Archief - [PC/PS4/PS3/XBOX] Final Fantasy XIV Online

Translation by Savalithos. Source.

*Dengeki’s interview with Mr. Tanaka tells us a fair amount of things we already know, but toward the end it tosses some fresh information out there. For the sake of brevity, I’ve excluded anything rehashed.

I imagine there were many requests regarding the user interface. Have there been any changes made?
Tanaka: Aside from a revamped main menu, we’ve added a chat filter and changed the log system. We are also testing out being able to have multiple chat windows open.

Are there other means of communication aside from chatting?
Tanaka: We have plans to include a macro palette, which you could use to combine skills and messages to make communication a little easier. Beyond that, we are working on a system where party members can tell which enemy their leader is attacking.

Would that be something like highlighting the monster’s name or putting a number above its head, etc.; something that stands out?
Tanaka: You’ll have to wait and see! We are currently testing various methods of communication to prevent party members from splitting up during battle.

Are there any battle system elements that will be upgraded from beta onward?
Tanaka: Some of it has been included in alpha, but there is the Battle Regimen skill chain system. We are preparing a bagful of situations where well-coordinated party play using this along with the aforementioned communication tool will be integral to success.

So will group vs. group battles be more frequent than not?
Tanaka: Many monsters act on their own right now, but there were plans for group situations such as one male beast among a harem of females, for example. The majority of guildleve fights, in particular, will probably have monsters in parties together.

Crafting, Bazaars, and Community Systems
Are there any new systems planned for beta?
Tanaka: Weapons and items will lose durability. You will not lose a weapon because of it, but its battle potential will drop to the point where it will probably be useless. Since repairs will be necessary, we have increased the number of gathering and crafting classes. The next big planned addition would be retainers, hirable NPCs. For example, in FFXI you could not run your bazaar if you logged out. In FFXIV if you hand your items over to your retainer and set them up in the marketplace, you will be able to sell your goods even if you log off. Other than that, we have plans for linkshells but are unsure of when they will be ready for implementation.

The Start of Beta
Will beta bring with it more areas to explore?
Tanaka: If we add even more, we are not sure how large the size of the beta download will become. We will test it, but it might be difficult.

So the main hub will still be Limsa Lominsa?
Tanaka: We might have to test other areas as necessary, but currently we plan to conduct beta only around there.

How large will the finished product be?
Tanaka: We have yet to confirm anything and are still adjusting things.

What will the recommended specifications for the finished Windows version be?
Tanaka: First we will announce specs for beta. Right now graphics boards, as opposed to CPUs, are causing bottlenecking, so we would like to optimize that more.

Then beta will start…?
Tanaka: We would like to start it in July at the latest. We will make separate announcements regarding the PS3 version.

You had said that cross-regional servers would be implemented mid-beta. When, exactly?
Tanaka: Alpha servers are technically already cross-regional but are segregated only by time. If everything is stable, we would like to have them running nearly around the clock from the start of beta.

Are there plans to increase the number of testers in beta on a large-scale?
Tanaka: There are already ten alpha servers, and testers number in the tens of thousands. For beta, first we would like to move all those players over. If all is well after that, we plan to add more testers. The improvements that make beta what it is would not have been possible without the voices of our alpha testers. Therefore, I would like everyone to experience beta and provide feedback in hopes that the game will improve even more. Of course we will continue to make adjustments after the official release, so do not hesitate to tell us what you think.

Check out the full preview here. Highlights are:

Beyond these broad statements, some news was made: Mr. Tanaka mentioned that players would be able to create and join groups called "Companies." Similar to player guilds in other games, Companies can themselves "level up," presumably offering additional benefits to the members therein. When asked if Companies would have shared housing or other group-owned assets, they smiled and said that players

Would have real-estate to call their own, but "weren't ready to announce anything more at this time" - sounds like a "yes" to me!

I have learmed with SE that if they dont say no its usually a yes

Interview with producer Tanaka: Beta Info and More!

Translation by Savalithos. Source.

We had a chance to sit down with FFXIV producer Hiromich Tanaka (T) and North American producer Yasushi Kurosawa (K).

