Possible story-based areas for end-game

[Duelle]

What you forget is that the majority of zones in XI all were designed that were based on story elements as well.

There's a difference between a zone that fits into the story and a zone that is designed for the story. Zi'tah and Bibiki Bay are good examples of the former. Attowa Chasm and Riverne being of the latter. I'm against the latter while being for the former.

Otherwise a lot of zones were designed to be unlocked and explored through the story then later on your own (you know, like a FF game tends to do.) Everything in XI was world relevant and story relevant because the lore and storylines fit into the world like a good RPG.

As always, you and I are not going to agree on that. What CoP did is use the tried and true "cluster of zones" that is typical of an expansion with a couple of scraps added to the main continent. Problem is that they created the zones exclusively for the story, and it shows when there is no real reason to be in the Archipelago outside of the CoP missions barring one or two extra things like subligar farming. Even if you were to go back in time and convince Tanaka to not put in the three promyvion requirement, the zones as designed are not inviting. You wouldn't see the kind of shift to the Archipelago as you did when Bibiki Bay opened up, much less the shift to Bafflau Thickets when TAU hit.

[GatoGrotto]

It's good to see that most of you agree with this topic. The storyline is really what makes FFXI and XIV unique from other MMOs, they incorporate the stories of the game with the content so well. It would be a shame to see ARR follow in the footsteps of today's mainstream MMO where you really don't even know why you're going to an area or running a dungeon in the first place and the sense of playing an rpg is lost. Iirc though GW2 did an open world event recently that opened a new dungeon after the players beat it. I would love to see stuff like this more often, get the players to work together to get something that benefits everybody.

[MicahZerrshia]

It's good to see that most of you agree with this topic. The storyline is really what makes FFXI and XIV unique from other MMOs, they incorporate the stories of the game with the content so well. It would be a shame to see ARR follow in the footsteps of today's mainstream MMO where you really don't even know why you're going to an area or running a dungeon in the first place and the sense of playing an rpg is lost. Iirc though GW2 did an open world event recently that opened a new dungeon after the players beat it. I would love to see stuff like this more often, get the players to work together to get something that benefits everybody.

There are other players in GW2? I stopped playing it because there not being anybody around ever in the lvl 30 and below zones lol the stories were also very lackluster, disjointed and boring.

I love the FF storytelling and I hope it stays. If you dont like it you can skip cs or enter thru it fast but I know alot of people who love it and it makes the game worthwhile. Not only do you care more about the game but you start to care more for the NPCs. How many of us cried when we though ol' Lou died to a megaflare to the face? Or when Aerith was run thru by Seph, or the tragic heartrenching scene that was the end of crisis core. Dont get that in many games and certainly not in other MMOs. If there is one thing SE excels at, its storytelling.

[ChiyoKatsui]

I just wanted to say something.

Walk of Echoes

PS> Only FF game I ever cried at was ten, at the end. Probably because it was my first play through and i read every word of it. Felt a little like Tidus back in those days...

[Themis]

For it to be recognisable as a Final Fantasy game, it needs to have certain areas that you can only access when you reach certain points in the story. Even games outside of FF don't let you access all of the areas all at once. It adds to that sense of progression and, for many, it doubles up as an achievement of sorts when you finally step foot into the area you've long heard of.

I would like to see all zones like that also being used for more than just driving along the story. There were many zones in XI that looked great and the music for some of them were equally so. But for the most part, there wasn't any real reason to go to them once you'd finished what story there was to do there. There needs to be something interesting and exciting in every area/zone that gets added in and made to feel like a part of the world and not just some tacked on area for the purpose of getting to one or two NMs/bosses (outside of the areas which are designed to be the throne of said boss).