What steps could the devs take to better the Open World in XIV?

[Shougun]

Hostile environments, like when during lightning storms in The Lochs. It’s a small thing but it gives the area mystique

Also since flying is a thing you can only
do so much, not every area is Sea of Clouds

On the topic of flying since it was brought up a few times, I like flying but also must confess it does sometimes make the zone less of a character. In the sense that you have dialog, interactions, and a general appreciation of a character then so the flying for environment is like the "shut up, stop talking" button lol (well after the first few times flying I'd say, there are occasionally special moments where view from above are like special dialog choices- but I think too much use of that special option is very akin to cutting the conversation short). There might be this urge to say something semi-logical (very, if people weren't so 'people') like "don't like it, don't use it" but unfortunately people are not that easy lol- like saying "there would be no terrible micro transaction riddled games if people just didn't fall for corrupt company ploys". Sure thing. Wont happen lol. Often whatever is most effective will be picked even if it didn't provide the best play experience, although certainly there are situations or particular types of players where what is most effective is also what is most enjoyable. Yet in a general sense it should be easy to imagine a situation where if you /loved/ swords but if all the swords felt like wet newspaper in combat so you'd not use the sword then (or whatever other variations of this concept you want to imagine, effectiveness can interfere with "don't like it don't use it", even in single player games, let alone more so in multiplayer ones).

Personally I have wondered, perhaps not for this game or perhaps for a special zone (sudden changes, especially without testing or easing in, could be bad), that they think about an energy (stamina) system for flying such that you can still have some fairly convenient travel that wont take you an extra 5 minutes to get from point a to point b yet will also provide more conversations with the environment and make it feel more like a character (like how dungeons don't let you skip parts, you've got to have the whole conversation, not enforcing it as strongly but bringing back more of a "you have to talk to the open world"). So like if you were on a mountain you could readily fly to a nearby peak or glide down to the bottom, but at the bottom of the mountain you'd have to pick your path up (with short bursts of flight as you make your way). A more FFXIV context example might be the great wall in Khoulsia, where you couldn't fly to the top in one burst so you'd go from platform to platform. Would want to adjust some other things while doing this though- like ensuring ground speed is as fast as flying, if possible improving the response and feel of the movement.

Some of the transportation videos I've seen of GW2 have been very interesting, I feel perfecting some of those systems would create something a bit exciting yet not annoying to the busy person's schedule (or person who sincerely just hates environments and would like to 24/7 combat/craft/eRP or whatever). Trying to find a balance between engagement and .. well not engagement lol. Too much is called a grind, too little is just like if SE handed out ultimate weapons for logging in. (Obviously parts of this will be subjective).

Or say another example, related to your comment, might be when Lochs has a thunderstorm you might willingly ground yourself, perhaps even try to stick near tall objects, because literally the environment will slap you. Dealing decent damage and if flying cause you to land (crash).

I wouldn't want to see QoL removed but sometimes I wonder if perhaps flying, as it is, is a bit too high on the QoL lol. To frame it another way we could add a lot of QoL by making every single potential ability that can stack within itself (like pvp) do so, in such a way we might get some jobs down to like 8 abilities. Certainly a lot more QoL, way easier to play. But it might make for some more boring play, for some players- even if you made it an option some people might hate it but still use it because it's just better then.

So it's something I enjoy but sometimes I wonder if it might be good to weigh a few elements down (while not removing it).

[Iscah]

I don't want flight to be restricted. I enjoy flying.

Hobbling it to make you "work your way up a cliff" would be awful. Let me soar gloriously upwards.

[MoofiaBossVal]

The best flying systems are ones that make flying a skill, not a cheat/shortcut.

In WoW, using your glider is really fun, because it requires skill to use. You have to try to find the best way to use your player abilities and items (ie, knockbacks and/or movement speed buffs) to get you the best start you can, and then have to try to navigate around turn and make the best use of your glider before you land on the ground. Usually, your glider falls at a fast enough rate that you can't just fly across an entire zone, so it will help you get across fast but still gives you ample opportunity to explore on the way to your destination, see other players, talk to NPCs, etc.

In GW2's HoT expansion, they added a pseudo flying mount, called the Griffon. It differs from your typical MMO flying mount in that it has limited flight capability. Basically, it's a glorified glider. It can't fly forever. It has a momentum system, where if you dive and lose altitude, you will gain momentum and travel A LOT faster, but if you try to ascend, you will lose momentum very quickly. As you glide at a normal speed, you gradually lose momentum. So the fun comes from trying to get as far as you can towards your destination, while navigating around obstacles and conserving as much momentum as you can. If you are super duper skilled, you can fly very, very far and lose little altitude, but it is difficult. It feels really fun to fly around in GW2, dropping like a rock and gaining speed, and spreading your wings at the last second and soaring across the landscape at high speed for a few seconds.

