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The Digital Continuum: Changing tides in FFXIV
New Final Fantasy XIV information has been quite plentiful as of late. We've had new information on races, the general lore, basics of the job system and quest system all in just a single week. If I didn't know any better, I'd think a major games event was taking place.If there's one thing we're now aware of the most, it's that Final Fantasy XIV is looking to stab MMO fundamentals right in the heart. No experience, no levels and a job system that includes crafting as opposed to fencing it off into a separate game mechanic. These are all bold steps that have poised the game as something unlike anything else on the market.So is it good, or is it bad? That's the topic of today's The Digital Continuum series.
The Digital Continuum: Week three of vacationing in Vana'diel
Sometimes you're reminded of things that you once cherished and in these moments of recollection it feels as though you need to embrace those long forgotten loves once more. I've found this to be particularly true of Final Fantasy XI. What I haven't decided yet is whether I truly do need to embrace what it was I once loved about the game -- challenge.All of this stems from my ongoing vacation in Vana'diel and specifically my static group experience this last week, which was unequivocally a failure of chance and circumstance. We began playing without one person, and that turned into a permanent situation after the fact. Then our group faced several non-starter situations where we'd defeat two or three monsters before something disastrous would occur.
The ninth Vana'diel census tells you everything you need to know and more
Very few games release population numbers for their game, let alone full workups on class combinations, the amount of endgame weaponry in the population, the percentage of the population that is a specific type of craftsman, and the average weekly income of the population. But this is the Vana'diel census, and it's ready to tell you all of the intricate details of Final Fantasy XI.The census is a yearly workup of the data that the FFXI servers collect, combined with a survey taken by all players during the anniversary ceremonies. The census is always more than just a simple retelling of a few numbers -- going into detail with things like colors of linkshells that never appear in the game, popular subjobs and job pairings, and GM call peak times.The full census, all 11 pages of the document, are available for browsing at Final Fantasy XI's homepage, PlayOnline.
The Digital Continuum: Vacationing in Vana'diel
Summer has arrived, July is only just around the corner and with it comes the gaming drought. This seems an opportune time to explore an old favorite, write about it and try to make it as interesting as possible. I figured, what MMO is less known about and more curious than Final Fantasy XI?Plus, I'd never played it on a console, so this had the potential to be a semi-new experience at the very least. Something about that prospect has always intrigued me -- playing it the way it was originally designed. sorta. I mean, I did purchase the Xbox 360 version.My goal with this idea is to crack open the sometimes mysterious world of Vana'diel to people who wish they could spare the time and patience to experience it themselves, but otherwise cannot or will not. But before that, a little bit of back story is required and I also need to actually get to those juicy story and boss bits.
E3 2009: Final Fantasy XIV is not PS3 exclusive, more details revealed
Today we got to spend some time with the team of Final Fantasy XIV in a seekret Square-Enix press conference at E3 and land some goodies about the game.While the team was generally tightlipped about what they had planned for their next MMO, the one thing they were very clear about was that PC users will be able to jump into the Final Fantasy experience once more. While the game is currently a console exclusive for the PS3, a Windows version will be releasing at the same time.In addition, the team did mention that they were still "considering all hardware possibilities" regarding the game. While it's not a full confirmation that the game will be coming to other consoles, it doesn't exactly write out the possibility either. Perhaps the game will be a timed exclusive, much like FFXI has done, rather than a full exclusive, but there is no clear indication that this is the path they will take at this time.So what else has the team revealed? Follow us after the break and we'll drop the other details we know on FFXIV.%Gallery-65025%
Final Fantasy XI's character reactivation service lets you bring deleted characters back to life
Do you miss the home you use to call Vana'diel? Do you wish you never punched that "delete" key when you were signing off of PlayOnline for the last time? And, lastly, are you too impatient to wait for another "Return Home to Vana'diel" campaign to begin?Good news for you then! The guys and gals over at Square-Enix have finally decided to drop their timed campaign and bring in a new permanent solution for those of you who have deleted your characters from the system but would like to get them back -- character reactivation.The new service allows people who have canceled and deleted their Content IDs, people who have deleted characters and canceled their accounts, or people who have canceled their accounts and let the account sit for too long to go back in and restore old data to the account. This means when you now /ragequit Final Fantasy XI and press that delete key too hastily, you can now undo that mistake you made.Sadly, this method won't offer anniversary rings like the "Return Home" campaign did, but hey, you can get your character back anytime you want now! What's not to love?
