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FFXIV gameplay footage explores cities, chocobos and emotes
A lot of news has been coming out for Final Fantasy XIV lately, and we're quite happy to see it. Today we've got what appears to be (the first episode of what's sure to be recurring) in-game footage of players exploring one of Eorzea's cities on the game's official Japanese YouTube channel. There's a moment in the clip where the Japanese players speaking throughout are amazed to find a Chocobo and well, it's pretty entertaining to watch -- especially when the video gets to the part where it reveals that old Tarutaru emotes are fully intact. Panic! We're also getting another tiny peek at the user interface for Final Fantasy XIV in the video. From what we can see here, Square Enix is keeping the memorable "Send/Receive" graphic, which blinks with a strange hypnotic rhythm. The mini-map and health/mana bars both look quite useful yet unobtrusive, too. Overall, everything about this game screams, "Final Fantasy XI, but newer and hopefully improved." We hope that proves to be wholly true in the coming months.
Japanese site updates on Final Fantasy XIV races
When the races for Final Fantasy XIV were announced, the response was a little muted. After all, by all accounts they were just the same races we had seen in Final Fantasy XI with better models and new names. The slight differences revealed here and there via lore didn't amount to much more than speculative changes with no impact on gameplay. But that seems to be a bit further off the mark than expected, as the Japanese site for the game has updated with information about all ten races. Yes, ten. Fansites FFXIVCore and Eorzeapedia have translated the pages, showing that the different groups of a given race are more distinct than seemed possible. Each of the five races appears to be split into two groups -- Hyurans, for instance, are divided into the large and muscular highlanders alongside the more communal and common midlander. While it's not said how much stats will differ, if at all, it's strongly implied that different subgroups will be balanced in different directions a la Final Fantasy XI. There's a full rundown of the translated information here, along with a gallery highlighting the differences. Final Fantasy XIV is quickly shaping up to be full of surprises, so we can only guess at what might be next. [ Thanks to FusionX for the tip! ]
Final Fantasy XI players get a little help from their iPhone
There's a lot of information to keep track of in Final Fantasy XI, much of it not covered by the in-game interface. There's no easy way to access the all-important airship schedules or the often-loathed Race Specific Equipment quest eligibility. Since the game has been out for several years, there are naturally more than a few applications to track these events... but due to the game's issues with alt-tabbing, they require a bit of a workaround for the player. Now there's another option available to anyone with an iPhone or an iPod Touch -- a new app from Duodyne Studios. Although not officially affiliated with Square-Enix, the application is aimed at giving players easy access to the most commonly needed timers. That includes a recast timer feature that allows players to simply tap the ability when they use it, followed by an alert on the phone when it becomes ready again. It's not as useful as simple macro checks for short abilities like Provoke, but longer abilities will benefit from having the timer feature. At $0.99 for players in the US and comparable prices for other markets, Final Fantasy XI players might want to take a look.
The Mog Log: Answers (and disclaimers)
In this edition of the Mog Log, every question you have ever had will be answered completely accurately. (Disclaimer: these questions must pertain to either Final Fantasy XI or Final Fantasy XIV. And they must have been asked via e-mail or comments. And it must be noted that "I don't know" is an accurate answer to a question. Also, this aside is now longer then the introductory sentence.) Aren't you excited as possible? I know I am. We'll start off with a question from Dormer: "Why aren't we getting more information from the beta?" We're not sure, but we can certainly speculate. The most logical reason is that the testing is closer to an alpha than anything and they're not letting people in that they can't trust implicitly. Square-Enix has a pretty good track record at keeping things quiet when they want to, and they're likely making sure that nothing leaks out from this phase. How much of an NDA further phases of Final Fantasy XIV's testing will have is a mystery. But there's another reason for the possible dearth of information. (Which we've intentionally put behind the cut to inspire you to keep reading.)
March update comes to Final Fantasy XI
According to the old saying, March should be shuffling out meekly like a lamb at the moment, but the March version update to Final Fantasy XI has just come roaring on to the live servers. Usually we get a bit more warning from Square-Enix before a patch goes live, but with all of the information we'd heard about the contents of the update from VanaFest 2010 it came with no warning other than an early rumor. That means that trivia contest winners and attendees of the festival will gain access to their special hats, and it means that everyone gets a huge load of content added to the game. The latest patch's inclusion of Odin and Alexander as summons was well-known, as was the continuation of the Wings of the Goddess storyline as it nears its conclusion. Less sweeping but still significant is a number of boosts to Puppetmasters, including an upgrade in hand-to-hand skill to B+ level and the removal of range-based calculations from automaton ranged attacks. There are also new Notorious Monsters and new Campaign locations for players to enjoy, so if you're a Final Fantasy XI player you should probably get to downloading the update.
