Komoto Regarding the Future

Very nices...colored two questions below that are awesome!

Quote :

Trying Something New

GW: The stir over latent (*bonus, surplus, whatever they want us to call it…) experience seems to have calmed down some since Closed Beta…
DK: It’s currently working as intended. A bug caused a huge increase in earned SP and XP during Phase 3, and many hit the cap and were left to wonder. The system had been in place since the start of Beta but didn’t really manifest itself until the massive boost in skill gains. The parameters themselves weren’t tweaked.


caption: “There are currently no plans to add a special bonus to surplus experience,” says Komoto.


GW: As it stands right now, fatigue will gradually recover when you’re not playing, right?
DK: It will recover not only if you’re logged off but even if you’re just playing a different class.


GW: So tell us more about surplus experience…
Okada: If you collect enough bonus experience your surplus rank will increase for that class, but there is currently no benefit associated with that. If we add powerful skills unlocked with surplus, it will just encourage everyone to pursue it. We’re trying to figure out what rewards we could offer that wouldn’t be overly enticing.
DK: The reason there is no reward currently is so players don’t misunderstand our intentions and think we’re forcing them to earn surplus experience. Even if we do add something, it will be nothing more than a novelty gift. First things first, we have to see how much surplus players are collecting on average.


GW: Once you earn a certain amount of SP, you begin to collect surplus. Is this based on a time limit?
DK: We based it off of how much SP a player is likely to earn in a sitting, but this was mistaken to mean that it was solely time-based. In Open Beta, characters were able to go from Rank 1 to 20 in a week and never see a drop of surplus. If you play at a normal pace, you should seldom see it.


FFXI players might remember that level 20 is around when you need to consider leveling a support job, and we wanted to encourage a similar type of experience. Also, we think leveling speed is still a little slower than intended, so we’re considering lowering the amount of SP needed to reach Rank 10. If we do that, then there definitely should be no surplus gained up through Rank 20.


GW: So ultimately, you don’t want players to obsess over just one class?
DK: There are two reasons. First, we want to balance casual and hardcore gamers. There’s the eternal question of which group to make the game for. Despite many aspects counter to the fact, FFXI is seen by many as a purely hardcore game. We wanted to lighten it up a bit, make it less of a time sink. In trying to balance the two play styles, we realized we are able to raise the base leveling speed to compensate, as mentioned before.


Second, every player comes to a point where they need to change classes or take a break. How the player spends their time is up to them, but we wanted to show them there are more options to choose from than just one class. Hence surplus showing up in the chat log, letting them know they should start considering trying something else out. We aren’t trying to hold players back. We want to present them with opportunities to try out the myriad of options.


GW: It appears that many are confused about how to execute Battle Regimens.
Okada: I think that’s because the effects weren’t known. For example, if you chain a regular attack with another regular attack, it lowers the physical defense of a mob for a period of time. It doesn’t require TP, so you can start off with it right away, save up some TP and chain a Weapon Skill with another for a Battle Regimen that will deal increased damage.


GW: Many times players were confused about when to initiate a Regimen, and the battle was over before they knew it.
Okada: We realize the explanation regarding Battle Regimens is lacking. We will have to come up with something a little easier to understand. Regimens were created to be less confusing than the skill chains of FFXI. It’s included in the UI, and timing is less of a factor than with skill chains.


GW: So it’s taking the place of FFXI’s skill chains?
Okada: The point of a skill chain was to cut a chunk out of a monster’s hit points. Battle Regimens have various effects, and the timing is more in the players’ hands. In FFXI, the player starting a skill chain was under a great deal of pressure to start it at just the right time. There was probably a great sense of relief when a skill chain was executed well. We wanted to expand the concept more and allow for greater party play, and so Battle Regimens were born. We’re placing the emphasis on having fun, not a nerve-racking experience.


You Only Want to Be a Crafter? No Problem!
GW: Why are local leves mostly performed near aetherytes?
DK: Item repair is going to be an important element of gameplay. Sure, there are NPCs that manage that, but they only repair up to a certain percentage and charge accordingly. We wanted to draw them out of the cities and into the camps, so they can mingle and meet prospective customers.


Okada: It’s impetus for them to not keep themselves holed up in the city all day long.


GW: Are there leves that have crafters traveling long distances?
DK: As a crafter’s rank increases, they’ll no longer be targeted by low-level aggressive monsters. Just by playing a crafting class, you can see the world and even learn its deepest secrets. We want crafters to travel abroad and use it as a chance for new business opportunities and ventures.


