Does Flying Kill Immersion?

[Ercapote]

Before y'all eat me alive!

I know that this type of discussion is something expected, you are a wow veteran, flying killed wow!, your opinion matters blablabla.... let me explain myself first!

So as I understand and agree flying is a neat feature and helps over pass those annoying mobs that we all suffered with on 2.x and it's a good method to fast travel on these large areas and a blessing for gatherers swell as a cool way to travel because well, YOU ARE FLYING at the same time it kinda had this draw back effect on me...

FF14 is the first ever MMO I'm playing religiously and love every second since the day I first tried that beat on PS4 one of the most amazing games I've ever played since the PS2 era. One of the Biggest factors that made me fall in love with this beautiful MMO it's the world.

I can't think on how many times I got so incredibly Impressed with the design and maps and nature and sound and just the stunning visual landscape of this game, I've taken over 1000 of screenshots of every corner of eorzea just because It's just so GORGEOUS and felt so alive and real. That for me was HUUUGE factor for me.

places like






this just are some example I like, and they are not personal picture unfortunately but just so you get the memo.

With places like, the burning wall and Lanosea those where mainly the places that I just felt in love with and just that sensation of feeling intimidated by this large structures that felt massive was one of the thing among much other that just made myself feel immersed and make the world felt real.

with the addition of heavenward I also felt in love with the new zones and I felt that they step a notch with the details sound and music for each place every zone just felt massive at the beginning with tons of caves and corners that where uncharted places that and enemies that made me think where I need and did not need to step in, but as soon as I unlocked flying all that went PUFF and now I can just simply fly over directly where the quest is and even auto fly and aft while my mount is on it's way.

It kinda made me feel that all that I felt in love that cough my eyes back in ARR went away, all that effort on details on the environment and the land scape just went to waste since we can just over pass anything fly over everything and don't pay attention to anything. which is a shame since these maps are gorgeous and full of details.

tell me who remember all those cool caves and places on AZYS LA? or the land scape on the CHOCOBOB forest? or any part of SEA OF CLOUDS? most of those zones are quick run over zones that already lost it's magic since most it you can just fly over them and never payed any attention and that sensation of large intimidating structures pretty much went away since you can just fly up and give them a quick look around and it makes them not feel "LARGE."

also because we can go "faster" to any place, this "massive" maps don't feel so "massive"

-IMO the only places retaining that "IMMERSIVE feeling is CHURCHING MIST and AZYS LA simply because of the large structures but still is not half intimidating as it will be if you actually go on the ground and see the full size. just try it out on your own and you will see.


now pretty much some of you will come with some smart comment like "well go on the ground and don't fly" or " I like it better flying stop ripping my feelings off." for those of you please save your time as I don't care what you think I'm doing this is MY OPINION and all I'm asking is to give me your opinion on this.

did flaying kill that immersion for you?
what will you like from ARR maps that we don't have on HEAVENSWARD?

[Khyan]

[Felis]

It depend of how high you fly

Sometimes I like it to fly 2-3 meters above the ground.

[jomoru]

I like flying for flyings sake. People can talk about grand vistas and size of zones, or it invalidates content. I don't care. Flying is fun. Shear sensation of flying has no equal, no mount speed, no jumping game. Nothing. I often just fly around random zones for the sake of flying. I did that in WoW and I do it here. Flying is awesome.

Do you know why people dream of Flying but not riding? Because Flying is awesome.

Do you know how many super heroes fly? Do you know how many of them swing from above? Now compare the number who.. walk places. Flying is awesome.

the Wright Brothers were Bicycle builders and the inventors of aircraft. You know why no matter how good a bicycle they made we don't care about it today? Because Flying is awesome.

The Kakapo is a oversized Flightless Parrot that has less than 100 of them left alive on the planet. You know why? Because they can't fly.

To Summarize, Flying is awesome.

[Lemuria]

The only thing that takes me away is the lack of airborne enemies. We encounter so many that fly or hover above the ground, but for some reason they can't give chase when you fly a few inches higher from the ground? What?

Other than that, I'm okay with flying. I just feel that there needs to be at least a hint of danger in the overworld to make it truly feel alive.

[Ercapote]

The only thing that takes me away is the lack of airborne enemies. We encounter so many that fly or hover above the ground, but for some reason they can't give chase when you fly a few inches higher from the ground? What?

Other than that, I'm okay with flying. I just feel that there needs to be at least a hint of danger in the overworld to make it truly feel alive.

this, I completely agree with this and I think it should be a thing IMO, will truly make flying a more interesting thing to do, I think what happens to me is that flying is plain boring and just takes out that feeling of something happening since you are safe and sound on the sky and nothing can't touch you, you my friend are a genius and SE should consider this...

[Chiramu]

this, I completely agree with this and I think it should be a thing IMO, will truly make flying a more interesting thing to do, I think what happens to me is that flying is plain boring and just takes out that feeling of something happening since you are safe and sound on the sky and nothing can't touch you, you my friend are a genius and SE should consider this...

If we could attack on our mounts this wouldn't be a problem, but we CANNOT FIGHT ON OUR MOUNTS. This will only cause EVERYONE to die violently as they fall deep into the abyss(I imagined Sea of Clouds as I wrote that).

[Kayote]

Complete opposite for me. I feel more immersed with flying. It takes a lot of the "travel grind" away and still leaves the amazing view which I can focus on more. Honestly I dont know why or how OP misses those screenshots ... theyre alot better, with more opportunity to find a good scene. Maybe you fly too high?

No one ever moves up to the 50th floor Condo and says "darn I really miss the view from the street level!"

[KingOfAbyss]

If we could attack on our mounts this wouldn't be a problem, but we CANNOT FIGHT ON OUR MOUNTS. This will only cause EVERYONE to die violently as they fall deep into the abyss(I imagined Sea of Clouds as I wrote that).

I would welcome you into my world with open arms! Muhahahahah

I love flying; can't wait to get my broom tonight! ^^

I was out of the immersion a long time ago, so flying or not didn't affect it at all.

[Gamer3427]

The only thing that takes me away is the lack of airborne enemies. We encounter so many that fly or hover above the ground, but for some reason they can't give chase when you fly a few inches higher from the ground? What?

Other than that, I'm okay with flying. I just feel that there needs to be at least a hint of danger in the overworld to make it truly feel alive.

Honestly, that "sense of danger" is fine the first time you enter an area. When you're traveling from one end of it to the other for the thousandth time to get to a fishing spot? That's when it becomes annoying. I greatly enjoy the flying just for the sense of exploration and the grand views you get when seeing the world from above. That being said, I mainly use it BECAUSE I don't have to worry about every trash mob I pass attacking me and making me move super slowly. If they turned off mobs aggroing on mounted players, then you can bet that I would spend more time on the ground, but that still wouldn't stop me from flying from time to time just to get from point A to point B quicker......

In response to the OP, I completely disagree. Flying in no way ruins the immersion in the game. It enhances it by letting you explore the world in a 3D manner, as well as prompts more exploration because you don't have to be afraid of being attacked and stuck with a debuff every five feet you walk......