The Daily Grind: How important is your guild?
They're called linkshells in Final Fantasy XI, fleets in Star Trek Online, kinships in Lord of the Rings Online, but the game could call them bagel and tea parties if it wanted to -- for most players, it's a guild, and no matter what, the core idea is the same. Only a handful of games don't have tools and support for player organizations, pooling resources and skills together so that everyone can get further than they could alone. At the best of times, a guild is a network of people you can call on at almost any time to help you with your goals, and the same holds true for your fellow members. At the worst of times, however, a guild is a mechanism for bringing more drama into your life than dating a paranoid schizophrenic. World of Warcraft's new Dungeon Finder has even prompted some questions in the game about how necessary guilds even are at this point. So how important is your guild to you? Are they your stalwart companions or just some folks? Would you leave the game without them, or do you think you'd probably end up playing more?
The Mog Log: A little more conversation
Well, gee, not much has happened since the last time we did a community spotlight in this column. Except maybe for that little VanaFest thing, and huge drops of new info on Final Fantasy XIV, and the beginning of the latter's beta testing. So, yeah, slow month all around. This should be a pretty short column, I might just start talking about my favorite beers toward the end. All joking aside, a lot has been happening, and it has produced more than a few diverse opinions. The immediate response to the VanaFest announcements for Final Fantasy XI was covered a couple weeks ago, but there's still the specifics to be hammered out. After all, it's hard to take in server merges, level cap raises, massive content drops and new add-ons all in one go. Not to mention that we do still have another game coming in the not-so-distant future, one that's shaping up to have an interesting positional aspect to gameplay. So let's take a look at some of the noteworthy talk from Final Fantasy's webwide community.
The Egg Hunt is hatching on Final Fantasy XI
It's that time of year again for Final Fantasy XI -- the time for running about spewing letters of the alphabet, frantic searching, and egg-scrutiatingly bad puns. Yes, the Egg Hunt is here again, a celebration of all things related to spring and denying birds easy access to their offspring. And while not all of the puns and tongue-in-cheek humor will go over easy, the official announcement has both a short humor piece and instructions to keep you from getting fried. The short version is that as you scramble about Vana'diel, you can make a point of talking to the event moogles or trading them eggs. They'll offer up one lettered egg per day for free, and more if you shell out additional eggs. Assemble the first three letters of your character's name for the simplest prize, or go for a more challenging collection like seven of a kind to get even better rewards! While it's one of the sillier and less lore-filled holiday events in Final Fantasy XI, the Egg Hunt should still provide ample opportunity to enjoy some quality time with fellow adventurers. Read the full announcement for all the details, and possibly to prepare yourself for the onslaught of puns. (We've even laid out a few to help.)
More on Final Fantasy XI's VanaFest prize and March update
Although VanaFest 2010 is moving into the memories (fond or otherwise) of Final Fantasy XI fans everywhere, there are still bits and pieces that remained unanswered questions. For instance, what exactly are the prized Chocobo Berets going to do when players get their hands on them? Thanks to Corinth on the popular fan translation site JP Button, we finally have our answer: they turn players into chocobos. Using the hat turns everyone in the party into an egg which, when hatched (by removing the buff), will temporarily turn a player into an adolescent chocobo that improves their movement speed somewhat. High time to start making friends with attendees or trivia contest winners for that. The translated information also points to the hats being available with the March version update, which looks to be going live on March 23rd. The VanaFest site has a full breakdown of what's due with the update, but in short it's set to include the penultimate parts of the Wings of the Goddess storyline, job adjustments, and the long-awaited Odin and Alexander summon spells. It's also introducing the new "Trial of the Magians" quests. so the end of the month promises to be very busy for Final Fantasy XI -- even if you're not waiting to hatch from a hat-induced egg.
The Mog Log: Those grapes were probably sour anyway
So, guess what beta I didn't get an invitation for. You can go consult with the instant replay if you want, I can wait. I know that everyone is stunned. I certainly was. Of course, I assuaged my sadness by telling myself that I didn't really want to be in their stupid beta anyway, because I bet it smells bad and it sets my computer on fire. That line of reasoning worked real well. I don't honestly think my column got me kicked from the running for a Final Fantasy XIV beta slot, but it's a bit more reassuring than the idea that I just didn't get picked for some other reason. (I'm putting money on Square-Enix not knowing I exist, for the record.) All things considered, I can live without the beta, even though I'm chomping at the bit to play the game. But I'm not the only person, place, or thing not currently darting about the world of Eorzea. And as long as I'm on a streak of making long-winded predictions, why break with formula? There are three other things that I suspect aren't in the beta either, and I intend to make a guessing game out of seeing how close I am to the truth.