GW: When you finish a local leve, you are given a recipe. Is it saved or written down anywhere?
DK: Honestly this idea barely made it into the game. Many were saying they didn’t know any recipes, so we wanted to give some hints. We released some recipes on the internet and have more things in the works. Recipes as a reward from a local leve is another way we’re trying to help. It’s not that you can’t make it if you haven’t gotten the recipe yet. It’s more of a tip.


GW: So recipes can be seen out-of-game?
DK: We are considering posting the basic recipes on our website, etc.


GW: The main site mentions a recipe compendium in “The Delicacies of Life” of Aeleyora (*see IV: The Joy of Cooking, for those who are curious). Does it exist in-game?
DK: Due to various reasons, we cannot show it at this time. It is in the works but is not a high-priority item at the moment.


GW: Ingredients are hard to come by lately, and this makes it difficult for crafters to rank up.
DK: The problem right now is that the market doesn’t provide enough, I think. One option is to have vendors sell them. The drop list could also be adjusted, especially regarding shards and crystals, the fundamental parts of any recipe. We, too, noticed as we were playing that hey, there isn’t enough of this or that.


GW: Crafters’ main option for fighting is throwing stones. Will they be able to attack with their tools?
DK: We’re not saying that they’ll get a bunch of attack options come release. However, we’ll see how things go and will hopefully add something in coming version updates.


Okada: It would indeed be nice. There have been various opinions about it within the department, so I hope we come to some sort of agreement on it.


GW: Are there still no pet jobs like FFXI’s Beastmaster and Summoner?
DK: Something is in the works, but it’s not ready yet. It’s still under review, but I think I will be able to reveal more after a little while. We’re still working on the fundamentals. This time we hope to add classes without the need for an expansion disc. We’re even considering the next version update, so I think I’ll be able to say more around then.


GW: FFXI usually added new jobs in expansions. Will FFXIV be doing that in version updates instead, then?
DK: We are considering it for this update.




PS3 Version Under Development. There Will Be a Beta, but the Duration is Undetermined

GW: What are your plans for expansions after official service starts?
DK: We’ll probably have a major patch once every three months. I expect there will be a mountain’s worth of emergency updates right after release, though, so we’ll see. The pacing of expansions will probably be similar to that of FFXI.


GW: Lately expansions for FFXI have been solely Downloadable Content (DLC). What will you do for FFXIV?
DK: I don’t think the chance of things heading that way is nil. But if you’re going to go out, you might as well go all out. A bunch of new content all at once garners more attention, so we’re considering discs first.


GW: How’s the PS3 version coming along?
DK: We returned home from Gamescom right in time for a meeting on the topic. We were able to see it in action. The party system and fundamentals were coming along, but it still needs tuning before we can show it to everyone. Please wait just a little longer.


GW: When do you think PS3 Beta will start?
DK: As of right now, all I can say is that we will still have a PS3 beta test. We will have more information on that soon.


GW: Are there any changes to the scheduled release date?
DK: No. It remains as announced.


GW: Finally, anything you want to pass on to our readers?
DK: I want to continue hearing players’ opinions. I’ve learned loads just by logging in and interacting with players directly, and I think this is just the beginning. Join with me and help improve the game and change the face of Eorzea.


Okada: It has been quite a while since development started, but this is not the end. I don’t know what the future holds, but I’m looking forward to molding it along with all you players out there and surpassing FFXI.


GW: Thank you.

very nice read.

cool... possible new jobs on the first version update so I'm think maybe a december thing ^^

as long as it's not singer or dancer i'm going to be a happy man.

i like how theyre allowing crafter enemy immunity when theyre a sufficient level.

Vjad Shadoweye wrote:

i like how theyre allowing crafter enemy immunity when theyre a sufficient level.

My jaw dropped when I read this. I imagined being deep in a dungeon exploring and offering repairs or upgrades to the various groups hunting inside.

They're talking about how it works with FFXI...all classes once you reach a certain level will become immune to those enemies. Basically Too Weak and they won't aggro anymore.

Some more translated from the interview above...

Some very good info in there, especially about crafted gear being the most powerful you can obtain, lengthy content that doesn't require a ton of time to progress in, and some info on companies like a way to pool resources...though its still very vague!

