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Final Fantasy XIV open beta kicks off [Updated]
Players anticipating Final Fantasy XIV got to play an exciting new game starting last night, which is currently being dubbed "hoping that the server connection doesn't reset while applying for open beta." The servers have been wheezing under the load of people trying to log in, but luckily, some players have managed to get in and obtain crucial information. FFXIVCore has put together a compilation of the more interesting tidbits, including the now-known server names and the notes for the latest and greatest patch. While the closed beta servers were named for the bosses of the Final Fantasy series, the open beta servers (and the assumed launch servers) are named for famous cities from the games. This beta also had changed the previously homogenized stats of the races to differentiate racial choices -- but with the differences only being a few points in any direction, there's no huge impediment to playing any class as any race. Take a look at the full patch notes for a rundown of changes if you were in the prior beta, and keep trying if you find your registration attempts getting disconnected. Apparently there's no shortage of eager Final Fantasy XIV fans. Update: Square-Enix has posted an official message on the account page advising players that the servers are heavily congested, and that if you're having any technical troubles to please wait and try back later. Codes are currently being limited in an effort to fight server congestion. The full statement is after the break.
Final Fantasy XI gets a new director
With Final Fantasy XIV launching later this month and a major version update coming in the very near future, Final Fantasy XI is facing some very interesting times. So it's probably fitting that the game has acquired a new director, Akihiko Matsui, the former battle director for the game. Matsui has posted a short letter to the community, talking both about his experience with the game and his continued commitment to the development of Vana'diel. While Square-Enix has clearly allocated a great many resources to the development of Final Fantasy XIV, there's no sign that support for the older game is stopping. As a 10-year veteran of the project, Matsui recognizes the challenges facing the continued operation and states that he hopes to keep the game up and running for many years to come. Coupled with the encouragement to play both games at once, this announcement should come as welcome news to all players of Final Fantasy XI, both past and present. [Thanks to FusionX for the tip!]
FFXIV open beta officially starts tomorrow
Hold off on the wrist-slitting, Final Fantasy XIV fans, as Square-Enix's forthcoming MMORPG will indeed be going into open beta this week. In a short press release, Square has announced that the final phase of beta will begin tomorrow, September 2nd, at 02:00 GMT. While the release contains no word as to the nature of the critical bugs that caused the postponement on Monday, Square does confirm that the issues have been dealt with. You can find out more details on the open beta, as well as pick up the required registration code, at the official open beta test application website.
New Making of Eorzea video sits down with Final Fantasy XIV's composer Uematsu
For many people, Nobuo Uematsu's name is inextricably linked to the Final Fantasy series. And with good cause -- he's one of the people most closely associated with the feel of the series, with several of his compositions having become ubiquitous even within games he didn't score. Having been the sole composer for Final Fantasy XIV, the newest Making of Eorzea video sits down with Uematsu and discusses the experience of composing the full score for the game. While Uematsu estimates it's been about ten years since he was in charge of a full score for a game, there's little argument to be had about his suitability for the job. He discusses both the scope of the project and his experiences in composing such memorable tracks as the theme song -- which, in his own words, was sung by Susan Calloway at his own insistence. See more about the music of Final Fantasy XIV in the video, embedded after the cut.
FFXIV open beta postponed until further notice
Most Final Fantasy XIV fans were looking forward to the game's open beta tomorrow, but unfortunately they're going to have to wait a bit longer. FFXIV's open beta application site went down for a period of time early this morning, and when it came back up, it included an announcement regarding open beta. A "confirmation of critical bugs" is all we've heard so far, but whatever the problem is, it's serious enough to warrant postponing the open beta testing. There's not a new date yet, but the announcement says that "a new schedule will be released at a later date." No word on what this means for the September 30th launch date, if anything. [Thanks Justin!]
