REAL hunting content

[Nakiamiie]

Hi!

When The Hunt came out, I thought that actually tracking and discovering the targets would be needed.
Not just having the mobs stand in the wild like your average trash mob.

Because let's face it, The Hunt is just a superficial name for something that should be called 'Your average HNM like any other MMORPG'.

Nothing new.
I thought that Odin and Behemoth already served that purpose.
Furthermore, we already have mobs with special threat marks next to their names. I would have made those NMs or something... anyway.

Why not have real hunting content now?

Firstly, you get your hunt mark and some vague hints as to where to find it (in words or as a partial picture).
Once you find the proper location, you get to do a mini-game. The mini-game is the actual tracking of the beast throughout the zone. The mob won't spawn otherwise.

At the end of the tracking through the area, the mob spawns and you kill it.
(You get a big reward because of the time it takes to do the content.)


What about the mini-game you ask? We've got a lot of choice here. Many players have submitted mini-games ideas in the past and hopefully the devs kept them filed somewhere.

Some easy ideas include (my favorite is in red):

• Hot and Cold game
  You perform a tracking action/emote and it tells you how well you feel the presence of the mob. When you get close enough, it spawns.

• Clue examination puzzle
  You have 2-3 clue puzzles to solve in order to find the exact location of the mob (it won't spawn otherwise). Each clue leads you to the next one. The puzzles can involve broken pictures that need to be restored by fitting pieces together (the picture is your clue!) or word games (but those get lost in translation easily -- see Winebaud's quest for an example).

• Baiting and stalking
  You have to procure yourself with baits and put them on the ground at various locations around the first clue area. Then you fend off unwanted visitors coming for the baits (a little). After that, the favorite prey of your hunt mark appears! You have to sneak behind and follow it until it gets devoured by your hunt mark. Finally, you proceed to kill your mark!

Some of the required mechanics already existed in FFXIV v1.0. Why not reuse your interesting assets from 1.0 to make interesting content?


Thank you very much!

[Zej]

I like the first two options, but the third would only be nice if the baits weren't consumable. I like this system better than the current one, and possibly they could have daily quests that offer better rewards for these or make them require more people as well.

Hot and Cold could be a solo daily that you get three bills for, not very hard and they give the player a "recently spotted in" location and you can go from there. Offers some seals and has a chance to spawn mobs not initially being hunted for for additional seals.

Clue could be 4 man daily that you get two bills for, takes a bit of sleuthing to uncover, but offers seals, a moderate chance at a "monster trophy" that can be turned into bonus seals, and random chance of local Hot and Cold hunts to spawn with the Clue Hunt Mark.

Baiting and Stalking could be an 8 man that you get one bill a week for. It uses one of the Hot and Cold mobs, and you have to defend it from not only would-be-predators, but also NPC hunters trying to get complete "their" hunts as well. Grants a chance at Blood-splattered Logs, Monster Trophies, random spawn H&C mobs, Clue Mobs, and/or a unique low chance drop for more seals.

Of course you could continue to play any of the mini games, but with no bonus seals from the Hunt Bills, but still get a chance for any of the above.

[Nakiamiie]

Great feedback Zej! Thanks your your input.

I agree with that we could have variations with 4-man and 8-man.

As for the bait, I was thinking of key items when I wrote this. Either given to you by a hunter scholar or you kill 2~3 lowbie monsters with 100% to get them. Something easy to get started.

[ruskie]

I like this idea a lot as well. Would make hunting more interesting.