Square Enix has released their fan-powered Q&A on their E3 website for Final Fantasy XIV. The questions were submitted by Square Enix Members and answered by none-other than Final Fantasy XIV Director, Hiromichi Tanaka.

Q: What measures will you put into place to promote class balance?

A: There are four different class disciplines: war, magic, land and hand. Disciples of War and Disciples of Magic are the only ones who can effectively engage in battle. One way we have balanced different weapons (and in turn, classes) is by giving them varying attack ranges. This is also similar for the Disciples of Magic. They will most likely be long-range attackers, but their roles in each battle will be determined based on how other party members are positioned. On the other hand, due to their lack of firepower, Disciples of the Hand and the Land will not spend much time engaged in battle.

Q: Will there be summoners in this game?

A: Currently, there is no summoner class, but avatars (summons) will have a key role in the story, and there are several plotlines surrounding these beasts.

Q: How will chocobos be implemented in FINAL FANTASY XIV?

A: Players will be able to ride chocobos as usual, but they will also appear in ways new to the FINAL FANTASY series. Please look forward to seeing how in the final release.

Q: Will there be a rank system and/or rank missions in FINAL FANTASY XIV?

A: There will be quests that coincide with the main storyline, but they won’t be tied to the levels or ranks.

Q: Are you planning on adding more job classes in future expansions? Will there be a level cap?

A: There will be more classes announced after the service starts. For the beta version, there will be a level cap, and there will also be a level cap at the start of the service.

UPDATE:

Q: What is the most important thing you believe was missing from FINAL FANTASY XI and you worked hard to make sure it is implemented in XIV?

A: The armoury system and guildleves are two major improvements from FINAL FANTASY XI. In XI, players had to join a party in order to do most everything, but it was often very difficult to find the appropriate members to form an effective group. The new armoury and guildleve systems allow players more flexibility.

Q: What will be the major differences between FINAL FANTASY XIV and other modern day MMORPGs besides the fact that it will be in the FINAL FANTASY style? What will set this game apart from the rest?

A: [Tanaka] There are two main differences. One is the armoury system, which allows players to switch their classes based on the type of equipment they are holding in their hands. This unique system gives players unlimited flexibility to customize their character by allowing them to combine actions and abilities learned from all different classes. The second is the guildleve system, which provides players with an array of short quests that require approximately 30 minutes to complete. This allows players to efficiently manage their time if they have limited time to play the game or if they want to adventurer solo.

[Kurosawa] In a broader sense, being a FINAL FANTASY game, XIV will have a great storyline, beautiful graphics, and breathtaking sound effects and music.

Pop quiz!

1)  What’s the name of the server Final Fantasy XIV testers are currently playing on?

2)  How are FFXIV surnames and FFXI character names related?

3)  Can players level up in FFXIV?

You don’t need to be an alpha tester to know the answer to these questions although knowing some Japanese would help. It’s a little old but a few weeks Famitsu released a developer Q/A on their website.  If you don’t know the answer to these questions, read on!  Keep in mind that since this is a little old, some of the info might already be outdated.

Q: Please tell us how long you think the alpha and beta tests will last.

A: Right now we are doing alpha testing with a limited number of people playing all on one server.  That server is called “Shadowlord”*. We want to run 3 tests a week for each of the three regions.  Each time the testing server is open for about 4 hours.  We’re starting off by testing for stability and server load stress.  After that we’ll move into the first phase of beta testing.  Phase 1 will have the same game contents as the alpha but the testing will be broken up across multiple servers running at the same time.  We’ll also be testing different character growth patterns so at several times in the testing cycle we plan on deleting all of the tester’s character data.  The problems people report during the alpha test and beta phase 1 along with other issues will probably be fixed as we go into beta phase 2.  At that point we’d like to open up the servers to 24 hour testing.  The game contents will also get closer and closer to what will be available in the final release.  We’re also hoping to start PS3 testing around this stage.  We’ll continue to add new servers, add new testers, run server load tests, and get ready for the official start of service.  After that, right before release we’ll probably have an open beta for a few weeks.  However, we don’t plan on letting testers explorer anywhere but the immediate area around Limsa Lominsa.  Only about 20% of the final release will be open for testing by the end.

*Shadowlord is the name of an important figure in FFXI

Q: Why did you decide to add the option of surnames for characters?

A: It won’t be possible to have the same first and last name.  However, it is possible to have the same first name or the same last name.  We did this for Final Fantasy XI players who have grown attached to their character name.  Using surnames makes the chance of overlapping names extremely small and increases the chance of being able to use the name you are fond of.  The names might get long but we are looking into ways to keep players from having to type out a person’s full name when they want to use the /tell command, etc.

Q: Are there any differences between the various starting city-states?

A: Each city-state has its own story.  The facilities and shops will also be a little different so depending on what a player chooses, one place might be a little bit more convenient than another.

Q: What’s the purpose of using so many instanced areas in the game?

