I don't feel like i'm playing an mmo...and I know why

[Mohamed]

I have thought long and hard about the "why" though... and it has all pointed to one aspect found within this game:
Zones having a claustrophobic feel to them.

The zones feel small to me. Even maximizing the camera view distance and graphics and zooming out I feel like i'm in a very choked space. Someone mentioned corridoring... maybe that's it. There is no real world example to give you to paint the picture but if you go by feeling, claustrophobic would be it.

When I travel outside, I turn around and see the borders, which makes it even more claustrophobic... and then I know what I see is where I can go so it's like... "oh quest isn't here" ok teleport! Literally my quest completion so far has been majority of the time: teleport to aether -> talk to NPC in room in city -> teleport to other aether... lather rinse repeat. I am not complaining about teleport at all. In fact, I am very neutral about this. This post and this thread isn't meant to focus on teleporting from one place to another, rather... it is meant to focus on what ideas we can provide to be able to make this world feel more like a world and not like a couple of towns, with minimal area around each town, that's 1 minute of travel (or instant) from the other town.

Please understand that I am talking only about me here. Basically, some of you may agree that you don't feel like you're playing an mmo but for a different reason - which is perfectly fine. Some of you may not relate to me at all.. I.E: To you, it's an mmo and it feels like an mmo. Some of you may relate to me completely...

So, just thought to put it out there so we can have a good discussion.


I love the graphics in this game, its races, jobs, and playstyle which is why I will still be throwing my money at Square Enix every month. I want to see it grow not shrink so closing my sub wouldn't help my case since they do need my money and everyone else's money to improve the game, which is what I sincerely hope they will use it for.


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Due to my 3 post limit, I will be updating this main post with a few key responses that help further focus the intent of this thread:

For example, on page 3, Calyanare said the following:

I think what people want is the high-res textures and zone size from 1.0, and not the copypasta. In case that wasn't obvious.

Reason this was said was because a few players in this thread thought I wanted what a majority of other threads want -> which is to revert back to 1.0 (something I'm unfamiliar with, I joined in December so I'm talking solely based on how ffxiv was in december since I wasn't there for 1.0 I don't have any clue about 1.0).

Also, the following was said by Jomoru on page 3:

Its good to know something like Skyrim would make you feel like you're playing an MMo...

There are two ways I would like to approach your statement Jomoru:
While you are correct in implying that the proper definition of mmo is in fact referring to the massive amounts of players online playing with you in a role-playing environment, and therefore, it doesn't have to be "massive" in terms of zone size, I feel like mmorpgs based on exploring/questing/dungeoneering/raiding/etc should build upon the mmorpg skeleton and in fact develop environments that can bring out more of those activities, not limit those activities.

Or, of course, it doesn't even need to have zones or world questing/exploration themes at all... see Disney's MMORPG "Pixie Hollow"... it's an mmorpg by definition but you get what I mean...

Skyrim being an MMO is really a good example of something I'm talking about I guess. Huge world, not instanced in the sense that I won't ever need to experience a loading screen to explore the whole world or meet up with another character (unless they are in a dungeon) and it has a lot of interaction with the environment.

However, this is final fantasy 14. Let's try and light the light bulbs and get some ideas going to make final fantasy 14 a little bit more breathe-easy and less like you are going from point a to point b to point c in a tight environment.

[Niadissa]

I can understand this. I just figured that the quests they introduced where literly. I need you to teleport halfway (or completely) to the other side of the continent to get this one item then bring it back to me so I can tell you to go to another place. Personally I believe that Square is doing this as a way to drain more money from the economy. Its not much, but when you figure in all of the players that are teleporting, its a pretty significant number. (could also just be time for a tin foil hat, but who knows)

[Galliano]

I don't feel like i'm playing an mmo...

Because one of the M's is missing from this game.

[Cubester]

To me it's the fact that the game exists of zones rather than one huge open world. Everything feels instanced. If you enter a city you get a loading screen and you are isolated from the world. Every zone in the world is isolated in fact. Even inside the cities there are different zones with a loading screen that, for me at least, take away from the immersion.

That having been said, I still enjoy the game and will continue to play it for quite a while. But having the isolated zones replaced with open, larger zones would make me even happier.

[Ri_ri]

I have a few problems with this game, but zone size is not one of them. I think Central Shroud has the perfect size.

When they're too big it feels dead, that's what would kill the "MMORPG" feeling to me. I'm still seeing a few people here and there doing their quests/FATEs... that's enough for me.

[Zfz]

When they're too big it feels dead, that's what would kill the "MMORPG" feeling to me.

