In October 14th, 2011, Square Enix made a massive announcement over their MMORPG title "Final Fantasy XIV" (for the PC/PS3). Within it, they announced their intention of billing customers for the game sometime during late November or early December of 2011, and also announced that they will be introducing a brand new FFXIV for players to pay a year late, sometime during the Third Quarter of 2012.

It is rather unprecedented for a company to continue offering services to their game while at the same time creating, in essence, a new game to replace the old. But not only did they do that, they had also released a detailed Road Map for the future ahead.
What are their intentions behind these announcements? Where is the future of FFXIV headed to? To receive answers to these questions, we decided to ask Square Enix's FFXIV Producer/Director, Mr. Naoki Yoshida.

-Building Trust with the customer base with the new updates under the direction of the new Development Team, and the parallel development of the 'New FFXIV'-

4Gamer:
Thank you for your time today. It seems that you made a big announcement on October 14th, 2011 concerning billing as well as other important announcements. Would you like to tell us your intentions of making them?

Yoshi-P:
I will answer these questions step by step. First, after we switched over to the new Development team on December of 2010, we went over all the major problems that were plaguing FFXIV. We went over this quite extensively the whole of December. We have already let our player base know this, but as a result of these discussions we had decided that unless we completely overhaul the server, the map and the UI, it will be impossible for us to offer our services in this game 10 years from now. That's how it all began.

4Gamer:
We at 4Gamer picked up these things through your earlier interviews with you too.

Yoshi-P:
However, even if we had come to that decision, there are of course players who continue to play this game to take into consideration. I consider these players as very important customers not only for FFXIV but for Square Enix as a whole, and these sentiments were shared by not only the Management/Development Team, but also our higher ups in the company.

Therefore, we had decided as long as there are players who continue to play the game and support us, we will: 1.) never terminate the game and 2.) Reach a set standard of quality with the current game and continue to offer the game for free until we had an extensive, workable plan to rebuild this game. These two decisions then became our policy. We reached this decision on January of 2010. So, this means these 10 months since January, we had been working in not only providing a steady stream of updates to the current game but at the same time were reworking the basic, key aspects such as map revision that would be implemented in the new FFXIV.

4Gamer:
I see. But this reworking of the game from the ground up, it seems that this was first brought up to our attention only after your announcement just earlier.

Yoshi-P:
Indeed, this is the first time we made an official, complete announcement over our reworking of the game, but we have communicated to our playerbase that we were working on Map/Server/UI revisions before.

However, it is true that we have been relatively vague over how were were going to accomplish this task, including how we were going about with the new FFXIV. We came to this decision because, if we had, from the start, announced that "We will continue to provide updates to the current game, but at the same time we're also making a new and improved FFXIV!", our customer's opinion over this topic would be mixed at best. It'll cause the playerbase to worry over issues such as "Is the Development team really capable of doing this? Wouldn't they slack off making updates for the current game in favor of the new FFXIV?". Worst case, they might think "Bah, impossible." and lose faith.

FFXIV, when it was first released, made a huge impact - which unfortunately for us was largely negative. Our FFXIV launch was essentially a failure. To wipe off that impression, the only thing we could do as developers was though the building of trust with our releases of new in-game content and our new Development stances. We have been working our hardest to accomplish this. If I can get the message across to our playerbase that we are giving it our all for them, that will make me happy.

4Gamer:
Indeed. Looking back, it's kind of hard to believe you had been working on these two projects in sync with the amount the updates you've made to the game.

Yoshi-P:
We had also been working on the implementation of a new graphics engine, new servers and plans and designs for the new UI in parallel to all that.

4Gamer:
So your statement of "Not getting enough sleep" is...

Yoshi-P:
Yeah, I've been giving it my all with these updates and new designs. *laugh*

If you'd allow me to explain our hesitancy over announcing these plans until now from a different angle, it was necessary for us to build a level of trust between the new Development team and our customers. Just because the game is under new management doesn't mean the customers will be instantly relieved. It also didn't help that I, who was never involved in the development of FFXI and had little to no exposure to the media, be suddenly named as the man responsible for the new FFXIV team.

This sort of undertaking is unprecedented for Square Enix, and even possibly the online gaming industry, so it was only natural for us to think that if a new guy like me suddenly started babbling out promises we wouldn't be trusted so easily.

4Gamer:
Indeed you have a point there. You were a relative unknown in the industry before, so I suppose it's natural for everyone to be worried if such announcements were made at start.

Yoshi-P:
Exactly. First we had to build up trust and provide some proof that we can do these things. If we don't come up with a realistic plan, people will just say "SE is spouting empty promises again".
This is why we decided to continue working with updates to the current game while cooking up the plans in the background, and we decided the time was ripe to make the announcement since we felt that we came up with a presentable plan.

4Gamer:
And so you felt that this October was when you decided the plan was presentable. However, even when you say you're under new Development, human resources must've been stretched. How did you managed to do everything in parallel?

Yoshi-P:
Well, we had lots of human resources at disposal from the start. We simply divided into two teams: one in charge of management of the current game, and another team - mostly programmers - who were in charge of making plans and do the coding for the new FFXIV. We also have the full support from Hashimoto's Technology team within the company too. In addition, core members in our Development team such as Hashimoto, Takai, Minagawa, Matsui, Kawamto and myself, as well as the team involved with game design and game features are heavily involved in both teams.

-With the arrival of the 'New FFXIV', what of the costs already dedicated to the current game?-

4Gamer:
What kind of approach did you take with the development of the new FFXIV?