A: We really want to make a game where you can play when you want to play.  The guildleves system is an example of this.  In order to be able to monopolize an area and not have to wait in line behind other people, we decided to use instanced areas all over the place.

Instanced areas also work well with the idea from scenario lead Yaeko Sato.  Let’s call it “the power to see the past”.  For myself, I’ve always liked how in FFXI everyone is in the same world however not everyone sees the world in the same way.  However, we could only bring this out in cutscenes and I was never quite happy with that.  That’s where instanced areas can really come in handy.  For every new addition in the FF series, we have to create a new “syntax”.  In FFXIV, that “syntax” could probably be considered the use of instanced areas to show the effects of events.

(*Translator Note: The “power to see the past” is most likely the “Echo” power mentioned on the official site. Also, I’m not really sure what he means by the “syntax” thing.  It’s in quotes in the original too.)

Q: Are there enemies who will just come right out and attack you?  Also, are there any really strong enemies for players to go up against that aren’t a part of the story line?

A:  A resounding YES! to both of those.  For the current alpha build, we aren’t expecting testers to always team up for things so we haven’t included too many strong monsters or monsters that aggro though.

Q: Are there any sort of levels involved?

A:  There is something called your “Physical Level” that shows your HP, MP, Arm Strength, Intelligence, and similar basic stats.  However, your main weapon skill rank is more important.  After all, we want to make the most of the Armoury System.

Q:  We know that you have to use different commands during battle.  Does the amount of time before you can use a command change depending on the weapon?

A: Yes, it does.  Right now we are looking at the overall feedback from testers in the alpha build and that led us to already make some adjustments to improve the battle tempo.

Surprise!  While Weekly Famitsu and Dengeki PlayStation are the two biggest sources of information we have for FFXIV when it comes to magazines, there are a few other publications out there that cover FFXIV as well.  It is rare to see additional articles so close to some major announcements, but Dengeki Games decided to give everybody a little treat.

Dengeki Games is a relatively new monthly publication that started up last fall.  It runs gaming information for all platforms whether its handheld, console, arcade, or even your cell phone.  The 7th volume just came out with a 4-page summary of the information we’ve recently seen.  However, there are a few extra tidbits to enjoy that weren’t part of the other write-ups.  In this article, we’ll look at what Dengeki Games found out about the current user interface, different classes, and some interesting plans for transitioning from the beta to the official release.

What do all those little icons mean?

The latest screenshot of the alpha build is filled with different icons.  Let’s take a closer look at some of them.

In this closeup, we can see the selected command “Seismic Shock”, one of the Pugilist’s weapon skills.  Under that is the target information.  Destiny was attacking a rather large Peiste.  You can see the enemy’s HP gauge underneath the name.  Next to the name though is a small red icon.  What does it mean?

Question: What does that red mark next to the target name mean?

Answer: It tells you the strength of the enemy party.  In FFXI, you would “Check” an enemy to learn its relative strength and the results would appear in your log.  However, in FFXIV, party versus party battles are more frequent, so the icon tells you the relative strength of the entire party.

That’s a handy feature!  In FFXI, the results of a “Check” would vary from person to person depending on their armor, weapon, the food they had eaten, etc.  This time, we see once again how the game design is focused on party versus party battles looking at the strength of your party as a whole when you go out into battle.

The new battle log has received a bunch of attention since we first saw it at Gamescom.  We’ve heard it would be customizable and that you would be able to move it around.  While FFXI had tabs for different chat modes, the FFXIV version divides logs into different customizable types.  In the screenshot we see General and Battle, but there will be more options for players who want more control over what they see.

Question: What is the difference between the General and Battle tabs above the log box?

Answer: The General log shows everything.  The Battle log is just for things related to battle.  So the tabs are like a filtering system.  For the official release, you’ll be able to add additional tabs and filter the log to your liking.  We are also thinking about making it where you can have 2 different log windows on your screen at the same time.

Question: How much of the layout will you be able to change?

Answer: The things that are a necessary part of the UI, like the HP and MP gauges, the mini map, and the log, can be moved around freely.

While having multiple windows might cut down on how much of the action you could see, there are definitely people out there that would like to be able to keep chat and battle logs separate but still be able to follow both.

The bottom icon bar layout might be old news to some people but let’s take a look at it anyways.  There are a lot of icons that weren’t a part of FFXI so it will be interesting to see how they are used in real practice.

In the middle are your various commands and your TP gauge bar.  Notice the little 1 to the side?  It isn’t mentioned in the article but perhaps this will be used to change command sets much like macro book pages in FFXI.  What we do know is the following.  The first icon on the left, the little sword, is the mode selection icon.  You click this to switch between Active and Passive Mode.  Next to that is the battle regiment button.  It describes this mode as the one you use if you want to pull off a move that requires multiple people.  They compare it to skillchains in FFXI.  Skip over to the right-hand side.  The dark brown bag icon is used to pull up your item menu.  Next to that is the icon that pulls up a list of different motions your character can do like wave goodbye or cheer.  Finally, the last icon pulls up your main menu.

