Looks like they've updated their website with a chunk of information.
I'm definitely more intrigued now that they seem to be going a skill based route.
I almost re-subscribed to FFXI last month, but decided not to and just wait on FFXIV to show up. I'm definitely interested and I can't wait for some more gameplay details and specially an in game video.
If it's less restrictive than FFXI was, then I might be interested. I loved everything about FFXI except for the core level grind and the resultant pain in the ass that it became to find any groups. Gave up on the game after a while because of it, and subsequent attempts to give the game another shot always met the same fate.
Skill based systems are always interesting. I really hope they work out the kinks though.
They are so ripe for exploiting. I know Square states there are no levels. Are they also implying no stats (str, dex, wis, int) either? If so how are they going to differentiate between a player who's had many skill increases versus someone fumbling around with the sword for the first time? Say, for instance, you level up armor so that you can wear plate. That is going to be a great boon with farmers that can run into areas designed for those who have only mastered chain or leather. Also I'm sure it would piss someone off if they were 20/20 skill plate/mace that gets their ass handed to them by someone 50/5 skill plate/dagger. Or worse if skill really matters so much that a 50/50 skill chain/mace will always lose to a 55/50 chain/mace or a 50/60 chain/mace will always lose to a 51/50 chain/mace.
If they are going to have stats, how are they going to be earned or distributed without character levels? If you have stats tied to skill levels, you'll have people racing through blacksmith or animal husbandry because they are the quickest gains in stats from skill ups. Then these people will grief or power their way through lower content with 10x the strength and hit points with no weapon skills. I.E. they are going to be able to solo early game bosses that were meant for full groups.
There is also the flip side of the coin if you prevent someone from accessing lower content with higher skills. If they have 50 skill in plate and fire magic, how are they supposed to skill up their 5 polearm skill if they can't enter the 5-10 skill areas.
Is it going to be like UO with just bears, wolves, ettins and liches instead of bears (level 7,15,28,32,49,51,55,57), bats (4,7,11,32,53) and undead bears (35,44,47,51,59)? Or will it be like baby wolves, angry baby wolves, junior wolves, mother wolves, mother wolves with cubs, really pissed mother wolves, wolves on roids, evil black wolves, rabid evil black wolves, black wolf mages... ?
If it's less restrictive than FFXI was, then I might be interested. I loved everything about FFXI except for the core level grind and the resultant pain in the ass that it became to find any groups. Gave up on the game after a while because of it, and subsequent attempts to give the game another shot always met the same fate.
Allow me to run around on my own from beginning to end, and I'm interested. As soon as you force me to group just to gain regular experience, I'm out.
[actual FFXI experience in the noob area]
That orc cons as an even challenge, why did it kill me in 3 hits!?
Allow me to run around on my own from beginning to end, and I'm interested. As soon as you force me to group just to gain regular experience, I'm out.
Forced grouping is lazy game design. It takes skill on the part of the developer to make grouping actually appealling.
Everquest in the old days actually hit a decent balance of it, in my opinion. You could solo. Some classes could do it more easily than others. But all classes could do it. However, it was mainly something you did when you couldn't find a group to do something more fun with. 
Even cons were just that: intended to be dead even. You take on an even con, you have a 50/50 shot of dying. Makes sense. (Again, some classes had an easier or harder time of it of course)
Skill based systems are always interesting. I really hope they work out the kinks though.
They are so ripe for exploiting. I know Square states there are no levels. Are they also implying no stats (str, dex, wis, int) either?
I cant imagine why that would be implied. Most other skill based games had stats behind the skills.
I'm wary of the game. I got way too sucked into FFXI for three years or so following the NA release, and no MMOs have been able to hook me like that since (played WoW a lot but that was really for the sake of my ex-girlfriend [who I met in FFXI], not myself). I think my time-played clock ended up at 260 days or so.
I'll probably end up seeing if any of my old Linkshell pals are going to be playing, and if so try and hook up with them...
As much hatred as you see for the requisite group play, it did a nice job of making sure everyone knew what they were supposed to do in the endgame. I can't tell you how many raids in WoW I went on that were ruined by people playing passive-antagonistic or flat-out not knowing their class.