I would rather that the wilderness (and the forest, taking Central Shroud as an example) be dangerous. Traveling along the known paths are more or less safe, but venturing into the woods will be dangerous. Let players congregate in towns and camps to create that feeling of the MMO. The more populated a zone is, the less adventure it becomes.

For example deserts are supposed to feel dead. Deep woods are supposed to be quiet with hidden dangers behind the next tree. Great plains on the other hand are safer because you can see at a distance any threats approaching.

Lack of people doesn't necessarily kill the MMO feeling for me. Having all the zones always populated feels too crowded. No more fantasy in that.

[Narcissus]

FFXIV is an MORPG

[Mohamed]

I can understand this. I just figured that the quests they introduced where literally “ I need you to teleport halfway (or completely) to the other side of the continent to get this one item then bring it back to me so I can tell you to go to another place.” Personally I believe that Square is doing this as a way to drain more money from the economy. Its not much, but when you figure in all of the players that are teleporting, it’s a pretty significant number. (Could also just be time for a tin foil hat, but who knows).

Haha yea…that’s basically most of my quests at the moment!

Because one of the M's is missing from this game.

Massive :P

To me it's the fact that the game exists of zones rather than one huge open world. Everything feels instanced. If you enter a city you get a loading screen and you are isolated from the world. Every zone in the world is isolated in fact. Even inside the cities there are different zones with a loading screen that, for me at least, take away from the immersion. That having been said, I still enjoy the game and will continue to play it for quite a while. But having the isolated zones replaced with open, larger zones would make me even happier.

Oh man, would I love to see Square Enix transition at one point in time to just a huge fricking world – no instanced “zones” but keeping the instanced “dungeons” – that would be awesome.

FFXIV is an MORPG

Yea... basically how I feel. Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game. It's got mostly a RPG style element to it, but you can group up with others online to do some content. Is it massive? I don't think so. It feels like I'm zone hopping. If only real world was like this? Teleport to work... teleport to eat... teleport to...yea..you get the point :P That would be awesome.

By the way, I like teleporting. I just feel like Teleporting + huge open world is a trillion times better than teleporting to a corridor like instanced mini map.

[Cubester]

By the way, I like teleporting. I just feel like Teleporting + huge open world is a trillion times better than teleporting to a corridor like instanced mini map.

Honestly, I don't know how I feel about the whole teleporting thing. It also takes away the feeling of being in a large world by being able to get everywhere in mere seconds (or minutes if your PC is slow ).

Anyway, I'd rather see teleporting be done away with and Chocobo porters be made the number one form of transportation. Kind of like WoW does with flight paths (I know, I mentioned WoW, don't shoot me). But I feel that this way you are made aware that you are actually in a large world. Not to mention you can just relax and enjoy the scenery.
As it is, Choco porters are pretty useless apart from when you need the toilet and need to go to a place with no Aetherite.

[Mohamed]

Honestly, I don't know how I feel about the whole teleporting thing. It also takes away the feeling of being in a large world by being able to get everywhere in mere seconds (or minutes if your PC is slow ).

Anyway, I'd rather see teleporting be done away with and Chocobo porters be made the number one form of transportation. Kind of like WoW does with flight paths (I know, I mentioned WoW, don't shoot me). But I feel that this way you are made aware that you are actually in a large world. Not to mention you can just relax and enjoy the scenery.
As it is, Choco porters are pretty useless apart from when you need the toilet and need to go to a place with no Aetherite.

Made me lol IRL.

But yea, I can see your point 100 %. I wouldn't mind if they took away teleporting either now that I think about it. I'm kind of neutral on the teleporting. MY main focus is making zones feel less like you're being squeezed into a small map.

Bet you same as me have not done Odin, Behemoth, Crystal Tower, join a FC, making static groups for coil and do hm/ex primal. Or do fun thing in Mor Dona. What part does not feel like MMO?

I am part of a wonderful FC called One Hit Knock Out <OHKO>. This isn't about not feeling there are other players around because I certainly feel their presence and can and do interact with other players. The downside is that it feels like I'm not playing a massive morpg. It feels instanced, small, claustrophobic, feels like im being tunneled from place to place with no room to breathe. I literally go from one side of a town to another side of that same town and that's one half of the map.

I.E: It's like each map is centered on a "town"... yet that "town" takes up so much area. It's like i'm playing in a medium sized country landscape filled with farms and each farm makes up a lot of the landscape. The free area is small and is mainly used for travelling... not exploring.

Well, that's my view.