I like this idea! I've been considering doing this with FFX myself already, so I approve of this concept =P

Yeah the garden network is actually super neat. I tend to enjoy having a sort of hub to explore right off the bat in a game, and Balamb Garden does this pretty damn well, even allowing to find some hidden Draw Points - for which you need to have gotten Quezacotl and Shiva from your seat and experimented around with junctioning abilities. I feel like this part is designed to flow more organically than people give it credit for, especially since you legit cannot miss the Draw Point on the way out. Of course none of this prepares you for mass stock drawing later on but eh.

I'm kinda curious where Squall got Quezacotl and Shiva from, and are they + Ifrit the "default loadout" for SeeD, or are they just the GF that Squall happens to own?

Did you get the Quistis, Zell and Mini Mog cards yet? ^^ I like to get those right off the bat usually.