As much hatred as you see for the requisite group play, it did a nice job of making sure everyone knew what they were supposed to do in the endgame. I can't tell you how many raids in WoW I went on that were ruined by people playing passive-antagonistic or flat-out not knowing their class.
Except that I compared FFXI to EQ classic, not WoW. You still had tools in EQ who didn't know how to work in a group, but it was vastly different from the frequency and severity of said tool population in WoW. Most people who grouped in EQ either knew what they were doing, or were willing to learn and listen to group leaders who did know what they were doing. I'd be willing to bet the ratio of morons to reasonable people was pretty close between EQ and FFXI.
As much hatred as you see for the requisite group play, it did a nice job of making sure everyone knew what they were supposed to do in the endgame. I can't tell you how many raids in WoW I went on that were ruined by people playing passive-antagonistic or flat-out not knowing their class.
While this is very true, I found it very unsatisfying on the whole. I only knew a couple of people that were playing the game with me, and was not big on the public player experience. Thus, I quickly found myself unable to make any real progress. I was disappointed, because the game was actually pretty fun!
If nothing else, I know I'll be picking up the soundtrack. The one for FFXI was really good. I imagine this one will be even better!
I looked around the website, but was a little confused by it all. Is this a sequal to FF11? I see that it has all the same char model designs the same. The races do have new names, but are all looking the same. Also where did you see that it says no Levels? Are you going outside the website to other sites? Or am I dumb and blind? hehe
Sorry a million possibly idiotic questions.
I looked around the website, but was a little confused by it all. Is this a sequal to FF11? I see that it has all the same char model designs the same. The races do have new names, but are all looking the same. Also where did you see that it says no Levels? Are you going outside the website to other sites? Or am I dumb and blind? hehe
Sorry a million possibly idiotic questions.
Here is a link to a Q&A from July 9
Final Fantasy XIV
Q. Does the new land of Eorzea hold any connections or similarities to Vana’diel?
A.While Vana’diel was a fully developed world, Eorzea is simply a region within the world of Final Fantasy XIV. This will, however, be the main region in which players interact, so webmasters who snatched up an Eorzea based URL can breathe a sigh of relief. The world itself will be named ハイデリン (ha-i-de-ri-n), but we have yet to receive an official English spelling of the word. As for differences between the two worlds, Final Fantasy XIV will be a little more “high-tech” in line with the sci fi style of Final Fantasy XIII. However, they still wish to have the foundation of the game’s setting based in traditional fantasy.Q. Are there any connections beyond the style of Avatars?
A. Players can go into Final Fantasy XIV expecting no significant similarities. However, they realize some comforts just cannot be abandoned so easily - like friends. Therefore, they are looking at ways to allow names to transfer as well as other methods to keep adventurers together. The main objective here is to make transferring to Final Fantasy XIV as comfortable as possible without providing the advantage of transferring completed characters.Q. If there are no levels, how do characters advance?
A. Although Final Fantasy XIV will eschew the traditional levelling system in favour of something new, there will be parts of the Job System that make it over. Most importantly, we wish to retain the concept of being able to switch roles and work on one job one time and another job the next time. At this time, the developers are unable to give any specifics.
Cheeto1016, its not a sequal in the true sense. Its a new MMORPG, by Square Enix and will have the same races. Think of it as FFXI with updated graphics and game mechanics. And most importantly, you can solo.
If FFXI allowed you to solo beyond level 20 I would have gone back to it.
Cheeto1016, its not a sequal in the true sense. Its a new MMORPG, by Square Enix and will have the same races. Think of it as FFXI with updated graphics and game mechanics. And most importantly, you can solo.
If FFXI allowed you to solo beyond level 20 I would have gone back to it.
They look the same but they're different named races
They look the same but they're different named races
That's true. I also think its a mistake. Nothing tops Taru Taru as the name for a race of cute midgets
Yeah this frightens me alot. I absolutely loved FFXI, especially the Chains of Promathia content. I'm a sucker for high challenge, low-probability-of-success content. I'm a sucker for required grouping.
