What happened to sightseeing?

[CaptainLagbeard]

The ARR Sightseeing log was kind of a mess, as you needed to find the correct spot and have the time of day and weather to align to get the log done.

HW onwards they mostly just removed the time and weather requirements, and started adding those glowing blue orbs to signify where you need to stand for them.


Then Stormblood, they made the ones in cities behind jumping puzzles.

[Shougun]

Not to take away from those who did the Kugane Tower, it is a challenge, but I really wish that got an adjustment, I think that is an example of a good desire but quite a few spots that are poor execution. Way too much whacking your head on stuff that you don't actually see, toes standing on things that don't exist.. Accidentally or purposefully, it feels to me frustrating but for no particular gain (imo lol). Meanwhile their golden saucer puzzles I feel have gotten better and are generally just great fun (even the originals I have fun with, though they're a bit short).

An aether compass for logs might be nice (maybe going hazy in details once you're within a certain sphere). Though the ones that have time, weather, unknown emote, or previous 21-80 unlocked first... could also use some sort of love.

Personally I think when you get to an area you should get an echo eagle eye (Assassins Creed) type event, where it will go to the time and weather that the dev thought would be interesting and also give you the angle in a nice panning shot (doesn't need to be a circle like the eagle system, just panning over and around whatever was meant to be interesting).

More to the system itself might also be fun, like sometimes you get to a view point and you fight some mini-notorious monster, do one of those dancing or singing mini games (that SE has used), does a sort of GW2 jumping puzzle system, etc (not Kugane Tower type of frustrating, at least personally I consider that more on the annoying side than the fun side, meanwhile their saucer puzzles are quite fun to me, though I wouldn't mind more stuff going on and perhaps some check points.. again can reference GW2 too). Maybe bigger exp reward and or poetics even.

Mostly tangential but semi-relating also add points of interest that do stuff, like a cavern with a wind stone in it and when there are gust weather you can interact with the stone to get a semi-long lasting buff to sprint (duration, speed, cooldown). Sight seeing log then occasionally touching upon the "interactivity" of the world. Like that stone, or perhaps a majestic view filling your character with hope causing them to get a regen buff that doubles when out of combat. Can be fun stuff, jump speed, temporary item that transforms you, etc, and for balance they can not work in instanced content (or at least synced content).

[Limecat]

The arr sightseeing is a bit of a headache from time to time because of the vague description but the one in HW and I presume onward simply makes no effort in hinting you what are you suppose to emote and where to. Why did they butcher the sightseeing feature like that?

It doesn't include the hint because they stopped bothering with time/weather/emote conditions. Every single one has 100% uptime, they all have a little sparkly ball to show you where they're at, and the only emote you use is /lookout.

[Avatre]

It doesn't include the hint because they stopped bothering with time/weather/emote conditions. Every single one has 100% uptime, they all have a little sparkly ball to show you where they're at, and the only emote you use is /lookout.

IIRC, there is one in Stb that still had a time restriction(early morning), but nothing else. It's in the Ruby Sea.