Map of Eorzea

[Gulkeeva]

I'm put off by Ul'dah because I can't imagine a desert being very interesting.

it "could" be, I remember the fun of valkrum dunes.. ah that brings back memories... 50 groups fighting over mobs, 4 melee 1 blm healer, 1-2 people dead per fight, everyone tanks!

Anyway, SE is really working hard on scenery too, they might have it looking awesome

[Hyan]

If it looks like Attohwa Chasm, I'm sold :Q_

Not that I wasn't gonna start in Ul'dah anyway.

[mundie]

it "could" be, I remember the fun of valkrum dunes.. ah that brings back memories... 50 groups fighting over mobs, 4 melee 1 blm healer, 1-2 people dead per fight, everyone tanks!

Anyway, SE is really working hard on scenery too, they might have it looking awesome

that just made me lol hard, thanks ^^

[LD]

I was actually disappointed by Altepa because there was too much stuff in it. Deserts aren't supposed to be interesting, they're supposed to be essentially dead: inhabited only by tough creatures who can survive there. Even in East Altepa, where there was the most sand wall to wall, you could see clear borders that really killed the feel of a desert. Ul'Dah has the greater potential to be an actual, seemingly endless wasteland.

[Hyan]

I was actually disappointed by Altepa because there was too much stuff in it. Deserts aren't supposed to be interesting, they're supposed to be essentially dead: inhabited only by tough creatures who can survive there. Even in East Altepa, where there was the most sand wall to wall, you could see clear borders that really killed the feel of a desert. Ul'Dah has the greater potential to be an actual, seemingly endless wasteland.

I think Thanalan is more like a savanna than an altepa-like desert.

Actually, if this isn't Thanalan I'll eat my hat:

http://www.ffxivcore.com/gallery/126...8_6_170127.png

It looks more like Grand Canyon than Sahara.

[Manako]

I'm excited about Ul'dah... city of commerce with gambling halls and combat arenas, where do I sign up I also liked Altepa desert so the sands sound different and appealing to me.

[LD]

I think Thanalan is more like a savanna than an altepa-like desert.

Actually, if this isn't Thanalan I'll eat my hat:

http://www.ffxivcore.com/gallery/126...8_6_170127.png

It looks more like Grand Canyon than Sahara.

That depends on a series of things. That may be a part of Thanalan, but not only is that shot pre-Alpha, if you look at the map you'll see that the borders of Ul'Dah get greener while the center is a lot more brown.

The Grand Canyon isn't just one type of desert, the sheer size of it allows it to run the gamut. While parts of it around the basin and in other areas allow for more green, the area surrounding Ul'Dah could be like the more flat, endless rock seen surrounding other parts of it. What I'd like isn't necessarily a Sahara-like desert, but any desert that has very little apparent life.

Anyway, this is irrelevant. What I said was it had the potential, not that it would be. If it turns out to be an Attowha or Altepa clone, I'll be severely disappointed and SE will have cut down large spaces for the sake of easier designing just like they did in FFXI.

[Kachi]

I'm put off by Ul'dah because I can't imagine a desert being very interesting.

Probably what most people are thinking. Same for me, really. I remember wanting to slit my wrists in the first several hours of FFXII. TOO MUCH SAND.

That will describe more than just Gridania.

I'm sure it will be a curvilinear relationship The first 8 days for CE might actually not be awful (we'll see), but after that, the lowbie area in Gridania is probably the last place I'd want to be. I expect to see some system announcements that say "GTFO".

[Kirb]

I always assumed this screenshot was of the desert surrounding Ul'dah:

http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/4087/desertn.jpg

[Achitophel]

What I'd like isn't necessarily a Sahara-like desert, but any desert that has very little apparent life.

Wouldn't the lack of life be difficult to work in an MMORPG, where you need mobs to both pose a threat and offer leveling opportunities? A big zone that had mostly nothing in it might work in a more mature game, but in a new one with only a dozen or so zones, that seems like it'd be a waste.

[Ratatapa]

edit : reopened

[LD]

Wouldn't the lack of life be difficult to work in an MMORPG, where you need mobs to both pose a threat and offer leveling opportunities? A big zone that had mostly nothing in it might work in a more mature game, but in a new one with only a dozen or so zones, that seems like it'd be a waste.

I said 'apparent life'. Large animals in a desert make little sense unless it's a camel or something. Deserts usually consist of small mammals, reptiles, arthropods (insects and arachnids), and the occasional bird. Such animals blend in with their environment, making them difficult to spot. There are already models for small animals in the beta. Hunting for the buggers could make for nice roleplay. On the flip side, if you don't want to bother finding them, you can have nameplates on all the time.

[Loaar]

I always assumed this screenshot was of the desert surrounding Ul'dah:

http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/4087/desertn.jpg

It is.

In the latest Famitsu article (its just a summary), thats the pic in the Uldah section.

[Gokulo]

Sucks for me, looks more like a savanna than a true desert

[Kirb]

There's more than one kind of desert. The Sahara-esque desert is certainly the most common image conjured up when you think of a desert, but it's hardly the 'true' desert. This looks more like a Californian baja desert.

And I'm diggin' that, actually. Maybe I'll skip the congestion in the other cities and start in Ul'dah.

[Gokulo]

There's more than one kind of desert. The Sahara-esque desert is certainly the most well known, but it's hardly the 'true' desert. This looks more like a Californian baja desert.

True, true. I guess I worded that poorly. It's just not what I expected. Really want an area heavily based on ancient Egypt in FF, the ruins in Altepa were quite nice and close to that, but you didn't go there a lot because of different reasons

[Gulkeeva]

You know what would be crazy.. if they just released the entire world at once.. and expansions would be like... Garland but when you go there its about as big as "eorzea" (or whatever the mainland were on currently is refered to) and then maybe like... dynamis like world/sky world etc or something crazy

[Hyan]

I bet the content on some of the regions would be quite scarce if they released everything at once.

They'll probably release the areas as they create content for them. Before that they would be pretty much empty shells with no purpose.

[Sephiroth]

it "could" be, I remember the fun of valkrum dunes.. ah that brings back memories... 50 groups fighting over mobs, 4 melee 1 blm healer, 1-2 people dead per fight, everyone tanks!

Anyway, SE is really working hard on scenery too, they might have it looking awesome

Valkurm was a pretty zone, but I saw it more as a beach with a lot of sand than a proper desert.

Altepa wasn't that great to look at however and I wasn't a fan of Gustaberg. The pic Kirb posted reminds me of Attowha and I hated that zone, mostly because it was a pain to get around.

A Grand Canyon kind of area would look awesome, especially if you could go down into it and EXP by the river.

[mundie]

Well didn't they say they were modelling Ul'dah and the region on Palmyra?

If we don't get desert with oasis patches and mesa and wadis I'd be surprised as hell.