Blog Post: On a BoatFollow

On a Boat
April 23, 2013

Greetings everyone!
Ferenhalwes back from the dead to bring you today’s scoop.

The problem is, these past few Producer Letter Lives have been so chock-full of crunchy, chocolaty, peanut-buttery goodness, I’m stuck with nothing but table scraps.

Luckily, today’s scraps are fit for not just any dog—but a scurvy dog! ARRRRRR!

Ahem.
I was traipsing about the new and improved Limsa Lominsa this morning when I noticed something. Sure, the city-state had a similar feel to its 1.0 counterpart, but somehow it wasn't quite the same as before. The city-state was more...alive. And then that’s when it hit me—many of the NPCs were DOING something! (And by ‘doing something’ I don’t mean ‘staring off glassy-eyed into the distance until you come along and he tells you in 1000 words or less about how great La Noscean lettuce is, and what he wouldn't give to have a kind adventurer bring him 5 heads.’)

Yellowjackets patrolling the streets...
Fishers repairing their nets...
Sea Wolves doing push-ups with Miqo’te sitting on their backs...wait, wha?

Uh...Okay. I’m sure there’s a perfectly good story to go along with this...

But that’s not to say there is a lack of everyday situations like...
Serving wenches waiting on tables...
Peddlers gesturing to potential customers...
Unconscious prisoners hanging suspended over the sea while carefree pirates point and laugh at the poor lads' misfortune...wait, wha?

Ah, I love this town.

Till sea swallows all!

Fernehalwes

Well, the ARR team listened to one of my chief complaints about 1.0 - a beautiful but stale and lifeless MMO world is not one I want to hang around in.

That was one of XI's strengths too. They had custom animations for NPCs in the guilds. So you go to the fishing guild, and there's a mithra tossing fish food into the ocean. You go into the cooking guild, and there's a chef tossing a fry pan. You go into the goldsmith's guild, and there's a jeweler grinding down a cabechon and staring at it with a loop. Even non-guild NPCs that are just hanging around are doing appropriate actions. Guards are standing still and chilling. Merchants are hanging around behind booths. Delivery folks are standing near crates and packages.

World design isn't just about how pretty you make the graphics. It's also about the thought behind the graphics.

Back on topic, I do wonder why the Roegadyn is doing push ups with a Mi'quote perched on his back.

You and your logic.

Maybe she's his personal trainer?

My cat's favorite place is to sleep across my neck as I'm sitting on the couch, so your reasoning makes sense to me.