Why Do We Have to Pay to Teleport Via Aetheryte?

[Saito_S]

There is related lore given in game, but it still feels kind of shaky to me. The teleportation system comes across as a developer invention rather than a part of the world.

I don't really get why this is a problem in the first place, to be honest (quoting you because your phrasing was an easy jumping off point for my post, but this is obviously directed at OP as well, and anyone who is bothered by this). LOTS of things in this game - in nearly all games - make zero sense in terms of lore or in-universe consistency. The segregation between gameplay and story to allow for things that serve ONLY the former even if they "break" the latter is a concept as old as videogames. See also: When it's noon in Eorzea, it's ALSO noon in Othard! And even in Norvrandt! This, obviously, is nonsense. But it's a conceit to serve the "game" side of things.

Yeah, the lore for teleport fees IS a bit shaky, but to me it feels like it's shaky because they knew it wasn't going to be convincing, so they didn't spend a lot of time or energy trying to make it so. It feels cheeky. Like the game is going "wink wink, nudge nudge" while providing this flimsy lore "explanation", because the devs and writers know that WE know that the REAL reason is, again, to serve the "game" side of things (in this case, to provide a gil sink - yes it's a small gil sink, but as someone else pointed out, it can add up bit by bit.)

[PyurBlue]

I don't really get why this is a problem in the first place, to be honest (quoting you because your phrasing was an easy jumping off point for my post, but this is obviously directed at OP as well, and anyone who is bothered by this). LOTS of things in this game - in nearly all games - make zero sense in terms of lore or in-universe consistency. The segregation between gameplay and story to allow for things that serve ONLY the former even if they "break" the latter is a concept as old as videogames. See also: When it's noon in Eorzea, it's ALSO noon in Othard! And even in Norvrandt! This, obviously, is nonsense. But it's a conceit to serve the "game" side of things.

Yeah, the lore for teleport fees IS a bit shaky, but to me it feels like it's shaky because they knew it wasn't going to be convincing, so they didn't spend a lot of time or energy trying to make it so. It feels cheeky. Like the game is going "wink wink, nudge nudge" while providing this flimsy lore "explanation", because the devs and writers know that WE know that the REAL reason is, again, to serve the "game" side of things (in this case, to provide a gil sink - yes it's a small gil sink, but as someone else pointed out, it can add up bit by bit.)

It's not unique to FF14, I didn't want to imply that it was. The inconsistency also isn't a problem persay - it really depends on what you mean by problem. I prefer having less holes in the lore but the teleport fees as they are aren't something that would reduce my likelihood of playing. I don't agree with not taking it seriously and only coming up with a quasi explanation for the sake of having it explained though. I don't think it would have been all that hard to come up with a more plausible system. Of course at some point fantasy will break with reality, so I understand not wanting to fall all the way down a never ending hole just for the sake of airtight lore. Maybe I just like to look into things too deeply.