Please make XIV Resemble FF Franchise: Cities Need Color

[Sykora727]

First of all, great job SE for working on improving the game! There's nothing I'd want to see more than to have a Final Fantasy MMO where my character can be the hero. Below is my request:

The first thing I notice when playing XIV is that is barely resembles the style of rest of the Final Fantasy franchise. I'll go over why I believe this....

So today I'd like to ask that cities, such as Ul'dah and Limsa Lominsa to be visually improved. These both are brilliantly structured but lack assets like color, glass, grass, trees, bushes, city banners, presence of an army (besides 2 guards), more npcs, etc.

Below are some areas I noticed that seem very bland. (I'll strictly be talking about Ul'dah to save text.)

Compare Ul'Dah To Archades and Rabanastre from FFXII

Archades
http://i.min.us/in44Po.jpg

Rabanastre
http://i.min.us/in84co.png

Ul'Dah
Little color
http://i.min.us/in44Pq.jpg

Bland. Only has shades of brown and orange.
http://i.min.us/ilnsno.jpg

There needs to be more props and a reason for them existing. These look random and lonely next to a single closed door.
http://i.min.us/in4BnE.jpg

It took me 6 months to notice this awesome architecture because nothing caused me to look up at it. Where are the city banners, colorful flags, flowers in windows, evidence that people live in the city walls etc?
http://i.min.us/ilrCJ4.jpg

I wish the city lights look more like the aetherial nodes—more FF-looking, less regular lamp. More colors too please, the lonely yellow on the brown theme looks lifeless and lonely.
http://i.min.us/ilnWHG.jpg

No light comes through in any buildings.
http://i.min.us/in8xDS.jpg

I only found a bushes throughout the entire city, but the ones I found looked great!
http://i.min.us/ilsg9u.jpg

These alleyways are so deserted and empty. Where are all the npcs?
http://i.min.us/ilnnXa.jpg

This city does not resemble the wealthy city-state it's supposed to be.
http://i.min.us/ilnyBE.jpg

In summary, please add more assets, such as trees, areas of grass, city banners and flags, more npcs especially soldiers, glass, crates, bushes, children and families (who are we protecting anyway?) etc. As for design, please add more color to the structure and less burnt-looking stone. More blues to go with the orange and brown (etc), colored walkways, etc. I'm certain that Limsa could benefit from some of these improvements as well.

Thank you,

Maddix

[Kirith]

Reminds me of something:

http://www.rpgfan.com/features/ffxi_...xi_tour-9b.jpg

Gotta agree with the OP, anyway. I have very little attachment for any of the cities...

[Masamune]

I actually have no problem with cities, especially Grid and LL. I think LL is awesome and very Final Fantasy. But of course additions are always welcome.

[Physic]

there is no real look for ff franchise cities, the games tend to be in different universes and have different looks through out.

That said, really looking at the cities, they are fairly well designed, Ul dah is in a desert, so its not surprising there isnt a wealth of plants. i think different people will have different favorites, depending on thier own tastes, I do think that maybe ul dah and gridania may have went a little too far with thier color schemes, virtually nothing in grid isnt green or brown, and almost everything in ul dah is a shade of orange/brown. A couple spots that break up the monotony and have more color might be good, but i wouldnt go too overboard with it and change the feeling of the cities (ie ul dah should still feel like a desert town)

[Verecund]

LL definitely reminds me of some of Yoshitaka Amano's past concept pieces

[naero]

Have you ever been to a real city before? They aren't colorful places excepting holidays and places like Times Square.

Color for the sake of color? No thanks.

[viion]

Have you ever been to a real city before? They aren't colorful places excepting holidays and places like Times Square.

Color for the sake of color? No thanks.

Have you ever fought of a giant floating eye in a place that fills with foggy liquid and has a disbanded ship in the middle?

[Verecund]

No... but I have ridden a blue Horsebird!

[Physic]

Have you ever been to a real city before? They aren't colorful places excepting holidays and places like Times Square.

Color for the sake of color? No thanks.

Ehhh i live in NY, theres various color variations in buildings and trees and what not, of course nyc is an old city, and a lot of the buildings were designed in different eras, but yeah you dont want to go that crazy with color variation unless its a part of the towns charachter to be bright and vibrant

[Chardrizard]

Have you ever been to a real city before? They aren't colorful places excepting holidays and places like Times Square.

Color for the sake of color? No thanks.

why do you want realism so bad on a FANTASY game? i want my city to be as vibrant as my egg cap in my sig.