Yoshi-P:
I had explained this several times before too, but under the direction of our new Development team, we treat the 'planning phases' very, very seriously in order to reword not only the game itself, but how we manage the game. This was and is especially true for the new FFXIV. Under the direction of our Technical Director Hashimoto, we had decided to suspend all new coding/programming until March of 2011. We had decided that until we had a solid plan that would allow us to do what we wanted to do, until a plan was laid out to solve issues such as servers, game engine and graphics core came into light, no coding/programming was allowed. Quite the impressive management technique by Hashimoto. We at the Dev team took a step back so to not rush things and contributed well into planning everything out.

Until March... well, I guess it's still true even today, but I continued to explain and convince our staff about my vision for FFXIV in the future. For example, one time I explained to my staff "I want to provide a such and such service, so the server must be designed in a way that will allow for 'worldless' content.", and then come up with plan, determine costs associated with said plan, and then draw up a scheduled to implement the feature.
After to 'Go' sign lit up after April of 2011, we're at full-coding mode. Because we made a very detailed plan beforehand, everything is going very smoothly.

4Gamer:
You mentioned servers being worldless just now. I feel it's one of the centerpieces to the earlier announcement. Care to elaborate on that topic further?

Yoshi-P:
In order to continue operating a long-term MMORPG, it is necessary to design servers that can withstand at least 10 years of service. FFXI and the FFXIV of now treat one game server clusters as one game world, but when one takes the future into account, I believe it is necessary to design servers that can 'jump' the boundaries of different worlds.

In an MMORPG, different players play the game at different paces. This creates player hierarchy, and hardcore players are the frontrunners of the pack. However, there are always players that start playing the game at a later date, and you also have to take into account that casual players will never be as dedicated to the game as hardcore players are. This in turns creates a feeling of being 'left behind' among many players who aren't frontrunners in the game.

4Gamer:
And I suppose there are players who say 'Meh, why start this game from scratch now when everyone's so far ahead ahead?'.

Yoshi-P:
Yes. On top of that, it's only natural in an MMORPG that the older the content is, the harder it is to gather people to play with. When that happens, say when you start the game afresh, situations where you cannot find people to play with in early content will become commonplace.
In order to avoid such situations, it's ideal have a strong matching system where you can party up/join up with other people who are looking to do the same thing from multiple worlds. If we don't design the servers to handle such a system, it might be fine for the first 3 to 4 years, but after that it will most definitely be difficult.

However, if you ask us if such a system is possible with our current servers, taking into account issues like response and data we found the answer to be no. Then, by considering various factors such as the costs of planning/implementing such a system, how long it'll take and if it's ultimately worth doing such a thing alongside providing services to the current game and compare it to the pros/cons of giving up and keeping the current servers as is. In the end, we came to the decision that while we'll make further corrections to the current critical issues, we will rebuild the server system from the groud up to make various other features possible.

4Gamer:
And that brings me to the next question: How are you treating the FFXIV of now? Can you implement the current content, as well the content you have planned out, into the new FFXIV?

Yoshi-P:
A common misconception I would like to clear up here is that, while the word 'new' implies that everything will be changed, the old FFXIV and the new FFXIV are essentially the same games. The battle systems already in place and will be in place in the future, Grand Company, etc... it is all the feedback we've received from the playerbase that be used and be reflected in FFXIV is what I call 'new'. But on the other hand, when we do switch over to the new FFXIV, you can say that from a developer cost standpoint that some of the time we've dedicated into the old FFXIV will be wasted.
Take the UI, for example. Under the new FFXIV, the UI will be totally revamped and be replaced with the new UI engine. However, this doesn't mean that we're slacking off in improving the UI we have now lest we make our customers feel unsatisfied with our product. Therefore, we will continue to make improvements to the current UI by reflecting on customer feedback, and continue to provide updates. Things like that won't change.

And then, by taking all the feedback we've received up to that point into consideration, we will replace the old UI with the new. But if you ask: "But what about all the resources you've spent in making the old UI?" the simple answer is "We're throwing it away". We're remaking everything as we go along, because I feel that is the stance we must take in order for us to continue provide services, and express our sincerity as Management/Developers - even our sincerity as a company as a whole - that we are prepared to do whatever it takes to make a satisfactory product.

-The experiences you can't experience anymore after are already beginning-

4Gamer:
Well then, we'll like to move onto our next topic, which concerns the start of billing near the end of 2011. Why did you decide to make this announcement now at the same time you released information about the new FFXIV?

Yoshi-P:
The new FFXIV client's development, artwork included, is proceeding at a very nice pace. We can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to revisions like the server, UI, maps, and lot other issues that's got the playerbase worried.

At the same time, the current FFXIV has also reached a threshold where we've begun to show the "Final Fantasy-ness" in this MMORPG with the release of patch 1.19. Further groundwork to show this "Final-Fantasy-ness" is also already in place, so except to see more of this in the coming updates compared to simple in-game revisions. I treat an MMORPG as an MMORPG not only on the basis of gameplay but also on the basis of basic, should-be-implemented services/features, and I feel we're at the 50% mark at the point we released 1.19. However, we won't start billing our customers until after patch 1.20 is released. With patch 1.20, we plan on tackling issues such as PC search and adjustments to make a better market ward system and eventually auction house system, which will be key features necessary in filling the other 50% so that we can provide better services to our customers and so this game could be in its minimal state. We won't be shy in spending/using vast amounts of costs and human resources to accomplish this task.

