Suggestion: Future storylines/expansions/scenarios set in Eorzea's past

[LorenzoMoranta]

Given the rich history of Eorzea, I think it would be awesome if we could have an expansion or scenario packs or something set in Eorzea's past. A rift in the aether sending you back in time, perhaps. It would be amazing to walk through the City of Amdapor and Amdapor Keep and explore them as they once were. Exploring Amdapor and the surrounding region before Gridania existed. Looking around Nym and Mhach before Limsa Lominsa and the settlements in Mor Dhona were around. Maybe even taking part in a storyline quest that has you take part in the War of the Magi. There could be some fun PvP potential in there as well!

I think that there's some real potential for amazing storytelling and adventures in Eorzea's past. We've got Amdapor, Nym, Mhach, Allag, Sil'dih, Sharlayan, Doma, Ala Mhigo and many others besides. The possibilities for dungeons, new monsters, new areas to discover are staggering. Providing it's done well, this would be amazing.

Anyone else feel the same way?

[LorenzoMoranta]

Think as well what dungeons needed clearing, what primals the people worshipped, what beast tribes were around causing havoc for the local populace. Some rich lore to be developed there!

[valeriusdemetri]

Sounds like a whole new game to me LOL.

[Pakonitan]

Sounds like a nice idea to me. Perhaps they could even pay homage to before the Calamity for those whom only played Realm Reborn and up.

[Enkidoh]

Personally I don't think it would ever happen, at least, as far as restoring how 1.0 depicted Eorzea - the whole reason we actually had the Calamity gameplay wise in the first place was to explain why the badly-designed 1.0 zones were replaced with ARR's new zones (as existing players were just transferred into ARR), so if a hypothetical time-travel expansion ever occurs in the game.... the version of the past you will visit, will not be the version of Eorzea 1.0 players experienced, but palette swapped versions of ARR's current zones, like how the past was handled in FFXI's Wings of the Goddess expansion. Even 1.0's storyline has been retconned by ARR - half of what 1.0 players experienced is no longer even canon or simply ignored.

Also as WotG showed all too well, when you start adding time travel to a MMO's storyline you start adding contradictions into the whole narrative - as mentioned the Calamity occured for a reason and to suddennly go back to the past gives the expectation "we can change history and stop this from ever occurring!" Uh, no, you can't.

Because ARR's whole existence required the Calamity, that was it's whole purpose. Meta wise it was specifically to wreck Eorzea so that the zones could be redesigned - to kill off 1.0 and to send it off with a bang. 1.0 is gone and is never coming back.

Really, we have a whole world in the present still to explore, let the past stay passed, instead having the Echo show past events as they happened. Time travel just overcomplicates things.

[Mani_Wakeling]

I was about to be wholly on board with the WotG as my argument, but Enkidoh does have a very good point on this matter...

*siiiigh*
I'd be interested to see the past that would have been pre-1.0, BUT this still leaves much in the way of potential gaping plot hole risks and disappointments for not being able to change the future.

[John_Henry]

It could scenarios where you play a nameless NPC or a Name NPC.

You are stuck to a scenarios that involve revive the past of "Insrset name" or "Insert Group" and you live their story.

[LorenzoMoranta]

I would totally be up for that. It would be cool to travel back in time and see the world through your character's perspective, but if that would cause continuity issues then it would be equally cool to do the story kinda like a flashback or some kind of simulation. Sort of like Assassin's Creed, maybe?

[Niwashi]

the Calamity occurred for a reason and to suddenly go back to the past gives the expectation "we can change history and stop this from ever occurring!" Uh, no, you can't.

This part would only be an issue if we were trying to change the past. If we're adding in time travel, the scenario could just as well be that someone else went back to change the past and we need to go back to stop them from changing it. The WoL prevails, thus preserving the past and Eorzea. (And it might have nothing to do with the Calamity, particularly if it's set long before 1.0's events.)

[Altanas]

[QUOTE]

Even 1.0's storyline has been retconned by ARR - half of what 1.0 players experienced is no longer even canon or simply ignored.QUOTE]

As a 1.0 player, I kinda disagree with that. There are numerous nuances to the 2.x zones that pay homage to 1.0.
Such as the memorial in Western LaNoscea to Aerghaemr, a dead Roegydyn NPC who played even just a minor NPC role at Halfstone in 1.0