Class Q&A Recap

Most of the following questions and answers were already published in Dengeki PlayStation.

Question: So far in the classes and weapon information, we haven’t seen anything about dual wielding weapons like you see in FFXI.  Will we eventually see dual wielding in FFXIV too?  Also, if that is the case, what classes will they match up with?

Answer: I can’t answer your question as to when but I think it is safe to say we will see it at some point.  As for which classes will be able to dual wield, all I can say is, please look forward to future announcements.

Question: We know you will be able to change your class at any time but will there be any restrictions as to the classes you can change into?

Answer: There aren’t any restrictions right now but that isn’t to say there won’t be in the future.

Question: Can you change your class in the midst of battle?

Answer: In FFXIV, there are two modes: Passive and Active.  In Passive Mode, your HP restores while you move around.  Active Mode is when you have drawn your weapon and are ready for battle.  You can only change your class when you are in Passive Mode.

Question: Can you freely change between these modes?

Answer: Yes, you can change modes anywhere.

Beta Testers Can Keep Their Names?!

One of the most stunning pieces of information to come out of this article is about the beta test.  It is common practice that everyone starts from scratch with the official release of a game regardless of their progress during the beta.  However, it looks like the FFXIV team is thinking about doing things a little bit differently.

Question: Do you plan on letting beta testers carry over their character names or anything else into the final release?

Answer: Yes, that’s the plan.  However, since the number of servers (Worlds) will be different from the beta, there might be a chance that somebody creates a character with the same name as you on the World you want to play on before you do your character transfer.  We’ll need to come up with some rules on how to handle those situations.

Question: Will PS3 beta testers and PC beta testers play on the same Worlds during the beta?

Answer: We have no particular plans to separate by version.  However, as the testing periods will be different, some Worlds might have more people playing on one particular platform than another.  We do plan on making things like FFXI where you can log in with the same account from any platform.

Question: Will the beta servers be separated by language?  Also, will some sort of auto-translator feature be present in the beta?

Answer: We haven’t decided anything yet about when to add the auto-translator function or if there will be language-separated servers during the beta.  However, for alpha testing, the testing time windows are separated for Japan, North America, and Europe.

So that’s the information we have at this time.  How do you feel about the answers?  In particular, how do you feel about the possibility of beta testers being able to keep their names into the final release?  We might be talking about this in the next episode of Aetheryte Radio so please leave your comments in the forums or send a message to the hosts at podcast@eorzeapedia.com.

Did you enjoy all the new information this weekend?  We had an official NA and JP site update and people on the forums have been sifting through the information and finding all sorts of interesting things.  I know some people have been busy updating the wiki as well.  Starting it all off though was a lot of translated information from magazines like Weekly Famitsu and Dengeki PlayStation.

But wait!

We haven’t talked about the interesting stuff that was in Dengeki PlayStation yet.  This time we’ll be covering the long Q&A portion of their FFXIV coverage.  It covers general questions related to the upcoming alpha/beta test, character creation, and the various classes overall.  In another article, we’ll cover the shorter class-specific questions.

First, let’s talk beta.

[About the Beta Test]
Q: About how long do you expect the beta test to run?
A: It isn’t set in stone at this point.  We’ll have to see after we start making adjustments.

Q: How much of the game can people expect to be able to play around with in the beta?
A: It won’t even be half of what we think will go into the final release.  After all, the goal of the beta test is to refine  game balance and double check some of the very basic technical things.  For the alpha test, you could almost say there is next to nothing there.  However, we feel this makes it easier to take in people’s feedback and requests as we build up the game.

Q: Could you tell us the PC specs required for playing the alpha and beta test builds?
A: Well, we are in the process of optimization right now but it isn’t finished yet.  That means for the alpha build, you are most likely going to need a powerful CPU.  Your video card will need to be able to handle DirectX9 but if you’ve bought a card within the past few years you should be good to go.  Memory-wise you’ll want 512MB of VRAM or more.  We’ll be posting more specific details at some point on the official beta test site.

Q: Will the PC and PlayStation 3 beta tests begin at the same time?
A: The alpha test will be PC only.  No decisions have been made yet about the beta test, including the timing.

Q: You’ve said before that you want the FFXI community (in the form of friend lists and so on) to continue to be together in FFXIV as well.  Can you tell us specifically how you plan on making that happen?
A: The details haven’t be worked out yet but we’d like to make it where you can transfer to the same server as your friends so you can play together.

Q: Will the 9 classes you’ve released information for this time around also be playable in the beta?  Also, will players in the beta be able to pick a starting class from them?
A: They will be playable in the beta.  Perhaps not everything there is to each class will be included, but you will be able to play them.

Q: Will other classes be available in the beta test as well?
A: We’re not sure at this time.