Therefore, we would like to ask our playerbase to take into account our work we've put in thus far, as well as looking into the content that will be offering in patches 1.20 and beyond to decide if they want to pay in order to continue playing this game.

4Gamer:
So you're saying that you've come to the decision of billing because you've finalized your plans for the new FFXIV as well promised to update the current FFXIV with new content?

Yoshi-P:
With FFXIV going through a lot after its initial release, before we actually implement billing we will suspend the automatic payment option on all player accounts. We ask the players to see/experience the content we offer at that point of the game, look over our plans for the future, and if the players decide "Hey, this is kinda fun. I guess I'll play.", then we ask them to switch automatic paying back on. We decided to take this step as to avoid charging customers automatically who were unaware of this October announcement when billing stats happening.

Also, had we announced our intentions for billing this game at any later date, the timeframe between the announcement and the timing of billing would've been too short and put our customers at an disadvantage. With letting the playerbase know of our - the Mangament/Development, and the company of Square Enix - commitment to the game that is FFXIV, it will please me greatly if the players decide to continue to play and enjoy this game.

4Gamer:
I see. So you're saying that you timed this announcement with hopes that players would see how the game is developing from patch 1.20 onwards.

Yoshi-P:
With that said, never before had an MMORPG been revived after failing at launch - the exception being the games that decided to incorporate Item RMTing. That's what the challenge here is. If we stick with the norm, we will never succeed.

4Gamer:
I see. But it's almost a year before the new FFXIV comes rolling along. Seems to me you'll need to implement not only updates, but a way to keep players entertained until that time.

Yoshi-P:
Yep. We will of course continue to implement various content to the current game, but we've also implemended several scenario-related gimmicks over the past year so we plan on offering services you'll never be able to enjoy ever again. To pit it mildly, it's like we're doing seasonal events, only that this one is a year long.

4Gamer:
So depending on what happens with those events, at the end it will lead into this new world?

Yoshi-P:
Hmm... well, you say it's a new world, but Eorzea is still Eorzea. We will be remaking all maps, but the names for the areas/features will still be the same, so it's more like letting the players experience a changed world.

In this year-long 'seasonal' event, we plan to spend a whole year on letting the players find out what the "Seventh Umbral Era" really is, provide explanations to why the world is changing, and what will happen to the adventurers of before. To put it in another perspective, this scenario can only be played and enjoyed by people who choose to play the game over the next year.

4Gamer:
That's an interesting thing you're attempting there. It's like you're taking full advantage of the re-launch. On the other hand, surely the current players must be wondering if any of their accomplishments over the course of next year would have any sort of impact in the new FFXIV, yes?

Yoshi-P:
If you mean wiping characters, then no. I said this before, but I haven't even given that topic a thought. When we first tackled the task of remaking the game, one of the fundamental principles was never to wipe character data. If we change that now, the entire plan will fall upon.
No matter how high the hurdles, we decided to never stop FFXIV service. And as long as we don't stop the FFXIV service, we will never wipe character data. If we couldn't do that, our conclusion would've been to stop service altogether in order to remake the game from scratch.

4Gamer:
So you're saying your statements you made in our first interview at the start of 2011 was foreshadowing of the updates to come and the new FFXIV?

Yoshi-P:
Yes. We listed up four key words when the development of FFXIV was put in our hands: "Fun", "Live", "Reboot", and "Rebuild". "Reboot" indicates our server overhauls, whereas "Rebuild" indicates our Graphics Engine/UI/Map overhauls. The "Live" you can already see in the game, but this aspect will only continue to be improved upon within this year by implementing features you can only experience now.

As for "Fun", I personally find this undertaking quite challenging and fun, but it'd be quite the bummer for me if players didn't share my same sentiments. I'd rather see the players think: "Damn, the Dev team is crazy in doing all this" and laugh while saying that. "Fun" is letting the players enjoy FFXIV from all different angles. This sort of undertaking will never happen again, but because it won't be happening again, I wanted players to squeeze out every "Fun" in the game. I decided this was how I was going to do things on New Years of 2011.

4Gamer:
We of course were unaware about this new FFXIV, but we had all thought that billing would be only implemented after the current FFXIV re-launched, so this announcement was a little unexpected.

Yoshi-P:
Again it's a repeat of what I said earlier, but during the past 10 months, we've managed to up our quality of the game by a significant margin compared to what we started with, and we plan on giving it our all to continue this trend. Of course, compared to the new FFXIV, these updates might seem like it's insignificant, but we would like to say that all the costs we're spent on developing the current FFXIV will, once the new FFXIV comes along, will be literally thrown in the trash bin. That's the sort of thing we're trying to do here. For the players playing the current FFXIV, they will get to touch/experience/see not only the ever-evolving storyline in the following year, but also various other new content and items. If they play it and decide "Hey, this game's fun!" and is worth paying for, then I would like to ask them to pay for our services.

-The abolishing of seamless maps and the implementation of zone maps with exciting FF-style fun and adventure-

4Gamer:
Moving on. Let's talk about what the new FFXIV is goign to be like.
First off, maps. Under the current version, people say everywhere you go, it looks the same.

Yoshi-P:
If I were to give one primary reason why the current maps are the way they are, I would have to answer it's because they were seamless. Seamless, streaming games are a difficult theme to tackle when we make games.