I do a great job at juggling RL, hobbies, kids, family, and gaming, but FFXI definitely was crack for me. Its the only game ever that I had to stop playing even though I didn't want to.
Having said that, the moment I first ran across the FFXIV stuff I was hooked. I'm sure I'll be playing this. Some.
I'll reserve judgement on the soloability of it. Clearly it is going to be more solo friendly than FFXI, but that's not saying a whole lot. There will be solo instanced questing you can do. I can't for the life of me believe thats is going to be THAT solo friendly overall since (possibly mis-interepreted racist remark incoming) it is a very Japanese design team and company. (And yes, you can be *very* Japanese.)
I'd be shocked beyond all belief if any of the good content was remotely soloable. (And that would be the fourteenth time for me being "shocked beyond belief".)
When I played FFXI I was in a mostly JP linkshell and we had great times, but the buzzword for fun was "teamwork" not "solo".
I'll reserve judgement on the soloability of it. Clearly it is going to be more solo friendly than FFXI, but that's not saying a whole lot. There will be solo instanced questing you can do. I can't for the life of me believe thats is going to be THAT solo friendly overall since (possibly mis-interepreted racist remark incoming) it is a very Japanese design team and company. (And yes, you can be *very* Japanese.)
I think any MMO that has entered into development post WoW will at least throw a few bones to the "allow me to solo some content" crowd. It's obvious there's a decent sized percentage of the market that enjoys playing these games, even if they don't have the time or skill to see endgame content.
Frolic wrote:I'll reserve judgement on the soloability of it. Clearly it is going to be more solo friendly than FFXI, but that's not saying a whole lot. There will be solo instanced questing you can do. I can't for the life of me believe thats is going to be THAT solo friendly overall since (possibly mis-interepreted racist remark incoming) it is a very Japanese design team and company. (And yes, you can be *very* Japanese.)
I think any MMO that has entered into development post WoW will at least throw a few bones to the "allow me to solo some content" crowd. It's obvious there's a decent sized percentage of the market that enjoys playing these games, even if they don't have the time or skill to see endgame content.
Oh they will, no question. There's a dev interview floating out there where they specifically say they will. I'm just saying I bet, based on nothing other than my educated guess, that will mean: Out of the content in this game, you can do 20% of it solo and repeat it ad nauseum to level up and have adequate gear, otherwise get a group.
But it's all speculation other than we do know it will be *more* solo friendly than FFXI. (Which you could, ironically, solo in pretty well once you hit 70+ or so and got geared properly, you just couldn't get there by soloing.)
They've started to add some info on their classes (disciplines)
So excite!
So excite!
Indeed, so excited you misspelt it 
Color me intrigued as well. I too loved FFXI, but absolutely hated the majority of people the game attracted. Here's to hoping there's less of them this time around.
KillTrash wrote:So excite!
Indeed, so excited you misspelt it
Sorry, I forgot the /borat tag!
Q/A responses from the game producer
Q1: Will we be able to fly somehow either by ourselves free roaming or scheduled transport airships like in FFXI?A: At present, we have no plans for free-form aerial movement for players. We are, however, looking into a number of different types of flying transportation.
Q2: How will player run guild/linkshells work? What features can we expect and what benefits can a guild/linkshell get through progression if any?
A: For the time being, we are still keeping this information secret. But, we are very adamant about creating an entirely novel system.
Q3: Will the races hold the same benefits as they did previously in FFXI, or will the stat bonuses be different and play a larger role? In addition, will faction choice play a bigger role? In FFXI we had separate mission lines and friendly competitions such as ballista. Will we see something similar or something dramatically different than FFXI system for different factions?
A: The bonuses among races will be of a different variety than those seen in FFXI. But players need not be concerned with this when choosing a race based on aesthetics.
There is also an element of freedom in that players will not pledge their allegiance to a single city-state. This means that the guildleves or skills available will differ region to region, which all being accessible. Of course, this applies quests as well.
Q4: Will the artifact story line quests return for each class from FFXI? If not, will similar quest lines carry on a system of “right of passage†such as limit break quests?
