Feedback, Chocobo Raising (From SquareEnix)

[PiNG]

The FINAL FANTASY XI development team would like to hear your thoughts about one of the upcoming parts of Chocobo Raising, the highly anticipated Chocobo Racing. Therefore, we’re opening discussions on the Premier Sites so the team can hear your thoughts and ideas about how to make Chocobo Racing as enjoyable as possible.



Below is a message from the person in charge of development of Chocobo Raising.



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Greetings everyone,

After the Chocobo Raising　announcement was made recently, we received many comments and requests about Chocobo Racing. This surprised us, so we decided that we’d use this space to ask for more input about Chocobo Racing from all of you, so that we can make this feature as good as possible.



Like Chocobo Raising, this is a new feature developed completely from scratch, unlike the job and battle features which have been our main focus until now. Therefore, we want to include your hopes and dreams in order to make this feature meet everyone’s vision as closely as possible.



At the same time, there are many of you who might say “We haven’t played it yet, what are we supposed to suggest?!” Therefore, we have decided to include some of the mechanics of this new feature, outlined below. Please use them as a guide to imagine what Chocobo Racing could be like.



Currently Planned Specifications:

- The ability of raised chocobos will be reflected during Chocobo Racing.

- Chocobos will not be controllable by players during Chocobo Racing.

- It is possible to give orders (i.e. sprint ahead, come from behind, etc) to riders before the race.



While posting your comments onto the forum, we would appreciate any ideas related to “gambling” for example, as well as any other opinions or concerns regarding Chocobo Racing.



We look forward to hearing from you on the forums. Let’s keep those ideas rolling!

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[Mog]

Re: Feedback, Chocobo Raising (From SquareEnix)

Currently Planned Specifications:

- Chocobos will not be controllable by players during Chocobo Racing.

What the bloody hell? They can't be serious.

[Drive]

Re: Feedback, Chocobo Raising (From SquareEnix)

best idea, won't allow the players connection to interfere.

[Randa_The_Kitsune]

Re: Feedback, Chocobo Raising (From SquareEnix)

- Chocobos will not be controllable by players during Chocobo Racing.

I really don't like the sound of this. I think it will be more fun for the players to control their chocobo and how it was raise will depend on how good the player can stear it and take turns and gain speed.

[Nakti]

Re: Feedback, Chocobo Raising (From SquareEnix)

- Chocobos will not be controllable by players during Chocobo Racing.

Hmm. Is this to prevent any hacking tools from interfering during the actual race? It would be nice to control my chocobo myself, but I'd prefer a more honest race. I always bred my chocobos in FF7 to have amazing stamina *and* speed so I would just go to full speed and stay there. ^^ I doubt that we'll be able to breed such Amazing Chocobos in FFXI, hence the various commands to capitalize on the stat which is best.

With regards to the "gambling", I wonder if that means we'll see the stats of all the racers (a la FF7) and be able to put money on any of the chocobos. But can players "throw" a race? Strange to think that a group of players can fix a race for betting purposes.

edit: link on front page is fixed^^

[sevenpointflaw]

Re: Feedback, Chocobo Raising (From SquareEnix)

I actually like the idea of chocobos not being player controled, though allowing for the queueing of commands. I suppose then there are some ideas that we can do to improve on that:

Jockies: Since we aren't the controlers of the chocobos, who is? Someone has to ride them right? As it is we have NPC buddies. Why not NPC jockies, or in this case, Chocies (pronounced with a long O sound like in Chocobo, not short as in jocky)!

I'm not saying they are someone we can "play" like we do with our NPCs, but having your own jockies opens up a whole new world of possibilities.

- Every Chocy starts out at same relative level
- Winning races increases your bond with your chocy/chocobo for improved performance
- New commands become available at higher levels, rewarding avid chocobo owners
- Quests to improve relationship between your Chocy and your chocobo

It could very easily handled through a randevouz system, menu driven through conversation like your current NPC is, and of course at any time you could "fire" them and start the process over. Its probably far fetched, but race has always had little significance in the game when push comes to shove, and some racial benifits could be added.

For example, Tarutaru could have better speed (smaller Chocy) on a janet chocobo than a Mithra would, but a mithra could likely have more finesse over them. Galaka might be heavier and thus slower, but they can certainly exert a lot more control over thier chobos. And lets not forget those firey red chocos that might have a better disposition to the riders of thier herritage - the Elvaan.

Just an idea, I guess.