Seamless maps are, in essence, a way for players to enjoy the graphics of the game and see the gaming world naturally flow from one place to another. But with that said, maps are still divided into different zone-specific servers. Because of this, although on the flipside they appear seameless, invisible zone-lines still exist. To name an ancient example, "Ultima Online" had issues where monsters are converged on the zone line, and while it's not exactly the same, the current FFXIV also has this problem.

This is especially apparent should one choose to fight battles where the invisible zone-lines exist. To solve this issue it is necessary for the zone servers to exchange information at fast speeds, but the technical aspects of making this possible is very difficult. As a result, instanced 'chips' float to the surface, and thus cases like where the scenery you saw earlier would be seen again not so far away come to light.

4Gamer:
I suppose while seamless maps seem great in principle, hurdles remain to implement this feature in its fullest aspect.

Yoshi-P:
I think so too. As a person in charge of planning/developing games, issues such as these come up often. In FFXI we use some 'chips' in our maps, but because of streaming and zone changes we can exchange memory at ease and create high-quality maps. In FFXIV however, opportunity's to change zones are few and far in-between . As a result, we were forced to create more 'chips' in order to shave off memory issues.

Furthermore, because we don't have the "Now Loading" screen between most of our zones, it comes necessary to create realistic 'depth' between zones. Thus, as a result, while we succeeded in presenting large, extensive, seamless maps that are connected smoothly, scenery all over looks as if it were copy-pasted from elsewhere. Because of this, in the new FFXIV, we will abolish seamless maps altogether.

4Gamer：
I see. So you're saying that it's hard to create a natural-feeling path up the mountain in the game with the current technologies.

Yoshi-P:
Exactly. If we switched the system over so zones are separated by loading screens, we can let the players start from, say, halfway up the mountain path, and the continuing path upwards will be more dynamic.

Seamless maps are a great way for players to experience the 'open world', but just because it can doesn't mean it's always a good thing. Because there are limitations on seamless maps, content in turn then becomes limited. In an MMORPG, worlds can become vast, wide places, and consequently content becomes spread out wide along the map and far in-between. This is the reasoning behind our drastic changes. Not only that, it makes developing new maps at a much faster pace than before.

As a tradeoff for shifting over to this new zone system, we plan on implementing at least three different Landmarks people might want to explore per zone, as well as at least three different content people can enjoy per zone. The level design team and the staff responsible for making maps will, by working together, create the basic surrounding layouts, to which I then confirm and then set up giant objects players can from far away. What we tried to do here is to create maps that stir up the sense of exploration within players, maps with strong Fantasy elements. As it stands now, we're already created basic polygon maps, walked within it and checked how big they really are, and are in the process of determining where and what kind of monsters we should place in this map.

4Gamer:
I've taken a look at your concept art, and I noticed there were many things in there we haven't seen before. Like Gridania, the image before was that it was a super-thick forest, whereas here I see it's more open, with ruins scattered here and there.

Yoshi-P:
Yes. We are indeed placing ruins inside the forest. The basic concept/goal for the new Gridania is to feature a forest that looks like an actual forest. Spice things up here and there, keeping the overall balance in mind, and when the times comes when we replace all our maps, we are trying to ensure each zone won't be simple roads you pass through but zones with all different unique flavors. Like, if we wanted to implement thick forests like the one we have right now, we should make it a high-level zones. Stuff like that.

4Gamer:
By the way, how much of the old map will we need in the new?

Yoshi-P:
There are some maps where we traced the outline, but there are maps where the terrain has changed complete due to certain events we'll see in the coming story.

4Gamer:
I feel there are some players who've grown attached to the current map, and are wary of how drastic the changes might be in the new maps. Will you be addressing this issue at all?

Yoshi-P:
It's not like we're completely changing the overall look and feel of the world, so our objective is for players to leave certain aspects to make the players think: "Ah, this feature, I recognize this from the old map." Rather, they might even think: "Aha! So this feature was for this purpose!"

4Gamer:
You're making me really curious on how the scenery will change with the implementation of new maps and the new graphic engine.

Yoshi-P:
There might be areas where you might go: "Why did area become like this!" However, if one decides to continue playing the current game, they will be rewarded with an explanation to the reasons behind why such areas have been transformed to the state they are in the new map. For example, in the new Limsa Lomisa, there exists a massive Colosseum over the the ocean. Players will know the reasons behind why it exists. Other examples include why part of the mountains have become covered in snow, why this area became the lair of the Behemoth, etc etc. Each change we're making to the map has an FFXIV backstory behind it, and if you continue to play and explore the current game, you'll get to experience the surprises behind it.

-New UI feature: "Mannequin", a feature that will allow players to switch their entire equipment arsenal with a single click. UI Customization will also become possible.-

4Gamer:
Next comes the basic features of gameplay: UI. Tell us about it.

Yoshi-P:
I have already communicated to the playerbase over this topic, but we are further strengthening our Armory system by implementing a new feature we're calling the "Mannequin". How this system works is, you equip equipments on your Mannequin, and when you change classes you can click/press a button and instantly equip/switch all of your current equips with equipments you've equipped on your Mannequin. Our aim here is to separate equipped items with inventory space.
We also have plans on featuring activities/quests/missions where by completing them, you increase your Mannequin allowance.

4Gamer:
It's a small issue, but how fast can you switch between equipment sets with this system? Under the current system you can create macros to switch between equipment sets, but long only does it take a long time writing such a script, you also have to switch one item at a time.