Quote :

GW: You could hardly participate in endgame content if you were just a crafter in FFXI. How about FFXIV?

DK: For starters, we want to make crafted items the most powerful. High-end content will involve crafters and gatherers, and we are trying to add gear that will catch their eye.


GW: How will that play out?

DK: We’re still working on that. There might be some things similar to FFXI. I’ll leave it up to your imagination.


GW: Content from FFXI will be making an appearance?

DK: Indeed, but we’re focusing on not making it a time sink. There will be content that spans long periods of time, but nothing that requires hours upon hours for each attempt.


GW: Will it be soloable?

DK: Some will, but a fair share will only be possible in a party. We want to give players some options based on their play styles.


GW: It seems like the difficulty of guildleves in Open Beta encouraged party play over soloing.

DK: The idea of being able to solo to cap still remains, as well as being able to solo quests. Soloing is the basic premise of the game. In Closed Beta, we were unable to achieve a balance that providing extra merit to forming a party. We’re working on adding an extra reward to party play while not discouraging soloing.


GW: So we should be doing quests alongside guildleves?

DK: Yes. Even among guildleves you’ll be able to see some amazing new things around level 40. Gameplay will be more difficult and innovative, so prepare yourselves. Faction leves have yet to be explored, and there is certainly some interesting stuff awaiting players there.


GW: When can we ride the chocobos?

DK: You’ll have to wait a little longer. It’s easy enough to make them ridable, but we already have teleportation available from the get-go. Compared to that, a chocobo isn’t very convenient. Therefore, we want to add something more to them, so we’ll probably time it to coincide with other new content (*perhaps as a way of accessing it?).


GW: What can you tell us about the Market Wards?

DK: The market is still not matured and there are still things to be done with retainers regarding usability. There are things we want to fix by retail and things we want to watch as the game progresses. We want to make the experience more user-friendly overall and are currently working on that. Perhaps some method of finding out where to buy what, and so on.


GW: How about Companies?

DK: They are a high-priority item, but we will need a little more time to work on them. I can say we’re in the planning stages, and there will be more information soon.


GW: Have you already worked out Company dynamics?

DK: It’s like an advanced form of Linkshell. Linkshells are about ease of communication. Companies involve the player more and are a way to pool resources.

GW: So there is merit to joining a Company?

DK: If not, there wouldn’t be much point to it, I think. The main factor will not be implemented on release day, but we encourage everyone to enjoy the current content and watch as we unveil new things.


GW: Will it be for experienced players?

DK: A main element of a Company is to allow novices to group up with veterans in order to experience the world. We’re keeping this in mind as wework on it.


GW: Can we expect PVP battles between guilds?

DK: We are considering it, but I can’t say much on the topic rightnow. Once I can, I’ll let everyone know.


GW: So the probability of implementing such a feature ishigh?

DK: We will definitely do so.


Okada: Some players might have noticed, but many skills were created with PVP in mind.


GW: Will PVP be different from what we saw in FFXI?

DK: The battle system itself is completely different. Like chocobos and companies, it would be easy to implement if it were just a simple one-on-onefight. We think about how content will be played before we release it, so we want it to be nice and polished.

ugh... ffxiv with pvp.

Yeah...I'm dreading what they have planned. There is seriously, no reason whatsoever to add PvP, cause those playing this style of MMO avoid PvP, and it won't bring players in that do like it...they have plenty of other options already.

I see it as time and money and resources better spent elsewhere...

Khalus Akuhei wrote:

I see it as time and money and resources better spent elsewhere...

This is one comment that always gets to me.

Resources allocated for PVP aren't meant for anywhere but PVP. It doesn't diminish anything else being developed and if PVP was canceled it wouldn't enhance anything else.

I'm not condoning PVP, and don't honestly care about it...it's just that line is a pet peeve to me.

It makes perfect sense. If they are allocating resources for something that isnt going to be very popular, except with a very small segment of the players, then those funds/resources could have been better spent on something else.

So if they cancelled the idea of pvp, then those people workin on it, and the finances used to fund the implementing of it, would be freed up to do other things that people actually want.

Im sure most game dev people work on several things at once, and diverting some of their energy and attention to pvp is a waste of resources... unless they are trying to attract pvptards - which this game needs none of.

In otherwords if its not broken, dont fix it.

Nimarhie Stardancer wrote:

It makes perfect sense. If they are allocating resources for something that isnt going to be very popular, except with a very small segment of the players, then those funds/resources could have been better spent on something else.

