Non instanced dungeons. An under-looked game design method in XI

[Preypacer]

The problem is, I am not all together convinced that the current MMO population could support that style of play anymore. There is an expectation that "fun" content be accessible on a moment's notice. Which, in a way, isn't wrong. Enjoyable content should be easily accessed. FFXIV, though, seems to have forgotten that the journey can be just as fun as the destination. Long, grueling hikes though zones is not fun. But long, exciting ones can be. The balance is incredibly fine.

You make a good point there. The journey is just as fun as it's ever been - for someone who can appreciate it.

What's really changed is the expectations. What more and more people are considering fun these days is "getting better loot" and "leveling up more quickly". The pay-off is the motivator, and the journey is just a "necessary evil" they have to deal with to acquire it. Sad but true.

It doesn't even need to be stated outright, just look at how many arguments there are for higher drop rates, faster leveling, people who don't want PL'ing to be reigned in and, in fact, think the PL level rate is the way it should be anyway. Their sense of enjoyment (satisfaction, achievement, what-have-you) is derived from "getting things", be it levels or a better item drop. This much is abundantly clear just by reading the various arguments and suggestions that pop up time and again in the forums. It's equally abundant in seeing what ideas or gameplay concepts people are against. Many times, what someone has chosen to argue about says a lot more about their point-of-view than the argument itself.

Another thing that SE did that contributed to the uniqueness of FFXI's world was how it was woven together. There are any number of zones that are not just connected to another zone, but woven into it, part of a while. Temple of Uggalepih comes to mind immediately. The temple was not some vestigial appendage of Yhoator Jungle, it was a vital part of it.

Excellent point. You could say the same about Horutoto Ruins and Eldiemme Necropolis, how both of those areas are sort of "woven" into their parent zones.

[Hulan]

What more and more people are considering fun these days is "getting better loot" and "leveling up more quickly". The pay-off is the motivator, and the journey is just a "necessary evil" they have to deal with to acquire it. Sad but true.

I do not think you can call them "wrong" for holding that believe though. We are each of us here to have fun. There is no "wrong" way to have fun, baring the outright greifing of others. I myself have argued in favor of changing the trend of using a pRNG to determine drops. Not to reduce the effort required to get gear, but because I honestly thing that it is a sledgehammer being used when a needle would be a better tool; but that is a discussion for another time.

While I don't think we can call the trend of rampant gear consumerism "wrong". I do think something has been lost in translation. If I were to pick one example to use as dogma for future designs, it would be 2-5 from FFXI's CoP. I am not, in this case, referring to the difficulty of the fight (though I do enjoy it immensely), but rather the fact that the journey was part of the event. Getting to Monarch Linn could be almost as difficult as the fight itself. While not appropriate for every case, I think it's a great single example of how the trip to the destination can be just as important and compelling as the event at the end.

Excellent point. You could say the same about Horutoto Ruins and Eldiemme Necropolis, how both of those areas are sort of "woven" into their parent zones.

The world itself is woven together much more tightly than FFXIV, for all of the fact that the former was zone based and the latter was seamless. The ability, for instance, to access special areas of Batallia Downs by travelling through Beaucedine Glacier, seemingly several zones away.

[Teakwood]

So many fond memories of sitting around in Aht Urhgan with my Tidal Talisman waiting for the stragglers so I could teleport them straight to Nashmau so my LS leader didn't die of apoplexy when they took the damn late ferry.

(The worst part was if you were reasonably fearless and clever you could travel to Einherjar through Alzadaal; it was actually a really cool shortcut, and I think a really good example of the things that owned about XI's world design. If you knew the world and the shortcuts, if you had put a lot of time into unlocking all the means of teleportation, you could get /anywhere in Vana'diel/ inside of seven minutes. I prided myself ridiculously on my ability to do such and had more than a few races between myself and friends as to who could get to some obscure but immediately recognisable location first.)

I mean, I'm looking forward to tromping through Mor Dhona on the way to the imperial castrum, but then again I've got a recognisable masochistic streak.

[Orophin]

I thought this was going to be another post about reintroducing world HNMs, but it was actually a pleasant read. I feel they did a pretty good job designing the areas in FF11. They SHOULD be able to accomplish the same being that the maps are being redone to have definitive zone lines between areas. (non-seamless) It just depends on whether they will embrace that ideology or not.

[ThePatriarch]

I liked Bastok...

I always started there because I loved leveling charcters in South Gustaberg..

I'd fall asleep out there with that wonderful music playing. Oh... Nostalgia...

[Jynx]

What is all this nonsens of Failstock.

Windurst is the only true City in XI.

[Gramul]

What is all this nonsens of Failstock.

Windurst is the only true City in XI.

I suppose it's better than san d'orkia.

[Hachi-Roku]

I suppose it's better than san d'orkia.

I think we've all found something we can agree on.

[Ruisu]

I suppose it's better than san d'orkia.

What the hell did I ever do to you.

I think we've all found something we can agree on.

Yeah this thread sucks I'm out.

[DeadRiser]

Which is why I wish they would add more content surrounding the strongholds and what not. Some random guy needed a peice of AF gear and I wanted to get to one of the NM's inside to solo for a coffer drop. We helped each other all the way through.

Earlier today, did random caravan runs for 2 hours with randoms, while people passed by on choco to supply stuff to the hamlets.

THINGS LIKE THIS is what we need more of. It gets the community to help one another. Not sit in town shouting for BLM/BRD/WAR parties.