Q: Say I’m a player that wants to play out a particular role.  Can you give us some advice on the role of each class?
A: In a very broad sense, this is the image I have for each class-
Gladiator– The hero who crushes the strong and defends the weak.  They are the guardian of the party.  An almighty fighter good for anyone.

Pugilist– You’re right on the front lines.  There is a thrill in the split second decision making you’ll have to do.  Do you change your stance or not?  This person is definitely a damage dealer.  I’d say it is also for people who don’t want to have to pay a lot of attention to detail.

Lancer– You’ll need the ability to make judgment calls and make the most of your weapon range.  The lancer is the party’s last defense.  Play lancer if you like tactical fighting.

Marauder– This is a macho and massively powerful attacker.  The trump card of the party.  The marauder is a good class for people who like getting in those last blows and stuff.

Archer– A cool sniper who scans the battlefield, looking for their chance to strike, rather than staring off into the distance.  If you were talking baseball, this is your team’s shortstop.  It is also a good class for people who want to play solo or are kind of a loner.

Conjurer– This is a support member who changes roles depending on how the battle is going.  They could attack, add to the party’s defense, or cure.  This is a good class for somebody who wants to put their hands in everything.

Thaumaturge– The Thaumaturge is your party’s strategist, using their enfeebling magic to control the battlefield.  Good for someone that has the capacity for forethought.

Miner– Metal is an indispensable part of making almost any piece of armor and the miner is the person that goes out, finds it, and brings it to the marketplace.  This is a class that knows how to make money fast.  It is also for people who are persistent.

Blacksmith– The blacksmith is a crafter who makes and repairs weapons, tools, and other things that have some metal component to them.  You’ll always have customers so this job is suited for people who like doing business with other people.

[Character Creation]
Q: Previously we were introduced to the idea of clans within different races, like the Seekers of the Sun and Keepers of the Moon for the Miqo’te.   Will people be able to choose their clan during character creation?
A: For the beta test, you’ll be able to choose from a subset of the races and clans.

Q: I get the feeling that rather than being able to choose freely, you’ll have to choose things that fit with a particular clan’s special characteristics.  Like, you could choose from different shades of brown if you were a Seeker of the Sun but because Keepers of the Moon are nocturnal, they have to be fair-skinned.  Am I right?
A: Kind of.  Except rather than just the lightness of your skin, there are different themes and you’ll be able to choose from a wide variety of skins that follow those themes.

Q: How much of the character creation system will be present in the beta?
A: There will be a small subset of faces and hairstyles to choose from.  After that, you can select the color of your hair, skin, and eyes.  You won’t be able to change your facial features or anything at this time.

Q: Are there any special bonuses for matching the right city-state with the right race?  And if so, will there be differences depending on clan as well?
A: Right now we aren’t planning on doing anything like that.  However, if we get a lot of feedback from people who want that sort of thing, we’ll take it under consideration.

[About the Classes]
Q: So far in the classes and weapon information, we haven’t seen anything about dual wielding weapons like you see in FFXI.  Will we eventually see dual wielding in FFXIV too?  Also, if that is the case, what classes will they match up with?  For example, is it something a Gladiator would be able to do with a dual wield-use sword?  Or would it be for an entirely different class?
A: I can’t answer your question as to when but I think it is safe to say we will see it at some point.  As for which classes will be able to dual wield, all I can say is, please look forward to future announcements.

Q: We know you will be able to change your class at any time but will there be any restrictions as to the classes you can change into?  For example, is there going to be a restriction where you can only carry 3 different weapon types as one time?
A: There aren’t any restrictions right now but that isn’t to say there won’t be in the future.

Q: Can you change your class in the midst of battle?  And if it is limited to only when you aren’t in a battle ready mode, would it be possible to change weapons if you put your other weapon away first?
A: In FFXIV, there are two modes: Passive and Active.  In Passive Mode, your HP restores while you move around.  Active Mode is when you have drawn your weapon and are ready for battle.  You can only change your class when you are in Passive Mode.

Q: In general, how many people do you think will be in a party?  Also, will we see alliances?
A:  We think that 6 to 8 people will be the norm for parties.  However, we want to make the system flexible.  Even if 6 to 8 is the norm, there will be times where you have more people or times when you have less.  You might just want to play solo or play with a small group of friends.  There will also be challenges adventurers will face that will require an alliance.

Another thing to consider is that when it comes to battle, we are thinking of “party versus party” dynamics.  You’ll be fighting for the best position and there will be a lot of planning and strategic thinking required to win beyond just who is doing the most straight damage.  First, you have to think of the best fighting range for your weapon.  You have to think about damage and accuracy, but also what position is best to get in some of those extra effects.  For example, there is a lancer move where you can keep the enemies from moving for a short period of time.  The magic users especially have to think about things because they have so many AoE spells.  The area is also different depending on the class.  You see donut-shaped spells for the Conjurer and fan/cone shaped ones for the Thaumaturge.  Also, sometimes you are the center of an ability or weapon skill, sometimes it is your target.  There are many different types.