Open beta brings changes for Final Fantasy XIV
Players who have longed for a chance to play Final Fantasy XIV and haven't been selected for the game's beta yet can take heart. The open beta will begin on August 31st, and players are already able to begin downloading the client. (With the latest patch at 1.24 gigabytes, we do mean "begin downloading." It'll be a while.) That means that you can see for yourself whether the outraged reaction to the fatigue system is entirely deserved, along with any other questions you might have about gameplay. As has been the pattern for the game's testing, the newest build includes several updates to UI functionality and the implementation of further core features, although it's still unclear if this version is the same as the release version due out in a bit less than a month. Chat modes and friend list features have been implemented, as well as a further listing of emotes for various situations. FFXIVCore has put together a decent list of the beta changes, something that should be of interest to the many Final Fantasy XIV hopefuls due to start trying the game soon.
The Mog Log: Each answer is the end of a question
Welcome to this week's edition of The Mog Log, in which we answer reader questions about Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV while staying as far away from the drama of this past week as possible. Seriously, the sky is not falling here, folks. It seemed like such a nice week overall, too, with lots of great news coming out the whole week long. And for the record, there's also a special announcement at the end of the article, so by all means read through to the end in the unlikely event you normally don't. Roughly ten million people asked or said: "What the heck is the deal with the fatigue system?" I'm really hoping that by the time you're reading this, the full translation has mollified people somewhat regarding the system. But I'm going to write on the assumption that it hasn't, and believe me, it's at the top of the list for things to talk about next week. And it certainly does put a strict limit on what players can do in the game, much like guildleves and their infamous two-day turnaround.
Devil in the details for Final Fantasy XIV's fatigue
When the news broke yesterday regarding the fatigue system in Final Fantasy XIV, it made virtually no one happy. Even the system's defenders generally had an attitude of "it's not all that bad," and most players were up in arms over the very idea. But a day can make a lot of difference, and as it turns out, we didn't quite have the clear picture of the fatigue system that we thought we did. The official translation from Square-Enix covers most of the same ground, but adds several important facts. The two most salient points are the fact that the limiting factors are not time-based but value-based, and the fact that the "cooldown" on fatigue sets in as soon as a player starts doing something that won't grant skill or experience points. There's no word on whether or not this will be the case during time spent logged off, but it means that the much-loathed figures about how much time would be productive are not altogether correct. Take a look at the official translation, which should provide a much-needed balm for several angry Final Fantasy XIV fans. [Thanks to John for the tip!]
Final Fantasy XIV fatigue format fully put forward
Ever since the beginning of the third beta phase, "fatigue" has been a hot topic among Final Fantasy XIV fans. In a move familiar to longtime Square-Enix players, the system was put into place without a great deal of description, with players left to speculate as to how the system worked. But a very uncharacteristic move comes from director Nobuaki Komoto with an open statement on what the system is, how it works, and what it's meant to do. Many answers are given, albeit not the answers that all players would want. The short version is that for each class and character, you will get normal experience for eight hours, followed by a slow drop-off over the next seven hours that ends at no experience gain. This goes for both class levels and physical levels, which means that after 16 hours of play your character's physical level cannot advance further until a week has passed from the start of leveling. Komoto mentions the reasoning behind the system in the full letter, as well as the several ways that the team is working to adjust it. Although it's nice to have the system spelled out in full, "you can only level so much" won't sit well with a large part of Final Fantasy XIV's expected playerbase.
The Mog Log: Community watch
The summer slump is just about over, and those who have enjoyed an entire summer away from school are going to have to get back into the swing of it in the very near future. The rest of us will simply have to acclimate ourselves to the decrease in the temperature, the decrease in big-budget movies, and the increase in game release schedules. But there's one last gasp of summer to be had, and let's spend it watching our favorite ongoing entertainment: community forum discussions. There's no shortage of topics for discussion lately, what with Final Fantasy XIV stampeding ever closer to launch, Final Fantasy XI's September version update stampeding ever closer, and various other stampedes taking place somewhere. (I kind of started that sentence without a conclusion prepared.) September is going to be a busy month in general, and even with a couple weeks to go there's a lot of talk being flung around. So let's get right into the meat of the community, shall we?
