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Final Fantasy XIV producer's letter addresses player poll
Final Fantasy XIV Producer Naoki Yoshida has returned for another producer's letter, this time focusing on the recent poll sent out to players across the world. Yoshida personally addressed points regarding combat, crafting, the synthesis system, and version 2.0. Yoshida observes that two points of constructive criticism will be used as FFXIV continues to be revised: "Many of you said that combos are too restrictive... We also received many comments that character positioning is bothersome and difficult." In regards to the upcoming version 2.0, he notes that the most excitement seems to be swirling around the new classes and jobs, improved level design, additional maps, and the graphics engine update. "Interestingly," Yoshida writes, "Japanese players are the ones who're most looking forward to the new housing system -- a national trait, perhaps?" Yoshida also expressed concern that a good chunk of players do not read player blogs on the Lodestone, not to mention that a vast majority of them simply do not use the Lodestone to post their own articles. He hopes this will change with 2.0, as the Lodestone will be receiving a full renovation at that time.
FFXIV's 1.19 patch features new group content, Ifrit primal
It's patch day in the world of Eorzea, and today's 1.19 update looks to bring quite a bit of new content to Final Fantasy XIV. Said content includes a new confrontation with Ifrit, a fiery primal who waits for brave adventurers at the end of one of the game's newest quests. Final Fantasy XIV's lodestone has all the details, and apparently the Ifrit encounter comes in two distinct flavors. One is designed for level 30 light parties (four members), while the other is a hard-mode run intended for eight-man level 50 groups. Ifrit wears his badassery on his sleeve if the accompanying video clip is any indication, and the lodestone entry describes him as "a demon spawned by the seven hells" whose exhalations "produce heat of such torridity as to reduce iron to pools of white-hot liquid." See for yourself after the break.
The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Lodestone
Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We at Joystiq believe no one deserves to starve, and many indie developers are entitled to a fridge full of tasty, fulfilling media coverage, right here. This week, Collin Chandler talks innovation in iOS with Lodestone. What's your game called, and what's it about? The game is called Lodestone, which is a naturally occuring magnetic stone. The concept is simple: Stay within range of a magnet, and use the magnets to move around the screen. Touching the left side of the screen pushes you away from the magnets while the right side pulls you towards the magnets. Collect the golden magnets to win the level. There are natural hazards to avoid like rocks and trees, and a pond you can sink into. You also have to make sure you stay in the boundaries of a magnet tower. If you stop moving you're stuck and have to try again.
Getting around in Final Fantasy XIV
In addition to the blogging and character database functionality of the Final Fantasy XIV Lodestone site, Square-Enix has been using the player site to post a series of guides for players of all skill levels, with more advanced questions on Friday and more new-player-friendly ones on Mondays. This time around, the topic of discussion is something central to every MMO -- the question of how to get from place to place. While players do not yet have access to the more traditional series methods of transit (airships and chocobos), there are still transport methods available to players, and a lot of ground to cover at that. The guide covers the basics of aetheryte and aetherial gates, with the former linked to the latter and allowing fast transit through a given area. It also runs players through the procedure of visiting all three capital cities -- a useful method to gain access to more levequests and a greater variety of guild benefits. Players who know their way around seamlessly might not need to know how to get to Ul'dah, but anyone new to the game can benefit from the latest dispatch. And even veteran players might be enticed by the maps of Final Fantasy XIV's less-traveled regions, like the forbidding Mor Dhona.
Final Fantasy XIV discusses companions and crafting
One of the more frequent complaints about the nature of Final Fantasy XIV is that the game doesn't go out of its way to be accessible. If anything, it revels in a solid veil of mystery and encouragement for players to experiment. That doesn't sit well with everyone, however, which is no doubt why Square-Enix is making a conscious effort to expand the resources on the official player site as a basic reference. The most recent update has seen some common questions about crafting answered, as well as a brief guide to choosing a path companion. Path companions are an element of the game introduced at the start of the fifth main story quest, giving you an NPC who accompanies you on the missions. There are a multitude of different personalities, determined by race and gender, with the short guide provided explaining how each choice affects the outcome. The brief rundown on crafting is also illuminating, as it highlights certain heretofore unknown elements of the system -- such as a character's elemental affinity helping to determine what sort of crystals and shards come from gathering. Final Fantasy XIV players are encouraged to check both pieces.
Post-beta for Final Fantasy XIV and the coming launch
With the hours slowly ticking by until the launch of Final Fantasy XIV, hopeful players will be happy to know that the Lodestone site for players is already open. (Technically, the servers even open this evening, but that doesn't give you the actual client to log in.) It's the time for reflection as well as preparation, and a recent translated interview from GAME Watch sheds some light on the overall process of testing as well as the vision of the game in the near future. Among the several pieces of interesting information from the interview is the analogy used for guildleves, addressing the question of whether or not they're the main content of the game. Guildleves are compared to a staple food such as rice or bread -- useful and filling, but not the complete meal by itself. Other topics of discussion are regular quests, with the main story quests described as being only the tip of the iceberg. It sounds as if the amount of content available to players of Final Fantasy XIV will be greater than anyone would expect, so players should keep their eyes open to enjoy the post-beta environment.
