Post by SpaceWolf on 2023-04-17 18:50:48
EDIT: @SpaceWolf - in case of any additional general notes.
FFXI's Assault system is immersively integrated into a major hub area, and provides teleportation to various campsites throughout the overworld for anyone participating in an Assault. This greatly streamlines the process of organization and preptime for an Assault, since "everyone be in/around this hub area on Wednesday at 6PM" is much easier to ask for than "everyone be in/around this far-flung dungeon on the far corner of the map on Wednesday at 6PM". Being in a hub area also means that preparing resources is simplified, since you're right by your item storage, player Auction House areas, etc etc.
In fact, the process is so streamlined and efficient that our group would often be able to generally prep, arrive at the part of the hub where Assaults are started, and THEN take a vote or such on which one(s) to do on a given day, instead of needing to plan EVERYTHING out in advance.
From there, difficulty level, the exact type of mission you go on, etc etc, is entirely variable, and this allows groups with a wide variety of player compositions, skill levels, and interests to participate and acquire rewards. Obviously, people who do Assaults more OFTEN will be able to unlock said rewards faster, but in the long run, everyone has access to the same reward pool (with rewards given via accruing points from completing Assaults successfully). To top it off, if you are so inclined, you can simply remain at the dungeon exit after your Assault is over rather than returning to the initial hub city they started from, which can of course facilitate exploration and resource gathering.
There are many reasons the Assault system in FFXI was quite popular back in the day, and I consider it a standard to weigh this type of content against in any newer MMOs. Assault is great.