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Final Fantasy XIV announces launch date and pricing model
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/Final_Fantasy_XIV_s_launch_date_announced_coming_this_year'; The speculation for Final Fantasy XIV's eager fanbase can finally come to an end. Square-Enix's hotly anticipated MMORPG has an official release date, and contrary to the expectations of many it's not at the absolute end of the year. The game will officially launch on the PC on September 22nd -- and September 30th. In addition to the official release announcement, Square has disclosed the bonuses for the Collector's Edition, and one of those bonuses is a full week's early access. The Collector's Edition, which retails for $74.99 instead of the standard version's $49.99, will also include an exclusive in-game item, a security token, a travel journal with concept art, and a special cover with art by Yoshitako Amano. Both versions include 30 days of free game time, with subsequent months priced at $12.99. No word on whether the fee will increase for additional characters a la Final Fantasy XI. If you can't wait for another three months, however, you can take heart in the promise that Final Fantasy XIV's beta will start in early July. It's not quite as good as launch, but we're sure it'll ease the scant time remaining. [Editor's Note: As an additional note, extra character slots in the game will cost $3.00 per month, much like Final Fantasy XI's $1 per month character slots. However, if you wish to have another character for inventory purposes in FFXIV, then the cost is still only $1 dollar. So, to recap, a playable character slot in FFXIV is $3.00 per month, while a non-playing "inventory use only" character is $1 dollar per month. ~Sera]
More information on the stats of Final Fantasy XIV
With the changes coming to Final Fantasy XIV after the first round of public testing, there are many older concepts going away, newer concepts coming in, and more than a few ideas that the community railed against which have been gutted long before release. The most recent issue of Dengeki has taken a look at some of the hard mechanics and numbers in the current test version, and that results in some interesting pieces of new information compared to what we already knew. HP, MP, and TP, previously stats that could be raised as a character's physical level improved, now increase automatically with physical level. Three stats -- Agility, Charisma, and Luck -- have been yanked, with the six remaining stats (Strength, Vitality, Dexterity, Piety, Mind, and Intelligence) still raised via points. It also appears that damage will be applied to various parts of a monster's body, allowing for tricks such as disabling a monster's special attacks via careful targeting. While we don't know quite enough to start down the road toward min-maxing characters in Final Fantasy XIV, we're getting a clearer picture of the game's operation every day.
Video highlights the differences in Final Fantasy XIV test versions
We're not done with the love for Final Fantasy XIV around here by a long shot, especially not as the game moves into the next phase of testing. Amidst secondhand reports, allegations, rumors, and the general wall of non-information Square-Enix surrounds the game with, it can be difficult to know whether the new phase of testing has actually changed anything, or we're just looking at the same build with a few names changed. There's a new video making the rounds, however, demonstrating exactly what has changed. It's easier to understand the changes by watching the video, but in brief: they've improved light sourcing, distance rendering, and a vastly different combat system. The latter is perhaps the most surprising, as the two systems sound similar but have significant differences when compared side by side. Any fan of Final Fantasy XIV is encouraged to watch the video not just to see the version comparisons, but to get a good sense of what the game will look like in action.
The Mog Log: For bidden knowledge
It's easy to get jaded about Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV at times, right up until you open your eyes and see how immense the worlds of both games can really be. The scope and the sweep of both games is dwarfing. One human being could spend quite a bit of time studying them to try and internalize all of the available knowledge. And I found the guy who did precisely that and stole his notes, so I can answer your questions about both games today. Isn't that special? egobrane asked: "What's with people crying about huge system requirements [for the benchmark]?" Not everyone has a hugely powerful computer, and there are a lot of fans of Final Fantasy XI who would probably like to be able to dive straight into Final Fantasy XIV. The problem is that the former has been around for eight years, and the latter is just now coming out. That's leaving aside the fact that FFXI's American release came a year and a half after the Japanese release, which meant that a computer that could run the game well was that much cheaper.
Famitsu reveals new selection of Final Fantasy XIV wildlife
We learned quite a bit about the upcoming Final Fantasy XIV during E3, but there's still quite a bit left still to learn before its release later this year. One of the more obvious questions is what, exactly, players will be squaring off against on the field of battle; in a series partly defined by its memorable recurring adversaries, it's reasonable to wonder what will return and what won't. A newly translated piece from Famitsu helps answer that question, with an octet of new creatures as well as a few bits of information about changes in the next phase of testing. Most of the newly revealed monsters have a storied history in the series as a whole, and several are direct exports from Final Fantasy XI, including the deceptively fearsome Goobbue making a triumphant return. Funguar also return, although looking very different from Vana'diel's odd mushroom-frog hybrids. Each of the monsters has a brief write-up describing its size, behavior, and habitat, so Final Fantasy XIV fans would be well served by taking a look at what they're going to have to deal with during their journeys.