Starting out in Vana'diel: Community, controls and cooperation
Hello there adventurers! It's Thursday, and that means more tips for those of you who are new to Vana'diel.This time around we have some less documented topics to talk about -- the controls of Final Fantasy XI, how to get into groups and how to run groups, and answer one of the questions presented by reader Green Armadillo in last column's comment area.I know these topics may seem weird for a recurring feature that is suppose to be a guide to starting out in Final Fantasy XI. You would think I would be tackling more game play issues or tips on how to level. However, these topics play right into getting the most out of your FFXI experience. Knowing these things is going to help you tremendously in Vana'diel, so let's stop talking about it and get down into it.
Starting out in Vana'diel: Mission, very possible
Hello there adventurers! It's Friday, I know, and Friday is not Thursday. That, however, won't stop me from bringing Final Fantasy XI aid to you! I promised you more information on the mission system, and that's exactly what I'm going to be delivering in this edition of "Starting out in Vana'diel."Missions are one of the key aspect of the game. They tell the main story, a la a standard Final Fantasy title, they offer boss battles, chances to team up with friends, and, most importantly, tangible rewards. Missions offer gil and increases in nation rank, which in turn opens up more items for you to grab.Now I would love to walk you through the missions for each city, but all of them play out differently until the storylines intersect in the city of Jeuno. That makes a nice walkthrough very hard for a column like this. What I can offer you is some great tips on how to increase your rank, and exactly why you want to spend the trouble doing it.
Starting out in Vana'diel: Character creation & taking your first steps
As we've said on Massively multiple times, Final Fantasy XI is a hard game. The crafting is complex, the gameplay is somewhere between EverQuest and World of Warcraft, and dying can be painful when you lose experience. Some people may tell you that the game just isn't that fun, but the game can be really rewarding and a great experience when you really get into it. It's just getting into it that's the trouble.But we here at Massively have your back. Well, more specifically, I've got your back. I've played Final Fantasy XI since it came out in the states, and more recently I started a brand new character and began taking notes on the entire experience. It isn't easy to start out in FFXI, but I've got some tricks to share with you that will make it much easier and much more fun. I'll be sharing them with you during our new twice a week series, "Starting out in Vana'diel."So are you ready to try a new gameplay experience? Follow me, let's go for a tour and check out the beginning of the game when you have to make some decisions in character creation and grab some early bonuses through the training NPCs.
"Return Home to Vana'diel" is back, and Squeenix hopes you will be too
The last "Return Home to Vana'diel" campaign ended in February this year, making the decision of whether to return to Final Fantasy XI a lot easier. Now, Square Enix is running the promotion again, giving former players the chance to restore their characters and making that decision a little less clear-cut. The campaign officially kicks off at midnight on Thursday, the 18th of December, and ends at 1am on April 15th. After that point, you'll be stuck with two choices: waiting for the chance of another campaign, or starting from scratch if you wish to resubscribe.To sweeten the deal, re-subscribers will be able to obtain an Anniversary Ring which provides a 100% experience bonus. However, there are a couple of eligibility requirements:- Characters who did not receive an Anniversary Ring during the Adventurer Appreciation Campaign in May 2008.- Characters who were created before Wednesday, May 28, 2008 and have logged into the game at least once since then.*Note: Characters meeting the above requirements are able to receive an Anniversary Ring even without participating in the Return Home to Vana'diel Campaign.That's right -- if you're already a subscriber and don't have an Anniversary Ring, this will be your chance to pick one up as well (this offer also ends on April 15th). Be warned though that deleting your current ring doesn't mean you can get another one.This is a great opportunity to get back into FFXI, and we can't deny that there's a lot going on in the game right now -- but such a campaign would not be necessary if characters weren't deleted after 3 months. Is such a practice acceptable for today's MMOs?
