Anyone else think that huge 3 times the size of commonlands type zones is not that great an idea?

SoE is making a big deal bragging how the new zones in RoK will be huge, less zoning, they think this is the best thing since slice bread

/shrug Why is this important?

I like the size of zones now, it makes it easier to find things and npcs and typs of mobs for quest. It breaks the land into more sections making it more organized and making sure you get to explore every area. Huge zones are just confusing make it harder to get around just by eye, and the maps are not big enough to cover the entire zone at one time. Nothing more I hate then being lost, and long travel time trying to get to a place, that’s just frustrating.

Not that big of a deal, but I would prefer the zone sizes the way they are. I just don’t get why SoE makes it a big deal that the zones will be “huge”..the only advantage is less zoning. But who cares, I will wait 10 seconds to have sections of the world broken down into nice organized easier to get around areas.

Just my 2 copper.

Im honestly lookin foward to the bigger zones.

Siclone wrote:

I know your post is not a joke, but I did get a bit of a laugh out of it. The reason why the zones being huge is a big thing is because seamless worlds are more fun and immersive. There are going to be distinct areas within the zones, so it will still have a feel of being in a zone like Commonlands or Zek, just you won't have to have a period of time where you "zone" to move in-between them. I mean that's part of the appeal of games like WoW, DAoC and other seamless worlds. The immersion factor is much higher if you never have to zone. I mean when I played WoW (pre-burning crusade) there was really only 2 zones, the Horde Continent and the Alliance continent (I'm not sure which is named what). While you're playing on these continents you can definetly feel the different areas as very distinct areas that have their own look and feel. Then after climbing a hill or something that serves as a break between areas you go from a lush jungle into a burning wasteland.
Big zones with distinct areas is definetly a good thing. Big zones that are basically the exact same throughout the entire zone would be bad, I will definetly give you that. I wouldn't want a commonlands zone that is 5 times as large and just as flat. I have a feeling that these huge zones are going to be like crammiing 4-6 of the current sized zones into one load time, which I will love to no end.

so you feel the "feeling" of being in a larger world is greater then

getting around easier, finding places and npcs eaiser and mobs easier, getting around my memory and eye instead of opening a map and only seeing a section of the zone cause the zone is to big to fit in the map?

ok, I will just disagree, Antionca (spelling) is my least favorite zone cause of the size of it. It does not all fit on my map, its hard to find things, I have complete quests, "return to joe smith for your reward"..I am like now where the heck is joe smith??

Thats just frustration, you get a place to big that you cant remember and organize where everything is.

I agree--big zones are good, as long as they don't slow the computer down. I did enjoy the lack of zoning when I did the trial of WOW--it was like real travel from place to place, you crossed a border, or natural boundary, and you were in a different area. From what I've seen of the videos of ROK, these zones are broken up so they don't all look like the same thing, which I think we all agree would be dull, so that is good as well. I can't think of a drawback to going in this direction--except for slowing the computer down, but I am guessing SOE has that figured out.

Lightstrider wrote:

no draw back? what about,,,quest "give joe smith letter" trying to find joe smith in a zone 3 times the size of commonlands?

thats not a legitimate issue?

greater travel times to get places is not an issue?

trying to find different mobs and places when your map is to small to fit the zone on it, is not an issue?

I think all those things outweigh,,,, i don't have to zone once,,,,,

it should be more than "give joe smith letter" like "travel straigth to the south from here until you find a small village, you will find joe smith in there" problem solved.. just a little bit more description and it becomes easier than "give joe smith letter" in a zone 4 times smaller.
travel-there will be much faster mounts with rok and there could be griffon stations and so on so no problem as well
if you need a mob for a quest it could be described by the quest, if you need it for something else.. i'am sure players will find everything important pretty fast, so just ask around if you don't use websites or tools.
The nozone thing isn't so important for me, but it will be great to travel trough a zone that feels more realistic and not like a sandbox, thundering steppes for example is way to small imo.

My only concern is how it will effect lag. If it contributes to lag in any way, shape or form then I'm totally against it.

I prefer less zoning as long as the lag doesn't make my blood boil. As far as dealing with navigating larger zones, it's the same as real life. You learn the route to work or school. Memorize landmarks, etc. I sincerely doubt anyone takes a city map with them everywhere they go, nor can they see all the way across town in a single glance. Exploration is part of the fun, too. Perhaps the ability to take notes in our quest journals would help "Joe is under the big rock at the north fork of the river" or some such. Of course we could save the devs coding time and just scribble a note somewhere in RL or ask directions of our fellow players or the good old guards.

