Do NOT make the same mistake as FFXI.

[Synfrag]

Right there with ya Bethor. I think it's getting there but FFXI was mine and many other peoples first MMO, and that feeling of awe will unfortunately probably never come back. That said, I had a great time playing another MMO and felt something similar.

It might just never happen here. Not because the game won't have that feel but rather because we are playing it in the state it is now. I'd say, you are more likely to get that feeling if and when the PS3 version launches and by starting fresh. Or maybe, just maybe when we get our first expansion. Till then it's a bit mundane but I still have hope.

[VisionHolder]

Right there with ya Bethor. I think it's getting there but FFXI was mine and many other peoples first MMO, and that feeling of awe will unfortunately probably never come back. That said, I had a great time playing another MMO and felt something similar.

It might just never happen here. Not because the game won't have that feel but rather because we are playing it in the state it is now. I'd say, you are more likely to get that feeling if and when the PS3 version launches and by starting fresh. Or maybe, just maybe when we get our first expansion. Till then it's a bit mundane but I still have hope.

To me, that "feeling of awe" was largely due to the richness of the world in which we ran around in. Although SE needs to finish the reconfiguration they've started, the next big task that needs to be done is recreating the map by eliminating the cookie-cutter zones and adding more diversity. I like the contiguous zones and not having to have the screen redrawn between areas, but I miss the uniqueness and challenge of zones like Yuhtunga/Yhoator Jungle or the snow-swept plains of Xarcabard, or even an enclosed zone like Boyahda Tree. With the current system, most of the zones feel like a "maze" for a 5-year old, but are otherwise annoying to navigate and very monotonous. "Rooms" or "open areas" in some zones or dungeons are usually the same size and look nearly identical. Running around in the game feels more like running around suburbia, with its cookie-cutter houses and street layouts than it does through some exciting, realistic world.

But I digress... This has been a hot topic on other posts, and people have gotten their hopes up for a redesign of zones like The Black Shroud through some sort of in-game cataclysm. Honestly, I don't think SE is planning this, but we can always hope. Anyway, sorry for the off-topic post.