So between the upcoming release of 2.2 and just finishing the first season of Log Horizon (excellent show, btw - if you haven't watched it already, you should, especially if you're a big fan of MMOs), this idea came to mind.
It's very simple, but the details are a bit complicated: What would happen if you were suddenly thrust into the world of Eorzea? And not the game world, but the world itself.
Allow me to elaborate: let's say you you get thrust into Eorzea, becoming your player character in the process, effectively taking over their body (you only have your own thoughts and memories, however). This world is not the abbreviated game world that is provided to us in a compact format for ease of play, but the actual, fully-realized thing, with cities full of hundreds of thousands of people (instead of simply hundreds) and a landscape that is to scale with our own mother Earth - the world only glimpsed in the pre-rendered CG cinematic intros.
What I mean by this is that the NPCs become real people, with their own thoughts, goals, and motivations. You are your PC, and a part of the world as much as anyone else, and the people are going to recognize you as such. You may even have a history with many of the world's NPCs that goes back dozens or hundreds (to their perspective) of in-universe years. Unfortunately, since you haven't actually lived in Eorzea before, you will have to gain your bearings gradually as a newcomer to the world. You will not be alone, however - everyone else on your server who logged in has entered with you, and you can turn to them for aid if need be.
In fact, you will probably have to band together with at least a few others to really find your footing in this new world, for while you may have been a powerful and influential adventurer before, you are now working on a completely different scale. Monsters that were once little more than roadblocks in the past are far more terrifying up-close and personal. Even a simple giant turtle that once seemed only slightly impressive in the past now towers above you. How do you deal with that? How would you react? Not to mention you must now fight with your own two arms and legs instead of working by proxy with key presses. Now, entering and clearing a dungeon is more than a rote, everyday thing, but a struggle against your own fears and emotions.
Adventures become more than what they once were - now that all of Eorzea is open to you, you will venture into places unknown and unfamiliar, even if you had already seen the entirety of what the game had to offer. You may see new creatures, new flora and fauna. You might even become lost and, absent a convenient overhead view of the entire area, may have to rely on more old-fashioned methods of navigation to make your way back. You will have to carry food with you always, or else rely on living off the fat of the land itself. Making camp and traveling overland becomes a very serious consideration. Your chocobos, once a convenience, are now a necessity of life.
Perhaps you might choose to retreat from combat and seek a more peaceful lifetsyle. (Perhaps you already did this as a disciple of the land or hand.) Since the cities are now full-scale, you could probably find yourself a nice shack somewhere in the three major cities. In fact, you will probably need to do this, unless the inns have an excessive number of available rooms (and they probably won't - with at least a few thousand players coming in on each server, they will be hard-pressed to keep up with the sudden influx). And of course, you will now need to acquire food and sustenance through the channels available to Eorzeans rather than Earthlings.
Those of us who have jobs will now have to contend with the fame and notoriety that they entail. Suddenly Eorzea has hundreds of white mage adventurers entering the land. How do they deal with that? The potential for catastrophe is enormous. Dragoons, warriors, paladins, scholars... while we are still relatively rare compared to the population of NPCs (who likely number in the millions across the entire continent of Eorzea), even a few hundred of each of these jobs introduces new problems for the world (not to mention plenty will be questioning just where they came from).
Being an adventurer isn't without its perks, of course. As an adventurer, you are functionally immortal, capable of rising from death time and time again, though your equipment may be worse for the wear (and you will now have to wait for the NPC to actually physically repair your equipment instead of simply instantaneously fixing it on the spot). This allows you to face situations that would, indeed, give anyone else pause - though the pain might tell you otherwise. You also have the power of the Echo, which, unlike the in-game representation, may give you visions of things completely unrelated to your tasks as a Warrior of Light, and that at inopportune moments. Speaking of Warriors of Light, yes, you are one of them, like any of the other thousands of adventurers who entered the world with you. And as such, you will likely possess information that breaks the fourth wall - knowledge that even the major NPCs do not possess, knowledge that would get you in trouble if anyone knew what you knew.
Of course, since you are now part of the world, you will have to contend with many competing interests. Where before the NPCs were merely a backdrop aside from those involved with the core storyline, now they are proactive agents of their own. The Syndicate, for example, may have been little more than a background element in the story, but they are now something you will likely have to contend with if you intend to take up residence in Ul'dah. Those in Gridania must contend with the Wood itself, and of course Limsa Lominsa has more than its fair share of troubles. Those pirates, thieves and cutthroats may now be targeting you, personally, for your riches or even simply for slights you caused to them in the past. Keep your hands on your coinpurse, always.
It will certainly take time for you to adjust, and it may be painful, for you will be vulnerable during this period. Your body alone may take some time to get used to, especially if its size and weight (or even gender) are completely different from your own. With alien hormones running through your veins, you might find yourself surprised by the things you do and are capable of (particularly for those Miqo'te out there). There will be many looking to take advantage of you, for who couldn't use the great wealth, intelligence, or martial prowess of an experienced adventurer? And that is to say nothing of the machinations of the Ascians...
The Scions of the Seventh Dawn will likely find themselves shorthanded for quite some time, as the adventurers get used to their situation and settle. Many may never show up for active duty at all, if they cannot get past their own fear of death which they did not have to contend with when the world was merely a 'game'. How does that change the balance of power? Can Eorzea truly sustain itself without a powerful cadre of adventurers at its beck and call?
What say you, Roleplayers of FFXIV? What would you do? The possibilities are innumerable, bordering on overwhelming. There are many paths you could take, should you choose to do so. Share with me your thoughts on this hypothetical adventure.