-Is the E3 version basically beta?
T: It's pretty close. We're still in the final stage of debugging and balancing, so it's about one step down from the beta version.

-Why did you decide to show it now?
T: For a long time we were thinking we had to have beta ready around now, but alpha testing took more time than expected.

-Character Creation really received a face lift this time around...
T: And it's almost finished. You still can't choose the color of a Miqo'te's tail or ear shape for Elezens and so on, but we will be adding those by the time the finished product rolls out.

-Tell us some more about the battle Effect Gauge changes.
T: Even before alpha, developers already knew that there was a problem with battle speed, but we decided to let players try it out and give their input. Indeed, many agreed that the tempo needed to be increased. The results so far are things such as starting a battle with a full Action Gauge, which will be depleted as you fight. Changes were finished just in time for E3, and back in Japan debugging and balancing is already underway.

-What else has changed?
T: We increased the number of slots on the action bar from 20 to 30, so players should have a bit more freedom in where they set their skills. We've also made HP/MP scale with level automatically, as well as given resistances their own category, Elemental Bonus, separate of Physical Bonuses.

-About that 3-D version...
T: That's still being tested. This time we tried out the 3-D Surround (three screens) version with help from nVidia.

-Graphics have greatly improved in beta. Will recommened computer specs see a change as well?
T: Things such as blurring of far-off scenery and ambient occlusion (a method of shading backgrounds) can be a bit taxing, so they are optional. Everything else should actually have a lighter load than it did in alpha. Also, we've replaced the projection shadowing used in alpha with depth buffer shadowing.

-So we'll be able to adjust and customize our graphics settings from beta onward?
T: There will be some things you can set via the main menu. If you're on a PC, there are also some you can adjust before booting the game. And now that we have released the official benchmark software, everyone can check and make sure their specs are up to par.

-We had a look at the PC version, but what can you tell us about PS3's?
T: It is currently under development. We have been working with SCE and making progress. Though the PS3 environment is fairly pre-defined, we would like to add a variety of optional setting for players. It's similar to the direction we took with FFXI's PS2 version.

-When can we expect beta to actually start?
T: The beta version we're showing at E3 is nearly complete and should be ready to be made public soon. Currently, we're still debugging. Once alpha tests finish this week and we return to Japan, we will begin preparations for the start of beta testing. It's not set in stone, but I think I'll need to make everyone wait for one more month.

-Mr. Kurosawa, as North American producer, what can you tell us about alpha on that side of things?
K: We collect North American players’ comments on a regular basis, and there are quite a lot to compile. We hand those over to the development team, provide feedback to the players, etc. Things have been gradually improving.
T: We receive weekly reports from not only Japan, but Europe and North America as well, and we are always looking at those comments throughout the development process.

-So you are saying North American players have more to say than Japanese players?
K: Thankfully. It’s really helped us out.
T: Overseas players provide us with about ten times as many comments as Japanese players do.

-What kind of communities do you plan to implement in Japan, Europe, and North America?
K: Just like FFXI, people from all over the world will be playing on the same servers. It will be something that can bridge that gap.
T: We plan to release a community tool for individual players sometime mid-beta. This “player site” will provide each player with a template page specifically for them with a message board and so on.

-What other communication elements do you have planned?
T: There will be an auto-translate feature similar to FFXI’s as well as larger-scale groups resembling linkshells, called Companies. We are still in the preparation stage for those, but we will be making further announcements soon.

-Are there any plans for voice chat?
T: At this time, no. It would be difficult to develop a voice chat system that works on both PS3 and PC. Also, it is unrealistic to hope to have any sort of real-time translation system in place for international voice chatting. There we think a text-based system would be much more manageable.

-Anything else you would like to tell players?
T: Beta will be starting shortly, and we hope you are as excited as we are. Komoto and crew have been hard at work and were unable to join us at E3, so I wanted to pass that on for them.

Massively just now published their interview with Mr Tanaka. You can view their interview below.[/center]

Massively: Will Final Fantasy XIV retain the same difficulty as Final Fantasy XI? Will we be seeing the same sort of complexity as FFXI?