The problem always seems to come down to FFXIV's engine. Looking at the input delay, a responsive GW2's esque flying system would be impossible, and I am unsure if the engine can support basic physics for something like WoW's gliders.

[tdb]

I wouldn't mind more solo open world content like archaeology or more interesting treasure hunts. My experiences with group OW content are mixed though. Hunt trains are nice when there's 2-3 full parties worth of people; too few and they're impossible, too many and it becomes a desperate race to be at the spot in time to get at least a few hits in so I can get the participation trophy. Fates have a similar sweet spot of about 2-4 players; they're possibly but somewhat grindy to solo, and with too many people it again becomes a struggle to do anything before the enemies die. Yes they do have some sort of scaling for player count, but for non-boss fates it only adds more enemies and does not make the individual adversaries withstand any more damage. At least in FFXIV we don't have to contend with other people for dungeons and raids.

[Kyrj]

Have FATEs drop containers that have a chance to drop furniture or give FATEs more exp, they're next to worthless when it comes to exp (even with the forlorn buff)

[DPZ2]

There is no reason to think flight is the "problem" with the Open World since you have to explore each area you can fly in and finish the MSQ quests for an area before you can fly there. The only people who I see flying in any area are usually doing one of the following. "Open World" means little at that point in the game.

1) daily hunts from a hunt board
2) FATEs for XP/gems/GC Seals (usually on alternate jobs)
3) gathering
4) A-rank and S-rank hunt trains
5) side-quests for alternate jobs

[Laphicet]

There is no reason to think flight is the "problem" with the Open World since you have to explore each area you can fly in and finish the MSQ quests for an area before you can fly there.

The complaint here is that the world often seems to be designed with flying in mind rather than with walkiing around in mind, several areas just being large bowls with landmarks scattered about and mostly open land with enemies peppered throughout (worst offenders are places like the Azim Steppe, Ruby sea, and Dravanian Hinterlands).

[DPZ2]

The complaint here is that the world often seems to be designed with flying in mind rather than with walkiing around in mind, several areas just being large bowls with landmarks scattered about and mostly open land with enemies peppered throughout (worst offenders are places like the Azim Steppe, Ruby sea, and Dravanian Hinterlands).

There are plenty of enemies around, yes. They are there to prevent you from idly wandering around without paying attention. Those landmarks are shared by the MSQ, side-quests and gathering-while-leveling. It might be a pain walking around: hills, forests, narrow trails -- terrain in general -- is like that in real life as well.

The only places in each expansion that were 'designed for flying' from the get-go are the ones you cannot reach until you get a side-quest to do so, generally after you've finished the MSQ and received flight in the area. There is always at least one area in each expansion you cannot fly in until you hit the upper edge of the level cap (Sea of Clouds, Fringes, Peaks, and that big area in Shadowbringers (whose name I won't mention).

[tdb]

There is no reason to think flight is the "problem" with the Open World since you have to explore each area you can fly in and finish the MSQ quests for an area before you can fly there. The only people who I see flying in any area are usually doing one of the following. "Open World" means little at that point in the game.

1) daily hunts from a hunt board
2) FATEs for XP/gems/GC Seals (usually on alternate jobs)
3) gathering
4) A-rank and S-rank hunt trains
5) side-quests for alternate jobs

I'll add one:
6) Beast tribe daily quests (usually on alternate jobs)

[Hazama999]

They just need to stop making every single duty on the DF or raid finder. Once upon a time had to visit zones to raid, now there’s zero need to leave your FC house. So my suggestion is bring that back. Form your party via the PF then all gather together at the raid spot. It’ll create a sense of community again among other things

One of my fondest memories of FFXIV was back in the 2.0 beta. I can't remember which phase it was, but DF had yet to be implemented, so if you wanted to party up for Sastasha, Tam Tara, Haukke, etc... you had to shout. It was very common for people to gather outside the dungeon entrance and sometimes make small talk while they waited for a party. It was a nice feeling. Made the world feel lived-in. I remember meeting my first group of friends outside Sastasha. We tried going into it as a party of 8 lol... Obviously we had to split up.

DF is, unfortunately, too much of a convenience to do away with. I feel like it is this type of inconvenience that'd make for a stronger experience. Much as I'd prefer it to go away, I wouldn't dare ask for that, since it'd likely anger many.