[dev1008] About Jumping

[gifthorse]

Well I want to keep this post a bit shorter so I'll just say this. If you aren't opposed to suggesting SE rework the entire core of the game as far as jumping and navigating terrain are concerned, then I have no counter argument. My only comment on it is if jumping really warrants so much time and effort being put into sweeping changes. In my mind no, it doesn't seem a critical enough gameplay element for something like that. When you think of mmos you think of leveling, fighting, partying, running dungeons, etc. Those are worth the time, jumping not so much.

You also have to keep in mind mmos are consistent worlds. It's not like a single player game where you'll encounter hidden paths and secret areas a few times. Once they're discovered, once the patterns are understood, they no longer hold that luster they once had. Jumping would be the same way as far as hunting treasure and stuff is concerned, it becomes a needless obstacle. It'd be no different, ultimately, than putting a door in the way. I mean the secret beach in Valkurm, after a short time, wasn't really secret anymore. After that initial "Oh wow, a hidden path!" moment, it was just another area. Monsters scouring the hallways, the chance of mimics, things like that are dangerous aspects that always play a part. They're unpredictable and dealing with them can always maintain some element of fun.

The extreme response to what I said might be "Well they should just take away all obstacles if that's how you feel!" which isn't what I'm getting at at all. I'm just saying the level to which the game would grow because of jumping isn't as great as some would believe.

I realise it's asking a lot. And that is perhaps the only valid argument I can find for not implementing it. Development time doesn't grow on trees, after all.

But the fact remains that it can improve the game more than it can harm it.

I guess everyone has their own little opinions on what an MMO is "all about". Running dungeons, levelling up, and other such activities are all part of what makes the game, and probably something most people habitually associate with an MMO. But an MMO isn't just those things.

I think anything that adds something to a game should be considered when developing one. Just being able to jump between platforms in a dungeon with the possibility of missing, while could be frustrating if you're really angst-ridden, but it would also help flesh out that area.

The fact that everywhere in the world there is a dedicated path that leads you from A to B to C to D to A is unrealistic. At some point you're going to have to jump whilst travelling.

I don't know if you've watched Man vs. Wild, but he jumps all the time.

In California they have rooms where smokers can go to smoke. They pack them all in there like animals and they can smoke up the whole room. I think we need to have a room like that for this forum. There should be a whole forum just for FFXI nuts where we can pack em in there so they can talk about not jumping, old classes, airships, chocobos, removing teleports, sawing their nuts off, and everything else they like.

Or maybe FFXIV could have a feature called Loyalty Mode where you had no anima, 7 bazaar slots total across your 2 retainers, couldn't equip other classes' abilities, and run speed reduced by 50%. Actually I think I may be on to something here.

EDIT: Also there would be airships but you'd have to wait 9 1/2 minutes everytime you wanted to ride one.

Aw, that's so mean. They can't help the way they are.