The Mog Log: Not the happy fanboy
Imagine, if you will, that a nice man comes up to you and tells you about a fantastic room. He leads you to this room, and at the far end of the room from the door is a cake. That cake is clearly delicious, and you're told as much. Unfortunately, in order to reach said cake, you have to walk barefoot across an entire room full of rusty nails, broken glass, and scorpions with a serious hate-on for human beings. But then another nice man runs up to you. He says that he has excellent news for you about this cake, that it will make you very happy. "So I don't have to walk through all this broken glass and stuff?" you ask. "Oh, no, you still have to," replies the man. "But we've made the cake at the end taste even better. Isn't that awesome!" And at this point, anyone in the world would turn around and walk away. I don't care how much you like cake, that cake just isn't worth the trouble. That, in a nutshell, is how I felt while looking at the announcements for VanaFest 2010. Because they're going to make that endgame cake taste ever better, and that's great. But that's all the way over there.
The Daily Grind: Are you attached to your characters?
They're not real and we all know it. All your character is in an MMO, really, is just a little mobile indicator for what you're wearing and what you're doing. There's no need to spare them a second thought. Of course, there are games like Champions Online and City of Heroes which give you dizzying amounts of control over what they look like. Or Lord of the Rings Online and Final Fantasy XI that let you decorate your house. Or Star Trek Online letting you detail both what sort of ship you ride around in and who your co-workers are... All right, most of us put a little more thought into our characters than just mobile gear indicators. Roleplayers tend to get even more so, but even if you're avidly not into the RP scene, you can't help but form some connections. So how attached are you to yours? Do you spend a long time staring at the character creator? Do you play the same character transplanted into new settings? Or do you mostly just click through based on whatever looks cool and take what you get, even if it winds up being hideous?
The breakdown of Final Fantasy XI's VanaFest 2010 announcements
After a month of heavy anticipation from the fans, VanaFest 2010 finally has come and given us all the information that we could want about where the game is heading from here. And the show did stay focused upon Final Fantasy XI -- the only mention of Final Fantasy XIV was the announcement that its first wave of beta testing will start on March 11th with a limited number of participants. That left quite a bit of show left to detail all of the changes coming to the game. And there was certainly a lot of news to be shared. An increase in level cap, new add-on zones, job reviews, conclusions to existing content, server merges, new seasonal gear -- there was no shortage of surprising announcements. Continue on past the cut for the short version of what came out during the show and what players can expect.
The Mog Log: You've got questions, we've got deflections
It's time to kick off one of the features that we're hoping will become a regular standby on The Mog Log -- community questions and answers. It's a chance for you to all ask the questions about the game that you'd like answered, and a chance for me to shuffle awkwardly and stare at my feet. Kidding aside, if you have a Final Fantasy XI or Final Fantasy XIV question that you'd like answered, send them to me, and I'll happily answer them to the best of my ability. It's all the edification of research without the actual research part. We'll start with a question from Simon: "Are we sure about when the beta for FFXIV is going to start?" Nothing is certain, least of all what Square-Enix decides to do. Right now, they're content with not filling us in on the start date of beta, but they might very well share that tomorrow at VanaFest. On the flip side, they might hold on to that tidbit until after the stateside launch of Final Fantasy XIII, just to keep excitement up for the title. Keep your eyes peeled tomorrow, we should know then.
Rumor: Final Fantasy XI's March update may be the last for the game
It looks like we're getting another version update to Final Fantasy XI in March. The update's existence was broken by the official site today, promising more information when VanaFest rolls around in only five days. All we know at the moment is that it will feature expanded missions and improvements across the board, which is more or less standard fare for the game's large updates. Of course, that means the update certainly isn't the big news that's promised at the upcoming fan festival. But there's a rumor flying around that we might want to enjoy this update a lot. Square-Enix, it's hinted, won't have the game slowly bleed out as Final Fantasy XIV comes into its own -- they're going to outright shut the game down. An employee posted and then retracted a statement implying that the venerable game would shut its doors to make way for Final Fantasy XIV. Confirmed? Not by a long shot. Square has stated they've got more in store for the game, and more than a few players are hoping that a new expansion is the big secret to be revealed at the fan festival. Still, we'll find out soon enough what the future holds for Final Fantasy XI... and perhaps we'd best treasure our time with it now, just in case.
