Hiromichi Tanaka & Yasushi Kurosawa Interview with even more new info!

Furtively Altruistic Joined : 2008-05-21 Posts : 4384

Oh nices, we'll be able to change the Miqo'te tail color, and Elezen's ear shape by release!

Quote :: 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.

Additionally, a 9 min HD video of gameplay...not bad!