Oh what a wonderful world!

[Lordender]

Yeah i highly doubt i'll still be playing by the time all of that content is added lol.

[LD]

I'd like to think I'd come back for it, if it were good enough.
In the time it takes to create all of that, they may fix all of the crap we've been complaining about for the last 3-4 years.

[Kaylia]

I always wanted to see that, emptiness could make badass map

Isn't that Promyvions?

Promyvion is a place completly turned into emptiness, or almost. I don't think Tenzen's land is that bad yet.

I was saying that because I thought CoP's area were looking much better than anything else. Al'taieu, riverne, promyvion are all awesome looking and completly different than anything else. A land half destroyed by emptiness could also look badass

[Eaglestrike]

They should make it so you need a certain number of HNM titles and/or need to complete CoP for say the Far East expansion or other ones.

If that map was correct, I'd say they'd condense to around 3 expansions for the remaining areas, with any more expansions attempted just being a continuation on current land (like CoP on the middle lands). They're releasing stuff fairly slow and need to pick it up, really, but if the expansions can all be ToAU-like (but fairly even overall, different focus for each) things could be very interesting. As it is my LS is pretty full schedule-wise with current content, it'd be crazy if we don't finish old content completely by the time the next expansion is out. And finishing Dynamis for everyone is lol.

[Kyreth]

That's fairly interesting if true, but I don't think the playerbase will last that long personally. That looks like about 6 or 7 years worth of content based on the rate at which they release expansions, and I give the playerbase 4-5. Although I suppose after 4-5 years they could just start doing server consolidations if the playerbase starts dwindling too much.

Certainly doable. See Everquest for an example. Or Ultima Online, for that matter.

[Toth]

As an estimate, how large is Vanadiel compared to Azeroth and the Outlands?

[Khamsin]

As an estimate, how large is Vanadiel compared to Azeroth and the Outlands?

I think Vana'diel's oceans and mountain ranges at least are definitely larger, if not traversable.

[Toth]

I should say in transversable land.

[Epical]

Oh God, Azeroth is way larger than Vanadiel...

[Taj]

I should say in transversable land.

I'm fairly certain Azeroth is a great deal bigger than Vana'diel.

[Insanecyclone]

Oh God, Azeroth is way larger than Vanadiel...

Yep. A lot of sub-zones too, which make it much bigger

edit: from the looks of the map, if in the next 10 years, vana'diel will be bigger than azeroth but I can see another exp. from blizzard for northrend and more lore places.

[Therin]

Oh God, Azeroth is way larger than Vanadiel...

Of course. Vana'diel is really small.

The next expansion should add AT LEAST a large enough land mass that the average player would still have places to go explore a month or two down the road. It's rather ridiculous that everything currently in-game was explored and catalogued two weeks after Aht Urghan was released.

[Tyrn]

If they make Vana that much bigger, I expect personalized airships.

[Isildur]

As an estimate, how large is Vanadiel compared to Azeroth and the Outlands?

I think Vana'diel's oceans and mountain ranges at least are definitely larger, if not traversable.

you mean to say.....1 hour boat rides?! OH HAPPY DAY FISHING SKILLUPS!

[aers]

I should say in transversable land.

Literally 100% of the map of outlands is traversable due to flying and the majority of the Azerothian map is too which gives the areas a much larger feel then FFXI, I allways feel confined too much in ffxi zones.

[LD]

When wow first came out, I remember hearing it was smaller or about equal, but they kept adding more zones and such, and they still have bits of space, even in the normal areas (non-BC.)

If FFXI were designed to be seamless and contiguous, like WoW, there's no doubt it's technically bigger.
Without a major overhaul, that shit ain't happenin'.
Due to the different natures of the games, WoW will always at least feel bigger, even if FFXI catches up in actual space.

[EdgeMoragan]

The far west is also mentioned in bard AF+1 material.

http://ffxi.somepage.com/itemdb/7657

Personally out of expansions I feel either Far East or the Southern Empire are most likely to be next.

I have a major idea though, I really wish someone knows how to act on it. Back when CoP was stopped at around maybe chapter 5, I remember hearing in a KI discussion that someone had found out SE had copyrighted the name "Treasures of Aht Urhgan". To my surprise this rumor turned out to be true far later when I saw teasing for the expansion.

My proposal is this:
Is there a way we can do whatever that person did and figure out what names SE has copyrighted? While it might be horrible to wade through the information, if they are indeed making another expansion, we'd for sure find the name they copyrighted if they had started.

I also believe they admitted to making another one in an interview some time recently? (not sure about that one)

I really hope someone can present us with the knowledge of how to figure out what names they are copyrighting.

[LD]

Copywritten names are usually in press releases or can be found on sites where you can find such things.
In other words, it wont take much digging when they pick a name.

[Taj]

They probably won't copywrite a name until later in the development process. I doubt they've ever decided on a name yet.

[Gwynplaine]

The far west is also mentioned in bard AF+1 material.

http://ffxi.somepage.com/itemdb/7657

Personally out of expansions I feel either Far East or the Southern Empire are most likely to be next.

I have a major idea though, I really wish someone knows how to act on it. Back when CoP was stopped at around maybe chapter 5, I remember hearing in a KI discussion that someone had found out SE had copyrighted the name "Treasures of Aht Urhgan". To my surprise this rumor turned out to be true far later when I saw teasing for the expansion.

My proposal is this:
Is there a way we can do whatever that person did and figure out what names SE has copyrighted? While it might be horrible to wade through the information, if they are indeed making another expansion, we'd for sure find the name they copyrighted if they had started.

I also believe they admitted to making another one in an interview some time recently? (not sure about that one)

I really hope someone can present us with the knowledge of how to figure out what names they are copyrighting.

It's true. SE has been known to copyright names for their video games well in advance. They did it with ToAU and Dirge of Cerberus for instance and other titles I've forgotten. Here is the interview where it was first revealed SE had copyrighted the name ToAU: http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3142462

1UP: Square Enix recently registered a trademark for "Treasures of Aht Urhgan". Is that a hint of an upcoming expansion pack?

HT: I can tell you that we're working on the new content right now, but as for the title of the next expansion, please just wait a little bit longer.

I think that when SE does copyright the name of the next expansion we will probably read about it in an interview or on a FF fansite somewhere. I'd expect to hear about it sometime in the next several months. Who knows what it could be called. Just expect it to be some utterly unpronounceable vaguely exotic sounding name that makes you sound like a retard asking for it at your local EBgames.