Yoshi-P:
The equipment changes are simultaneous, so our aim is to alleviate stress. If it were possible we would like to implement this system in our current version of the game, but the current UI is so entangled with various scripts we had to overhaul the entire thing to make this system possible. For this, I apologize.

4Gamer:
You also mentioned Add-ons and UI customization. We asked this in our earlier interview, but would it be possible to use player-made Add-ons as well?

Yoshi-P:
Yes. We plan on implementing full support for Add-ons. For this reason, we had to completely overhaul the UI script engine.

When it comes to the default UI, for example, we will show the Monster's hate level in a such and such way, but because we'll still be passing the packets of data along to our players, the playerbase may feel free to create Add-ons that further improve such a feature.

4Gamer:
What kind of language do you plan on using? Will it be XML?

Yoshi-P:
To make things easier, at the moment we're thinking of using Flash.

Ultimately, using Add-ons will be decisions individual players have to make, but Healers might want to use UI tailored specifically for healing, whereas the Tank will want to use UI tailored specifically for tanking. If professionals around the world take interest in creating codes for Add-ons for the sake of UIs who want to improve their performance, I'm all for it.

Another reason why we decided to overhaul the UI was to create this additional sense of community for Add-on use and creation.

4Gamer:
Do you have any plans on making very popular Add-ons official?

Yoshi-P:
About that... it might be a little hard to do because of copyright laws and such. However, it is certainly possible we'll incorporate aspects of popular Add-ons to our default UI.

4Gamer:
There have been many cases of official development teams incorporating aspects of popular Add-ons to their default UI indeed. After all, if it's popular, it's an indication of just how much the players want it incorporated into the game.

Yoshi-P:
You're right. This is the norm for MMORPGs overseas. However, in Japan PC gaming isn't exactly common, and many others are unaware such features exist. Therefore I would like to explain in detail why we're adding such a feature and gather up a degree of understanding beforehand so we can push forward our global vision of FFXIV.

-The new FFXIV will introduce PvP content. An entirely different content separate from PvE.-

4Gamer:
Please explain this new "PvP Frontline" content you have planned for the new FFXIV.

Yoshi-P:
As it stands with our current server response timers and graphic draws, massive PvP content are features that are very hard to implement. With that said, with the implementation the new battle framework we introduced in patch 1.19, the groundwork for PvP calculations and hit checks are already in place. In conjunction, when we transfer over all character data from old FFXIV to the new, because we had laid out the groundwork it will be easier for us to make adjustments to both PvE and PvP content.

4Gamer:
I see. But when it comes to PvE it becomes important for players to spot enemy players early on, so with server issues still persisting it must be hard to implement such features in the current version.

Yoshi-P:
Yes indeed. While we are loosening up the hurdles in the new FFXIV, I suppose it's becomes a natural trend for people who love and pursue PvP content wanting to play the content with high-end PCs.

4Gamer:
Yes, I suppose one of the key aspects of PvPing is the ability to operate under the lowest lag possible. On the other hand, I see some people who take this in the other direction and purposely play under laggy PCs to utilize such advantages associated with it. *laugh*

Yoshi-P:
Yeah, like taking advantage of laggy PCs to stress the opponent's data so others can take advantage of. *laugh* While we're on this topic, I will like to say we have two different types of PvP planned: PvP Frontline, where it will be massive, and the Colosseum-style map where a smaller number of players may fight it out with each other.

4Gamer:
I'd imagine the Colosseum will be a sports-like, 1v1 PvP content. As for the massive PvP Frontline content, I'd imagine it being a three-way battle between the different Grand Companies and be expressed through RvR, but will this be taking place in a separate map, away from the others?

Yoshi-P:
I cannot confirm nor deny if Grand Companies or RvR's will be involved here, but... yes. The map will be made separate from the rest of them. According to our data we have in hand here, players who prefer and enjoy playing PvP worldwide (excluding most of Asia aside from Japan) is 15%.

4Gamer:
So people who love PvP can play it, but it won't be the type of thing where it'll be the core aspect of the game.

Yoshi-P:
Yes. We will of course set up ladders unique to PvP and rewards associated with PvPing, but none of these features will be necessary for people who want to focus on PvE alone.

4Gamer:
Will it be possible to level up through PvP?

Yoshi-P:
Yes. However, you have to reach a certain level before you can participate in PvP content, so one must familiarize themselves with basic Eorzea rules before participating in such activities. Afterwards, we would like to make it so players will be free to level up though PvP alone.

Additionally, we would also like to implement features where even if one were a player who doesn't participate in PvP, they can support other PvP players who share the same allegiance. For example, content that's only accessible by the forces that had won.

4Gamer:
So kinda like: "I don't like PvP, but go team go!" *laugh*
Slightly off-topic, but it seems to me that character speeds seem rather slow to make PvP enjoyable. Will you be addressing or refining this in the new FFXIV?

Yoshi-P:
In addition to further revisions to actions, we will implement the Job system in patch 1.21. Afterwards, I feel features like EverQuest's SoW (Spirit of Wolf) or something similar should be considered for implementation. Things like, by use different skills and abilities, affect the speed of characters, or things like increasing the speed of all character in your party.

I was a player of Dark Age of Camelot myself, so I understand the necessity those sort of PvP aspects and would like to implement them.

4Gamer:
I see, I see. I suppose those roles will fall into the hands of the Bard you've annouced in the earlier "FFXIV Producer Letter LIVE"... by the way, can you ride Chocobs in PvP?