Famitsu interview covers the testing of Final Fantasy XIV
After the recent interview confirming that some of the disliked aspects of the game weren't going away, it's understandable that some Final Fantasy XIV fans might have felt a bit disheartened. After all, it's easy to feel as if the developers weren't trying to listen to the players at all about their issues. The newest interview to come out of Gamescom, however, should help to alleviate some of those fears. Famitsu, frequently a good source for game information, had a chance to chat with some of the team about the game's testing schedule and their interactions with feedback. Two of the big issues highlighted are the controls and the user interface -- both polished since earlier phases and both continuing to be polished. The team wants control to be smooth with or without a gamepad, whether you don't have a gamepad or simply choose not to use one. There's also a mention of further classes possible, including pet classes, and the acknowledgment that the development team is currently debating the two-day guildleve timer after all. Take a look at the full interview if you're interested in Final Fantasy XIV, as it covers some interesting ground.
The cities and world of Final Fantasy XIV
If you're all about living the life of a pirate, then odds are good you don't mind being restricted to Limsa Lominsa in the Final Fantasy XIV beta. But if you've done the sea serpent tango more than once, Ul'dah and Gridania are no doubt sounding pretty good. So it's a good thing that MMOSite is reporting that the next phase of beta will start in September and will include the two heretofore unseen cities as playable areas. Considering the recent hands-on experience with the starter cities, we think it's well within the realm of possibility. Of course, one of the major components to making each of the starting cities and subsequent areas stand out is the worldbuilding efforts of the development team. The most recent Making of Eorzea documentary covers precisely this, and not coincidentally, it can be viewed past the cut. With a discussion of the scenery and the visual culture of the game's landscape, the video is something every Final Fantasy XIV player can enjoy, and it shows that the vibrancy of the world has been a big priority during development.
Persistent issues and Final Fantasy XIV
There are certain recurring complaints heard about Final Fantasy XIV's beta, especially with players freely able to share their experiences. The fact that guildleves are on a 48-hour timer and the lack of easy and efficient mana regeneration are two of the more persistent ones, and a recent interview with Hiromichi Tanaka at Gamescom address just those complaints among others. But it's not all roses and sunshine -- if you're one of the testers hoping for the guildleve timer to be reduced, you're flat out of luck. Tanaka makes it clear that several of these issues are part of the intended design -- guildleves, for instance, are doable solo or in groups, but they aren't meant to just be burned through solo each time they're up. As a result, the team is looking into how to give better incentives to group up and share guildleves. MP regeneration is meant to be difficult, and spells are supposed to be a choice of using up limited resources. There are several interesting answers in the interview, but not every Final Fantasy XIV player will be happy with the content of those answers
More details on the Final Fantasy XIV collector's edition
We've been treated to a deluge of information about Final Fantasy XIV over the past couple of days, which coincides nicely with the fact that the collector's edition releases in just a little over a month. The obvious bonus to that special edition, of course, is the fact that it releases a week before the standard edition. But there's more inside the box than just an early game disc, and Eorzeapedia has had the chance to take a look closer at some of the contents. The Square-Enix security token included in the box certainly goes a long way to alleviating the price of entry, as it normally costs $10 alone and will work with both Final Fantasy XIV and Final Fantasy XI (indeed, having both on the same account can provide distinct advantages). Also worth noting are the special documents mailed to players for characters they create -- a physical commemoration of your character, with designs unique to each home nation. Combine that with the travel journal full of concept art, and there are plenty of bonuses even without the early release. (Not that said release isn't excellent.)
Subscribing to both Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV gets you bonuses
Players have been wondering for some time if there would be any reason to continue subscribing to Final Fantasy XI after the release of Final Fantasy XIV. Not that the two games are wholly interchangeable, but the audience for both is likely to be similar. Square-Enix seems to have considered this and, as a result, players subscribing to both games will get three bonuses for playing both games. The first is the most significant from a material standpoint -- the base cost of a subscription to Final Fantasy XI will be discounted to $7 a month for an account with both games linked. The other two bonuses are for veterans of the game, but equally appealing. Players with a character already created in FFXI will be able to import their character name to Final Fantasy XIV, with the character name being the given name and the server name as the family name. (So "Jejeune" on the Fairy server would be named Jejeune Fairy.) And as a last carrot, FFXIV characters will receive a special item on creation, the Hermes Shoes. So if you're planning on picking up FFXIV and already play FFXI, now would be the time to link the PlayOnline account.
