Interesting Article from ffxivcore.com

Digna

Thus GAME Watch recently sat down with director Nobuaki Komoto and battle planner Atsushi Okada to discuss the end of beta and the impending release.

 

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.







Some Battle Regimen combos shown at the Pre-Live event.



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.



caption: Local leves are opportunities to meet possible clients.



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.



You’ll see a lot of crafters huddled around the aetheryte as they work on their local leves.



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