Too safe for traveling? Follow

I'd love to see some high risk for greater reward gameplay mechanics in exploration added.

The trip to Jeuno in XI was one of the more memorable moments for me as well. Getting the Chocobo quest done there meant the risky trip could be a one-time thing if I didn't ever want to run that path again.

On the other hand, dying regularly on trips to meet with a party (Qufim I'm looking at you) wasn't fun.

I wouldn't want to see FFXIV ARR travel become risky all the time, but some sense of adventure needs to be instilled every so often when leveling a character, in any game - online or not.

I know who to AVOID mobs because I played XI. That being said, I have SNEAK from miner, so I switch. You walk very slowly, but you get past things.

I also use lower levels to run around and fill the map. I know I'm going to die and be sent back, but that's ok, beats paying gil to port home.

At the end of the day, does it really matter? Does it matter that you got to see an area before you were able to kill the mobs there? Does it matter that you didn't set foot in that zone until you could? Simply because the exploration isn't fraught with "Would you like to Return..." messages doesn't mean it's not worth it. There's still a lot of agro, your skill at avoiding it is still relevant. I really find the whole argument tiresome, because at the end of the day you're not getting anything...at all...for the additional "danger".

Sure running from panthers was a rush in XI, but you weren't playing the game--you were avoiding it. The whole time you were running around trying not to die you were really just sinking time into nothing. The same with trying to get to leveling camps; you lose a couple players to agro and now you're waiting even longer. It's not about instant gratification, it's about having a game that wants to keep you playing it.

I know mine has: When I was playing FFXI, I was living with my GF [now my wife], I was in my early 20s, had no real bills, we both worked part time and were able to donate 16+ hours a day to obtaining a single level in FFXI.

I'm coming up on 38 next month. Both my [now] wife and I have 40+/week jobs. Two kids in the mix, extra curricular events for the older and a huge time investment in the younger. Sure, we still game, but it's for maybe an hour or two at night when we have the time. . maybe a binge session on a Saturday. . but it's not the same.

Generational? Absolutely: They realize their core market demographic is aging, and they are taking steps to adjust the game to suit their aging market share.

I'd continue this line of conversation, but speaking of those "diminishing playtimes" my little guy smushed his finger, and I it's time for a wonderful run to quick care. Have a great Beta everyone!!!

Let me know when you have a mob that follows you through a zone 5 times bigger and aggros other mobs while you are running, these mobs didnt stop coming till you were either dead or zoned. Oh and if you ran by someone they would pick up the aggro after you zoned or died. The life of EQ...

FFXI had quite a few of those trainwrecks too. The Crawlers Nest was horrible back in the old days where players would zone aggro mobs and people entering zone would be raped without knowing it. What made it worse is people kept entering and entering causing more bodies to add up the point someone had to direct traffic to enter the zone. I had one instance where people wouldn't listen so me and another person killed off all the mobs so people would stop dying. FFXI was hardcore until Abyssea ruined it.

That is kind of a reason why people were so much better players back then. When you died you would be punished so it forced people to learn how to properly play a character.