Yoshi-P:
We plan to implement something akin to a 'mount battle' system for Chocobos. For this reasons, it becomes important for players to raise their Chocobos, and we're designing them in a way it'll eventually be possible for players to fight alongside them as fellowship characters. Chocobos in "Final Fantasy" are a special breed, and different from all other mounts and/or pets.

-Content Finder: A feature that will draw players together from different servers and match them accordingly-

4Gamer:
Are there any other important features in the new FFXIV you'd like to share?

Yoshi-P:
I've already mentioned 'worldless design' at the start of the interview, but yes. We plan on introducing a feature we call "Content Finder" and this will be one of the prime features of the new FFXIV.

For example, let us say that there are players who want to experience the content in Dzemael Darkhold we implemented in patch 1.18 and see what they have to offer. Naturally, one will have to fulfill the requirements to enter the dungeon first beforehand, but one may then activate the Content Finder feature, type up a request detailing your levels and classes, and the server will match up players from different servers who would like to participate in said dungeon. This feature isn't exclusive to instanced dungeons, but also instanced fights like Ifrit Fight.

4Gamer:
You said this will match up players from different servers, so I guess this means multiple servers will continue to exist. So I gather Content Finder is the feature that will allow players to match up though this 'worldless' design. Will this work for PvP too?

Yoshi-P:
When it comes to PvP, there are people who liked to determine who's number 1 in their respective worlds, right? Personally, I find online gaming hierarchies should in principle be based on which server they're on, so it might be more entertaining to not set up PvP as worldless.
By no means we have come to a solid conclusion over this matter, as we have yet to draw the line. If the demand for it is high, then most likely we will implement it. Being flexible is a valuable asset in order for us to compete against other MMORPGs of today's generation.

4Gamer:
I see. So you're saying that because the worldless design in already in place, you could in essence implement a feature where the top 5 players of which world will be able to compete with other top 5 players in other worlds.

Yoshi-P:
Exactly. One thing we have to be careful about the worldless feature is that we have to make sure items can't be traded freely through it. Therefore, we are implementing a system where we hard code each item's ID with the server it originated from. This is one of many examples of features that can't be added at a later date, so it was necessary to work this into our plans for the game's overhaul.

4Gamer:
I see. So that's the reason behind you took the time to plan everything out and stopped with the coding on the new FFXIV for nearly three months.

Yoshi-P:
That's right. Just because the feature is there doesn't mean all is well. Because we're aiming for a high standard of service, everything has to be planned out from the very beginning. Early in the development phase, we even created a 430 cell-long Excel spreadsheet listing up every feature we want/can implement for FFXIV in the future - even obscure stuff like being able to do FFXIV-related stuff with smartphones - and wrote it all out and explained to our Management/Development team and the entire FFXIV team, hammering out details on how FFXIV from now on will be.

4Gamer:
You did this so everyone will be on the same wavelength when it comes to implementing things like backstory and systems to the new FFXIV?


Yoshi-P:
Yep. We even put a lot of work into quality assurance as well. Our longest meeting lasted 16 hours, and we divided them into 7 different sessions with about 40 people participating in each of them. We weren't just satisfied with a 'simple' product. What we want to create was a next-gen MMORPG that proudly held the title of Final Fantasy, and if we were to provide these services on a global scale, we wanted to provide as many services possibles so there's something for everyone. And above all, implementing features that are Final Fantasy-like. It took a lot of convincing.

Among the features we want to implement, there are many features we want to implement to our current game. There are some aspect where it'll go to waste once we switch over to the new FFXIV, but just because we're throwing it away later doesn't mean that we should half-bake everything. I admit, it's not something that's exactly highly motivating, but I explained that this was an important, necessary thing in order for us to continue operating the way we do. As a result, our Development team as a whole are convinced this is what we have to do for the sake of our playerbase.

-The development of the new FFXIV on the PS3 and the content within-

4Gamer:
Well then, let's move onto our next topic about the PS3 version. You told us you'll be distributed Beta clients for the PS3 at the same time the beta version of FFXIV for the PC comes out. So does this mean feature in the new FFXIV for the PC be featured in the PS3 version as well?

Yoshi-P:
This is something that I again answered in an earlier interview, but it's pointless if we put out a PS3 version that ends up being the lower-quality version of the PC version. The important thing here for us is to create a quality PS3 product we can proudly state as the latest Final Fantasy title available on the market. Our goal here was of course taken into consideration when we planned everything out for the new FFXIV.

One major change we have planned to accommodate this is the plan to forfeit the current limits that are in place when it comes to loading lots of character on-screen. This is because I feel it's important in an MMORPG to display as many characters as possible at the same time. This especially holds true for people with high-end PCs. I'm sure they'd like options where they can bypass the limits in place.

4Gamer:
People might even adjust their hardware to accommodate such limit bypass.

Yoshi-P:
True indeed. I'm one of them. *laugh* I'm perfectly willing to overhaul my memory/graphics card, so I would like to see this limit bypassed.

However, given how the current version is set up, this currently cannot be implemented. I find it sad when players host a player-driven event and, when it comes time to take screenshots, discover that because of the system limitations they can't take a screenshot with everyone inside. Compared to what we started with, we have a much larger playerbase now too... it's such a waste. Therefore, our plans for the new FFXIV is to implement a system where for systems who are unable to handle massive amounts of characters on screen to automatically adjust FPS - as more characters come on screen, the FPS automatically goes down by one, and when characters leave the screen it goes back up. Something like that. The PS3 too will have this feature. We will then let the players decide what kinds of settings they feel are the best to play this game at through quality customization.
And with that in mind, we're optimizing and designing everything so every content will run smoothly even on the PS3 version, from instanced Raids to party-content like the Ifrit Battle (hard).

