more to discuss really since Yoshi-P agrees and the drawings for the redesigned maps are done and they are currently modeling them according to an interview in Famitsu magazine.

Here is a bit of it in case you don't want to look for it, translated by Reinheart:

改良マップのひな型もできてるらしいぞ
神ゲーはじまったな
Draft for the remodeled map is made
God game gonna start (Kami-ge Godly/Good/Awesome game)
一マップに2つ3つのランドマークを置くらしいぜ
One map will have 2-3 land marks
──マップを大規模改修中とのことですが、具体的にはどのような変更が行われるのでしょうか？
You said the map is having major remodeling changes, basically what kind of changes will be made?

吉田　すでに仕様は決まり、サンプルもできあがっているので、
後はレベルデザインを煮詰め、その後物量をこなすという状態です。
コンセプトとしては一度足を踏み入れると忘れられない印象が残るように、
それぞれのエリアやゾーンにテーマを3つくらい入れていこうかと。目安ですが。
YoshiP: Specifications are already decided and sample is already made. Next need to get into level design and (...dunno how to translate this part basically making adjustments to them.)
From concept, it's type of area once you step in you wont forget. In each area/zone want to put around 3 themes

岩尾　ランドマークとして機能するようになります。
Iwao: It will act as a landmark

Case closed, now move on.

[stardrifter]

new looking zones is a must and Im happy about that but what about progression? If i can goto any of the new zones and lvl 1-50 it doesn;t solve the problem sure it makes things look better which I am happy about

[Perrin_Aybarra]

new looking zones is a must and Im happy about that but what about progression? If i can goto any of the new zones and lvl 1-50 it doesn;t solve the problem sure it makes things look better which I am happy about

Well isn't moving from sub-zones to sub-zones when you level up a sense of progression? It's just that you'll have a choice of 2-3 sub-zones to level (Thanalan, Shroud, La Nosca). Since each sub-zones within the big zone will have different themes associated to it, you'll feel like you are progression rather than being in the same place forever.

With adjustments to monster distributions, quests, leves and more story missions + grand company, I am sure we will have a feeling of progression when we level up.

[Exni]

So instead of having Central Shroud, Western Shroud, Eastern Shroud that looks all the same, you'll have 3 different looking sub-zones. Sure you'll be able to level from 1-50 in the black shroud if you want, but the sub-zones will make it so you don't feel like you've been in the same exact place forever.

^^ This. That change is all thats really needed regarding this. It'll be greeeaaaatt.. hopefully.

Drama is sometimes unavoidable with some of the ppl in these threads.. I stated my view on the OP's topic, then ppl want to create drama out of points that weren't even being discussed. Meh, can't do anything but move on like I said and /ignore the rabble if/when it continues.

[Tiberious]

I completely agree with this post 100%. XIV underwhelmed me every step of the way. Each time I knew I was going to to a new camp I expected some grand change in the landscape only to be disappointed. Even moving to new areas gave me only marginal satisfaction. Mor Dhona is OKAY but it's basically Thanalan copy-pasted, dark, and with crystals jutting out of the ground. Coerthas is charming and about the most different geography I've seen. But even there I was underwhelmed at my discovery of the new land.

XIV provided NOTHING in the way of level progression like XI did. Moving from ronfaure to valkurm dunes to jugner forest, over to Jeuno and batalla downs, yhoator jungle, and beyond gave us an amazingly unique experience. Through all of it's numerous flaws FFXI was and still is a fantastic MMO and Square has alot of work to make ARR provide that same level of satisfaction.

The level of work they put into after launch will depend on how much player support they receive. So I am willing to rally the troops and have everyone I can give it a try. But Square better deliver or this one is going to fall, and fall hard.