My 2 cp

Siclone if it takes you only 10 seconds to zone good for you, whenever I zone it takes 30 to 90 seconds granted still not a long time but I hate zoneing and anything that makes me have to do less of it I'm all for.
I honestly don't think that finding thngs will be much of a problem after you get used to it

If they set up the quests like they did in Commonlands i'd have to agree with Siclone. The quests there were completely scatttered, and you spend 90% of your time just running across this vast wasteland. I hate commonlands quests and am glad there is now other options. However if they set up the zones like darklight woods, i don't think it's going to be an issue and will look forward to the seemless worlds. I know Darklight isn't a terribly big zone, but all the quest givers and quest targets are relatively close, and most of them are in visual range of each other. Even Eof to a lesser extent generally had groups of quest givers that give quests for the general area they are in.

I've gotta say, I would prefer bigger zones vs. Smaller Zones.
Why? Because bigger zones slow my computer down less. whereas, if I'm working on a quest that requires alot of zoning, I'm zoning like a wounded snail because thats more my computer has to process each time i go to a new zone. and then on top of that, it has to Re-render the graphics and audio of the world i'm going to, so it takes longer that way as well. When I played EQ 1, some zones were huge, those were the ones I rarely lagged in at all. Because I didnt go through a loading screen, I didnt have to render audio and graphics, it took 2-3 seconds to render what was ahead and this was with max Rendering Distance on. I do it the same in EQ 2. When I am going from Qeynos to Antonica, to Thunderings Steppes or Stormhold or whatever zone is after antonica, it slows my computer down because thats more memory it is demanding of my system.
Long story short- HUGE zone= Less Lag and Load-times. Small zone= Lag, longer load times, hotter computer.

I'm looking forward to larger 'zones' myself. 10 sec might be your load time but I still know people who take a minute or more to zone, which while not super long, really does break things up (and can be quite dangerous hehe).
And from what I'm understanding it will be more like WoW 'zones'. I imagine each area within the big zone will have their own maps and what not or at least be marked out distinctly on the maps. So travel shouldn't be any more difficult than it is currently, just well... less zonetime.
As for quests, the way they've been wording quests in the more recent expansions is much more concise than they were in the original game so I am pretty sure they won't backpedal on that with Kunark. Even a lot of the old world quests aren't that vague. "Take this whateveritis to Joe Ratface at the crossroads". And on top of that you can ask the guards to point to people for you, just like you can in town. (in Commonlands and Antonica I know that works, I never needed to ask in either Gfay or Darklight).

Supposedly the map functions are also being redone with RoK or shortly thereafter. Zones will be much easier to view and navigate with the new intended features. Zooming, panning etc...

Siclone wrote:

You get around easier in large zone.... If i have to go to Butterblock and i'm in Steamfront. I have to run threw steamfront, then zone, then run threw greater fay then zone, then run to butterblock.

With larger zone i just have to run from point A to point B. No zoning. People HATE, zoning. And will find larger zone easier than having to run threw 2 or 3 zone and haing to wait a mintue for each one to zone

no draw back? what about,,,quest "give joe smith letter" trying to find joe smith in a zone 3 times the size of commonlands?


greater travel times to get places is not an issue?

trying to find different mobs and places when your map is to small to fit the zone on it, is not an issue?

Many quests currently in game require you to go to multiple zones, which takes much more time than this would. That's even assuming they designed quests like that. The design described by SOE, however, isn't even like that. What you really are going to have is a new thing, a mega-zone, made up of smaller zones. The only thing missing is the zone lines, but the zones will still have their own design and individuality.
Greater travel time is inaccurate, since you won't be zoning. And again, you often have quests requiring you to travel to multiple zones now, although I really don't think that is the direction we are headed.

I wouldn't knock it until you try it. If you compare it to a big zone like antonica then yes, it sounds kinda bad. But you also forget that antonica is a huge zone with pretty much only 10 levels worth of content that has been in place since the beginning of the game. What they're talking about is a huge zone that has several different zones within it. You'll still get your messenger boy quests.... no doubt about that. But I expect a lot of it will probably involve the more immediate area, rather than the entire zone. Not only that, but I'm sure there will be modes of transportation to speed up travel as well. I don't know how they're gonna deal with lag, we'll have to see about that, but personally I can't wait to see how they pull this off.

I guess I like the ide of larger areas for the same reason the OP doesn't. Real exploration. Getting lost exploring a new area used to be half the fun. You eventually learn your way around. If you can't, that's more a deficiency on your part rather than the game.

LordPazuzu wrote:

QFE
IMO sometimes it feels like the esier they make the game, the more boring it gets. I actually miss EQ1 from before the map addition. I miss running along, seeing a certain shaped rock and know it was time to take a left.. then a right at the gnoll spawn then... Want to up the immersion factor? Then stop holding our hands and make us feel like its a real (large) world around our tiny lil character.

You want an outdoor zone that messes you up because of topography alone try southern plains of Karana. I hated the corpse runs there!