4Gamer:
What will you do for UI Add-ons for the PS3? The playerbase can't creates those for the PS3, can they?

Yoshi-P:
No, they can't. However, if the demands are high worldwide concerning a particular Add-on, we have plans to replicate the features in the Add-on and optimize them for the PS3. For the PCs versions I'd imagine most Add-ons are designed specifically for the keyboard and/or mouse, so what we'll be doing is re-designing them for the gamepad.

4Gamer:
By the way, you distributed priority tickets to the PS3 version beta test a long time ago. Are those still valid?

Yoshi-P:
Yes. When we distributed those tickets we made a commitment, so they are still considered valid. As long as they apply for the PS3 version beta test, those in possession of priority tickets will be prioritized for the beta test.

-Massive revisions planned for the early game in the new FFXIV. Players will follow the story more-

4Gamer:
This might sound like I repeat of what I asked/pointed out earlier in this interview, but from the perspective of players who are currently playing this game, I think it's important for them to know how their experiences/accomplishments will carry over to the new FFXIV. Not just issues concerning valuables such as in-game currency and items, but play experiences and existing content.

Yoshi-P:
For example, Guildleves will still exist in the new FFXIV. I've mentioned before that Guildleves will no longer be the primary content/focus for FFXIV, but I feel it's also important for casual players who are busy with normal stuff like work to have things they can casually walk up to a guild counter and do on their free time. Still, motivation is a fluid thing, so we need to be careful to make such content not-so monotonous. We will continue to monitor and take in player feedback, so think of the 'New Guildleve' system in the new FFXIV as a reflection of all the feedback we've received. Other content like the Dzemael Darkhold will also be transferred over to the new FFXIV.

4Gamer:
But it seems the players have this impression that Guildleves are the primary content in FFXIV in the current version.

Yoshi-P:
Like I mentioned earlier, the concept of 'having things to do on your free time' isn't exactly wrong. What went wrong at start was that we tried to make Guildleves the focus of everything.
MMORPG players tend to pursue efficiency. Before, with it being so hard to start/join a Party, it wasn't really that effective to gain respective rewards from everything else except Guildleves. For example, had we introduced content that provided much better rewards than a single Guildleve would've probably meant a lot for the state of the game. Another alternative would've been the implementation of a string of quests, and by finishing their respective tasks and reading up on the lore they offered along the way would've not only made the game more enjoyable, but provide an alternate method for character growth. If we had done that from launch, the game probably wouldn't have been so Guildleve-focused as it is now.

4Gamer:
You have plans to address this issue?

Yoshi-P:
Of course. We plan on starting this revision from the moment you start the game. Right now, after you join up with your Adventurer guild you're then lead to do Guildleves and pretty much left all alone after that. Our objective with the new FFXIV is so when new players enter the Adventurer's guild for the first time, he/she will see "?" marks over every single NPC within the guild. By accepting and completing these quests these NPCs have to offer, not only will you familiarize yourself with how the game works, but also receive background information on Eorzea's history and future goals as a player. Doing all these quests will also provide you exp, so you can easily level up a few levels from doing those alone.

We also have plans to change the armory system so they won't be unlocked until a player hits level 10. What we therefore are asking new players to do is to raise their first selected class to level 10 by completing various quests, complete their respective class quests, then finally be allowed the freedom to change into other classes at will. You will also receive a single Mannequin at the same time you complete these quests, so you can dress up your Mannequin with the equipment you had until now and start leveling a new class with other equipments.

Once players reach that point, then they can go to the Guildleve counter and finally be treated as a member in the guild and be issued Guildleves they can then complete.

4Gamer:
That's a quite the classic RPG-like progress chart you have there.

Yoshi-P:
That's our aim and goal for the early game - we want this game to feel like an classic, old-school RPG rather than a MMORPG at the beginning while keeping the transition from an RPG to an MMORPG as natural as possible. What a new player will first do is solve the little problems members of your city-state would like solved, slowly understand how the game and system works, and of course follow though with the main story until about level 10. We're looking to adjust this so this takes about 7~8 hours to do, making early level-ups easy. Afterwards, several features will then be unlocked and you will be exposed to more things you can do with your character. Quests that involve exploring dungeons will also be implemented. And from there, perhaps you may even form your first party... that's the kind of flow we're trying to implement.

4Gamer:
So you're saying that during the early game, you gain levels through questing. In a way you can say's it's the exact opposite from how the current game is set up: you gain levels, and THEN you accept the main story quests.

Yoshi-P:
Yes. This is something I would liked changed in the current version of this game too, but if we try introduce such drastic changes in line with our current updates and services, it becomes difficult if only because of the severe workload associated with such changes. This is why we decided to wait until the new FFXIV to incorporate these changes. After all, most players who are currently playing this game are far past the early stages of the game.

But having said that, it's not like we're completely ignoring early game in our current version. We introduced UI tutorials in patch 1.19, and we will continue to introduce adjustments and changes in order for the players t better understand the story and gameplay features. We feel these steps are important in keeping new customers interesting with the current game, and we will continue to follow up with further improvements.

Take the hiring of retainers for example. As it stands now, you can hire an retainer immediately without a single explanation as to what they can do. If I had my way, I would make retainers an unlockable feature at level 10 after completing an associated quest. I feel this will make the players feel more attached to the retainers, as well. I would at least like to implement a full tutorial for retainers and what they can do in patch 1.20 and we're seeing if it can be done by then.