Catch the VanaFest bug with Final Fantasy XI trivia
With a little over a week left until VanaFest 2010 commences, long-time fans of Final Fantasy XI might well be taking the opportunity to think back on the memories the game has produced. If those memories happen to include some obscure facts, you might be in luck with the VanaFest 2010 trivia contest, yet another chance for fans not in attendance to enjoy some of the spirit of the event. And just to prove that Squre-Enix is an old dog fully capable of learning new tricks, the contest is on the now-ubiquitous Twitter! Running from the 23rd to the 27th of this month, the contest will have an official question asked on the official feed. The first five players to answer the question correctly will get to take away something very special: the Chocobo Beret! Yes, the same hat given away to attendees, a celebration of Final Fantasy XI's long tradition of hats that look like things. Read the full rules on the official VanaFest site, and get ready to start tweeting some serious trivia. After all, even if you don't win you'll be getting up-to-the-minute information on all the big news, and isn't that prize enough?
The Mog Log: Know your roleplay
The Final Fantasy XIV Roleplaying Coaliton is now officially open to the public. If you want my opinion, you should head over there and register, but as one of the charter members I may be just a wee bit biased. Scratch that -- I'm a lot biased, because I tend to think that roleplaying is one of the most important parts of MMOs as a whole. Unfortunately, it's an important part that all too often gets mired in a lack of understanding, and so it falls on me to abuse my saopbox and elaborate. Because there's a picture of roleplayers in the minds of the non-roleplaying public, one that involves speaking in a parody of the early Dragon Warrior games at best and questionable romantic practices at worst. There's even a sense that most game companies assume roleplayers will just make the best out of the situation no matter what the game is like, making anything added just for roleplaying a pointless addition. These assumptions are incorrect. And considering how much Square-Enix has already done in favor of roleplaying in Final Fantasy XI, I have high hopes for Final Fantasy XIV. We need roleplayers, and even if you don't consider them a big deal, odds are good you've felt the influence from them.
VanaFest 2010 playing host to more Final Fantasy XI number games
The Mog Bonanza has come to an end, and whether you won or lost your chance at the valuables has passed... or has it? Final Fantasy XI's upcoming fan festival, VanaFest 2010, has a chance for players to redeem their luck or go for a repeat success. The Nomad Mog Bonanza will be a special live repeat of the celebrated event at the convention, with more wonderful in-game prizes for players to win -- and this time, you don't have to drop one red gil to get in on the fun. All players with a PlayOnline ID linked to a Square-Enix ID can pick one set of five numbers as their entry. As with the in-game event, the prizes depend on how many numbers you got right from the last digit upward. There's a one-in-ten chance of at least getting the lowest-ranked prize, in other words. The numbers will be drawn and announced on the 28th, the day of the event, and will be likely shared by the official Twitter and Facebook feeds soon thereafter. Entries end on the 21st, so get on over, read the official conditions, and hope you can beat those one-in-one-hundred-thousand odds for some of the best prizes in Final Fantasy XI!
The Mog Log: A spotlight on our webwide community
We're generally a fairly verbose and chatty bunch on Final Fantasy XI, with a strong sense of community. Whether this has been helped or harmed by the difficulty of getting any official word from Square-Enix is a debate topic for another time -- what's indisputable is the sense that the game's players are one big family, if not always a happy one. (It's hard to be happy when cousin Ike has had a few Yagudo Drinks too many and starts talking about how much he hates Scholars.) On the other hand, Final Fantasy XIV isn't even yet in beta, but there's already a community forming around it, as is frequently the case for new games in the series. It's attracting several people who have either been burned by Final Fantasy XI or are still fans but look forward to some new gameplay, not to mention MMO gamers hoping for something new and exciting. So let's take a look at some of the more interesting, provocative, or just plain noteworthy community threads and discussions that have been happening recently.
Doll Festival returning to Final Fantasy XI
There are a lot of ways that Final Fantasy XI is unique, and one of the major ones is its holidays. Not that the usual suspects are absent, of course... but where else would you see something like the Doll Festival? More to the point, where else would you see a Doll Festival where even the most battle-hardened veterans are expected to eat magical cakes that turn you into little girls? Returning for its fifth year in the game, the Doll Festival is scheduled to begin on February 19th and end on March 3rd, celebrating the arrival of spring and... whatever else you would logically celebrate by turning into a little girl. As has become de rigeur for the game's holidays, there's a short piece of fiction about the holiday, detailing the adventures of a young knight of San d'Oria and his time at two festivals. It's a cute piece, if a bit saccharine, and it sets the tone for the holiday very well. Take a look at last year's guide on FFXIclopedia for an idea of what the upcoming festival will play like, and keep enjoying the uniquely vibrant (and occasionally disturbing) world of Final Fantasy XI!