(I'll make my own response later in this thread)
It's very simple, but the details are a bit complicated: What would happen if you were suddenly thrust into the world of Eorzea? And not the game world, but the world itself.
Allow me to elaborate: let's say you you get thrust into Eorzea, becoming your player character in the process, effectively taking over their body (you only have your own thoughts and memories, however). This world is not the abbreviated game world that is provided to us in a compact format for ease of play, but the actual, fully-realized thing, with cities full of hundreds of thousands of people (instead of simply hundreds) and a landscape that is to scale with our own mother Earth - the world only glimpsed in the pre-rendered CG cinematic intros.
What I mean by this is that the NPCs become real people, with their own thoughts, goals, and motivations. You are your PC, and a part of the world as much as anyone else, and the people are going to recognize you as such. You may even have a history with many of the world's NPCs that goes back dozens or hundreds (to their perspective) of in-universe years. Unfortunately, since you haven't actually lived in Eorzea before, you will have to gain your bearings gradually as a newcomer to the world. You will not be alone, however - everyone else on your server who logged in has entered with you, and you can turn to them for aid if need be.
In fact, you will probably have to band together with at least a few others to really find your footing in this new world, for while you may have been a powerful and influential adventurer before, you are now working on a completely different scale. Monsters that were once little more than roadblocks in the past are far more terrifying up-close and personal. Even a simple giant turtle that once seemed only slightly impressive in the past now towers above you. How do you deal with that? How would you react? Not to mention you must now fight with your own two arms and legs instead of working by proxy with key presses. Now, entering and clearing a dungeon is more than a rote, everyday thing, but a struggle against your own fears and emotions.
Adventures become more than what they once were - now that all of Eorzea is open to you, you will venture into places unknown and unfamiliar, even if you had already seen the entirety of what the game had to offer. You may see new creatures, new flora and fauna. You might even become lost and, absent a convenient overhead view of the entire area, may have to rely on more old-fashioned methods of navigation to make your way back. You will have to carry food with you always, or else rely on living off the fat of the land itself. Making camp and traveling overland becomes a very serious consideration. Your chocobos, once a convenience, are now a necessity of life.
Perhaps you might choose to retreat from combat and seek a more peaceful lifetsyle. (Perhaps you already did this as a disciple of the land or hand.) Since the cities are now full-scale, you could probably find yourself a nice shack somewhere in the three major cities. In fact, you will probably need to do this, unless the inns have an excessive number of available rooms (and they probably won't - with at least a few thousand players coming in on each server, they will be hard-pressed to keep up with the sudden influx). And of course, you will now need to acquire food and sustenance through the channels available to Eorzeans rather than Earthlings.
Those of us who have jobs will now have to contend with the fame and notoriety that they entail. Suddenly Eorzea has hundreds of white mage adventurers entering the land. How do they deal with that? The potential for catastrophe is enormous. Dragoons, warriors, paladins, scholars... while we are still relatively rare compared to the population of NPCs (who likely number in the millions across the entire continent of Eorzea), even a few hundred of each of these jobs introduces new problems for the world (not to mention plenty will be questioning just where they came from).
Being an adventurer isn't without its perks, of course. As an adventurer, you are functionally immortal, capable of rising from death time and time again, though your equipment may be worse for the wear (and you will now have to wait for the NPC to actually physically repair your equipment instead of simply instantaneously fixing it on the spot). This allows you to face situations that would, indeed, give anyone else pause - though the pain might tell you otherwise. You also have the power of the Echo, which, unlike the in-game representation, may give you visions of things completely unrelated to your tasks as a Warrior of Light, and that at inopportune moments. Speaking of Warriors of Light, yes, you are one of them, like any of the other thousands of adventurers who entered the world with you. And as such, you will likely possess information that breaks the fourth wall - knowledge that even the major NPCs do not possess, knowledge that would get you in trouble if anyone knew what you knew.
Of course, since you are now part of the world, you will have to contend with many competing interests. Where before the NPCs were merely a backdrop aside from those involved with the core storyline, now they are proactive agents of their own. The Syndicate, for example, may have been little more than a background element in the story, but they are now something you will likely have to contend with if you intend to take up residence in Ul'dah. Those in Gridania must contend with the Wood itself, and of course Limsa Lominsa has more than its fair share of troubles. Those pirates, thieves and cutthroats may now be targeting you, personally, for your riches or even simply for slights you caused to them in the past. Keep your hands on your coinpurse, always.
It will certainly take time for you to adjust, and it may be painful, for you will be vulnerable during this period. Your body alone may take some time to get used to, especially if its size and weight (or even gender) are completely different from your own. With alien hormones running through your veins, you might find yourself surprised by the things you do and are capable of (particularly for those Miqo'te out there). There will be many looking to take advantage of you, for who couldn't use the great wealth, intelligence, or martial prowess of an experienced adventurer? And that is to say nothing of the machinations of the Ascians...
The Scions of the Seventh Dawn will likely find themselves shorthanded for quite some time, as the adventurers get used to their situation and settle. Many may never show up for active duty at all, if they cannot get past their own fear of death which they did not have to contend with when the world was merely a 'game'. How does that change the balance of power? Can Eorzea truly sustain itself without a powerful cadre of adventurers at its beck and call?
What say you, Roleplayers of FFXIV? What would you do? The possibilities are innumerable, bordering on overwhelming. There are many paths you could take, should you choose to do so. Share with me your thoughts on this hypothetical adventure.
(I'll make my own response later in this thread)
![[Image: AntiThalSig.png]](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/179079766/AntiThalSig.png)