The Mog Log: We interrupt this broadcast for a conversation
The verdict on our Chains of Promathia trial is... postponed for a little bit. (I did warn everyone.) With the revelations of E3 and the new Final Fantasy XIV benchmark, not to mention the upcoming June version update, we've had plenty to talk about in the community of late. There's news about how the game will play, new areas to explore, new cinematics and previews, and the chance to annoy everyone in the months leading up to Final Fantasy XIV's release by posting your computer's score whenever possible. I'll admit to finding the benchmark a bit surprising, actually. The benchmark for Final Fantasy XI didn't come out until it was fairly close to release... which implies to me that the game is more finished than Square-Enix is letting on. That, in my mind, ties into the most interesting part of our interview with Tanaka, where he mentioned that this entire phase of testing was created for player feedback. I'm not saying anything, just speculating. But it's not my place to speculate this week, is it?
E3 2010: Hands on with Final Fantasy XIV
I only have two words after playing Final Fantasy XIV. CRAB BATTLE! Ok, so perhaps I have more than two words to say after playing Final Fantasy XIV and interviewing the game's producer, Hiromichi Tanaka. I was finally able to wrap my mitts around the game here at E3 2010 and experience the meat of the game -- a short preview of the game's combat system and questing system and some time with the game's character creator. Final Fantasy XIV seems to be bridging elements of the old with elements of the new, and it's wrapping it all in a very gorgeous graphics engine. It's complicated without complication, simple on the surface yet teeming with a deeper game if you know where to look. %Gallery-95698%
E3 2010: Our exclusive interview with Final Fantasy XIV executive producer Hiromichi Tanaka
In the world of Final Fantasy XIV, Hiromichi Tanaka is kind of a big deal. In fact, he's kind of a big deal in the franchise's history as a whole, having worked on the design for several games and having been the lead developer on Final Fantasy XI. It seems fitting that one of the designers from the original game 23 years ago is now hard at work crafting the newest installment of the series -- one that promises to be many things to many players while retaining the core features that have captivated fans for years. Square-Enix have made a big push for their newest game at this year's E3, and we were lucky enough to have a few minutes of Mr. Tanaka's time to ask him about the game as a whole. There's a lot more still to be learned about the game, but from what we've seen in both the interview and our hands-on experience, it already has quite a bit to offer.
Final Fantasy XIV launches benchmark application
Curious as to whether or not your computer will be able to handle Final Fantasy XIV? We're due for an exclusive interview with Square-Enix in the very near future at E3, but that's focusing on game mechanics and story details. Luckily, much like Final Fantasy XI before, Square has made an official benchmark program available for prospective players. But it's more involved than its predecessor, allowing you to select from any of the game's races as well as supporting a test for high-definition displays. The download itself is being hosted on NVIDIA's site, at a fairly reasonable 172 megabyte download. Once you have the program downloaded (and DirectX 9.0c installed, but that's more or less a given in this day and age), it runs without any complications and produces a numerical score after it runs through tests. Anything above a score of 1500 will be able to run the game just fine, but a look at the official rundown is well worth the time -- to see how much upgrading you'll have to do before Final Fantasy XIV's launch if nothing else.
A translated look at Final Fantasy XIV's Guildleve system
With the coming of a little show known as E3 -- you may have heard of it -- fans of several upcoming titles are hoping for new information. Final Fantasy XIV players are no exception, but as has slowly been the case ever since the testing began, little bits of information are becoming more readily available to players. FFXIVCore has recently translated a piece from 4Gamer, taking an in-depth look at one of the central features of the game, the Guildleve. The main source of quests in the game, the system promises to be somewhere between Final Fantasy XI's Fields of Valor and the timed battlefields. Once a Guildleve is accepted by a character, they're directed to an Aetheryte crystal to begin the quest. Touching the crystal fully restores HP and MP, as well as starting a time limit and making the targets of your quest visible. A given battle can be tuned based on party size, desired difficulty, and party level, giving players a variety of options for playstyle. The full translation has more screenshots and specifics on the core of Final Fantasy XIV's questing system, and fans are encouraged to take a look in anticipation of this week's news from E3.
