Open world changes?

[EnigmaticDodo]

Overworld is pretty dead imo, here are some garbage ideas.

* More densely packed mobs
- As it stands, mobs are very sparse w/ numbers on the open world. Could certainly benefit from larger packs.

* Adjust EXP
- Make it so grinding overworld mobs could be a viable method of leveling. Doesn't have to go overboard to invalidate everything else, but would be nice.

* Allow overworld to spawn NM type enemies, similar to Eureka-esque stuff, for killing mobs.
- incorporate the Duel FATE mechanic for angering certain mob factions. Allow the rewards to be chunks of gil, tomes, misc mats, or Maps with higher success rates.

* Make FATES have chain bonuses, such as temporary Duty Action like abilities, ability to call in G-Warrior for a FATE or 2, etc.
- Allow FATE variants for if your chain is high. ex; Normal Fate could be X group killing Y group, but now this time Y group has a big bad for backup and new mechs introduced to the FATE w/ increased rewards.
- Make FATES actually scale reasonably for players present. Some FATE boss enemies have ridiculously high health for unknown reasons. Could do w/ a readjust!

I don't know. I really would just like the open world to matter outside of what very little there is. Sorry if these are just the basest of the base suggestion wise, but it's a starting point of a conversation I think is somewhat important. I really don't appreciate how some aspects of this game feel half baked and undercooked, so lets throw ideas out, talk about it, and maybe devs will do something eventually.

[Roda]

The FATE system was a decent idea to implement but they never really committed to it enough to have it do more than be a source of easy exp.
They should be interacting with the maps way more than they do. Give us branching FATE chains depending on the FATE outcome. FATE chain success should be tied to levels of hostility in entire areas. Maybe opening up merchants with rare goods and collectibles. Maybe provide access to repeatable quests (maybe that reward bicolor gems) if an area is held long enough? Hell, make it so gathering nodes have bonuses while the area afinity is high. Something to inspire people to do them when they don't need the EXP anymore.

New types of FATEs would be appreciated too, preferably ones that aren't so combat focused. Events while traveling don't have to always be life and death.
Help a farmer literally whack some moles with a special hammer.
Help a noble outside a party arrive in the appropriate fashion by listening in on the party-goers.
(go -hide- and select certain points near clusters of npcs talking, dialoge box pops up with the conversation with keywords, go back to the npc and select the appropriate keywords. collect enough intel as a group and the noble enters the party with confidence and style)
Leap-of-faith/cliffhanger style jump-a-thons/collect-a-thons (instead of kill mob or pick up thing to get item) & deliver to npc.
Traveling carnival patrols the zone and sets up minigames on hotspots. Minigames drop tickets and you can trade them in while the troupe is parked. Once they complete a circuit the prize pool changes.

(And FATE NPCs should not disappear unless their character literally walks into an area in which the PC cannot go or see into. I can't believe I hate to say this about an RPG, because NPCs literally disappearing the instant they're no longer relevant takes me RIGHT out of the experience. Raktika did a good job with this on the huntresses chain, I want to see that continuity with every single FATE)

They also need to stop with the client-side NPCs. I get that it reduces server lode, but the Viis running across the road e-v-e-r-y t-i-m-e I enter the crystarium, or the dude who walks up to the nutsboard every time i walk into the area... they're getting old. If you're gonna do clientside events, make them small, and have a pool of what can happen and randomize it, because oh my god I feel like I'm trapped on one of those amusement park rides with the singing anamatronics. Zero immersion.

I'd also like to see more storytelling (environmental and mechanical) off the main path of a zone. I want rewards for exploring. Like the zones are somehow so linear in this game (il mheg is really bad about this in its design). Secret nooks with hidden quests. Multiple routes to get to areas. (shortcuts!) Areas that require puzzle solving or basic jumping to navigate. Just, things that inspire whims and reward you for following them. I play MMOs to recapture that sense of wonder and aventure I had as a kid exploring the woods. SE. Lemme chase an unassuming frog that no one would notice and get rewarded with a friend when I manage to catch it :3

They need to do some more reconnaissance on other mmos on the market on how they do their open worlds because i'm just so bored of XIV's lifeless backdrops for quests. (GW2 and WoW (again) specifically)

[Lucke]

The FATE system was a decent idea to implement but they never really committed to it enough to have it do more than be a source of easy exp.
They should be interacting with the maps way more than they do. Give us branching FATE chains depending on the FATE outcome. FATE chain success should be tied to levels of hostility in entire areas. Maybe opening up merchants with rare goods and collectibles. Maybe provide access to repeatable quests (maybe that reward bicolor gems) if an area is held long enough? Hell, make it so gathering nodes have bonuses while the area afinity is high. Something to inspire people to do them when they don't need the EXP anymore.

