SPOILER WARNING FOR THE ENTIRE MSQ UP TO AND INCLUDING CURRENT CONTENT
DISCLAIMER:
I am 100% aware that this didn't happen, and indeed couldn't happen. FFXIV is Squeenix' cash cow, and will continue to be "THE" FF MMO until the scion body pillow market crashes.
It simply makes business sense to milk it forever rather than going with my pipedream below. FFXIV has too much value as a name, as do the waifus and husbandos that drive merchandising.
This is just a thought experiment, and I'm bored at work atm.
With that outta the way, hear me out:
Endwalker ends the story of FFXIV.
WoL socks Zenos in the face, wakes up happy, yadda yadda yadda.
The plot with the shards reconnecting never happens, each reflection gets to be there, implications are that slowly but surely the universe will heal and the WoL probably goes on many underwhelming adventures with their scion besties.
Basically the 6.1 and onward EW content stays more or less the same, and Evercold and the other reflections aren\\\\'t full expansions but rather patch content.
Then, Dawntrail happens. Not the FFXIV expansion Dawntrail. We're talking FFXVII baby.
In this brand new MMO from Squeenix, you play as John/Jane Finalfantasy, a nobody adventurer who goes through some basic worldbuilding MSQ and builds up some recognition in one of several regions. We're keeping Tuliyolal(sp?), but we'll replace Rubber Bullet Yeehaw-land and Solution 9 with "generic medieval European region" and "Slightly more unique vaguely eastern region".
You'll of course see glimpses and foreshadowing of the grand narrative's big bads during this time. Shadowy guys up to no good while we deal wirh local threats.
Then, WHAM! The old two-headed king announces he wants to appoint a successor!
The player gets to CHOOSE(!) one of several claimants to follow, and based on what they've learned on their MSQ journeys so far they have a pretty good idea about what each claimant is all about.
Do you follow the idealist, the nerd, or the pragmatist? We can also have an objectively "wrong" choice a'la Zoraal Ja that you can't follow, thus providing an antagonist. MSQ from then on is about the rite of succession.
To save on budget, each path is largely similar, but each claimant will have their own reaction etc to things. Big part of the budget goes to this development. Several tricks can also be utilized to make this realistically doable. Have several scenes with all claimants, make several scenes across MSQ versions identical except your claimant's single comment etc.
Basically each MSQ path is the exact same, just with a different companion.
TBC
Continue reading...
DISCLAIMER:
I am 100% aware that this didn't happen, and indeed couldn't happen. FFXIV is Squeenix' cash cow, and will continue to be "THE" FF MMO until the scion body pillow market crashes.
It simply makes business sense to milk it forever rather than going with my pipedream below. FFXIV has too much value as a name, as do the waifus and husbandos that drive merchandising.
This is just a thought experiment, and I'm bored at work atm.
With that outta the way, hear me out:
Endwalker ends the story of FFXIV.
WoL socks Zenos in the face, wakes up happy, yadda yadda yadda.
The plot with the shards reconnecting never happens, each reflection gets to be there, implications are that slowly but surely the universe will heal and the WoL probably goes on many underwhelming adventures with their scion besties.
Basically the 6.1 and onward EW content stays more or less the same, and Evercold and the other reflections aren\\\\'t full expansions but rather patch content.
Then, Dawntrail happens. Not the FFXIV expansion Dawntrail. We're talking FFXVII baby.
In this brand new MMO from Squeenix, you play as John/Jane Finalfantasy, a nobody adventurer who goes through some basic worldbuilding MSQ and builds up some recognition in one of several regions. We're keeping Tuliyolal(sp?), but we'll replace Rubber Bullet Yeehaw-land and Solution 9 with "generic medieval European region" and "Slightly more unique vaguely eastern region".
You'll of course see glimpses and foreshadowing of the grand narrative's big bads during this time. Shadowy guys up to no good while we deal wirh local threats.
Then, WHAM! The old two-headed king announces he wants to appoint a successor!
The player gets to CHOOSE(!) one of several claimants to follow, and based on what they've learned on their MSQ journeys so far they have a pretty good idea about what each claimant is all about.
Do you follow the idealist, the nerd, or the pragmatist? We can also have an objectively "wrong" choice a'la Zoraal Ja that you can't follow, thus providing an antagonist. MSQ from then on is about the rite of succession.
To save on budget, each path is largely similar, but each claimant will have their own reaction etc to things. Big part of the budget goes to this development. Several tricks can also be utilized to make this realistically doable. Have several scenes with all claimants, make several scenes across MSQ versions identical except your claimant's single comment etc.
Basically each MSQ path is the exact same, just with a different companion.
TBC
Continue reading...