Thayos wrote:
The problem with allowing open-world grind parties in XIV is then you'd take people out of dungeons, which would really upset the balance of the game.
While I don't really thinking mob grinding is the direct solution to creating a more meaningful open world, I hope you realize there are people who hate dungeons, their instanced nature, and the choke hold their presence creates when it comes to that "balance" you speak of. In my eyes, if such a thing did actually happen, it'd only serve as testament to what people truly desire of their game. MMOs are arguably becoming too raid-centric these days.
Thayos wrote:
Adding open world exp grinding would not just unbalance the game, but destroy it. And there are plenty of reasons to keep doing old dungeons.
And my gut tells me you're on to that reality, but I also suspect a smattering of the, "But RMT...!" argument that Yoshi employed to keep crafting down, and thus, any real meaningful economy. Either way, would more rewarding open world progression enable bots? To a degree, sure, but they also did/do things like mine or farm **** like diremite webs. Realistically, things like this are never going to go away as long as there's something people want. What's needed is a mix of vigilance from players and GMs to actually investigate reports from said players. While I won't say there is a bot that can't be detected, there are patterns that can be established and compared against how legit players would behave.
Catwho wrote:
You do still get chain bonuses when you fight mobs at your level or higher, for that matter. I can solo chain to 3-4 easily - having a group of people could probably shoot that up to 6 or 7, possibly much higher if you've got a group capable of killing a mob every 20 seconds.
Given the fact I'd done some open world party level at launch, the biggest issue is simply finding a camp with enough mobs/fast enough respawns to keep the chain going. As is, being partied up will initiate linking mechanisms that otherwise wouldn't apply solo. This technically makes pulling a breeze. Mobs, however, are simply too spread out in most locations and leashing kills the thought of mass pulling pretty quick.