[Suggestion] Can we get a “Hide All Players” option?

[MagicPeanut]

I’ve always wanted a feature like this. Sometimes, I just want to feel like I’m questing alone (Especially during MSQ /Side Story Quests when people are crowding around NPC’s.) It’s absolutely infuriating to try and talk to every NPC for extra character dialogue, only to have a big stupid Chocobo with bright butterfly wings standing on them. Not to mention the fact that I hate when someone runs in and stands exactly where I’m standing and my lala is suddenly sniffing their butt. Gross. Other things like giant whale mounts that obscure vision or a motorcycle's engine hum can be pretty annoying too. Also, I play this game primarily for the MSQ, which of course sets us up like we’re each the main character of the story. While this is a bit nitpicky, it is a bit immersion breaking to see so many WoL’s running around while I’m doing the MSQ.

To clarify, I’m not asking for a whole separate instance/server where I can be alone. Just a box to check in one of the Option menus to turn off other PCs on-screen. An even better option would be to allow the player to hide individual players outside of the option for “Hide All,” where it would persist even if you turn off “Hide All.” Some RP-AFKers genuinely get on my nerves, and I’d LOVE having the option to never see them again.

Of course, hiding players wouldn’t affect dungeons or other instances that require seeing other players in combat related areas. (Such as Eureka or Bozja.) It would also not affect party members. Just the overworld. (Which would include zones, city-states, and Gold Saucer, of course.) Maybe it’d be wonky when doing FATEs, but I still think it’d be worth it. I’m sure players on lower end PCs and older models of the PS4 on Hunt Trains would be at least somewhat appreciative of a feature like this.

I manage to somewhat improve the experience of having so many players on screen by turning off names for both them and all minions and muting performance, as well as disabling other PC's battle effects in the options, but it's no substitute for actually having a feature like this.

And of course, I get it. “It’s an MMO,” a lot of people might say. But I’m already a solo player. I would just like the option to remove everyone from my sight to feel even more alone than I already do. Okay well, in all seriousness, it’s just a feature that wouldn’t affect anybody outside of those using it. So why not?

[Kuritzkale]

Why even play an MMO?

[Kranel_San]

Why even play an MMO?

Hide all players is nearly the only option remaining which is standing between the borders of online and offline
If it became a thing then I'd ask myself: "Is this an offline game now?"

[MagicPeanut]

Why even play an MMO?

For me, it's a Final Fantasy first, MMO second. I'm not a social person in general, so I'd just like the RPG part of MMORPG to be available as an option to me. I don't believe this request is that out there or unreasonable.

[NekoMataMata]

Why even play an MMO?

Why do people always jump to this conclusion? "Oh you want to be left alone for a small amount of time while participating in activities that you can do on your own? Go play a single player game then."

If MMOs didn't want people to have options like these or privacy options to hide our online status, then they wouldn't include content in-game that players can play through own their own. It's not the end of the world just because someone decides they want some alone time.

[Zanarkand-Ronso]

For me, it's a Final Fantasy first, MMO second. I'm not a social person in general, so I'd just like the RPG part of MMORPG to be available as an option to me. I don't believe this request is that out there or unreasonable.

For the Most Part, this is a Final Fantasy JRPG 1st, and an MMO 2nd. For anybody that has seriously been playing this game and not just trying to Jump to Raiding and LITERALLY ignore everything else.....this is true.
But, I honestly dont agree with Hiding other Players from existence. Sure you can say its annoying and Immersion Breaking to try to talk to an NPC thats surrounded by people and they get cut off from the screen by a Chocobo in Bright Barding, or say a guy in a Frog Costume. But, its because you are in a Large Breathing World. There will be other people around doing their own thing, just like the real world.

Also all of these other random people are Recognized as other Adventurers. People just exploring, taking on jobs and the like.
These same Adventurers are who you recruit as extra muscle to explore Dungeons, take down a Giant Dragon on a High Bridge, and Fight Gods.
Completely removing them from existence in your view I think would take away from the game.

[Zanarkand-Ronso]

Why even play an MMO?

Why do people always jump to this conclusion? "Oh you want to be left alone for a small amount of time while participating in activities that you can do on your own? Go play a single player game then."

Its not an Unfair Question or even a Bad Point.
You want to play a game where you are left alone....but you want to do so on an MMO, which is both a Videogame, and a Social Space. Do you not understand the Contradiction or the issue here?
MMO = Mass Multiplayer Online.

You are literally in the wrong game if you want to be alone.

[NekoMataMata]

Its not an Unfair Question or even a Bad Point.
You want to play a game where you are left alone....but you want to do so on an MMO, which is both a Videogame, and a Social Space. Do you not understand the Contradiction or the issue here?
MMO = Mass Multiplayer Online.

You are literally in the wrong game if you want to be alone.

You would be on the wrong game if you know, there weren't activities for people to take part in on their own.

Seriously, do you realize how many people at some point or another feel like relaxing in-game without being bothered? They don't feel like that 100% of the time, hence why they play the game but if you told them to up and quit, you'd be looking at a dead game.

It removes absolutely nothing from your own experience to allow others to have this too, so I don't see any issue.

[MagicPeanut]

For the Most Part, this is a Final Fantasy JRPG 1st, and an MMO 2nd. For anybody that has seriously been playing this game and not just trying to Jump to Raiding and LITERALLY ignore everything else.....this is true.
But, I honestly dont agree with Hiding other Players from existence. Sure you can say its annoying and Immersion Breaking to try to talk to an NPC thats surrounded by people and they get cut off from the screen by a Chocobo in Bright Barding, or say a guy in a Frog Costume. But, its because you are in a Large Breathing World. There will be other people around doing their own thing, just like the real world.

Also all of these other random people are Recognized as other Adventurers. People just exploring, taking on jobs and the like.
These same Adventurers are who you recruit as extra muscle to explore Dungeons, take down a Giant Dragon on a High Bridge, and Fight Gods.
Completely removing them from existence in your view I think would take away from the game.

I get that everyone else is meant to be "Other Adventurers," but are you telling me, in lore, that your average everyday adventurer would somehow find themselves in some of the later zones in EW? I honestly find that hard to believe.

And as I said before, players would STILL be displayed in Trials, Raids, etc. Only in the overworld zones would they be disabled if "Hide All" was turned on.

To me, other players don't solely make the world in this game feel real. A big portion of that world belongs to the NPCs/AI. Every once in a while, I'd just prefer to only see that specific portion alone. It'd only affect me personally. Why should other players be offended that I can't see them?

[MagicPeanut]

Why do people always jump to this conclusion? "Oh you want to be left alone for a small amount of time while participating in activities that you can do on your own? Go play a single player game then."

If MMOs didn't want people to have options like these or privacy options to hide our online status, then they wouldn't include content in-game that players can play through own their own. It's not the end of the world just because someone decides they want some alone time.

All of this exactly. The game features content that can be played solo. So, because I've played the game this way for years and want a better version of it, it's a problem?