Zone Aesthetics

[Rydin]

to answer the mob thing, I think they are fine for now and fits the world we are in. There are meaner looking monsters when you go further and I am positive there will be other models and unique looking monsters in the future.

Close to cities and established encampment, I find it normal that there is not many ferocious/menacing monsters.

I think the Beast tribes and Morbols look incredible... some of the best MOBs I've seen... they make you wanna play on the high settings more so than the environments even....

To any Devs reading this... please get word to whomever put all the detail into the actual MOBs.... tell them I said "WOW" (As an exclamation, not as an acronym for another game...haha)
I don't know if they really that is their biggest graphical feat right now.... I hope they continue with that and play it up even more in the future....
Even Marmots are breathtakingly well done

[odintius]

I think they should included same changes to area's during all these patches and beyond not an overhaul all at once but small increments gradually adding uniqueness to each area over time. If one thing they learn from ffxi imo is the copy/paste technique and using it way to much and need to move away from that approach when possible. There were time's when I would see something that caught my eye and said hey what that and head over to be disappointed. There's a sense of no lifeness in my opinion to the areas they need to gradually give npc's/mob some kind of pattern to counter that. But thats my two cent on the supject.

[Rydin]

I think they should included same changes to area's during all these patches and beyond not an overhaul all at once but small increments gradually adding uniqueness to each area over time. If one thing they learn from ffxi imo is the copy/paste technique and using it way to much and need to move away from that approach when possible. There were time's when I would see something that caught my eye and said hey what that and head over to be disappointed. There's a sense of no lifeness in my opinion to the areas they need to gradually give npc's/mob some kind of pattern to counter that. But thats my two cent on the supject.

There is a very long thread on adding life to Eorzea with NPCs that do more and like moving random carriages in the field and such.. and I agree wholeheartedly....

Black Shroud for exemple, sure they can keep an area with the overpasses and all, but them maybe the central shroud it could be more of an open forest, the east shroud more like a clearing. The western part could be those overpasses/mazes thing. Just so we don't feel like we are always in the same place regardless what level you are.

There are some parts in the northeast where you're actually up in the trees... and you're right, I think they could embellish that being "Up in the trees" feeling to really create some diversity... and maybe they will
And the center being more wide open... I would like that
Its a forest but you never really file like you're "Amongst the trees"
You just kind of wander through stone paths and clearings....

[Wolfie]

Complete redesign is pretty much required anyways, because the current zones already take you all the way to the cap and beyond. We have level 80 and 90-something monsters in the current zones.

[Rydin]

Complete redesign is pretty much required anyways, because the current zones already take you all the way to the cap and beyond. We have level 80 and 90-something monsters in the current zones.

I'm not talking about MOB placement though... I agree with you there... but Im talking purely aesthetic

Honestly i'd rather have small, unique zones. Where every zone has a Final Fantasy feeling to it, a different theme for each zone, etc. I'm sure many of you will agree with me here.

I do.... and I am looking forward to splitting the zones up into themed areas...
But I do like the theme of each zone now..... The thing is, that theme should only be used in 1/3 of each zone.. with 2 other themes per zone being added

[Wolfie]

I'm not talking about MOB placement though... I agree with you there... but Im talking purely aesthetic

Well... the two will kinda go hand in hand I guess, because the game is set up so it caters to every level increase. Why bother going to new zones when you've got everything close to the cities and in the same old zones, you know?

But if they restrict mob levels in the old zones so that high level players are forced to use the new zones, then that's just going to be vast, vast stretches of mobs and land that's going to be filled with cut/paste mobs and content.

Would just be easier if they redesigned the current zones before adding new ones. Maybe keep the climate similar, but break it down something like this:

South Thanalan: Rocky desert
North Thanalan: Sandy/Saharan desert
West Thanalan: Badlands or Savanna
East Thanalan: Savanna/Tree Savanna

[quantumsaint]

I'm not talking about MOB placement though... I agree with you there... but Im talking purely aesthetic

I think mob placement does go hand-in-hand with the aesthetics of the zones. If you stepped outside the gates of Ul'Dah, and had to fight level 1 Cactuars, or outside Gridania and had to fight level 1 Bombs, or even outside Limsa Lominsa and had to fight Sahagin, people would know right away they're playing a FF game instead of having to run through squirrels and marmots and dodos and sheep before getting to anything that gives the game a sense of belonging to the the series. I think we'd all have been a lot more forgiving in the beginning if we had to fight our way through the different zones to get to the next camp with the next tier of FF monster.

Does any of that make sense?

[northernsky]

I think mob placement does go hand-in-hand with the aesthetics of the zones. If you stepped outside the gates of Ul'Dah, and had to fight level 1 Cactuars, or outside Gridania and had to fight level 1 Bombs, or even outside Limsa Lominsa and had to fight Sahagin, people would know right away they're playing a FF game instead of having to run through squirrels and marmots and dodos and sheep before getting to anything that gives the game a sense of belonging to the the series. I think we'd all have been a lot more forgiving in the beginning if we had to fight our way through the different zones to get to the next camp with the next tier of FF monster.

Does any of that make sense?

Makes sense lol

Since I still have that interview on my browser:

"Famitsu: after the large scale changes, for the current land marks or name of locations how much will be utilized?

Yoshida: Even it’s major change, Eorzea is Eorzea so the world Iwao made will still be there. But we think the monster placements needs changes from the root and for monster strength it should be 1 zone with 1-2 theme.

Iwao: If you can think of it as more deep settings for the maps.

From Reinheart's thread: http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...l=1#post281974

It does not have to be a completely different set of mobs, but I think you gave good examples of how they could further emphasize the different themes right from the start

[Rydin]

I think mob placement does go hand-in-hand with the aesthetics of the zones. If you stepped outside the gates of Ul'Dah, and had to fight level 1 Cactuars, or outside Gridania and had to fight level 1 Bombs, or even outside Limsa Lominsa and had to fight Sahagin, people would know right away they're playing a FF game instead of having to run through squirrels and marmots and dodos and sheep before getting to anything that gives the game a sense of belonging to the the series. I think we'd all have been a lot more forgiving in the beginning if we had to fight our way through the different zones to get to the next camp with the next tier of FF monster.

Does any of that make sense?

I agree... completely... I just didn't include in this thread because it really requires a thread all it's own.... It sounds like SE is on the right track with it though... which is a very good thing... I'm willing to give it time and let them do it right....
But... what are your thoughts on putting 1 (or more) high level non-aggro mob in a starter zone just to serve as a little flavor fro the lower level zones... like how the wild Saurian was in the Dalmasca Eastersand in FFXII....
Even a little ecology like having one lvl 10 or 15 mongrel spawn in an area with a bunch of star marmots.... And as long as there are star marmots there... it will attack them... and will turn on you once the star marmots are dead. It would even work with the new claiming system as it would even be able to attack the MOB you are fighting....

It does not have to be a completely different set of mobs, but I think you gave good examples of how they could further emphasize the different themes right from the start

*Nitpicking alert*
I'd like it if there was more variance within the MOBs so the low level cactaurs don't look exactly like the high level cactaurs... or the drakes, guivre and biasts don't all look the same but different colors... I know I am being petty... but I feel like if I've been playing for a year... I should be able to play with names off and still be able to tell what level of MOB I am fighting... based off of how they look....
*nitpick over*

[Rinoa]

I like the zones the way they are right now. I say just add some more ones.