Open World elements in FF14

[Skiros]

FF14's open world does not encourage, incentivize, or reward exploration. Other than sightseeing logs, which give measly rewards if you actually organically explored rather than following a guide, there's almost next to no point in exploring the world.

Furthermore in Endwalker most of the zones, bar Garlemald, are really just a linear corridor disguised as a zone. You can most clearly see this in Ultima Thule. The entire zone is a linear corridor designed for the story. Now I don't mind this if only one zone is like this but Labyrinthos is also a linear corridor. Thavnair is a linear corridor for the west half of the MSQ. Only Garlemald felt like a zone where you can actually stretch your legs and explore - and that's what I've done when I played through the MSQ and found all the aether currents without a compass.

Exploration should be a big feature during the MSQ as you get to learn the lore of the land. I suggest:

1. Put hidden stories and sidequests throughout the zone that can only be seen when you are close. These quests should reward XP, coffers and gil similar to a MSQ quests, and give more lore and information about the zone.

2. Sightseeing log incentives should be increased and be accessible on foot. This allows players to organically find the sightseeing logs while going through the MSQ, and exploration before you unlock flying is always far better and more interesting.
I suggest giving players 2 coffers once they finish all sightseeing logs in the zone.

3. Zones should be far more fleshed out. ARR zones are compact - closed and bounded. Compact doesn't just mean small. It also implies density. There is so much life to be found in ARR zones - like the cabin that in Upper La Noscea that makes you wonder whose it is, and allow you to go in to explore. Zones shouldn't be purely open world aesthetically. There should also be thematic switches - little caves, cabins, etc. for you to look at. It's disappointing that so many rooms in Elpis and Labyrinthos are inaccessible. Making them accessible will help with immersion and exploration. Put interactable books that provide little lore details in these hidden corners of the world.

[Jin-]

Yoshi's team can't design openworld content. Not a hot take, a fact

[Jeeqbit]

FF14's open world does not encourage, incentivize, or reward exploration. Other than sightseeing logs, which give measly rewards if you actually organically explored rather than following a guide, there's almost next to no point in exploring the world.

1. Daily hunt bills take you all over the map.
2. Finding your weekly mark takes you all over the map.
3. Scouting A ranks takes you all over the map.
4. Spawning S ranks takes you all over the map depending on the condition.
5. Fate farming takes you all over the map.
6. Sight seeing log as you mentioned takes you all over the map.
7. Side quests take you all over the place as well.
8. Gathering takes you to a number of gathering points around the map.
9. Treasure maps take you all over the map depending on where the X is.

All of these things are popular and done by many people.

1. Put hidden stories and sidequests throughout the zone that can only be seen when you are close. These quests should reward XP, coffers and gil similar to a MSQ quests, and give more lore and information about the zone.

FATEs are supposed to do this and some of them used to only be seen when you were close to them, but the problem is that nobody activated them because they were unaware of them.

[Saraide]

I've seen open world be used in a few games, both well and not so well. In elden ring for example I feel like the world is very dense on top of being large. It never feels like there are big spaces that are there for nothing other than increasing the size. This does lead to me getting easily side tracked. In warframe on the other hand the open world maps have almost nothing in them, almost everything is just placeholder for randomly generated mission steps.

FF14 falls somewhere in the middle of that. I dont think maps being "corridors" is inherently bad, it only becomes bad when the density of things to do is lacking. Many activities we do in the open world are "fly from the aetheryte to your destination". That being said I do think there are a few things already that can give the maps life: msq obviously, aether current quests, beast tribe dailies. I'd love to say fates there aswell but fates arent really doing it for me.

[Skiros]

1. Daily hunt bills take you all over the map.
2. Finding your weekly mark takes you all over the map.
3. Scouting A ranks takes you all over the map.
4. Spawning S ranks takes you all over the map depending on the condition.
5. Fate farming takes you all over the map.
6. Sight seeing log as you mentioned takes you all over the map.
7. Side quests take you all over the place as well.
8. Gathering takes you to a number of gathering points around the map.
9. Treasure maps take you all over the map depending on where the X is.

All of these things are popular and done by many people.

FATEs are supposed to do this and some of them used to only be seen when you were close to them, but the problem is that nobody activated them because they were unaware of them.

Exploration =/= going all over the map. Please get better at reading comprehension. The only thing that actually resembles exploration is the sightseeing log because some of them are in hidden nooks and crannies. Flying around the map is not exploration:

Many activities we do in the open world are "fly from the aetheryte to your destination".

Exactly. One of the biggest reasons why the earlier zones of Eureka felt explorable is because you can't fly.

