How should The Black Shroud be redesigned?

[ApplePie]

Takes too long to run through it. Just shorten the trails to camps and np. The zone is so massive, but we can't traverse anywhere, too many high level mobs and so close to some of the lower ranking camps too....

[Jaide]

The main issue for me is the tunnels. How many forests in real life consist of walled in tunnels that you can't navigate around? The shroud feels more like a cave without a ceiling than a forest. If they added maze like elements like in FFXI then people would be so confused when they got to that same stream crossing for the fifth time

[VydarrTyr]

The odd thing is, I think the Black Shroud is by far the prettiest, most diverse area in the game. But it's also the only area I try to avoid, if I can.

The reason is that it's a huge pain to run through. Every other map, you can pretty much just point in the direction of your objective and set it on auto-run, and then just just veer slightly to the left or right around the giant obstacles in your way. But with the Black Shroud, you have to constantly stop running, open your map, and plan out a path.

"Ok, I'm going to take the next northeast passage, then I've got to look for a loopty-loop that I can run up to the upper level, then I've got to head to the northeast to the next clearing, then to the exit to the southeast, then hug the left-hand wall for three clearings so I turn in a semi-circle to the Northeast, then head Northeast, then through another clearing, then look for the loopty-loop so I can go down a level, then ... Ack!"

Leves in the Black Shroud are a pain because the objective might be less than 100 malms away, but you've got to run 800 malms to get to that spot.

And gathering in the Black Shroud? Ugh. Lay of the Land can tell you that there's a tree 180 malms to the West, but depending on exactly where the node is, you've got to take one of four different paths to get to that spot.

So the only thing I'd change about the Black Shroud is to open it up. Knock down the barriers in between the areas. If you want to have trees that we have to run around, fine. That would make sense. But I should be able to see where my objective is, and start heading generally in that direction. And generally, if I can see my objective, and I can throw a rock and hit it, I should not have to make 14 turns to get there.

[Zaireeka2025]

Scrap the maze design and make it open but also dark like a canopy with huge tree trunks to weave around. Ambient fireflies and random Moogle sightings would give the place real character. That's what I envisioned back in the conceptual announcement days (I kinda miss those days...).

[SuzakuCMX]

I think it should be darker and more ominous. Right now it's kinda peaceful and "mystic" rather than "ominous," but everything in the lore says it should be evil and full of portents of death.

[Vanguard319]

I think they were on the right path with the original design, but for a redesign, I would suggest adding some more topography like hills and ridges, it seems like the current maze is too flat. I would also use more unique landmarks, you can use the same color pallettes, but the shroud has few notable landmarks that would allow people to navigate without constantly checking the map. Also, there should be features appropriate to the region. For example, transition from arid plants and trees near thanalan to Deciduous forest near Gridania, to an evergreen forest as you approach Coerthas

Finally, if possible, I think the forest's appearance should change according to the seasons, leaves should fall in autumn, creeks should freeze over in winter. At present, it seems like the shroud is in perpetual summer.

[Renshi]

I just want to see what Yoshida has in mind for The Black Shroud. I'm only longing for that.

[Sav]

Something dark, mysterious, and full of magically-aligned creatures. You know, what it's supposed to be.

[Bluebun]

ATM I think people hate Gridania because of all the walking and lack of open areas. If they added teleport Tarus like FFXI (Windurst), it would make getting around Gridania, and maybe even certain areas within the Blackshroud a lot less tedious.

[Catapult]

This is probably the geologist in me talking, but what bugs me about the Black Shroud is that all the major lakes and rivers are on the upper level. Meanwhile, the lower level looks like it was made by the tearing erosion of flowing water. Does not compute.

Water follows the path of least resistance. I would like to be able to follow a path downhill and see the lake at the bottom of the trail where the water collects.

Some examples taken from the web of what I'm thinking of:
http://www.bloomingtasmania.com/atta...ge%20House.jpg
http://traveltipsplus.com/wp-content...se-300x248.jpg

In short - naturally forming ponds and lakes at the bottom of the hill, not impossibly perched dams at the top