Why the heavy focus on instance only?

[Forerunner]

I'm really struggling to understand this decision.

Is it so us 3 second delay peeps have no worries about 0.7 second delay players sitting all over us when it comes to NM hunting?

Ah well, now all I gotta do is find 8 EU members on Mysidia to go hu..... and there's only about 4 of us. Darn.

/to-the-drawing-board

[Answa]

Cross-world search function.

[Sephrick]

Cross-world search function.

This, and because people don't know how to share. There will be plenty of open world content. But, not everything needs to be a 72 hour lottery spawn campfest.

[Wolfie]

Because instanced content is much more flexible to work with and can more easily provide fun than open world.

[Jynx]

Because instanced content can more easily provide fun than open world.

That's totally subjective.

[Wolfie]

That's totally subjective.

No, it really isn't. Instances are easier to deal with from both a technical and design point, and the list of things that can be done with instances as opposed to open world content far outweighs the list of things that can't be done.

[Sephrick]

No, it really isn't. Instances are easier to deal with from both a technical and design point, and the list of things that can be done with instances as opposed to open world content far outweighs the list of things that can't be done.

Well said!

[Llewelyn]

No, it really isn't. Instances are easier to deal with from both a technical and design point, and the list of things that can be done with instances as opposed to open world content far outweighs the list of things that can't be done.

Instanced content turns MMO into MO. This is the reason Guild Wars isn't any good, IMO.

While it may be easier to develop, that doesn't mean it's better for players.

When you're creating mission-based dungeons, sure, go ahead and make them instanced. But just general purpose dungeons... there is NO reason to instance them. I'm talking about stuff like Shposae, Nanawa Mines, etc.

Similar regions to those in XI have many of my favorite memories.

[Wolfie]

Instanced content turns MMO into MO.

Nope, sorry. FFXI was, by mid-TOAU, mostly instanced and it was still an MMO. The definition of an MMO is that it's online, it requires multi player gameplay to complete it 100%, and that it has a persistent world. Nothing more; no mention of open world vs instanced content.

[Xatsh]

The only reason is cross server party system (dungeon finder more or less)

It requires more work to make a whole new zone then it does to add things in the open world. Issue is with open world dungeon finder will not work.

AS for instances being more fun, guess it depends open world content does not have to be Loto Spawn 72-24-2 hr NMs. Look at XI for the variety of open world content for example.