So if they cancelled the idea of pvp, then those people workin on it, and the finances used to fund the implementing of it, would be freed up to do other things that people actually want.

Im sure most game dev people work on several things at once, and diverting some of their energy and attention to pvp is a waste of resources... unless they are trying to attract pvptards - which this game needs none of.

In otherwords if its not broken, dont fix it.

It doesn't work like that though. What is allocated towards a project in a MMO is allocated for that specific purpose, and for none other. It's not like if PVP were dropped that the resources that were being allocated to it would be redistributed to other projects, it just disperses. In most large companies, such as Square-Enix, developers do not do cross-work. The PVP developers will never be a part of the quest designers or spell balancers, they are the PVP developers and nothing else. If anything you should be glad they hired on those people to do the PVP system, and hope they don't lose their jobs!

So youre saying if they invest 20k (thats an example dont start quoting figures :p ) into developing the pvp system, then they drop it, the money just sits there?

Some how I dont think thats quite right... but then what the hell do I know, Im just a stupid gaijin. Almighty SE knows what they are doing...

...we hope.

Nimarhie Stardancer wrote:

So youre saying if they invest 20k (thats an example dont start quoting figures :p ) into developing the pvp system, then they drop it, the money just sits there?

Some how I dont think thats quite right... but then what the hell do I know, Im just a stupid gaijin. Almighty SE knows what they are doing...

...we hope.

Pretty much, that is how it works. Money is never reallocated, only allocated. The only time employees are shuffled around is when they are employees and not contractors, contractors are usually dropped after a project is completed.

As long as the PvP isn't forced onto you, I just see it as something else to do.... and the more options the better. Well if they are done right, at least.

Shenhua Ling wrote:

Nimarhie Stardancer wrote:

So youre saying if they invest 20k (thats an example dont start quoting figures :p ) into developing the pvp system, then they drop it, the money just sits there?

Some how I dont think thats quite right... but then what the hell do I know, Im just a stupid gaijin. Almighty SE knows what they are doing...

...we hope.

Pretty much, that is how it works. Money is never reallocated, only allocated. The only time employees are shuffled around is when they are employees and not contractors, contractors are usually dropped after a project is completed.

I'm not exactly sure which Game Companies you've had experience with, but the ones I have are certainly not like that...........

Most gaming companies re-evaluate their budget every month or so (all depends on where they are at in the production process) and look as to what is achievable and what isnt based on the priority of the current work in process. Redistribution of budgets happens frequently, even in MMO's which in some cases have put aspects of the game back until after launch when they have the revenue to distribute to it.

"Allocation" is a term used in general to denote expectant budgets in a "We have the potential to spend X amount" sort of sense, Believe me when I say Companies go through finances with a fine toothed comb and are never hesitant to can aspects of a game if the money is required elsewhere

Toeol Leonheart wrote:

Shenhua Ling wrote:

Nimarhie Stardancer wrote:

So youre saying if they invest 20k (thats an example dont start quoting figures :p ) into developing the pvp system, then they drop it, the money just sits there?

Some how I dont think thats quite right... but then what the hell do I know, Im just a stupid gaijin. Almighty SE knows what they are doing...

...we hope.

Pretty much, that is how it works. Money is never reallocated, only allocated. The only time employees are shuffled around is when they are employees and not contractors, contractors are usually dropped after a project is completed.

I'm not exactly sure which Game Companies you've had experience with, but the ones I have are certainly not like that...........

Most gaming companies re-evaluate their budget every month or so (all depends on where they are at in the production process) and look as to what is achievable and what isnt based on the priority of the current work in process. Redistribution of budgets happens frequently, even in MMO's which in some cases have put aspects of the game back until after launch when they have the revenue to distribute to it.

"Allocation" is a term used in general to denote expectant budgets in a "We have the potential to spend X amount" sort of sense, Believe me when I say Companies go through finances with a fine toothed comb and are never hesitant to can aspects of a game if the money is required elsewhere

I'm talking about large companies like Square Enix or Blizzard where money isn't a finite resource. When a department is created, the money and manpower for that department is solely for that department. If that project is canceled, the money just goes back into the pool and is no guarantee that money will see anything relating to the game again.

In smaller game companies, yeah, it's common for man power and resources to be stretched thin. But that's out of necessity, not efficiency.