[Jeeqbit]

Exploration =/= going all over the map. Please get better at reading comprehension. The only thing that actually resembles exploration is the sightseeing log because some of them are in hidden nooks and crannies. Flying around the map is not exploration:

Exactly. One of the biggest reasons why the earlier zones of Eureka felt explorable is because you can't fly.

Finding B, A or S marks is not "fly to a specific destination" because you don't know which spawn point it's at. Treasure maps can involve looking in nooks and crannies because you are figuring out where the exact X is from a vague, zoomed in picture of the map and it can involve several dig attempts. Gathering isn't done at any specific location because they are dotted all around the place so you get to explore and gather where you please.

I do personally feel satisfied that I have been everywhere on the map once I have done all of the quests including the sidequests and job quests. The cabin in Outer La Noscea is used in job quests and so is the cabin in The Fringes. This is the sort of game where everything has a purpose or a quest it's used for. I would like if that wasn't how it is but like everything the maps are designed around the stories or at least there is no part of the map they don't use for them.

[Seraphor]

As well as sightseeing there's also:
Side quests
Hunts
FATEs and their chains, plus the super FATEs.
Gathering
Treasure Maps

There's plenty of open world content to do. You just don't want to do it.
Anything else they add in, you also won't want to do. Because no matter what it is, it won't give endgame gear or be an optimal source of tomestones.

[LianaThorne]

Finding B, A or S marks is not "fly to a specific destination" because you don't know which spawn point it's at. Treasure maps can involve looking in nooks and crannies because you are figuring out where the exact X is from a vague, zoomed in picture of the map and it can involve several dig attempts. Gathering isn't done at any specific location because they are dotted all around the place so you get to explore and gather where you please.

- Hunt marks: Locations are very much publicly available and in hunt trains you're literally provided coordinates of where to go. Hell, when EW started people were shouting mark locations to help out others and make finding them easier.

- Treasure Maps: Same thing as above, locations are easily found and you really don't have to put a ton of brain power into it.

- Gathering: The gathering log exists and shows you exactly where to go depending on what you're looking for. There's no exploring needed.

I get your point of what you're trying to say but I wouldn't classify things that the game obviously points you to as exploration.

[Irenia]

Hunts are interesting in that they are one of two truly "open world" pieces of content in the over world, but the community put a structure over it, creating a system of reporting and hunt trains.

Same thing with Eureka, actually. I imagine the intended play pattern was for players to group up and find a place to level, dealing with whatever shenanigans happen as they come, whether they are weather changes or NM spawning. The community put a structure on this too, creating NM trains.

Note I have a specific definition for "open"; I contrast it against "instanced" - the former invites interaction with otherwise uninvoled players, the latter denies it. Gil is open, tomestones are instanced. FATEs are open, treasure maps are instanced. Quests are instanced, and your recommendations are all variations of questing, making it less accessible by removing signposts in order to facilitate wandering the map.

I believe the team wants their lore to be accessible and easily found if you want it; it's why 8 man raids have normal modes now, after all. Plus the fact that we live in a world where the inter is ubiquitous is also important. Regardless of their value, these may be the reasons why they wouldn't want to do what you ask. After all, back in ARR, sightseeing logs were unmarked on the map, and they made the conscious decision to move away from that design.

[Jeeqbit]

Yes it is. You fly to specific spawn points to check whether they are there. That's literally flying to specific destinations.

The same could be said of the aether currents which you praised. Just like you didn't look at a map of where the aether currents are, you can not look at a map of spawn points.

You literally look up a map and use your minimap to look at the nodes. And if you don't know where it is, you use Triangulate and just fly in that direction.

I've not found any of these things necessary because the nodes show up in plain sight as I move around the rocks and hills.

Furthermore, I hope you realize that "exploration" implies that those details in the world have stories and lore attached to them. Otherwise it's not called exploration, it's pure padding.

So your definition of exploration is that there must be story and lore attached to it beyond that implied from just looking at ruins and ancient rubble. Well none of the content I listed does that or not in the way that you want it.

- Hunt marks: Locations are very much publicly available and in hunt trains you're literally provided coordinates of where to go. Hell, when EW started people were shouting mark locations to help out others and make finding them easier.

- Treasure Maps: Same thing as above, locations are easily found and you really don't have to put a ton of brain power into it.

- Gathering: The gathering log exists and shows you exactly where to go depending on what you're looking for. There's no exploring needed.

The same could be said of the sightseeing log and aether currents. Looking up the locations is spoiling yourself and no matter what "exploration" content gets added, you will always be able to spoil yourself by looking up the coordinates on the internet.