A: Character development along the lines of the Armoury system and skill levels will incorporate familiar concepts from FFXI as well as entirely new elements.
Q5: What do you expect the cap level to be in FFXIV at the start and/or at the end?
A: This has yet to be decided. We will be setting the level cap after looking at the Beta phase results and other considerations.
Q6: Will there be a cooldown timer or anything that limits how often we can change class?
A: There is no real concept of static "classes" in the traditional sense. Rather, there may be somewhat of a restriction placed on the changing of weapons or tools mid-combat.
Q7: Will there be something like a Mog House? Maybe this time around we will have an actual HOUSE, and not a little tiny room!
A: Nothing is set in stone yet. There are a number of possibilities that we are still looking into.
Q8: Limit Breaks were powerful combat moves featured in several Final Fantasy titles. In FFXI we saw Weapon Skills and Magic Burst. Do you have any plans to include a similar system in FFXIV?
A: This has not been decided at this time. But it's safe to say that players can expect to see a completely new and revolutionary system.
Q9: Are there any plans to add female Roegadyn and male Miqo'te?
A: Well, the character model designs are finished... But further details regarding their implementation have yet to be decided.
Q10: Will this FFXIV be more "new person friendly" than FFXI was? (Once everyone had been playing for years, it was hard for new people who started to be able to play, even with the "level sync" system that was added in later. Not to mention, finding armors/weapons in the Auction House was nearly impossible for new players. Barely anyone used the "mentor" system in FFXI either, or rather, there were barely any hosts.)
A: We are developing in-depth introductory tutorials for new players. We are also designing the game while keeping in mind those users who enjoy playing solo, as well as those who can only log in for short periods of time. There will also be plenty of content for newcomers.
But, on the other hand, there will also be complex battles requiring large numbers of people for players more interested in content of that nature.
Our main goal is really to create a variety of ways in which to enjoy the game.
Q11: Will mobs actually drop armors/weapons like most MMOs or is FFXIV going to be like FFXI where you can only obtain these in Auction House or Crafting, or Raids?
A: The complete details of this are still undecided.
As in FFXI and other MMORPGS, some monsters will drop armor and weapons. However, items that drop in this manner are always a target for RMT exploitation. So to avoid any kind of player exclusion, most instances of these drops will yield items which cannot be passed between players.
To put it broadly, there will be a number of ways available to obtain a number of different items.
Q12: Is crafting still going to be an integral and value added portion of the game and somewhat prohibitive so that a selected dedicated few will feel like they are part of the economy and adventuring aspects? (Crafting and not adventuring usually keeps me hooked)
A: Players who wish to do so will be able to fully enjoy the game using only their crafting skills.
The same can be said not only for those wishing to specialize solely in synthesis of items, but those who prefer combat or the gathering of materials as well. All of these types of players will be important to the game world.
Seems very vague...with a lot of... thats to be decides... I mean was anything new really shared?
So many words, so little information.
Too bad the interviewer spent all that time getting questions together.
Well, at least we know we aren't going to be roaming free in the skies on winged chocobos.
The FF MMO always kinda' scared me. People made it sound like if I wanted to even be passably acceptable at that game that I would have to quit my job, divorce my wife, put my child up for adoption, and devote at least a few years of my life to doing nothing but sitting in front of a PC playing this game. Oh, and that there were furries. I think it was that odd combination of "ultra super hardcore MMO!" in a setting filled with furries and chocobos that scared me off. Is there any indication that this iteration of a FF MMO won't require me to make the above sacrifices to enjoy the setting or is this still going to be the MMO for people who pine for the days of UO?
While they are supposed to be making it more solo friendly this game is going to be skilled based and pretty much all skill based games put that extra bit of crack that makes people want to play that much more. Because if you're not doing something your not leveling. So you'll have people that will poopsock their way through. Oh and it's still furry friendly but that was never an issue that i noticed while playing.
So you'll have people that will poopsock their way through.
Poopsock as a verb. Well done.
There is now a beta application for anyone who's interested. Applied.
I applied last night. I hope I get in, even though I've had no luck lately with betas.
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