(04-03-2014, 06:08 PM)Numenorean Wrote: Would you treat it like in LH (or SAO) where the idea is that the players (us) are trapped there?Something like that. There would be no getting back to "the real world". I imagine many would look for a way back, but they would eventually have to adapt to their new lives. It is likely that some people will panic.
(04-03-2014, 07:43 PM)Mraj Wrote: First off, full-scale Eorzea would be a sight to see.OH, YES.
(04-03-2014, 07:43 PM)Mraj Wrote: Which brings up another point - other adventurers. The non-RP types could easily turn into the worst threats. Picture roving gangs that try and rob others of gil and gear since they never were much for "settling down" or "living" in Eorzea in the first place. They could even join / create their own criminal syndicates alongside NPCs. And since everyone is more or less "immortal" they wouldn't be above killing other players for profit or resources.This is an excellent point.
Imagine a massive hoard of these "adventurers" descending upon Fallgourd Float after finding their way back from Revenant's Toll... ( Which without the duty finder would essentially be an under-construction area in the middle of nowhere ).
Of course, I suppose there would be military personnel and guards, but in any society I think we can agree that law enforcement types are usually outnumbered ( or, in the case of Ul'Dah, corrupt ).
Whatever the situation, I'd recommend staying out of high population areas like cities until things settled down - unless there was some sort of SAO rule where there are "safe" zones or "sanctuaries".
Even with the full-sized world, a few hundred adventurers in one place would most certainly be able to cause chaos and do some damage. It would take a concerted effort by the Grand Companies to get everything under control after the initial arrival. (Side note: The nearby Castrum would be completely dismantled by the tidal wave of adventurers rushing through their gates, no matter how much higher their numbers are in the real Eorzea.)
However, once the adventurers become more spread out, keeping them under control becomes a lot easier - aside from those few free companies with lots of powerful members. Since PKing is now a possibility (as it is, well, IRL) it is entirely possible that some companies may strike out on their own and claim their own territory... and who would stop them? It's not like the Grand Companies have all that much manpower to spare, and when you're dealing with powerful, experienced adventurers, trying to stamp them out would likely cost you unacceptable amounts of resources. A criminal faction of adventurers would be a lifelong nuisance.
It is not entirely unfathomable that a particularly powerful company could actually usurp authority in one of the major city-states. A terrifying thought, is it not? Fortunately, there are likely just as many good adventurers who would be willing to prevent such a scenario, but the possibility is still there, especially if they take the initiative before things fully settle down. I mean, let's face it - a hundred players clad in ilvl 100 gear is likely unstoppable without a large, organized standing army to clash against them... and even then, they'd just get right back up again unless you can capture and imprison them at their bound aetherytes.
Hmmmm. The more I think about this, the more I think we'd really be fucked unless the Scions could get everyone organized before things got too out of hand. All the internal squabbling could give the beast tribes time to gather boatloads of crystals, or allow Garlemald to stage another invasion, or even allow the Ascians to... do whatever it is they do (okay, the Ascians will do whatever they're doing regardless, but we'd be considerably less capable of responding when they act).
(04-03-2014, 08:22 PM)Numenorean Wrote: ***********Spoilerish (LH Metaplot details)****************I feel compelled to note that, since the mechanics are different in FFXIV, we'd use the mechanics from this game rather than pulling from LH. In other words, the only penalty for dying as an adventurer - well, besides just how bloody disorienting an experience it is and the loss of progress if you were far away from your bound aetheryte - is the damage it does to your equipment, which would actually be fairly detrimental depending on just how long it takes for an NPC or PC to actually physically repair your gear (since it is now a real action rather than something abstracted for the sake of gameplay). This could result in enforced downtime where an adventurer must pursue other activities while waiting for their equipment to be repaired, or else they may keep multiple sets of gear just for this situation (but most do not, for obvious reasons).
If it was like LH then yes, player killing would be pretty common. In that world, death only costs XP and sends you to the last Cathedral you were bound to (which is a big deal cause fast travel no longer works in that setting).