Direction will also have an affect on things.  You might try to slip into an enemy’s blind spot or make them face in a different direction.  If you want to be a better fighter in FFXIV, you’ll need to master distance, area of effect, and direction and use these to the best of your advantage.

Q: In some of the abilities it says “get the enemy’s attention”.  Does this mean to increase enmity?
A: In FFXIV, we call it the Hostility Ratio.  That is what will increase.  [Translation note: We don't know if the terminology will change for the English version as well.]

Q: Are there differences between the Gladiator’s Rousing Provoke and the Pugilist’s Mocking Provoke?
A: They are the same type of ability but they are a bit different from each other as well.  The way you get that attention changes.  And even if it is the exact same ability, there might be other things that factor into how well you get the enemy’s attention.  Controlling the Hostility Ratio will be a very important part of the game.  You have to look at the situation and decide what is the best ability to use.  We hope people will have fun doing trial-and-error and finding out what works best for them.

Q: Is guarding a defensive command?  Or is it something that occurs at random?
A: Both.  There is a command you can use to guard with a shield.  However, the more proficient a character is with using a shield, they might just deflect an attack with their shield without you having to use any commands.

Q: How is the Pugilist’s range different from a very close fighting range?
A: The range is nearly identical.  However, the difference is enough to show off the different characteristics of those classes.  For example, let’s look at defense.  A very close ranged fighter has a shield or other protective gear for physical defense.  A pugilist is more focused on evading attacks.  The way they attack is different as well.

Q: Do enemies have TP as well?
A: They do.  Enemies can earn TP in a variety of ways.  There might even be some enemies that could put your life at risk if you don’t defeat them quickly.

Q: For the most part, do you have to be still in order to cast a spell?
A: We plan on including a number of spells that can be cast while moving as well.

Curse affiliate ffxivcore got to follow-up their gamescom interview with an email Q&A.  As those familiar with Square Enix Q&As from FFXI know, the “A” part is often filled with vagaries.  This Q&A is no exception – but let’s take a quick look.

Since Square Enix will never release new information to single websites, a number of questions were probably premature, but there was probably not a whole lot SE was going to give up no matter what the questions.  Core was able to ask 12 questions:

Q1: Will we be able to fly somehow either by ourselves free roaming or scheduled transport airships like in FFXI?

A1: At present, we have no plans for free-form aerial movement for players. We are, however, looking into a number of different types of flying transportation.

Q2: How will player run guild/linkshells work? What features can we expect and what benefits can a guild/linkshell get through progression if any?

A2: For the time being, we are still keeping this information secret. But, we are very adamant about creating an entirely novel system.

Q3: Will the races hold the same benefits as they did previously in FFXI, or will the stat bonuses be different and play a larger role? In addition, will faction choice play a bigger role? In FFXI we had separate mission lines and friendly competitions such as ballista. Will we see something similar or something dramatically different than FFXI system for different factions?

A3: The bonuses among races will be of a different variety than those seen in FFXI. But players need not be concerned with this when choosing a race based on aesthetics.

There is also an element of freedom in that players will not pledge their allegiance to a single city-state. This means that the guildleves or skills available will differ region to region, which all being accessible. Of course, this applies quests as well.

Q4: Will the artifact story line quests return for each class from FFXI? If not, will similar quest lines carry on a system of “right of passage” such as limit break quests?

A4: Character development along the lines of the Armoury system and skill levels will incorporate familiar concepts from FFXI as well as entirely new elements.

Q5: What do you expect the cap level to be in FFXIV at the start and/or at the end?

A5: This has yet to be decided. We will be setting the level cap after looking at the Beta phase results and other considerations.

Q6: Will there be a cooldown timer or anything that limits how often we can change class?

A6: There is no real concept of static “classes” in the traditional sense. Rather, there may be somewhat of a restriction placed on the changing of weapons or tools mid-combat.

Q7: Will there be something like a Mog House? Maybe this time around we will have an actual HOUSE, and not a little tiny room!

A7: Nothing is set in stone yet. There are a number of possibilities that we are still looking into.

Q8: Limit Breaks were powerful combat moves featured in several Final Fantasy titles. In FFXI we saw Weapon Skills and Magic Burst. Do you have any plans to include a similar system in FFXIV?

A8: This has not been decided at this time. But it’s safe to say that players can expect to see a completely new and revolutionary system.

Q9: Are there any plans to add female Roegadyn and male Miqo’te?

A9: Well, the character model designs are finished… But further details regarding their implementation have yet to be decided.

Q10: Will this FFXIV be more “new person friendly” than FFXI was? (Once everyone had been playing for years, it was hard for new people who started to be able to play, even with the “level sync” system that was added in later. Not to mention, finding armors/weapons in the Auction House was nearly impossible for new players. Barely anyone used the “mentor” system in FFXI either, or rather, there were barely any hosts.)

