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Final Fantasy XIV lays out beta test roadmap
Final Fantasy XIV is ramping up its preparations for beta testing A Realm Reborn and has laid out a roadmap for its progression toward relaunch. The Final Fantasy XIV website will begin taking beta applications in January, and the beta will commence in mid-February. The beta will take part in four phases with short debugging periods between them. The main goals of the beta test are to rebalance level progression, the battle system, and crafting; to refine the user interface; to test the importing of characters from version 1.0; to stress test the servers; and to report and fix bugs. Legacy status holders and Final Fantasy XIV account holders are automatically included in the beta, while other interested parties need to apply. [Thanks to Segun for the tip!]
Final Fantasy XIV developer blog reveals chocobo-barding-in-progress
Today's Final Fantasy XIV developer blog is a bit on the light side, but it does provide us with a sneak-peek at the in-game model for some chocobo barding that producer Naoki Yoshida had teased in a previous Producer's Letter Live. The concept art was revealed in a batch of screenshots and artwork back in October, but now, thanks to the wily Fernehalwes, we have a shot of the barding model in progress (see above). Fernehalwes notes that the armor "appears to be lacking textures" while pointing out that "those horns have an uncanny resemblance to the ones found on a certain legendary beast... in a recent Final Fantasy XIV trailer." Gee, whom could he possibly be talking about?
Get a sneak peek at FFXIV's crafting
There's a lot to look forward to in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, and now you can decide whether you're adding gathering and crafting to that list! You'll begin, as most crafters do, by gathering materials. As you run through the world, you'll have skills to triangulate gathering nodes. Upon approaching a node, you'll get to choose from a list of things you can try to gather from it -- a tree, for example, might be a place where you could find a log, or a feather, or maybe some sap. Once you've got materials, it's time to head to your crafting bench, pick a recipe, and start working. You'll have construction skills that focus on the quality and progress of your crafting. Skip below the cut to see all the fast-paced, high-octane gathering and crafting action.
New Final Fantasy XIV questing and combat video released
Square has released a new five-minute alpha trailer featuring combat and questing footage from Final Fantasy XIV's A Realm Reborn reboot. ZAM notes that the video shows off low-level enemies as well as mouse-enabled actions and targeting. Square is also tinkering with FFXIV's battle system, with particular attention being paid to algorithms and the claim system. Check out the clip after the cut.
FFXIV producer letter addresses alpha questions
Although the curtain has fallen on Final Fantasy XIV as we know it, the story is not over; soon, the next act will begin in A Realm Reborn. But during the intermission, players have plenty of questions. What's going on in alpha? Why are tester numbers restricted? When can we see and test for ourselves? And what has become of Bahamut and Louisoix? In the latest producer letter, Naoki Yoshida set about answering the many alpha questions that have been pouring into Square Enix. (Sorry, but you'll have to wait for the launch to find out about Bahamut and Louisoix!) Yoshida explained why more testers aren't necessary, emphasizing that the alpha is currently locked at level 20 and focuses on simulating stress conditions for the lower-level areas. Folks still hoping to participate in the alpha might get invites for the fourth phase which will start December 3rd and go through mid-month. Additionally, a third testing world will be opened at this time to allow for even more testers than originally planned. For more details, check out the producers letter.
The Mog Log: The story so far (and yet to come) in Final Fantasy XIV
I have several friends who don't play Final Fantasy XIV but still saw the trailer ending the first version. After all, it's been hard to miss. Almost every single person has said the same thing: "It was awesome. I have absolutely no idea what was going on with any of it, but it looked really cool." This isn't just because Final Fantasy XIV isn't in their rotations. Final Fantasy games are usually dense pieces of work, filled with references back and forth that make sense only if you know all of the players involved and have a solid understanding of the game's magical whoosits. If you've missed some steps along the way to the ending trailer, it's easy to watch and not understand what actually went down, and even if you did, there were some parts that could be really easily missed. So let's take a step back and look at the story so far. It's not the same as playing through the story for the past two years, but it should at least clarify what in the world happened.
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn video tours revamped Gridania
What do tiny flying kittens with handbags and little round houses with thatched roofs have in common? They are both a part of the revamped City-State of Gridania in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. OK, so the flying kitten creatures are actually called delivery moogles, and thanks to Square Enix's newly released video tour of Gridania, players can get a look at them (along with all the other changes) for themselves. Clocking in at almost five minutes, the video shows off alpha footage of various parts of the serene city-state, including cobblestone paths, waterfalls, and plenty of lush greenery. Take a look at the city reborn after the break. [Thanks to Moises for the tip!]
