Real Time Airship Travel

[Oblitae]

Currently FFXIV:ARR works as such that you can go from city to city by airship, it takes a few minutes and is cheap. Cheaper than directly teleporting to and from each city's Aetheryte, as well. After a while you become accustomed to doing this and you do it without much thought. Basically, you click a few buttons and go through menus. Woo! Ul'dah to Limsa in under a minute.

Now, this is convenient and sure it's easy, but I don't see the difference apart from price, to simply teleporting there. I mean, that's what you're doing practically! If you forget something you needed from a different city it's no big deal because you can go back just as quick with no repercussion aside from being 100-200gil out of pocket. The process is thoughtless.

[Oblitae]

Going back a few years I used to play Maplestory (I know, not the finest MMO out there, but still) I'm sure other MMO's have done this as well, but the inclusion of real time airships to go to the places you wanted to, and having to get there on time or end up missing the airship was a great inclusion. Not only that but it was a rather fun social experience. Because it was real time and because other people would pay for their ticket on that specific airship as well as you you'd have 10 minutes of speaking to a bunch of people all heading to the same place as you.

I'm not sure about you guys, but aside from dungeons and my FC I don't interact frequently with other players in the world. Especially outside of cities.

[Oblitae]

At the start of the game you are given that chance at level 15(?) to travel back and forth on the airships to each city. If real time airships were to be included, not to alienate new players to begin with, and to keep friendly with the story, the new player could be told they are being sent on a private airship but from then on you'll be in with the folly of THE GENERAL EORZEA POPULATION~~ (At the same cost it is now) Having real time airships would make players think a lot more about when they should travel to another city. If they want to get there fast they have to pay for the teleporting, or pay a slight premium to have a faster but still not instant *solo* airship. It would bridge the gap in price.
Or maybe additionally with that mention of building airships yourself in your player house/basement thing in the super, end up being free?! It'd be a good level 50 quest considering the level cap being risen soon.

[Oblitae]

Overall, I think that teleporting from city-to-city could have a lot more purpose and become something more than just a second-thought or instant go to. The possibility for socializing especially at lower levels seems like it's almost needed.

Maybe i've gotten ahead of myself, what do you guys think? Am I missing somethin'?
(ok im done lol)

[Gilraen]

I'm all for the idea of an airship ride that's not just a cutscene, but players these days don't have the same level of patience as players did when XI launched (the Final Fantasy that pioneered the slow airship ride in the series). Further, they'd have to do the same thing they did in XI, make the airship ride it's own instance with an extrapolated world map passing by 'below'. They can't have it flying through the zones without having the player zone into each zone as if they were traversing the zones normally. The loading screens would get annoying fast.

[WellFooled]

The problem I find with this idea is that you're trying to force player interaction by making a feature less convenient, which I believe many players would resent.

Social potential should be a consideration when designing features, but so should convenience. If a player is going to spend time on something, like an airship ride, they should feel they get something from it, but if your idea was implemented I would feel like something was taken away instead.

[FelisC]

Nobody takes the airships now, if you made them wait real time to travel using them nobody would use them then.

[Tempting]

This will never be used for CURRENT cities. Perhaps in future when new main city is given, only way to reach is a airship and they can roll play it as its too far to teleport?

[Ferrasper]

Once the Aethernet crystal is unlocked though, no one will ever use that airship again.

Yes, the teleporting can get expensive, but money is so easy to make now a days that cost shouldn't even be considered a factor when trying to get people to use the air ship.

[Cutie_McSnuggles]

I want this so bad! I'd love to be able to take an airship ride and sit out on the deck as the world passes under me. And PLEASE don't make it so a FATE or something pops up during the ride. That would ruin it.