A10: We are developing in-depth introductory tutorials for new players. We are also designing the game while keeping in mind those users who enjoy playing solo, as well as those who can only log in for short periods of time. There will also be plenty of content for newcomers.

But, on the other hand, there will also be complex battles requiring large numbers of people for players more interested in content of that nature.

Our main goal is really to create a variety of ways in which to enjoy the game.

Q11: Will mobs actually drop armors/weapons like most MMOs or is FFXIV going to be like FFXI where you can only obtain these in Auction House or Crafting, or Raids?

A11: The complete details of this are still undecided.

As in FFXI and other MMORPGS, some monsters will drop armor and weapons. However, items that drop in this manner are always a target for RMT exploitation. So to avoid any kind of player exclusion, most instances of these drops will yield items which cannot be passed between players.

To put it broadly, there will be a number of ways available to obtain a number of different items.

Q12: Is crafting still going to be an integral and value added portion of the game and somewhat prohibitive so that a selected dedicated few will feel like they are part of the economy and adventuring aspects? (Crafting and not adventuring usually keeps me hooked)

A12: Players who wish to do so will be able to fully enjoy the game using only their crafting skills.

The same can be said not only for those wishing to specialize solely in synthesis of items, but those who prefer combat or the gathering of materials as well. All of these types of players will be important to the game world.

So did you learn anything? Let us know on the forums!

It’s been a couple days since the magazines were released and a few more still since the first leaked pictures began to float around the internet. Have you had a chance to look at them?

I mean really look at them?

Weekly Famitsu got the exclusive interview with Hiromichi Tanaka and Nobuaki Komoto. They had to cover both the pictures and the interview in the space they had. Dengeki PlayStation however only really had the images and press pack information to go off of. This means they used their time and magazine pages to take an in-depth look at the images from Square Enix. After reading the magazine and looking at the images ourselves, Fusion and I found something else that the magazine people didn’t seem to notice. Have you noticed it yet? Let’s take a look at the images once again and speculate a bit about what’s to come.

1) Customization

There were a lot of things holding FFXI back as far as customization goes. It wasn’t just PS2 memory limitations either. The game was designed to work over a dial-up connection because broadband access wasn’t as widespread as it is now. This meant that only so much data could be passed at one time. However, FFXIV is being designed with broadband access in mind. It also has to compete with other games in the market that have high levels of character customization.

There is a lot of speculation we can do based on the pictures. Let’s start with facial features. We have two examples of female Lalafell with the same hairstyle. Based on the quality and detail, it appears the redhead is an in-game model while the blonde is a CG model. They have slight differences in skin color which is one of the things that has been mentioned as a customizable option. The developers did a tiny Q&A with Dengeki PlayStation and in it they say that the face model, hairstyle, skin color, and eye color are just some of the things we will be able to customize. For example, take a look at the eyes. They are completely different styles. In FFXI, hairstyle and face model were tied together so it’s nice to see that the system should be more flexible this time around.

One aspect of customization not often talked about is armor customization. Dengeki PlayStation noticed at in the CG headshots, 4 of the characters are wearing the same armor. However, the coloring of the breastplate area is different on each of them. They wonder if this means we’ll have some ability to create custom colorized version of armor.

2) Other Hints in the Armor

There are some other interesting things hidden in the pictures that could foretell exciting changes between FFXI and FFXIV. One of them is the possibility of visible neck equipment. Several characters have necklaces or something similar on in the picture. The most solid piece of evidence is found when comparing the picture representing the Disciple of the Land and the CG headshot of a female Lalafell. They are both wearing the same body equipment: a sturdy looking grey turtleneck with a rough tunic over the top. However, the Lalafell has an interesting neck piece as well.

The people over at Dengeki PlayStation magazine also focused on the metal plates some of the characters are wearing. They found 3 different patterns which are blown up for comparison in the picture below. They wonder if the designs correspond with three starting city-states. Also, since the same armor can be found on multiple races, perhaps this time will we have starting armor that comes from our starting city-state versus something based solely on the race of our character.

3) Different City, Different Cards?

The Guildleve system will be an important part of honing your skills and advancing in FFXIV. Members of Dengeki PlayStation’s Lightning Brigade also examined the pictures for clues through the eyes of an FFXI player. After all, there will be many people coming to FFXIV who have never played FFXI before. When looking at the cards, they felt perhaps that they were using a special font. In that case, it might be decipherable. Fusion and I looked at the cards last night after reading this part of the article. The bottom of each of the released cards looks like it says Limsa Lominsa. Perhaps each city-state will have it’s own special cards.

4) Final Bits of Trivia

People are still hoping for male Miqo’te and female Roegadyn. So far there is nothing released about the background story that could keep that from happening. In their mini Q&A with the developers, they ask about the possibility for both of these races. Their answer: “In regards to your question about different genders, that is still a secret at this time.” Keep your hopes up!