The Mog Log: Stuff I'm going to miss from Final Fantasy XIV 1.0
The end of Final Fantasy XIV as we know it provoked a lot of emotions from me, as did the trailer released concurrently. I felt a great deal of sorrow, both for the end of the world and the end of my character's story at the time (which is tied into a lot of roleplaying you don't need to hear about). I felt a stirring of hope for the changes coming to the game and the world. I felt inspiration at the sweep and movement of the events surrounding the conclusion and a sense of awe at what had been done. I also felt a great deal of frustration at the game's servers and the rather lackluster event itself, but that's kind of an irrelevant discussion. It's a lesson to learn for a next time that won't happen. Amidst all of these other feelings, I also felt a sense of sadness about certain parts of the game that are going away when it relaunches. There are aspects I'm going to miss about Final Fantasy XIV's first version, even if I know why those aspects need to be removed from a design standpoint. Today, I'm going to look back at those elements, things that we're going to be rid of that I'm still going to sort of miss in the long run.
Final Fantasy XIV shut down, reborn in this 'end of an era' trailer
The era ending in this lengthy cinematic trailer is that of Final Fantasy XIV, as Square Enix pulled the plug today on the game's servers in preparation for Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. The MMO relaunch was said to be "rebuilt from the ground-up" when the not-exactly-new game was announced in July.The Eorzean Alliance battled the Garlean Empire before further chaos engulfed the "end of an era" trailer, seen above. Like it or not, Final Fantasy XIV certainly went out in style. Both the PS3 and PC versions of A Realm Reborn are expected to launch in 2013.
The end comes to Final Fantasy XIV
As of 1:00 a.m. EST today, the Final Fantasy XIV servers started the game's final event before the relaunch. At 3:00 a.m. EST, they shut down. Immediately following the shutdown, the last trailer for the game's current version was posted, showing the outcome of the final battle against the forces of the Garlean Empire by the unified Grand Companies of Eorzea. And if you've been following the game's story in any fashion, you'll probably want to see how it all ends. It's worth noting that the cutscene is both fairly long and lacking in context -- if you don't know the most recent lore of the game, you're not going to catch everything that's going on. But if you've been watching the final defense of the Eorzean city-states from inside the game or on the sidelines, you deserve a front-row seat for the last clash of armies. And even though you know how it ends, it's still going to pack a punch. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
The Mog Log: It's the end of Eorzea as we know it
It's not really a Final Fantasy game without a good apocalypse, and Final Fantasy XIV is getting just that. We've been watching the slow roll of the end of the world for months now, and as the last few days tick down before the shutdown, it's becoming amply clear just how bad the world is going to get. Everything will burn, everything will fall, and it's down to the last few defenders to fight for the ashes of Eorzea. And, well, it'll all get put back a couple of days later. But that's not the point. While the game has been flirting with the apocalyptic prophecies circling around the Seventh Umbral Era since launch, the announcement of A Realm Reborn and subsequent changes set the stage, and since then the game has quite happily pushed the idea that the end is nigh. Speaking as someone who was quite disappointed when similar changes just skipped from "everything's fine" to "after the end" in other games, I was curious to see what Final Fantasy XIV's implementation would look like. And while it's not quite over, I've seen enough to call it -- not perfectly, but very close.
All Final Fantasy XIV account holders can log in for free this weekend
"Leaders of the Eorzean Alliance have issued a clarion call, petitioning all able adventurers to lend their strength to the battle that will determine the fate of the realm," says Final Fantasy XIV's Lodestone website. It sounds pretty serious, and we guess it is, given the fact that A Realm Reborn is almost upon us. To mark the occasion, Square is throwing open FFXIV's gates to all account holders regardless of whether or not they possess an active subscription. Beginning early tomorrow (3:00 a.m. EST, to be exact), you can log into FFXIV and say your goodbyes to its current incarnation. Don't delay, though, as the opportunity expires along with the original servers early Monday morning. Be aware that "any progress made will not carry over to A Realm Reborn." [Thanks to Lior for the tip!]
Final Fantasy XIV plans grand finale for the current game
Final Fantasy XIV as we know it is about to go away forever. Square-Enix is spinning the current version of the game down in preparation of next month's A Realm Reborn reboot. The studio announced that it's planning one final hurrah for FFXIV 1.0 this week before the switchover begins. The Seventh Umbral Era event marks the end of the current game. While players will be able to enjoy the title through November 11th, character data will be saved and frozen on October 31st in preparation for the transfer to the new version. The studio is also starting up limited alpha testing for A Realm Reborn, and players are welcome to apply. If you're interested in A Realm Reborn, we encourage you to check out its new character creator, the PlayStation 3 version, and its currency changes. [Source: Square-Enix press release]
The Mog Log: When the lights go off in Eorzea
The current version of Final Fantasy XIV is redefining the term "lame duck." This is a duck that is so lame it can no longer move under its own power, relying instead on a specially trained squad of ducklings to occasionally move its head toward food. How it trained the ducklings, I don't know; that's not really the point. It's not a perfect analogy. We're very close to a final character copy and a server shutdown, at which point... the servers get turned back on again, I guess. Naoki Yoshida quite openly stated that if there is a large enough chunk of players who wanted the servers back on, he will make that happen, even though nothing more would get saved. This raises a variety of questions -- chiefly, why anyone would want to keep playing the game with the explicit understanding that the whole game is getting rolled back before too much longer, but I'm not one of the ones who voted for the reactivation. But as we enter the final phase -- which is basically just through early next week, if you're not keeping track -- it seems as if it's worth discussing the servers going down and then coming back on. Really, what else do we have to occupy our minds regarding Final Fantasy XIV right now?