New video highlights character creation in Final Fantasy XIV
The funny thing about Final Fantasy XIV is that even though it's going to be notably different from its predecessor, most of the previews we've seen have focused on points of similarity to Final Fantasy XI. But the most recent new release of information should help silence some of the comparisons -- it's a video of character generation. While accompanied by something of a silly spy motif, the focus is clearly on creating a character -- and even just with a single Mito'qe, the creator clearly has a great deal of power. Some of the hairstyles on display will be recognizable to veterans of Final Fantasy XI, some will not -- but the comparisons end there. Characters have a number of different values to adjust, ranging from the obvious (hair styles) to the subtle (you can have separately colored highlights for your hair, if you wish). The YouTube video is embedded after the cut, and it should be an entertaining seven minutes for anyone anticipating Final Fantasy XIV.
New Dengeki translations highlight the experience of playing Final Fantasy XIV
If you've been following the leadup to Final Fantasy XIV's release faithfully, you can no doubt rattle off a surprising amount of information regarding the systems and the world's lore. But unless you're lucky enough to be in the alpha, you can't say much about what the experience of actually playing the game is like. While there are certainly plenty of us in the same boat, the most recent alpha test article from Dengeki seems aimed at precisely that -- rather than focusing on the facts of the game, the editors have focused on the actual feel of playing in the game's world. Translated by FFXIVCore, the newest information gives some facts we hadn't heard before, such as the specifics of setting the difficulty on Guildleves based on party strength and the time limits involved. For the most part, though, it's focused on the actual moment-to-moment experience of taking part in gameplay, and the overall impression seems to be a positive one. There's no real antidote for not yet being involved in the testing of Final Fantasy XIV, but reading the translations does help take the edge off.
Translated interviews offer more insight into Final Fantasy XIV's world and playstyle
We're just coming off of a holiday weekend here in the US, and Japan had their own recent stretch of holidays, so news on Final Fantasy XIV has been a little bit slower of late. But a recent group of interviews in the June 11th issue of Dengeki have been translated thanks to the team over at FFXIVCore, and they cover topics from materials of armor to the game's not-always-praised battle system. The first part of the interview talks testing and systems with Hiromichi Tanaka and Nobuai Komoto, while the second part discusses visuals and worldbuilding with planner Kenichi Iwao. Tanaka and Komoto confirm that the next phase of testing is set to begin soon, as well as dropping the news that the next test will likely feature an almost totally redesigned battle system. It's even hinted that players were never meant to experience the current system, that it was there almost as a placeholder. By contrast, Iwao discusses the lore and visual aspects of the game, talking about how items will be made from different materials, and how players who want to play a male Mito'qe shouldn't give up hope just yet. All Final Fantasy XIV fans are encouraged to read both interviews, since there's a lot of information available in both -- just the thing for the post-holiday doldrums.
The Mog Log: Each answer I give you will only lead to more questions
This column may or may not contain any real answers. But it will contain a lot of emotionally satisfying climaxes, and maybe even bring back parts from columns that we've already finished. Unfortunately, there's no way to continue the analogy without making it sound like I was disappointed with the end of a certain well-known television show, which I wasn't. So let's move straightaway to the newest collection of questions and answers about Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV. (And if we could get an island in the latter? That'd be awesome. Just saying.) Kaio asked: "What purpose does it serve to jump on top of roofs or jump off mountians with no consequence?" I've got to say that I do tend to fall with the camp that allows jumping. It's not a deal-breaker if I can't, but it's similar to people complaining about the pretty-line maps found in Mass Effect 2 and Final Fantasy XIII. Sure, it's not like it restricts much of your practical movement, but the fact that the choice is there makes you feel as if you could go anywhere you want. That having been said, it sure seems odd that every single character in most games is able to leap to Mario-like heights without even a warm-up stretch, right?
The Mog Log: Community (roundup)
The state of higher education in Vana'diel is, quite frankly, appalling. It's easy enough to see why -- all of the Scholars are out doing field work instead of staffing any sort of university. Oh, sure, Windurst has its facilities, but most of the professors are too busy chasing skirts or trying to take over the world to bother enlightening any of the students. Let's face it, the only real chance that anyone has of learning anything when it comes to Final Fantasy XI is the community. It's been a fairly quiet month in terms of big news bursts, but Final Fantasy XIV is still a hot subject of conversation for reasons we can't even begin to fathom. And we've been getting more information on the lore of the game, certainly. Meanwhile, we've got a new version update en route for Final Fantasy XI, so while there hasn't been a great deal new to chat over, there's certainly plenty of things to speculate on. Take a look at some of the community threads we've been pointed to or found after the break.