Before I mentioned that in Weekly Famitsu, there was nothing mentioned about a stats difference between female and male characters. In Dengeki PlayStation, they only say that whether there will be additional playable races or if there will be a difference in stats between male and female characters has not yet been announced. In other words, there is nothing to worry about and Dengeki PlayStation probably could have worded that better so that it didn’t start baseless rumors. We haven’t seen anything like that in FFXI and given how many times they’ve said they want character design to be flexible so that people create a character they truly want to play with, I doubt there will be a difference in FFXIV as well.

Eorzea was referred to the starting region in the interview with Weekly Famitsu. In the Q&A, they said the game will grow to areas outside of Eorzea in the future. We also know that battles will be different in FFXIV. Before they said they were looking at ways of doing many versus many and other styles of battles. They follow that up with another answer in the Q&A saying that there are different things built into the system that will require you to take other things into consideration besides your main target. There will be times where you pick your target, pull it back, and fight it. However, they don’t think this will be the main style of battle.

They are looking into ways to make the user interface customizable, like the ability to move chat windows around. Still no set date for the beta or an idea of when they will make the announcement.

However, there is a little bit of movement on that front. Square Enix held their quarterly report meeting this week. President Wada said the release date for Final Fantasy XIII has been decided and that it will be announced sometime between gamescom and Tokyo Game Show but not at either event most likely. This means that they can make other large announcements at Tokyo Game Show. Perhaps they could announce the timing of the beta for FFXIV? It’s definitely a possibility.

Next up though is gamescom in Germany. Hopefully we’ll see some new and exciting things coming from that and not just a rehash of what has already been announced here in Japan and online.

Thanks again to Fusion who has been helping me the last few days with preparing images for the articles.

A Final Fantasy XIV group has surfaced on the Square Enix Members website!

Joining the group will allow you to join discussions on the groups message boards, just like on our own forums. Message boards like this provide a great way to spend time and talk with other excited fans as we all wait for the games release next year.

The Members site is also accepting questions for their Fan-Powered E3 Q&A. Here, you can submit any questions you have about your favorite Square Enix titles that were shown at this years E3 event. This includes Final Fantasy XIV! Make sure to submit any questions you have for a chance to have them answered by the development team!

If you are not registered for Square Enix Members you can do so here.

Every Friday, Weekly Famitsu comes out with general information on console games.  Approximately every two weeks, Dengeki PlayStation covers PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 news.  This week, both have their E3 reports.

Let’s take a look at how the Japanese printed press treated FFXIV this week:

First, Weekly Famitsu.  Right after E3, they posted their version of the Japanese press interview with Hiromichi Tanaka and Nobuaki Komoto online.

I was anxious to see what they would have in their magazine but it turns out they didn’t give FFXIV much attention. FFXIV had one page in the magazine as part of their 4 “No Way!”s of E3 coverage. A mere 4 questions of the interview made it to print form. In comparison, the upcoming FFXIII was given 17 pages. It’d be nice to see this kind of coverage by Famitsu as we get closer to FFXIV launch.

Dengeki PlayStation had more coverage but that makes sense since they also have a few pages of FFXI info each week. The first two pages of content in the magazine were given to FFXIV. The bottom of the first page had the first part of the same Japanese press interview with Tanaka and Komoto. It is noteworthy that while it was a group interview, each of the different sites (GameWatch, 4Gamer, Dengeki, and Famitsu) had slightly different wording and a different take on the answers. Dengeki did not publish their version online opting only to publish the Q&A press conference. An additional 2 pages were added with the regular FFXI section and contained the remaining part of the interview as well as the Lightning Brigade’s thoughts and predictions. When the beta testing will start is still up to anyone’s guess. When asked if the beta test would start in 2010, Tanaka craftily brushed the question aside saying that official service for the game will begin in 2010 and the beta will come at some point before that. (In coverage done by other sites, like GameWatch and 4Gamer, the length of other MMOs was mentioned at being around 9 months but that FFXIV probably wouldn’t be so long. In the version of the interview posted by GameWatch, when they told Tanaka it sounded like the beta would start in 2009, he replied that he would leave it up to their imagination.)

One of the things they noticed in one of the official pictures was amusing.

They think the Tarutaru-like people are taller than they are in FFXI. Also, the blonde Elvaan-like woman sitting on the right-hand side of the picture appears shorter than FFXI Elvaan. They wonder if this is a change overall or if there will be a higher degree of customization for FFXIV. They also focused on the shape of the crystals in the background and how it is different from FFXI.

That’s all for this week. See you next time!

A few days ago we reported on Elmer’s summary of the Japanese media’s coverage of Square Enix’s E3 interviews on Final Fantasy XIV. Today, we can give a more detailed look at what one of those interviews had to say. Most of the answers are things we already know, however it seems that a beta announcement could be coming sooner than we thought!

Read on for the full interview from Dengeki, courtesy of Pixelsnatch.com.

[Thanks, Alex!]