A look at Final Fantasy XIV's new character creator
Final Fantasy XIV players already knew that the game's character creator is being overhauled when the game's relaunch goes live. Now, the development team at Square-Enix has finally given us a clearer picture of what to expect from the creator in A Realm Reborn with five new screens showing off some of the options within the new tool as well as the overall interface players will be experiencing. It's not the full picture, but it's enough for fans to start getting a feel for what's on the way. Several of the options appear to be returning from the current version of the game, while still others are being added or expanded (no doubt some players will be happy to see that a character's bust size is now freely selectable, for example). The overall look is far more streamlined and straightforward compared to the current version. There's no hint of new hairstyles, but you can take a look at the full preview in the gallery just below. [Source: Square-Enix press release]%Gallery-157176%
The Mog Log: Consoles and the online Final Fantasy
You could be forgiven for losing faith in the prospect of Final Fantasy XIV ever coming out for the PlayStation 3. Yes, it had been a promised platform, but it wouldn't be the first MMO to abandon console promises. Heck, the development team is still working on fulfilling some of the promises made by the original team; it could be forgiven for putting that one on the back burner. But it's a real thing. We've seen the screenshots, and we know that two years after the game's initial launch, we will finally get to play around in Eorzea on our televisions. (The "we" in this case refers to fellow PS3 owners.) This is sort of a mixed blessing. This isn't a column about console gaming compared to PC gaming; I really don't care which platform you prefer, and it's also not the point. This is a column about the fact that Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV are both going to be console games as well as computer games, and that introduces some interesting wrinkles.
Final Fantasy 14 for PS3 exists, and here are the screens to prove it
Square Enix rebooted version of Final Fantasy XIV, "A Realm Reborn," is still coming to PS3 as well as PC. The company released the first screenshots of the PS3 version today, revealing the new UI for the console version.The new UI allows players to set up their own button configurations, of course. Square says it's been "designed with the traditional Final Fantasy controls in mind to give the game a classic RPG feel, familiar to any PlayStation 3 RPG gamers." So that means you press X to confirm menu items? And use the d-pad to move between them? We've never put that much thought into "traditional Final Fantasy controls."Square Enix plans to release both the PS3 and PC versions of A Realm Reborn in 2013.%Gallery-168125%
Final Fantasy XIV shows off A Realm Reborn on the PlayStation 3
When Final Fantasy XIV first launched, it was with the promise of a PlayStation 3 version in the near future. That was before the game underwent numerous staff changes, and after two years, it may have seemed to fans as if the game would never come to consoles. But the PlayStation 3 version is a reality, and the team at Square-Enix has released new screenshots of the game's UI and in-game graphics on the console version to prove it. The overall look is a bit cleaner than the PC version of the UI that players have seen previously, although the graphics are a bit softer around the edges. But it's still recognizably the same game. This batch also includes some concept art for new role-focused chocobo barding, something that's sure to excite fans of the yellow birds. Take a look at the gallery for all of the screenshots and concept art. [Source: Square-Enix press release] %Gallery-157176%
The Daily Grind: Does your MMO need a reboot?
MMO reboots, revamps, and pseudo-sequels seem all the rage these days, from Global Agenda 2 to Darkfall: Unholy Wars to Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. Sometimes it makes sense to start over and take developed assets and lessons forward to a much improved version. Once in a while, the first launch of an MMO is so disastrous that only by hitting the reset button does the game have a chance for the future. But what about your favorite MMO? Is it in sore need for a massive overhaul or a big reboot? Did it fail to gain a significant audience the first time around? Does it need the push of additional development and media coverage to succeed in its second chance? If so, let us know what you'd recommend developers do if they rebooted your game. How could they feasibly make it much better and perhaps take a slightly different course than what exists today? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Mog Log: Reacting to FFXIV's relaunch information
Not so long ago I was getting upset at a lack of hard information on Final Fantasy XIV's relaunch. (All right, I was getting upset at a lack of hard information on stuff to make people currently long gone care about the game, but that was tied into a lack of hard information.) Over the last two weeks, we've received a lot of hard information on the relaunch. Well played, Naoki Yoshida. Well played. Metacommentary aside, we've actually gotten some useful bits, chiefly in the form of a fully translated Letter from the Producer LIVE and an update on what's happening with items and money when the relaunch happens. There's a lot of information to hit there, so I'm just going to take it piece by piece and cover what I see as the highlights. I wouldn't say that this information really fixes some of the communication concerns I've had, but it certainly mollifies me for the moment.