A peek at Gridania and Ul'dah in Final Fantasy XIV
Square-Enix has been as good as their word when it comes to obfuscating the details of Final Fantasy XIV, even through testing. Testers have been confined to the port city of Limsa Lominsa all through the beta phases, but last week Square gave a small hands-on to a handful of sites showing off the other two cities. FFXIVCore happened to be among them, and offers an extensive rundown of the experience in both Ul'dah and Gridania -- both of which are very different from the thoroughly-tested pirate-themed opening. Gridania's opening takes place within the dense forests surrounding the city, with a crashed airship and a rather unexpected encounter with wolves. Ul'dah, on the other hand, features a great deal of pageantry being disrupted by the untimely freedom of a goobue. Both include certain common elements from the Limsa Lominsa opening, most notably the meteor shower and the disembodied voice, but the rundown indicates that players starting in different settings will have a memorable start to their adventures as well. That's good news for Final Fantasy XIV's future players, although perhaps a bitter pill for the testers not yet able to play these cities.
The Mog Log: Experiment Rhio
A long time ago -- like, when I started this column -- I had an idea. Or more accurately, I had a tiny nub of an idea that seemed as if it would be very relevant later. I was still smarting over the VanaFest announcements and the whole idea that nothing would be done to help the lower levels... and an idea came to me. If I was so certain that there was no population to play these areas, why didn't I try soloing them to see how things worked out? Of course, at the time, I mostly wanted to point and enjoy the sour grapes of being proven right. But as xkcd so eloquently put it, you don't use science to prove yourself right, you use it to become right. (Alt text is your friend.) And so I logged in and put a hard theory to the test: what could a Final Fantasy XI character do without anything more involved than a subjob? No advanced jobs, no airship passes, no special access. Was leveling possible? Difficult? Easy? This was -- and is -- the Rhio experiment.
Completing the look in Final Fantasy XIV
It's only been a day since Final Fantasy XIV's newest round of beta started up, but the first day included the announcement that screenshots and experiences from beta could be shared freely. So, as one can imagine, there's plenty of information being shared all over the internet. Today has seen the intrepid staff at FFXIVCore delving into the depths of the character creator, testing the limits of just how powerful it really is. It's not just a significant upgrade from Final Fantasy XI, but quite a potent tool in its own right. Of course, the one thing that can't be shared from the beta is video... but that doesn't mean you have to go without moving pictures. Dovetailing nicely with an article on illustrating your character is the newest installment of Square-Enix's Making of Eorzea videos, this one focusing on equipment variations to keep every character looking distinct. The video is embedded past the cut, and should provide both familiar and new looks for Final Fantasy XIV's eager audience.
The Final Fantasy XIV beta will tell you everything
The start of a new phase of Final Fantasy XIV testing is always good news for the game's fans, but this particular phase has brought with it even better news. Those of you not in the beta can now regale us non-beta testers with tales of your adventures, as Square-Enix has officially announced that most everything may be spoken about freely. This coincides nicely with a long list of changes that have come in the most recent build, including several system updates and balance tweaks to the engine. The team at FFXIVCore immediately set to remedy one of the major omissions from Square's PR -- namely, the experience of crafting. This step-by-step diary of working as a crafter should answer many questions about how much depth the crafting and gathering classes possess... even though it raises several more. As always, it isn't the same as getting to play around in the Final Fantasy XIV beta yourself, but it's the next best thing to being there.
Final Fantasy XIV confirmed for Gamescom 2010
So, despite your best efforts, you still are not currently able to play Final Fantasy XIV. Not that your computer can't handle the system requirements -- no, it's simply an issue of the release date being painfully distant and your need for the game not subsiding. You've applied for the beta, but no luck. You entered the fansite contests for beta keys, and still nothing. You tried building a time machine, but you ran into problems when you went shopping for a DeLorean. What else can you possibly do? Well, you could try running off to Europe. Specifically, Cologne, where Gamescom 2010 will be held. Square-Enix has confirmed that they will be presenting several games at the convention in a playable state, one of which will be Final Fantasy XIV. Most likely it will be from the newest testing build, although there's no word on whether or not the game will be playable by the public or just for press. Keep your eyes peeled to see if any new information comes out of the convention, taking place between the 18th and the 22nd of this month.