Tanaka: In terms of the amount of content we will have for FFXIV, probably FFXI will have more at launch, just because it's been in service for eight years. We'll make sure that we'll introduce the same amount of content as exists in FFXI, and we'll make sure that we go from there.

As for the difficulty -- your main question -- it's slightly different, because we will be focusing on solo players also. So you can be yourself and be very flexible -- in a short period of time, by yourself, you can level up by experience points, then customize yourself for higher levels. In terms of how difficult this is? We introduce [the game] as a very entry-level experience, so that a lot of people can enjoy it, but at the same time we'll be making sure that all the endgame players have enough content, and it will be as competitive for them [as FFXI].

Massively: Of course, one of the most popular elements of the series are the chocobos. Will there be chocobos at launch? Chocobo racing? Will they be mounts?

Tanaka: Yes, chocobos will be there. It may be further introduced toward a later time, but there will be something. Of course, chocobos are something for you to ride on, but any more than that? Yes, we are planning to introduce that later. Chocobos as mounts will be there.

Massively: The skill system is very unique. How quickly can players switch between the disciplines?

Tanaka: Aside from during a battle, you can switch any time you want. It's instant. There's no timer. However, if you just keep switching back and forth, you're low on everything. So if you want to be good at something to start with, you probably want to stick with one thing.

Massively: The skill bar on the UI only has so many slots -- is that all a player can have at once, or are there multiple bars?

Tanaka: We have points that you will be using to set your abilities. They're slotted so that depending on your abilities, you'll be consuming more points, so they will run out. In terms of number of abilities, it's 30 abilities at most.

Massively: We've had so many wonderful and memorable stories from the Final Fantasy series, including FFXI. Will that be continued in FFXIV? Will the player continued to be involved heavily?

Tanaka: Not only that -- we will be introducing more gradual storylines, more involved, so yes plus more.

Massively: Will story progress be similar to what Star Wars: The Old Republic is promising, with heavy player choice, or will it be more linear like traditional games?

Tanaka: In terms of FFXIV storyline involvement -- it's pretty much the same as other Final Fantasy games or other MMOs. You talk to NPCs to start it and then you continue. As for the uniqueness, we are introducing more grand-scale voice acting and lip synching. In the concept of how we introduce the storyline, it will be pretty similar to a standard MMO.

Massively: Will the guild system be more involved this time around than linkshells were in FFXI? Will there be more features and incentives?

Tanaka: We have a system called "company," a little bit larger than a linkshell. At this moment we can only say that there is a gameplay element to grow a company, but we'll be announcing full details of the company shortly, so stay tuned.

Massively: Can you clarify the guildleve system a bit?

Tanaka: The cards are called guildleves and the quests that you obtain are called levequests. You go to a place to obtain a card, a guildleve. The levequest is in there, and it's reusable. Currently, it's set to a two-day period to reset, but it may change. The point of this is that not only can you use the levequest, but you can also have other party members join your levequest without them having to have the guildleve. It's very flexible and convenient, and if you don't have time to go get the levequest, you can join in with other people.

Massively: We've noticed during character creation that there are places to select a guardian spirit and some sort of horoscope. Can you expand on that?

Tanaka: We still haven't started disclosing the full detail of what happens, but yes, something will change depending on what you choose.

Massively: A lot of players have felt that FFXIV takes more influence from World of Warcraft and similar games. Have these games influenced your design?

Tanaka: Not any other MMO specifically, but we got a lot of feedback from players from FFXI. At the same time, they were playing other MMOs too. They found elements they liked in those games and gave us feedback, and if they felt that something was good, then we'll try to introduce that in FFXIV as well.

One of the things that we adopted is to get more feedback from players, so we created the temporary alpha version purposely, quite different from the beta. It was just to get feedback from players, and a lot of people, especially North American players, are giving a lot of feedback.

Massively: Players have been worried about the future of FFXI in the face of the new game. Is it going away when FFXIV comes out?

We will continue support of FFXI. It will not go away as long as people enjoy it.

Massively: Can we look forward to more boxed expansions for the game?

Tanaka: We will continue to do version updates. As for expansions, we've already started with Abyssea -- we consider that as an expansion pack. We'll introduce more of those as well.