World map and points of interest in latest Final Fantasy XIV update
When news starts coming from Famitsu regarding Final Fantasy XIV, it usually heralds information coming direct from Square-Enix shortly thereafter. Only a short time after the leak that gave us a look at the world map and some of the points of interest, the official site updated with more information on the world. While there was some information accessible from the prior scans, the new section on Limsa Lominsa details the city extensively, as well as adding sections for the two other city states, Ul'dah and Gridania. Although the three states each bear some similarities to Final Fantasy XI's great nations, they're quite different in feel and in scope. The biggest similarity seems to be that much like the previous game, they're filled with distinct personalities and locations. Limsa Lominsa is the only city to get full detailing on its landmarks, but those range from the former pirate dive that's been turned into the adventurer's guild (The Drowning Wench) to the city's center at an ancient swamped battleship (The Mizzenmast). Final Fantasy XIV fans are encouraged to take a look at the official site for its updates, which continue to paint the world of Eorzea in broad strokes.
Final Fantasy XIV world map in leaked issue of Famitsu
It's been a little while since we've heard anything new about Final Fantasy XIV, although all signs point to the game continuing to do well for itself in testing. But we might be due for another gush of information, considering that the most recent leaked issue of Famitsu contains a few bits that we've not seen before... including a nice map of the world of Eorzea. Unfortunately, the translation team over at FFXIVcore hasn't yet gone wild on the pages, but there's still plenty to be discovered, from what we can see. Eorzea's map vaguely resembles a mirror image of Africa, with a large island off the coast. It doesn't appear to have an obvious focal point a la Final Fantasy XI's world with Jeuno at the continental intersection. There's also a groundswell of information on the guilds and people within the city of Limsa Lominsa, While there's not a bulk of new information on the game's mechanics, it's certainly a fair dose of lore that we haven't gotten before, and we can only hope it signals the start of another round of big news on Final Fantasy XIV.
The Mog Log: A million little topics
I promise you, this column is not an almost wholly fictional account of events that happened while my character was addicted to mithkabobs. (I just like working references in, if you haven't noticed.) No, this week is something a bit different for the column, since we're going to eschew our usual rambling manifesto style about Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV. Instead, we're going to be taking it piece by piece in the smaller scope. See, there are topics that are worth talking about here that fit into an entire column (usually between 1000-1500 words). Then there are topics that aren't worth talking about in quite that much depth, but still worth bringing up in brief. And not all of them fall under the aegis of forum talks or question-and-answer sessions, either. So today, we're going to be hitting a few smaller points in rapid succession. You don't have to read it, but then you'll miss the fascinating deconstruction of nihilism in the middle. Also there's a button you can click on for free money. Your call.
Rumor: Will Final Fantasy XIV be delayed until 2011?
For those of us looking forward to new releases this year, Final Fantasy XIV is one of the few hopes we have that doesn't involve expansions. Unfortunately, a nasty little rumor has been spreading around: that it's not going to be coming out this year after all. The run of login issues that the alpha test has been experiencing has prompted more than a few people to believe that the game is having some serious problems, and we've received a few tips from our readers, as well as a tip-off from an industry insider. Here's the thing: if it's being delayed, Yoichi Wada certainly doesn't know anything about it. And as the CEO, he's the sort of person who gets kept in the loop. The fine system folks at the Order of the Blue Gartr did an excellent job rounding up much of the information, explaining that the login issues were caused by staff underestimations, not system problems. Wada confirmed elsewhere that the game was on track, both on a Japanese Final Fantasy XIV fan site and via his own tweets. While we don't have an exact date for release just yet, it seems that the game is still on track for this year... for the moment.
Final Fantasy XIV interview highlights breadth of feedback
While testing for Final Fantasy XIV has continued, the huge gush of news that we got at the beginning has slowed to more of a trickle. That's to be expected to an extent -- after all, we knew that not everything would be equally accessible from the start. Still, there are player questions about both the login issues plaguing the test and the necessary wonder about how much the developers are actually listening. A recently-translated Famitsu interview with Hiromichi Tanaka and Nobuaki Komoto goes into detail about the login issues as well as the feedback from various regions of testing. The latter is pretty surprising, as Tanaka claims that there were roughly 50,000 reports submitted via Japanese testers compared to 250,000 by American testers -- despite both groups having the same number of players. Some of the reports are about new issues, but some of them also address elements the design team had misgivings about in the first place. They apparently underestimated the interest in testing as well, contributing to some of the login and stability problems. Take a look at the full interview for more looks at the development process of Final Fantasy XIV from behind the stage.
