Bring back zones like:

[CrAZYVIC]

Castle Zvahl Baleys - http://ffxi.somepage.com/zonedb/95
Delkfutts tower - http://ffxi.somepage.com/zonedb/73
Castle Oztroja - http://ffxi.somepage.com/zonedb/8
Fei'Yin - http://ffxi.somepage.com/zonedb/39
Grand Palace of Hu'Zxoi - http://ffxi.somepage.com/zonedb/160
Garliage Citidel - http://ffxi.somepage.com/zonedb/7

If they add this areas without a solid purpose, only the FFXI players will check this zones and the rest the playerbase will ignore them.

If the dev team add something like Castle Zvahl Baleys into ARR.

Creating Seven Demons battles for 24 players, as open world Bosses, the items for pop this demons will be droped by the enemies in the zone.

Creating a New AF+2 ilv95 - 100, by completing hunting logs, quests and the open world bosses in the area, will be the only way for the playerbase try your the content.

Lets dont forget, a lot ouf actual playerbase are people came from WoW or others vertical progresion MMRPGs and for this public "Open World content" = A painful torture

[Doo]

The exact same was true for something like XI. Once I'd done Sky bosses, Sea bosses, Limbus, Dynamis, etc. etc., they stopped being something I explored because I'd already explored them, just like with XIV they simply became things I did. I guess the only reason people never complained about this in XI was because there were completely and utterly pointless side passages you would never use once you knew where you were going.

Nah you eventually had to look for coffers again for AFs or other quests where you had to find things, nms, etc.

[AmyNeudaiz]

Oh, you knew every aspect of every zone and dungeon the first time you did them? No. Exploration was present at the start of the game. In 2.2, you'll be exploring Amdapori Township and it will be a new experience. Once you've explored it though, that is gone

This +1

At least there are some from XI who aren't blind by nostalgia

[BloodPact]

My favorite was Zitah.

The game already has a mini Zi'Tah. If you go to Urth's Gift in the Shroud, that place screams of IX's Zi'Tah. Now that I think about it, looking at the Sanctuary of Zi'Tah; that place was a massive copypasta... along with most of the other zones in XI, and for the 5 years that I played that game, no one complained about it. I should have remembered in XIV's 1.0. :P

[Sotek]

Nah you eventually had to look for coffers again for AFs or other quests where you had to find things, nms, etc.

And when I was doing that I wasn't exploring the zone, because I'd already done so, heck I probably knew where to look for the chests by the point I'd gotten that far. Sitting around waiting for a party forever left me with little else to do but look up what AF quests required several weeks in advance. At that point I wasn't exploring, just like when I'm hunting for Treasure Maps in XIV I'm not exploring the zones anymore. First time I ran through zones in both games though? That was exploring.

[Doo]

And when I was doing that I wasn't exploring the zone, because I'd already done so, heck I probably knew where to look for the chests by the point I'd gotten that far.

Let's say first time you go to Castle Zvahl Bailey was to kill Shadow Lord. There are strong enemies that made you have to sneak/invis around so you couldn't just go anywhere you pleased like in FFXIV. Second time you might explore more of the area looking for coffer keys or hunting nms, quests, or whatever. The areas are big enough that you can still get lost after going to it often. Certain areas are higher level than others as well which feels like it opens up as you get stronger.

Now compared that to FFXIV where you explore Satasha. There was just more to FFXI areas like FF12 is to FF13.

[Mamba]

There's just something about Vana Diel that makes it feel alive. Even though FFXIV is pretty just, everything feels fake. Like a fish in a pretty aquarium.

Was it the sense of danger? The size of the zone? Was it the unique mobs that don't just have frontal/circle aoe attacks and stops chasing you after a couple of seconds?

Yes, it is the sense of danger.
You can't die in FFXIV at level 50 unless you are in an instance... it is simply put impossible, unless you go to aggro area and go afk.

[Sotek]

Let's say first time you go to Castle Zvahl Bailey was to kill Shadow Lord. There are strong enemies that made you have to sneak/invis around so you couldn't just go anywhere you pleased like in FFXIV. Second time you might explore more of the area looking for coffer keys or hunting nms, quests, or whatever. The areas are big enough that you can still get lost after going to it often.

Now compared that to FFXIV where you explore Satasha. There was just more to FFXI areas like FF12 is to FF13.

When I first went through Zvahl it was fun, though I instantly noticed the heavy amount of copy and paste zone design. Second time I went through it I knew things like the teleport mechanics, and the copy and paste zone design was just boring by then so there was nothing new to see.
First time I went through Satasha? Still had a lot of copy and paste zone design, but it was far more varied than anything in XI. It had an interesting boss who kept running off. It had side passages for optional treasure chests. One of those side passages had two groups of enemies fighting each other, which was very entertaining to see. Other side passages had some caged whores.

Zvahl was the same corridor over and over, occasionally swapping out the type of beastmen I'd already seen plenty of from Lv.1. The Shadow Lord at the end was the only new thing there.
Satasha was varied, had optional side passages with a purpose then and there (and side passage in Zvahl was to be seen later), as well as interesting things happening there. It was the first time in the game I'd faced a Coeurl type mob (which also came as a surprise). It was the first time in the game I'd faced Sahagin.

Best part here? Satasha is the first dungeon in XIV. Zvahl was the endgame on XI at launch. A real comparison would be Zvahl vs Castrum Meridianum and Praetorium. Granted, there is a lot less path deviation there.

[odintius]

And when I was doing that I wasn't exploring the zone, because I'd already done so, heck I probably knew where to look for the chests by the point I'd gotten that far. Sitting around waiting for a party forever left me with little else to do but look up what AF quests required several weeks in advance. At that point I wasn't exploring, just like when I'm hunting for Treasure Maps in XIV I'm not exploring the zones anymore. First time I ran through zones in both games though? That was exploring.

You must be really hard to please then or get bored really quickly of course some of the exploration feel goes away because you been their dozens of times just like any other game eventually. Does that mean the dev's should take out content to the game because those areas don't have the exploration feel to it anymore no. Should they not even bother then adding new content because the exploration feel will not be their in 2 weeks nope.

Im mean if you have a reason to go their not only just because of the exploration aspect of it by adding both open world and instances content it gives more options if put in properly giving player more stuff to do instead of one path to follow in duty finder.

[Doo]

When I first went through Zvahl it was fun, though I instantly noticed the heavy amount of copy and paste zone design. Second time I went through it I knew things like the teleport mechanics, and the copy and paste zone design was just boring by then so there was nothing new to see.

Honestly, FFXI maps were so very well designed that I didn't really notice have time to notice the copy/pasta. It was always exciting to revisit areas because they never got dull to the point where you could faceroll it solo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIcLKaLtdHU