Island Sanctuary - Please FC Based Activity

[Veritas-Ancora]

We've been waiting 7 years for FC content.

We need social FC interactions.

It's not going to affect the game, it will add some social dynamic, and would offer some great collaboration.

Credit goes here for the idea, not originally my idea.

Please give us more reasons to sign into the game even when we're in a lull.

Housing limitations are awful, but most players just like to jump around on the lawn. So please allow folks to have a zone to just have preset locations that people can do some extra fun tasks together while waiting in a queue.

[Shougun]

Hype lol. I think it could be a good basis for a content that is very long term, has rewarding features (opportunity for "group" kind of rewards too, like below I example FC attire or you might unlock the ability to summon other FC members to you), and can also be a reoccurring content even once a FC feels it's done (which should take a long time to get to that point).

Just put my quote here for reference, since I build off of it:

I feel that would make a decent FC content. In 1.0 players defended hamlets from attacks which involved coordination across multiple job types. I can imagine FCs making a hamlet (low on memory cost activity, since it's like "what is in this slot? Blacksmith? oki!") and then getting to defend that hamlet from monsters and even other players. (optionally pvp content). Adding "assaults" like in FFXI where you took the fight to their door. So you might go into enemy beast tribe strongholds.

Gives FCs a bit of something to do. If the FC wants to ignore the content but keep the hamlet features maybe there is a scaling cost to hire a city (or other reputation group you earned) to protect it for you. Cost scaling in the sense that it wont punish small groups nor be nothing to big active groups, part of it may be your total keep of seals and another perhaps how upgraded the area is (like if it's a tiny hamlet with barely any features then not many monsters attack it, cause.. low value). PvP part should always be optional fun though. Even if you didn't defend it perhaps the cost is just having to run around and use some basic, cheap like, materials to repair everything (which might take some time but isn't going to destroy your FC), hiring protection just means you'll never be attacked and can effectively ignore that content type.

Just building on the hamlet idea.

One of the pages I saw in the FC panel that always caught my eye, but meant little, was reputation tab. I feel it could be great fun if everyone helped represent their group when they went out and did certain content as well there would be unique content designed for that reputation. For example those Grand Company (GC) specific quests, now if you did them as your FC you could farm reputation for your FC.

What does reputation do? Naturally unlock new features to your hamlet. New NPCs you could bring on in, perhaps the Immortal Flame goldsmith needs rank 7 reputation and brings a number of special crafts for not only your hamlet (special buildings, perhaps enhancements to the FC's general features), but could also relate to airships, submarines, and even in general. Like if your FC employs a master armorer from Limsa you might get a recipe for FC members only (can't be sold or traded out of the FC) leveling gear, the gear automatically colored to your FC's theme colors. Increased reputation when wearing it, so even if you're not needing the gear for leveling or whatever you could still be wearing it when you're out with your FC earning reputation (bonus if multiple people in the group are wearing the pieces).

Now take that a step further, like we have custom deliveries then now there are NPCs and other organizations you can work with. Cid's Ironworks? Your FC can invest time setting up trade and IP relations with them, unlocking exclusive content to hamlet and FC in general. Like sometimes it might be just as simple as unlocking 'glamour' for your hamlet (making your hamlet look like a theme from a certain area, if you choose). For the ironworks you might be able to unlock a custom magitek that has your FC logo on it, and then another that has trim to your FC colors, or on the much farther end might be multi-person mounts with like a FC flag on it.

To add more to the community effort there can be a job board where each week, slightly based on population of the FC, a few areas will add inquiries. If you fail to complete these your reputation may suffer. With scaling so small groups don't have to spend 80% of their time trying to keep up but large FCs don't have 20 seconds. After the inquiries are done you can still do extra tasks if you'd like but that's just optional / for people who wanted to.

So you've got building your hamlet, which is a group project, probably a long lasting one, think like Doma Reconstruction in scale (around there), at times you might also need to move buildings and upgrade them / change them. You might find placing the Fishermen's Hut near the water increases it's resources, or you need tier 2 before the npc you're looking to inhabit the building will consider joining you (which you earned reputation to get to that point, again like custom deliveries but for your FC).

So you've got this neat village (hamlet) built up, now monsters, particularly organized groups like enemy beast tribes, start attacking it. With warning of course so FC can organize. The more powerful you are the generally larger scale attacks, but if more people sign up then the content will automatically scale as well (so if like 50 people are coming then it's going to be sending some boss tier waves in with just big walls of monsters). The FC will have to organize their defenses (part of building the hamlet, also part of the preparation phase), and as events happen which will have a bit of variability to it (to make each one different, and each monster group will have different concepts as well to add variation) then the FC has to respond accordingly. Like the Sahagin might prefer water as their entrance, but you might find they had a surprise mountain pass attack this time and if you didn't adjust that mountain group would be damaging some of your buildings. Some of your DoH / DoL can be boosting the fighters, using turrets, repairing facilities (both like broken houses by putting out fires, but also like there might be an area that the fighters can go to restore their quick action potions but the monsters will take it out).

Afterwards there will be some rewards, I imagine perhaps some custom FC token that can be used for generally "group" like rewards (to make it like "we" earned this rather than maybe being part of a FC that has to then do a bunch of raid math to figure out what is fair, or a guild leader being like "yes. all the rewards mine.. muahahaha"). Like a special buff that gives everyone free teleports rather than reduced teleports, or while the buff is active if there are more than X number of FC together they can open a temporary aetheryte node to summon other FC members to location (akin to the Warlock portal in WoW), or if it's a glamour mount it's for everyone in the FC to then get from their FC salvager once unlocked (things like the glamours to be removed if you leave the FC). Part of the reward can also be tomes and other general progression to the game. Since they don't happen 24/7 they can be a bit generous on the rewards.

If you lose some facilities may be down while they need repairs but nothing that would ruin a FC or put them into great debt (just some inconveniences and the thought you have to rebuild, you'll still get some rewards for your time just nothing like if you had won lol). For FC that don't want to or just 'did it all' to the extent they are happy with you can also hire city guard to protect you. Also the thought I want to put here are 'mega' projects, so like you might have a magical mega project that is just absolutely silly in costs but once compete is basically a magical viel you can activate over your hamlet that hides it from the outside world (which can allow you to change maybe the weather or day time, for fun, but also turn on or off hamlet defense without having to work with other cities anymore). You could alternatively pay the city at a smaller cost to send aid rather than do it all for you, in which case you can take on higher difficulty hamlets with a few less people.

Then there would be assaults, which can happen far more often since it's up to each FC if and when- these you go into beast tribe strongholds. Returning the favor they did to your hamlet. Perhaps entering parts of the stronghold we've never seen before too. Some similar concepts in reverse, but we have a number of strongholds in the game already that you can use your imagination in attacking. Of course they will need to scale in some way. There should also be a way to make assaults and defenses harder, therefore more rewarding and just more engaging for more hardcore groups- like sending threats to the stronghold in advance. Or regularly attacking other strongholds. This way casual FC could do something more casual in defense, and enjoy it, and then hardcore FC could be like "burn my city to the ground, if there are not 8 Nidhogs in the air then it isn't a fight".

For both the assaults and the hamlet defense it might be wise to have some sort of syncing so your new players can enjoy this at the same time as your older players. Not like "come back kid when you're level 80, I can't be raising you 40 times a fight".

This system can also then be reused to also allow FC to offer their services to other NPC hamlets in the game, which can also be part of the progression with reputation mechanics either with that particular hamlet or who they relate to. Like Fallgourd (near Gridania) may be a rank two out of five defense, not too hard, by defending Fallgourd from an attack you get a few cool new feature options to your FC's hamlet but also it's a requirement in the Gridania rank system.

The inquiry system can also use these, so it's like "get the botanist in Gird 100 of these gatherable items or defend Fallgourd once". To add a bit of option and encouragement to do different things. So if you're a small FC and no one is on, you could just do that yourself in not too long of time, but if your mates were on then why not just do that instead because you can get some other bonuses too?

Finally on that attack system could be PvP, optionally (don't force FC to do it, some people loathe the idea lol). Which I think could be fun, you can directly contact another FC and be like "we challenge you". Some FCs may just make it a weekly or monthly thing. Then you get to fight in your own and other FC's hamlets against some interesting and dynamic foes. Extra points if you can use systems similarly to the other occasions (against npcs). Like an attacking FC could decide which areas to enter from, what things they bring, etc- it's not just loading into a zone and fighting. There can be rankings and leaderboards for extra encouragement as well as hitching off the pvp reward system to help make it a thing some people may want to do (but not needed to have a good hamlet).

So then you have fairly long term, if not permanent content, for FC's that involves crafting, gathering, and combat.

Concept could start small but be designed so you could purchase nearby plots of land and expand gaining new nodes and things you could build / do. So you might start with just a little headquarters and a guard tower, but end up with a very size-able zone, two mines, blacksmith, armorsmith, crafter, crafter, etc lol, FC workshop dedicated building (allows FC that don't have a house to still have this content, and this one could be 'upgraded' for some different types of projects), fishing hatchery and personal fishing boat (boat takes you to ocean fishing content), arboretum (to make it special vs the island and vs the current house gardens), magitek workshop, portal complex (maybe lists each FC member's house, that has it set to be seen at least) and a portal to each major city you earn reputation enough in (and then purchase the portal contract), etc, etc.

So we have islands for solo play, hamlets for group FC play, and then... airships for both! lol. Airships dedicating to entirely other thread, but I'd love to own my own airship but I also feel like airships could be a good FC content. So like a very rich (in time and or money) could have a pretty decent size ship but normal solo players would have only a few room kind of thing (mobile garrison of sorts); meanwhile, FC would be working on much larger projects. These airships could relate back into other content like certain strongholds might only be accessible by flight, or pirate and garlean flying ship battles, etc. I mention airships here because I mentally have in my mind that a hamlet, that is well upgraded, would own an airship dock and in my mind I see a FC constructing an airship in that type of environment.

[Edax]

Island Sanctuary - Please FC Based Activity

It's probably too late in the development cycle to affect changes at that scale.

[Veritas-Ancora]

It's probably too late in the development cycle to affect changes at that scale.

Hard to say, we still have like 7 more months of them working on this before it becomes a reality.

[Packetdancer]

It's probably too late in the development cycle to affect changes at that scale.

It almost certainly is; at this point they're probably trying to finish things up and balance the combat system and get the raids finished and so on, not implement entire new featuresets.

However, I'm hoping that the Island Sanctuary proves to be a base they can build other things on. If, to start, it's only farming... hey, at least it gives people who don't have houses and do want to do gardening a way to garden.

But then maybe you add a way to breed and train your Gold Saucer racing chocobos there. Or an instanced house people can decorate and work with. Or a Doman Reconstruction-style resource-gathering system where you can develop the island further. Or a larger FC-specific island where you can have a big instanced FC house and do things with reputation (as suggested) to unlock things you can buy with company credits.

Whatever the Island Sanctuary releases as doesn't have to be what it always is; it could be the foundation to build a lot of other things atop.

[Shougun]

Just to be clear I wasn't trying to kill the solo aspect of Islands just add a new type of content that I think would do wonderfully for FCs (and far more collaborative environment). It would be my preference that both contents (Islands) and the concept (Hamlets) do well and are big things.

I loved the Doma Reconstruction concept, I loved the Fairy beast tribe progress (cause it was like this big project space), and so I hope the island is going to have more interactive designs and constructions but be in that similar vein. Like I don't expect it to be too wild in the sense that they said this is casual content so.. no huge dragons to fight, but it would be neat to have to build a windmill so you could then have power to build some other facilities. Maybe you wont get housing tier decorating but it still feels like progression and making the space your own zen location.

It's probably too late in the development cycle to affect changes at that scale.

Hard to say, we still have like 7 more months of them working on this before it becomes a reality.

Okay but only if I can participate with my solo FC because I'm really hyped for this. :')

I think the Hamlet idea, assuming OP is really going off of what I suggested, can work very well next to (in addition) to the island system. Doesn't have to replace it per say, at least my intention wasn't to replace it but just to extend that content concept into something for FCs which I felt was a missing content concept.

Islands don't need to be cannibalized, but certainly the hamlet may borrow a few systems and concepts from the Islands. Or you know it may be the other way around too even. Like I mentioned above about the Hamlet having a mine shaft. Perhaps the Hamlet (FC) makes a mineshaft which is needed to fund some other buildings, some things to do down there to do (maybe a mini event where cave worms attack,, but also an ingredient you can earn (not trade-able) down there that then can be brought back to your island that unlocks a content there (like you find a heart of the mountain stone in the FC mine which you bring back and activates and opens a magical cavern with thermal springs in your island).

One is more casual like... do it at your own pace or not at all, whatever- very zen like it sounds. And solo focused. I think that has it's place in this game, and I personally am intrigued. This could be a really great piece of content, for me.

However, there is also a need to have content that is collaborative.. of course lol (that's what say savage and ultimate focus on, but for a particular type of audience) but.. I think a collaborative physical location like an Island concept for FC would be a great piece that is kind of missing from the game currently and is also a pretty long missing spot for FCs (which is where I was posting about on the hamlet concept, technically not the first time I posted that idea- mentioned it a few times for a while now but it's nice someone liked it lol).

[TaleraRistain]

Nah. We tried FC content with airships and submarines and ended up having to have people beg others to come help in their workshop for years. I'd rather they just keep this solo focused as they said and a nice thing each adventurer can enjoy.

[KatCnaa]

I would LOVE any content that is aimed at letting players play together as endgamers and sprouts. I feel that cooperative content outside of your standard DF fare is really valuable for the social side of the game.