One to Fifty, One Zone - Long OP

[Rinsui]

It's almost ridiculous, but true nonetheless.
MMO Players around the world kept crying for a seamless world, and now that we have it, all are dissatisfied.
The irony.

[Rowyne]

MMO Players around the world kept crying for a seamless world, and now that we have it, all are dissatisfied.

5 enormous zones that slam into each other with no transition does not equal a seamless world. I think something was lost in translation on that one.

[Richard]

keep the discussion and ideas flowing in Siobu, would be nice to get a dev response at some point in this thread!

[Shikaree]

The world doesn't even make sense. I mean Thanalan's desert suddenly transforms into a forest at the Shroud zone line? Where's the transition? I always felt there was a region missing between those and even on the world map it looks like there should be a desert area that turns into a grassy area followed by a river and then grassy before going to forest. Shroud itself makes no sense. If you've ever been north of Nine Ivies you'll see the area is miles above the ground, yet on the world map it's all flat.

I don't think they can fix these areas. They just need to be forgotten about as soon as an expansion comes along and adds new areas. Then again we aren't even using Coerthas and Mor Dhona for content yet or the 20 or so dungeons that are locked away.

It's almost ridiculous, but true nonetheless.
MMO Players around the world kept crying for a seamless world, and now that we have it, all are dissatisfied.
The irony.

This is why I don't even consider the world seamless. Anything within a region I call a zone, I'm looking for the seamless world to happen between zones.

When I got into open beta and started in Gridania and then went to Ul'dah, I was very disappointed that there was no seamless transition from a forest to a desert. You see the forest, you zone, you see the desert. You don't see a transition start happening when you get to the southern part of the shroud, you don't see hints of a forest starting behind you as you enter the desert, you hit a line and the game blacks out and reloads you into another area ala FFXI. I wanted to see a walk where you eventually see the transition and the game loads you to another part of the server as you keep moving and no stop and black screens.

This is why I'm disappointed by their "seamless world".

[Siobu]

Wow, I'm so very surprised at the responses to my thoughts. I'm so glad that others have also noticed and share my concern. Thank you all so much! I apologize for the lack of a [Tag], I am new to posting.

I sincerely hope that -everyone's- thoughts here are read by the team and that they might offer us some insight. Anything, in any format.

I also would like to reinforce my thoughts to some who might have misunderstood me, that it is not only the lack of variety/zones that most concerns me (although this also needs to be addressed), but the fact that we do not NEED any new zones. As it stands, we may level from 1 to 50 without ever, ever leaving one zone.

This is so worrying, because they don't need to add new ones. So, will they? Why would they? Why would they want to add even more zones that have enemies of the same ranks as all the rest? Do we need any zone at all? We already have three 1-50 zones. Why would they add another 1-30? Or a 40-50? (Edit: I thought I'd clarify that I definitely have no issues with zones with similar ranges. I have an issue when there's zones with -no- range already in the game. Sorry!)

When we hit a certain level of strength, we should take our weapons and friends, and travel onwards. There should be no more honorable fights in the Shroud. You should have to leave home.

I do not ask only for new areas, but for each area to serve a purpose in a character's life. Not be it's entire purpose. Elementary school, middle school, high school, college, to university. Not just "school."

We don't want to be able to level from 1 to 50, or from 51 to 99, in one, single zone. We want progression. We want to step over milestones. We want to travel to a land which has enemies of different levels than the last area we conquered, in addition to a new environment. With new themes, towns. But most importantly, a new zone for a new range of levels. (*I understand that 'we' does not pertain to everyone, sorry!)

I hope that might clear up a bit what I was saying to some! I'm sorry for being confusing.

Thank you again for all of the feedback and voicing your own concerns about this. Again, I'm glad I'm not alone.

[Meph]

@ Richard: I agree and i like your example. I know a lot ppl hated the loading screens in XI, but i would accept a few seconds of a loading screen to get a variiety of landscape and different areas to explore. And as it was in XI areas which made me like to stop and take a picture because its just beautiful and different anywhere you go.

[ShinobiHakeem]

I loved reading every bit of your post. I honestly felt I wanna start up my "PlayOnline" with its cozy bluish interface checking my messages and logging into Vanadiel with my NIN and explore! You scratched a huge surface of good memories.

I agree with most of the comments above. But it is true that FFXIV's zones are WAY bigger than FFXI. however, I need to echo my fellow players above that it needs diversity in nature, in mobs, in feeling overall (be it music, or any other affect that adds to the gamer's experience) I do appreciate the work that was put into the current zone, but yes it is not enough.

Thanks for such a nice topic!

[Richard]

We've all probably seen the leaked dungeon photos/vids floating around by now and it brings up an interesting thought. All of the dungeons (thus far) have just been re textured instances of prior areas of the game. SE has made minor cosmetic touch ups like adding large Coral trees to the La Noscea instances, lots of background overgrowth and misc. wooden structures in the Black Shroud instances, large broken eggs, pools of bright glowing liquid and ancient architecture in the Coerthas instances and glowing aether, flowing water and webs to the Thanalan Ant Lairs.

Now how hard would it be to give each zone/subzone in the game that small attention to detail? Add a few things here, re texture spots of the environment there. With zone lines this would give drastic changes to each subzone of each map. How hard would it be to re texture mobs in each specific area? XI did it with every mob in the game and even though it was monotonous, it was 100% better than what we have right now.

To be completely honest I don't even think it would take them that long either. After they get all the core systems fixed it would probably only take their artists/programmers a month or two to do. It's the little things like this that would bring back the wide eyed adventurer feeling we all got when we first stepped foot into Vanadiel. BRING IT BACK!

thoughts?

[Perrin_Aybarra]

We've all probably seen the leaked dungeon photos/vids floating around by now and it brings up an interesting thought. All of the dungeons (thus far) have just been re textured instances of prior areas of the game. SE has made minor cosmetic touch ups like adding large Coral trees to the La Noscea instances, lots of background overgrowth and misc. wooden structures in the Black Shroud instances, large broken eggs, pools of bright glowing liquid and ancient architecture in the Coerthas instances and glowing aether, flowing water and webs to the Thanalan Ant Lairs.

Richard, would you be so kind as to tell me where I can see those leaked photos/vids?

[Richard]

Richard, would you be so kind as to tell me where I can see those leaked photos/vids?

I wont post direct information on the forums as it's against their ToS but I can tell you just search around on FFXIVPRO for a few minutes. Or youtube for that matter.