Message to Developers about Map redesigns...

[MugenMugetsu]

Please do not change the current layout of the maps of the world and cities. Adding things such as Mog Houses, etc. is fine but please do not change the existing World Map and City map designs. Too many people are whining about having a hard time finding their way around in places such as The Black Shroud, for example. My advice to them is to grow up and learn how to use, and read, your map. The world designs and city designs are perfect the way they are aside from the fact that some additions would be very welcome. A complete redesign of World Maps, City Maps, would be very upsetting to me as I have spent a great deal of time familiarizing myself with the existing layout of the World and Cities. Please, please, PLEASE, Yoshi P., do not allow a change to the designs of the maps. I love how beautiful and lush The Black Shroud is and heard from a friend that when the world map is redesigned areas will be more open which would take away a lot of the beauty and lushness of areas such as The Black Shroud. This would be a great disappointment as I have traversed the maps as they are currently, and have familiarized myself with them and would not want to have to learn completely new map layouts. I absolutely love the maps and world/city environments as they currently are. Of course, additions to these would always be welcome! As for those of you who do not like the current map layouts and find areas such as The Black Shroud to be "too confusing"...Grow up! This is an MMO geared towards adults. Be an adult and LEARN TO READ YOUR MAPS. They are fine as they currently are. No map I have encountered thus far has been anywhere nearly as confusing as the Yhoator/Yuhtunga Jungle Maps on XI, which, after taking the time to learn them, became VERY easy to navigate. Thank you for your time, and I hope this message is well received and any plans to change the map designs are abandoned or are at least under consideration for abandonment. Focus improvements in other areas. There is absolutely no need to change the design of any areas unless additions are being made to those areas and the change is to accomodate the addition(s).

[Jigg]

I'm all for more content! As long as they keep the asthetic qualities of the existing zones, I see no problem in "buffing" them up. Also, there's plenty of room to add new zones between the existing ones...like between Thanalan and The Black Shroud...so you don't go from basically a desert to a thick forest. Add a new zone that makes the gradual transition between the two...trees forming the skyline in the distance, etc. Basically any areas where there's a load (black) screen would be nice to have a transitional zone instead.

[AlexNiculaie]

Wow, paragraph breaks are your friend.

As to your post, you're a bit too late. It's happening, they've already been working on it. Honestly, the problem isn't being able to read the maps. It's the fact you have to read the map to get anywhere. The terrain is too homogeneous to tell where you are by looking at surrounding features.

The Black Shroud has too many bottlenecks where you absolutely can not pass because of mob placement, where as the other zones are open enough you can get around with just some patience. That might be fine for a high level area, or specialty zone, but the three basic starter areas should be equal when it comes to movement.

[Travesty]

Map redesigns absolutely need to happen. The amount of wasted space, duplicated terrain, and uninteresting terrain, is crazy.

[Mural]

have you seen this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=La9nLBfH44c

[Vesper]

Please do not change the current layout of the maps of the world and cities. Adding things such as Mog Houses, etc. is fine but please do not change the existing World Map and City map designs. Too many people are whining about having a hard time finding their way around in places such as The Black Shroud, for example. My advice to them is to grow up and learn how to use, and read, your map. The world designs and city designs are perfect the way they are aside from the fact that some additions would be very welcome. A complete redesign of World Maps, City Maps, would be very upsetting to me as I have spent a great deal of time familiarizing myself with the existing layout of the World and Cities. Please, please, PLEASE, Yoshi P., do not allow a change to the designs of the maps. I love how beautiful and lush The Black Shroud is and heard from a friend that when the world map is redesigned areas will be more open which would take away a lot of the beauty and lushness of areas such as The Black Shroud. This would be a great disappointment as I have traversed the maps as they are currently, and have familiarized myself with them and would not want to have to learn completely new map layouts. I absolutely love the maps and world/city environments as they currently are. Of course, additions to these would always be welcome! As for those of you who do not like the current map layouts and find areas such as The Black Shroud to be "too confusing"...Grow up! This is an MMO geared towards adults. Be an adult and LEARN TO READ YOUR MAPS. They are fine as they currently are. No map I have encountered thus far has been anywhere nearly as confusing as the Yhoator/Yuhtunga Jungle Maps on XI, which, after taking the time to learn them, became VERY easy to navigate. Thank you for your time, and I hope this message is well received and any plans to change the map designs are abandoned or are at least under consideration for abandonment. Focus improvements in other areas. There is absolutely no need to change the design of any areas unless additions are being made to those areas and the change is to accomodate the addition(s).

Wall of text hits you and crits for 24,124 damage!
You are dead!

Map redesigns absolutely need to happen. The amount of wasted space, duplicated terrain, and uninteresting terrain, is crazy.

Very true. The copy paste in this game is everywhere. Now this is a technique used in many games to save time, make the game load faster etc. The problem with XIV is how blatant it is. For instance, other MMO's make a single camp and then replicate that general design in several places, added some new items, furniture, features, textures etc. In XIV they tend to just completely copy paste and at most 'flip' the piece of land horizontally or vertically to make it look a bit different.

I am definitely looking forward to the redesigns.

[Mishakai]

This is one feature that I am still looking forward to in a very big way!!! There is just something about Eorzea that just doesn't do it for me.. I wish I could put my finger on something specific, but it really is a combination of things.

Beast camps and strongholds, places like Shposhae as well as the other NPC camps have helped, but the world itself just needs... well.. it just needs work.

Compare Eorzea to Vana'Diel and it really showcases it IMO. Vana'Diel felt like a world.. Eorzea is just there.

[Jigg]

If you want some blatant copy/paste, play Dragon Age II...they use the same building for 2038493849382 quests

[Petdo]

The current one is bad design..
it way TOO big. it take around 7-10 min walking from town to some faraway camp ( especially Grid! )
It offer us nothing to remember... just copy and paste terrain.

This topic is the talk of the town since the game release.. SE aware of it. and it need to fix.

[Novie]

It is my understanding that making The Black Shroud "open" would be more like making it an actual forest. You can walk among the trees, not under them in some trenches like we have now. I'm all for the re-design of the maps.