FATE system shoudl feel organic to the zone.

[Karnyboy]

Much in the same way that the GW2 event system works. Events are linked to an overall theme of the racial lands or the zone you're in and while after a time they may repeat it's cleverly designed to seem like a tug-of-war between the NPC's.

It's an overall well thought out system that's more organic feeling to the world than areas popping up just because that's where they spawn.

I can't explain in under 1000 characters what I mean unless you've played GW2

[Enkidoh]

In other words, you want it to be more like Campaign from FFXI where you were fighting against the Beastmen forces for control of the area and every week the campaign map would change depending on who had the most influence in that zone based on battle wins and losses.

I always loved Campaign, but the thing is, although sharing similarities with Campaign, FATEs just aren't about fighting the beastmen, they also include NMs which are often just monsters plaguing the countryside, or something as mundane as stepping between a drunk and another patron he's hassling, or, in one humorous FATE, escorting a courtesan to her next client.

And FATEs do fit the overall theme of the zone - for instance Odin spawns in the South Shroud because sidequests revealed

that's where he had been sealed centuries before by Urth the Allagan sorceress and technically where he is still bound to

. La Noscean FATEs often involve desperate land-locked pirates harassing travellers. Black Shroud FATEs may involve assisting the Wood Wailers in fighting poachers or animals deemed by the elementals as harmful to the forest. Ul'dah FATEs often involve fighting marauding monsters or assisting miners or helping refugees. There is definitely a connection with each FATE to the zone they spawn in.

Unfortunately, because certain FATEs can be exploited by exp parties (*cough cough*, Dark Devices), it's given the whole FATE system a bad name now, which is a shame, as I really enjoy the system.

[Alphoter5]

I would be great. GW2 events really feel organic, like a little part of a living breathing world. It was an awesome experience (tho i didnt like the game overall). FATES dont feel even near to GW2's events. Its like they just put some mobs together, addes a stupid descrption and boom: FATES. And they are almost all the same stuff. I hope they can improve this system in the years to come. Im aware is not highly possible because changing a system that its the core of a game its not easy, but... one can dream, no?

[Dark-Saviour]

GW2 events...
Organic...

Seriously?

That was actually one of my biggest qualms with them. They may fit in terms of "An Asuran invention has gone terribly wrong!" or "The centaurs are attacking the humans again!", but they all ended up feeling extremely isolated (and repetitive), so zones ended up feeling like they were comprised of a bunch of self-contained areas that had little to do with one another. And having pretty much everything in the game world tied to a dynamic event made the world feel a lot more shallow to me. Some things should just be and persist; instead they all felt like props to bolster a gameplay mechanic. :-/


If you took the concept of event chains and did it right, weaving them together with events from multiple surrounding areas all affecting one another as well as the central dynamic of the area, that'd be awesome. But to do things the way GW2 actually ended up doing it, it'd only serve to make things worse, IMO... Currently FATES are shallow enough that they don't really register. With the GW2 setup, they're notable enough to really make you notice them, but in a way that personally diminishes the immersiveness of the world.

[MajikNET]

It would feel like the worlds in general are missing some type of ongoing 'simulation' running in the background. The world is full of life, but they're all other adventurers, they're not the rest of the world getting on with it's life. Take those FATE's which are basically "some guy gets drunk and kicked out of the bar"; they just pop up and you're expected to take note of the FATE text to understand why... What would be great, would be having those characters in the bars, interacting with other simulated NPCs and over time things get more unruly until the FATE breaks out.

There's so many things in the world that are setup to make you think that things are going on; people loading up air-lifts, traders with chocoholic carts, farmers sitting around camp fires... But they're all static in real terms. Those people don't do something different in the evening. They don't ever move. If they're part of a quest chain, you never really have to 'go looking' for them. There's a tonne of potential to add life into the 'world' and make things like FATEs fit into the experience in a much better way.

[RyioGradion]

In relation to the OP, I feel like if people read the FATE text AND the quest text it's like pieces of a puzzle that fit nicely together.
The story, quests, FATE, item descriptions, etc all work together to weave a wonderful background.

For example, they mention NPCs you've interacted with previously in FATEs and whatnot. Gotta keep them eyes peeled.

[Raestloz]

In relation to the OP, I feel like if people read the FATE text AND the quest text it's like pieces of a puzzle that fit nicely together.
The story, quests, FATE, item descriptions, etc all work together to weave a wonderful background.

For example, they mention NPCs you've interacted with previously in FATEs and whatnot. Gotta keep them eyes peeled.

By the way, Lalafells are currently the no.1 snack of beasts in Eorzea. The first lightning fate? threatens lalafells. The big bird near maiden mill? Loves to eat lalafells.

Lalafells all the way.

[FJerome]

At least in Outer and Western La Noscea there's a couple of FATEs you can tell are going to pop before they show-up on the map because the NPCs will be wandering around doing the things that'll lead to the events of the FATE happening.

And I swear to God I actually saw Hunberct Longhaft actually running away from the attack on High Bridge last night. That may have been a glitch but it was pretty funny.

[ruskie]

Most fates have something leading up to them... Seen it plenty of times... NPCS starting even quite a fair way away from the final location with dialogue and stuff... and if you follow them you will eventually get to it. Though true some are almost pop-in.