So, we know that the engine that FFXIV launched with has been hard to work with. We the players have felt it, and the Dev team have felt it. That's why with 2.0 we'll have an entirely new engine running the game.

Many things took a hit because of the restraints of FFXIV's original engine, and a big one for me was the city-states. While fascinating at first, all three eventually grew stale to me. It didn't matter how many players filled the city, they just felt so lifeless. NPCs standing around in one spot, all day and every day. I'd say a big part of the problem was the engine, and the lack of the ability to have such features without putting strain on the servers.

My question is this: With the new engine in XIV 2.0, will we finally be able to see a little life brought into the cities outside of the players? Such as the occasional NPC roaming from one point to the next. Maybe a Chocobo carriage traveling down the main streets in Ul'dah every now and again, like we see in cutscenes. Ships docking and setting sail from Limsa-lominsa ever few hours. A few guards patrolling the cities, instead of a few just sitting at their posts near low-traffic areas. Stuff like that.

While not a priority in the grand scheme of things, it would be nice to see them breathe life into the cities if given the opportunity. Having an engaging world to game in is just as important as actual gameplay mechanics to me. But is this even a possibility with the new engine? Maybe something they've already discussed?

Would love to hear a response from a community rep on this one.