They actually did this. In Eastern Thanalan, there's a series of FATEs dealing with that big bridge. Failing the FATE started one chain, and winning started another chain. If you failed, the 2nd part has you rescuing NPCs I believe. There's also the one in the Shroud where you have to take over the bandit camp then defend it. If you fail, you have to take to over again. Both times had merchants that sold different items depending on if you won or lost. The bandit camp for example had a merchant that was only available if you held the camp. They sold a minion and some other goodies, for as long as players had the camp.

[Roda]

They actually did this. In Eastern Thanalan, there's a series of FATEs dealing with that big bridge. Failing the FATE started one chain, and winning started another chain. If you failed, the 2nd part has you rescuing NPCs I believe. There's also the one in the Shroud where you have to take over the bandit camp then defend it. If you fail, you have to take to over again. Both times had merchants that sold different items depending on if you won or lost. The bandit camp for example had a merchant that was only available if you held the camp. They sold a minion and some other goodies, for as long as players had the camp.

Yes I loved those fates at the time. Sad they never expanded the concepts though.

[van_arn]

They need to break their fear of putting anything remotely challenging in the open world. As things stand, you explore a capped zone and have mindless farms or party-required fates. There's very little to no in between.

This gets even worse as ilvl is boosted during an expansion. I'd rather see some areas that are dangerous to travel alone at launch of an expansion that gradually become challenging -- but not easy -- over time to solo.

This is on top of wanting more reasons to travel in the open world. Blue Mage could have been this, but powerleveling ruined that angle.

[TaleraRistain]

I'd rather see some areas that are dangerous to travel alone at launch of an expansion that gradually become challenging -- but not easy -- over time to solo.

Hard disagree. I'd rather see more encouragement of exploration. Especially because they don't give tools that aid traversal in this game like previous games had, such as invisibility and levitation skills. I don't want my ability to get aether currents to depend on my ability to get random people together, but on my own ability to explore and puzzle out how to get to them. Or have my ability to go and see things limited to only what others find the easiest to go and see.

[GrumbleBeard]

Enemies in general should do more status effects. There are plenty in the game to choose from and they're so rarely used. It would also make the corresponding potions that cure them a little more relevent.

[gilmorej]

Enemies in general should do more status effects. There are plenty in the game to choose from and they're so rarely used. It would also make the corresponding potions that cure them a little more relevent.

No, we don't need any of that. I can't stand what this latest WoW expansion has become in regards to this kind of thing. The number of enemies that can CC you in the overworld there just sucks. It's not uncommon for an enemy that takes 30 sec to kill, has an ability that can stun you for 3 sec on a 10 sec CD, and you have to kill 15 of them to complete a quest. Obvious playtime metric padding and I hate it so much.

Do you really want to devote 5+ bag spaces to eye drops, antidotes, pincushions, etc? I don't because storage is already kind of cramped.

Those kind of gameplay mechanics don't add anything positive to the experience -- a monster isn't going to be able to kill you because of any of these status effects so it's inconsequential and purely adds annoyance.

Since I've already made the comparison, I'll continue and say that FF14 overworld is dream compared to WoW, especially since FF14 enemies have actual AI that you can exploit to avoid aggroing them. They either have vision or hearing, and you can move past without aggro if you're careful. Overworld monsters in WoW just aggro to you as soon as you get within X feet of them whether they are looking at you or not.

I think FF14 is way more sophisticated in that regard.

I don't want FF14 overworld to change, because grinding stuff in the overworld isn't even where we get exp anyway. We quest or do FATES.

I would like to see battlecraft leves make a return though.. I enjoy doing them on lower-level characters for a nice change of pace and to provide some context to what my character is doing.

[GrumbleBeard]

No, we don't need any of that. I can't stand what this latest WoW expansion has become in regards to this kind of thing. The number of enemies that can CC you in the overworld there just sucks. It's not uncommon for an enemy that takes 30 sec to kill, has an ability that can stun you for 3 sec on a 10 sec CD, and you have to kill 15 of them to complete a quest. Obvious playtime metric padding and I hate it so much.

Compared to enemies that do nothing but 1 or 2 AoEs that they share across all levels?

Do you really want to devote 5+ bag spaces to eye drops, antidotes, pincushions, etc? I don't because storage is already kind of cramped.

Yes? I would choose that over endless crafting supplies.

Those kind of gameplay mechanics don't add anything positive to the experience -- a monster isn't going to be able to kill you because of any of these status effects so it's inconsequential and purely adds annoyance.

So increase the damage caused? Have them combo it with other things, stuns/silence? You only ignore them now because they're so weak it's pointless to pay attention to them. If they were deadlier, you would.

I think FF14 is way more sophisticated in that regard.

I don't want FF14 overworld to change, because grinding stuff in the overworld isn't even where we get exp anyway. We quest or do FATES.

I wouldn't call the overworld being a complete waste of time to be in for 99% of the time sophisticated.

Regardless, it's just my opinion. At the end of the day, I'm not going to lose sleep over the state of the overworld. As it stands though, it's not enjoyable in any way to traverse or explore, or kill enemies, or do anything really and I would like it improved.