NPC Following Quests - Overly complex don't we think?

[Iscah]

We already have NPC following quests. Have had for years. They jsut disappear between WPs. which are sparkly destionations.
So why all the nonsense now that sometimes they walk along with you? Totally uncessary complexity and eye candy. Breaks immersion.

On the contrary, I loved the fact that the characters were actually accompanying me rather than walking off and leaving me behind every time.

This is a game, I am here to be amused, and the eye candy is there to amuse me.

[Ilisidi]

Yes, the follow quests are great. I wish there had been more following and optional side talk swirls in 6.1 MSQ and the role quest ending than there are.

[TaleraRistain]

Since they fixed it so you can't lose them as easily, I love them. I enjoyed them in 6.0 but that one part was annoying. They make the game feel like a real JRPG and there have been small improvements the past two expansion to do more and more of that.

[BrokentoothMarch]

I liked the part where I had to stalk a girl and pretend that was routine.

[RitsukoSonoda]

They're better for immersion and storytelling IMO.

I find most of the people that didn't like this new type of quest either played Endwalker right from the start of early access when the pathing was buggy and just about anything would cause you to lose the NPC and have to go back and find them, or they're people that just don't care about the 2 things I mentioned and are just trying to reach the end ASAP.

[YukiB]

Sure. But so is the Devs wasteing time on the eye candy. The whole NPC follow thing is a Gimmmick. So cool Let's have the gimmick without the eyecandy.

What's easier to find, a clear visual indicator with a glowing circle and ... speech bubble indicating the NPC has special but optional dialogue at that location, or some sparklies at a place that is decidedly not the quest destination?

Also, waste time on it? They already made it. It would take more time to REMOVE it like you suggest. You might argue it was never worth the time to develop it in the first place, and I'd probably agree with you, but that ship has sailed.

[Syln]

I wish they went on a totally different path with this : you chose a NPC to follow you and it stay until you or it chose to part way (for story reason), with it you could do quest/fate and having it comment on what you are doing, res you and make fun of you if you die or be compassionate depending on the NPC etc etc ...

Basically a chocobo 2.0 that you could have with you everywhere and giving more spice to your adventure.

[WindyGamer]

On the contrary, I loved the fact that the characters were actually accompanying me rather than walking off and leaving me behind every time.

This is a game, I am here to be amused, and the eye candy is there to amuse me.

Just to be clear. I'm not dissing the current scheme of the NPCs actually following you. I'm just pointing out that now that you can use a Crystal and Mounts if outside cities, we don't need the circles and black warning boxes. Just have the NPCs follow you. Great. I agree that NPCs following is cool.

[WindyGamer]

I wish they went on a totally different path with this : you chose a NPC to follow you and it stay until you or it chose to part way (for story reason), with it you could do quest/fate and having it comment on what you are doing, res you and make fun of you if you die or be compassionate depending on the NPC etc etc ...

Basically a chocobo 2.0 that you could have with you everywhere and giving more spice to your adventure.

This sounds super. A change to the gameplay rather than just a visual change.

[Silvarer]

I like the circles since it makes it easy to tell where you need to go to get some interesting dialogue. I don’t think it was necessary for the game to tell me how NPCs following me works every time they join up though. Once the first time it happened at the beginning of the expansion was fine but afterwards it seemed pretty repetitive. I’m fine with the way the gimmick works on the whole though.