Interview with Final Fantasy XI developers talks upcoming mini-expansions
During their time at the Final Fantasy XI Fanfest 2008, the 1up guys had the chance to sit down with the game developers and ask them, well, a ton of questions. The interview spans three pages and a lot of topic matter about the present and future of Square Enix's game. Not only that, but there's a rather good two page preview after the interview itself, just to make sure your mind explodes with information about the game.Much of the interview is focused on the upcoming mini-expansions, their pricing, whether or not they'll be retail boxed or digital and of course any hints of what their content may entail. There's even a very interesting question asked about whether or not the development team would be interested in creating a Bee Mage class. So check out the interview if you've got even a passing interest in the game, as it's one of the few times we ever hear directly from the development team.
Final Fantasy XI Fanfest 2008 information overload
The 2008 Final Fantasy XI Fanfest has wrapped up and 1up.com has collected all sorts of information from it. From the looks of things, the future is very bright for denizens of Vana'diel. The new Level Sync functionality -- which lowers high-level players' level so they can play with friends -- is getting more updates in the future, as are many of the game's systems in an effort to enable everyone to play less time and receive more experience. Or in other words, the development team is working to make the game less frustrating for new and old players.The other big news to come out of the Fanfest was that in the coming year Square Enix will be developing the storyline brought into the game with Wings of the Goddess. Apparently players can expect loads of Cait Sith, a Gigas assault on Jeuno, and some type of sultry new villainess. We're curious how much of this is going to be incorporated into the trio of mini-expansions coming for the game.The player base in Final Fantasy XI may not be huge, but the group is incredibly dedicated. Plus, as one of the very few Japanese MMOs (and the only Final Fantasy one) the game garners many Japanese players who share their servers with North Americans. With these forthcoming updates, the servers are likely to surge with new and old subscribers.
Square Enix announces three downloadable expansions for Final Fantasy XI
Diehard Final Fantasy XI players who've not been beckoned away from Vana'diel by the siren call of World of Warcraft or Warhammer Online will be pleased to know that three "scenario expansions" for Square Enix's MMO were recently announced at VanaFest, a FFXI fan event in Japan. The three add-ons will be downloadable from the PlayOnline Viewer over the course of 2009, each going for "around $10.00."The expansions won't be adding any new locales to Vana'diel's geography, but will attempt to "deepen the storylines running through pre-existing areas by ushering in all-new plots and intrigues." The three scenarios are titled A Crystalline Prophecy - Ode of Life Bestowing (which will be available next Spring), A Moogle Kupo d'Etat - Evil in Small Doses and A Shantotto Ascension - The Legend Torn, Her Empire Born (which will be available in the months following the first expansion). Brief synopses for the scenarios, which were explained in a recent press release, are available after the break.
Final Fantasy XI collectible confers unique in-game ability
Final Fantasy XI players who are into collectibles have a new item to lust over. There's a new addition to the Final Fantasy XI Player's Collection, which is available for a limited time only: The Tidal Talisman. It's a $43 silver-plated pendant with a side-benefit that's the real selling point. It comes with a virtual counterpart, which could prove very useful. The in-game version of the Tidal Talisman allows a player to teleport to locations previously visited in Vana'diel. Or, as it's described over at FFXI's site, it confers "the ability to project phantasmal robes over the wearer's body and enabling the wearer to teleport to distant lands in the blink of an eye." For those who are on the fence about shelling out $43 for a FFXI pendant, Square-Enix appeals to a gamer's sense of urgency regarding scarcity of virtual goods: "We have no plans to bring this item back in the future, so all players are encouraged to take advantage of this unique one-time opportunity!"
The Digital Continuum: Square Enix's next MMO
This recent interview with the Final Fantasy XI team by James "Milkman' Mielky of 1up.com internet fame got me thinking about the next MMO to come from the Square Enix camp. There isn't much meat on them bones as far as the next project goes, but the interview does get the team to talk just a little bit about it. It seems as though one thing is clear: Their newest MMO won't be too similar to Final Fantasy XI. While the developer says that they've learned through mistakes and player response with their original game, it seems that they really want to try something different.I'd be decidedly surprised if Square Enix didn't make a new MMO somehow based in the Final Fantasy universe considering the popularity of the franchise. It's very possible that when FFXI producer Hiromichi Tanaka said, "-we're not going to make something that'll be exactly like FFXI" He merely meant that mechanically speaking the new game would be very different. Which quite honestly should be a given considering the somewhat esoteric and now archaic control/menu system featured in their first game. Also, it would be nice to play a Final Fantasy MMO that wasn't so harsh on players who died -- losing experience is a deal-breaker for many players these days.
