yoshi-p
Latest
E3 2014: FFXIV's Yoshida on 2.4, 3.0, new classes, and more
After the recent E3 2014 announcement that Final Fantasy XIV was getting a new class and a marriage system, fans have been understandably eager to learn more. And the best way to do that is go to the source! We sat down with producer Naoki Yoshida to discuss the content slated for upcoming patches and expansions. Before delving into the new, Yoshida spoke about the old. He noted that since last year's expo, FFXIV has enjoyed a successful relaunch, added a couple of major updates, and given millions of gamers around the world the opportunity to play. He then led into the new by saying, "We want to continue to grow the game from here. We have a lot of exciting content building up to 3.0." Part of said growing includes expanding the availability of the game by getting it into even more regions; this summer, for example, FFXIV will launch in China. Another part of the growth process is expanding the content and introducing new features, which is where patch 2.4 and the 3.0 expansion come in.
New Final Fantasy XIV producer's letter talks China and 2.25
Final Fantasy XIV is doing pretty well for itself at the moment, and it's still expanding. The latest letter from producer Naoki Yoshida discusses preparations for the game's launch in China, with the cooperation of Shanda Games. Service is expected to launch this summer; the game has just recently launched on the PlayStation 4, expanding its range of available platforms. Yoshida also discusses patch 2.25, which will be live tomorrow. Originally, the patch was slated to include an expansion to the current Zodiac weapon quests; however, Yoshida states in the letter that this system is being pushed back until patch 2.28 goes live in May. The team is hoping to incorporate feedback on the existing quest line and allow players more time to upgrade and receive their Animus weaponry. 2.25 will contain improvements to the Wolves' Den PvP system as well as a new system involving materia, so while further weapon upgrades are on hold, there's still going to be plenty of new things to do.
Final Fantasy XIV PS4 launch coming April 14th, details on patch 2.2 revealed
Yesterday, Final Fantasy XIV players had a field day with the 12th installment of the Letter to the Producer Live stream, during which they launched a bevy of questions at the game's producer and director, Naoki Yoshida, and received a slew of answers in return. For starters, the game will launch on the PS4 on April 14th and include a collector's edition. The beta will begin on February 22nd as previously reported. Patch 2.2, aka Through the Maelstrom, which Yoshida revealed will go live sometime in March, will bring with it an array of new content such as the Ruins of Amdapor dungeon, an expansion to the Binding Coil of Bahamut instance, and last but certainly not least, a new Primal to fight: the aquatic Leviathan. While the most die-hard of fans likely saw the livestream when it was... well, live, those who missed out need not despair because the entirety of the question-and-answer session has been transcribed in its own thread on the game's official forums.
Final Fantasy XIV livestream details upcoming changes and the Crystal Tower
Final Fantasy XIV recently hosted its tenth Letter from the Producer livestream, in which producer Naoki Yoshida (or as the fans call him, Yoshi-P) tackles a number of questions regarding the game's upcoming changes and new content. The livestream itself is available for viewing in all of its two-and-a-half hour glory, but if you're just interested in the juicy questions and answers (or if you don't happen to speak Japanese), they're all transcribed in the official post. The questions run the gamut from planned changes for some classes such as Dragoon and Bard to details on the upcoming aesthetician, which will allow players to change their character's hairstyle for 2,000 gil. The majority of the questions, however, are on the topic of the upcoming 24-player Crystal Tower dungeon. Yoshida provides details on the dungeon's planned difficulty (it will have an average item level requirement of 55), how loot will be distributed (each boss will drop one loot chest for each party participating), the quality of gear players will receive (item level 80, slightly weaker than gear from Binding Coil of Bahamut), and much more. For the full Q&A transcript, head on over to the game's official forums, or click past the cut to watch the livestream in its entirety.
Final Fantasy XIV dev talks new servers and access restrictions
It's no secret that the long-awaited re-launch of Final Fantasy XIV hasn't gone very smoothly. In fact, the servers are taking such a beating that Square Enix has temporarily shut down online sales of the game. Despite the game's current woes, the FFIXV team wants fans to know that it is working overtime to get things running smoothly. In a lengthy forum post, producer and director Naoki Yoshida (aka Yoshi-P) outlined what steps have been taken to stabilize FFXIV's game world. Yoshida noted that all Final Fantasy XIV servers now have login restrictions to prevent a flood of logs and re-logs from causing them to crash. Login restrictions are most likely to be implemented during peak times, which Yoshida says are between 9:00 p.m. and midnight. Each server can support a theoretical maximum of 5,000 concurrent players.
The Mog Log: Non-reactive
As pretty much everyone reading this column knows, there was a big bombshell dropped on the community on Friday of last week. As at least a few people reading this column also know, this column is written on Thursday. This isn't the first time that this has been relevant to the discussion, but what might seem a bit unusual is that last week's column did not discuss 2.0 or the billing cycle at all. It just continued on with my impressions of 1.19. To be quite honest, my actual Friday was spent at the local casino for dinner and some shopping. I could have, of course, written a new column for last week by virtue of that breaking news. Certainly it was big. But as it stands, I looked at it, considered it, and realized that I didn't actually have a strong reaction to what had been announced. I was vaguely excited about 2.0, of course, but for the most part all of the big sweeping announcements about the future of Final Fantasy XIV didn't make nearly the impression that one might think. And there's a good reason for that, I believe -- it's because these announcements weren't as sudden or shocking as they look at face value.
Our interview with Final Fantasy XIV's Naoki Yoshida
There are big changes on the horizon for Final Fantasy XIV, as revealed last Friday. After a year of free play, the game is bringing its extended free trial to a close and setting the stage for further large-scale improvements, culminating in the preview of "version 2.0" that will change the face of the world and the game forever. It promises to be a year filled with new content, time-limited events, and plenty for players to enjoy as the new version approaches. We were fortunate to have a chance to talk with the man at the head of all the changes, Naoki Yoshida, about the changes already put into place and the ones on the horizon. Past the break are Yoshida's opening remarks regarding the state of the game and the community as well as our questions, which covered everything from class balance to the end of the very extended free trial period.
New Final Fantasy XIV producer's letter announces the next patch date
Naoki Yoshida is many things, but a man of brevity is not usually among his qualities. Most of his letters to the Final Fantasy XIV community are quite long, with a great deal of information contained therein. But the most recent producer's letter is a departure from form, with only one real substantial piece of information -- the release date for patch 1.18. However, considering that the patch will usher in new combat mechanics, new content, and large overhauls to the game's content development, it's the sort of thing that can speak for itself. According to Yoshida, the patch is scheduled for July 21st, with only some testing on the upcoming instanced raids to be completed. (As he puts it, the team is opting for "raid" rather than "dungeon" just because you can raid something that isn't quite a dungeon in structure.) There may be a slight change in either direction by a couple days, but Final Fantasy XIV fans will be happy to have a target date for this large patch.