Dengeki recently sat down with Shinji Hashimoto (Square-Enix corporate executive), Hiromichi Tanaka (FFXIV producer) and Toshihiro Kawamoto (FFXIV director) to ask a few questions about the game. Hashimoto opened by reiterating that the game will launch simultaneously on the PS3 and PC, though said that they are in talks to move the game to “other platforms” (i.e. the XBox 360).

Dengeki: What will FFXIV have in common with FFXI?
Tanaka: The game will be taking place in an entirely new world, but the game’s setting and characters look similar to XI’s. To help players feel more at ease in the FFXIV universe, we specifically chose to model the new characters after the old ones.

Dengeki: Will there be any more expansions for FFXI? Or will you focus entirely on FFXIV?
Tanaka: We began development on FFXIV four years ago. At that time, we decided to split into a two-line development structure: one for FFXIV, and the other to continue work on FFXI. We usually consider FFXI with a development schedule of six months to a year in the future, and we fully intend to continue doing so even after FFXIV is released.

Dengeki: What influences, if any, have you drawn from World of Warcraft?
Kawamoto: There really isn’t anything from WoW that we’ve considered for FFXIV. We intend to create something original and worthy of bearing the FF name.

Dengeki: Please tell us about the battle system.
Kawamoto: As it’s still being developed, I’m afraid we can’t talk about it just yet.

Dengeki: Which features of FFXI can we expect to see in FFXIV?
Kawamoto: We will of course be drawing on bits and pieces of FFXI and the lessons learned to guide us, but our greatest resource is the fans. With XI, our original idea was an emphasis on partying. With FFXIV, we’re working to support both solo play and an engaging party system.

Dengeki: Will FFXIV have a simultaneous worldwide release?
Tanaka: At present, we plan to release the game in four languages: Japanese, English, German, and French, all of which we estimate will be released at the same time.

Dengeki: What about Spanish?
Tanaka: Unfortunately, we do not have any plans for a Spanish language version at this time. If there is enough demand, we would certainly consider it, provided we can find a good translation team in Japan.

Dengeki: How do you plan to manage the servers?
Tanaka: We’re planning to have global servers again. We’ll try to balance the servers based on users’ trends (server populations, for example).

Dengeki: How will you be managing communities for both FFXI and FFXIV?
Tanaka: We’re considering handling them separately rather then combining them into one massive community. We find it makes more sense for the two groups to develop independently, and we trust that users will be fine with the division.

Dengeki: What innovations will FFXIV bring to the MMO genre?
Kawamoto: We’re not particularly looking to revolutionize the genre or anything like that. I think we’re all just focusing on making a fun new Final Fantasy game that is also an enjoyable MMO.

Tanaka: Nevertheless, we’ll also be implementing systems that have never been seen in the genre before.

Dengeki: Why did you decide to create a new MMO rather than focus on continuing FFXI?
Tanaka: The tough thing about developing and maintaining an MMO is the huge amount of date involved. It’s impractical to focus solely on FFXI because the game would always have to be ported to the latest hardware. It would be extraordinarily difficult to manage the data for yet another port, so we decided to simply start fresh with new hardware.

Dengeki: Did the trailer for the game show in-game graphics?
Kawamoto. Yes. It was a mixture of pre-rendered cut scenes and gameplay.

Dengeki: What’s the appeal of FFXIV?
Kawamoto: I would say that the key word for FFXIV is “growth.” We’ve already done the job system in XI, so this time we’re looking at new and interesting concepts for character growth. We hope you like it!

Tanaka: FFXI was built firmly on the premise of the party system, but FFXIV will try to be more supportive of solo play and any of the other varied things that users would like to do.

Dengeki: Have you set a date for the beta test?
Tanaka: We’re still undecided, but expect an announcement soon!

Dengeki: Will FFXI players be able to transfer their characters to FFXIV?
Tanaka. Because the two gameplay systems are so completely different, we have decided not to transfer FFXI characters into FFXIV. As I mentioned earlier, the FFXIV character designs are purely for purposes of making fans feel at home.

Dengeki: Have you thought about how you want to attract people who have never played an MMO?
Kawamoto: I think that the game’s visual style will attract a lot Final Fantasy fans who have never tried an MMO before.

Elmer over at ZAM has written up a summary from three popular Japanese news sources (GameWatch, 4Gamer, Famitsu) who all got the chance to sit down with Hiromichi Tanaka and Nobuaki Komoto after the Square Enix E3 press conference on Wednesday.

Hiromichi Tanaka (Producer) and Nobuaki Komoto (Director)

In the information given, Tanaka mentions that initially, they wanted to add a second door into the Mog House that would allow players to exit into the new Final Fantasy XIV world of Eorzea. Due to technical difficulties however that was not possible.

Other things that are mentioned include the possibility of transferring over linkshells from Final Fantasy XI along with character names. These are possibilities they are looking into and are not currently set in stone. Server sizes and the hopes of exceeding the number of worlds that Final Fantasy XI has is also something that the FFXIV team is looking at.

Check out the full write up for more information

[Source, ZAM]