-The strengthening of Endgame and Community, building a game one can play with pride-

4Gamer:
One thing that's got me curious for the new FFXIV is what you plan to do for the Endgame. From what you've been telling me up to this point, it seems that's it's because easier for players to gain level, and thus people will go through/consume content at a rapider pace then before.

Yoshi-P:
There's the PvPing that I talked earlier for people to do, but we will of course continue to implement more raids. Players need not wait for the new FFXIV to see this happening, as we plan to implement more content to our current version as well.

We also have plans to implement massive PvE content, but, like I mentioned earlier in this interview, there's that character display limit issue to worry about. So we're going to have to wait for the new FFXIV before such content can be implemented. Therefore, our plans for endgame content in the current version involve more raids like the Dzemael Darkhold where it's possible to complete with a full party.

Also, because of various server issues at hand, community search is weak at best. We are trying to implement PC search for patch 1.20, but our main focus will be on content that can be challenged in a single-LS scale.

After the new FFXIV comes along, we have plans of adding raid content that will be updated along the whole year.

4Gamer:
You have listed in the outline here that you have plans to strengthen the player community. Care to elaborate on that further?

Yoshi-P:
We plan on introducing a "Free Company" system that is separate from the LS system we have now. Think of it as creating your very own Grand Company. We assign each company ranks, then offer content based on rank, and when your Free Company completes these tasks they receive Company points and increase your rank. In the new FFXIV, we're thinking of linking Company ranks and housing together.

4Gamer:
When you say housing, it's not the same thing as the Mog Houses of FFXI, are they?

Yoshi-P:
We've even got outer appearances this time around where players can pool resources and work together on customization. Playing around with mockup housing zones right now. *laugh*

4Gamer:
I was worried how it'll going to turn into a land grab, but it seems you're creating a specific zone for it all.

Yoshi-P:
We've got something for everyone. A large Company with lots of money can create a large base for themselves, but for players who prefer smaller, tidy zones, we have that too. In a way, I guess you can classify this as Endgame content.

4Gamer:
Looking forward to what types of houses we can build. By the way, any word on how you'll improve the community aspects in the official "Lodestone" website?

Yoshi-P:
We do have plans on strengthening the community aspects. Like introducing ways for different LS's to communicate with one another, or using the Lodestone to search for an LS or a Free Company you want to join. We've already got the plans to turn these features into reality, and we will be working in tandem with in-game updates to provide these services.

We've also set up the basics for a 'Ladder' in an effort to give recognition to players who have accomplished various tasks. In patch 1.19, we've listed the weekly Top 20 players who have contributed the most to their respective Grand Companies, as well recognize our top player of the day.
In Patch 1.20 we also plan on releasing the achievement system, and we've got over 300 of them for players to do. We've set this up as things people can slowly do over time, and we've even set up special rewards for players who decide to do them. I hope players can look forward to and enjoy this feature.

4Gamer:
Well then, in closing I would like to ask what kind of message you would like to send to the FFXIV playerbase, as well as your plans and intentions for the future of FFXIV.

Yoshi-P:
After explaining all of this, I'm sure some of you thought: "You say you're going to do all this, but can you really do this?". I would therefore once again like to assure the playerbase that we indeed have solid plans and structures in place and so far the work is proceeding very smoothly.

I'm repeating myself again, but even if it means we'll be throwing out all the implemented improvements we're putting in place for the current FFXIV in the end, we are doing everything we can to improve the current state of the game for the players who continue to play. The thought that's got me worried the most are the thoughts that people might be experiencing stress from playing the current FFXIV in its current state.

FFXIV is finally starting to shape-up into a playable MMORPG, but for the people who know nothing about FFXIV except for the failed launch might look at people are who are playing the game now and say: "What, you're still playing that shitty game?" When us, the Dev team, hear such comments, we can't say anything back as it was our sole responsibility for releasing the game in that state. However, this doesn't hold true for the players who play this game as they hold not responsibility for the state of the game. To be blamed for something they have no control over is something that pains me greatly.

With this announcement of FFXIV's complete renewal, it is our hope as the Dev team the players can take pride in playing FFXIV by showing others these revision plans and say: "See? FFXIV is finally shaping up to be something fun, and it's only gonna get better!" I personally feel that until now, we were asking players to compensate for playing this game in its current state. To ratify this, I feel it is our duty and responsibility to give it our all when it comes to planning and developing the game for the sake of our players who have been loyal, and we are absolutely determined to achieve these goals. Our first order of business is to get the players enjoy all the aspects FFXIV has to offer now in hopes our players will continue to play this game, and we will give it our all as to meet the expectations of our playerbase.

We are developing new FFXIV for the sake of our players. Because our players continue to play our game, our motivations remain high. Please, except nothing but good news for the future of FFXIV.

4Gamer:
Thank you very much.

Ulgokiem sounds like the name of an anal STD. Why anyone even listens to that douche bag is beyond me.

i love how half of this thread is about racism in america and the other half is pictures of kittens

It makes me wonder if summoner in 14 will be very similar to that of XI except with just lamer summons.

Ulgokiem sounds like the name of an anal STD. Why anyone even listens to that douche bag is beyond me.

i love how half of this thread is about racism in america and the other half is pictures of kittens

I'd like to believe that Kitty doesn't have one of those in his room, ready to have a picture taken, but I Just can't.