Double Post Edited:
Oh yeah! Fooooood.... I would love to be able have a set time to have a moment alone with my chocobo before the race. Give it a little encouragement, maybe feed it some of that super rare Movement Speed +1% food that I want SE to add to the game.

Of course, feed it too much food and it will be affect them in a bad way. I'd hate to have my chocobo run by the way side mid-race.

Betting: Betting should not, should not, should NOT create new gil, IMO. I think at this point - at least in Odin - the economy seems to be fighting back but a new large influx of NPC generated gil in the form of "Big Wins" would just suck for all the efforts against RMT. It would also be a really crap and easy way for RMT to make it big, which is bad.

SOoo... Betting I think would have to be on system that was player driven, but NPC supported (to keep people from opening /sh loan sharks mroe than they already will).

Betting could be done with official Cocobo Circut races say, three times a week on the weekend, one race, or one set of multiple races during each peak time. If there were an official chocobo racing schedule, the week pririor (Starting after conequest tally, and extending through the week) various trial races for placement in the official races could work.

A point system like NASCAR uses seems like a winning idea. 10 points for a win, 9 for 2nd, and on down to 1 point. Could even have different tier circuts for people 1-50 points, 50-200 points, 200-500 points total, etc. That way, people who dominate lower level circuts must move on to bigger fish, preventing ringleaders and RMTers from dominating the bets.

A cool down time on races would be nice also. Only three races a week, for example, or 5 races a week.

This all assuming an "official" race schedule of course.

open races would totally rawk too. <.< I talk to much.

[Matera]

Re: Feedback, Chocobo Raising (From SquareEnix)

Although having jockies would be great, they're not neccessary, and personally I'd prefer to see my chocobo racing around the track solo. However, in the stadium/stables, there should be occasions where you can ride your own chocobo on the track or through the stables, during off-race times.

Trophies would be great for different tournaments, something along the line of a bi-yearly (In game) tournament, daily races (Eg: Watersday Trophy), races specifically requested by high-ranking NPCs (Eg: Star Sibyl's Yellow Cup for Windurstian racers), event races (Eg: Summerbreeze Festival Race). It would be great to have the trohpies EX only so you can win more than one, as well. Possibly making the trophies viewable would be fun as well, you could view them in a case that counts as a furnishing that you can examine in your Mog House.

As for the inflation problem mentioned by Sevenpointflaw, it is true that more gil should NOT be added to the economy. Perhaps winnings could be divided amongst race entry fees, same idea could work for gambling, with, of course, a commision taken by the Chocobo Stadium.

NPC riders are good, because it promotes fairness. But also, when there aren't enough racers to fill up all the positions, NPC controlled chocobos (With no connection to any specific player) could be used to produce competition.

As well, test races for the Chocobos could be possible with NPC controlled chocobos to see what kind of strategies work best, and which are favoured by your chocobo. I think instead of a bond between the Chocobo and jocky, a chocobo level could be more appropriate. Seeing as the chocobo will be yours, having a level of jocky/chocobo affection might take away from the fun in that. Infact, I don't believe jockies are neccessarily needed, possibly to make way for a hidden stat - a chocobo's wit.

Also, definately more than one camera angle around the tracks would be excellent, and possibly using the same method to switch camera modes already. First person > Third person > First person Choco > Third person Choco > Cinematic view would be nice, in case a player feels like moving around in the chocobo stadium, to get better seats or whatever they wish.

Also, I believe chocobo racing should be a poor man's sport. With Aht Urghan came loads and loads of content for the people over level 50 and that holds especially true for players 65. Having items to increase speed before the race just further spoils characters that have been playing longer than others.

[sevenpointflaw]

Re: Feedback, Chocobo Raising (From SquareEnix)

I like the idea of poor-man's sport, so perhaps not a +movement speed, but if foods were generally available (easily grown, npc purchased, etc.) foods still could be vailable. And while choco racing should be available to the masses, some way other than breeding - that is, something about the races themselves and your willingness to win and success in doing so - should definitly, definitly reflect your ability to do better in subsequent races (even if jockies aren't a reasonable addition).

I do think that a battery of low-level synths would be worthwhile, something within the realm of of 30's and lower could add depth to racing without endagering poor-man's accesability. Clothcraft: Chocobo Socks to reduce fatigue (if there is fatiuge), foods I have mentioned, leathercraft and smithing for saddle and bit/bridle to keep chocos to better handle control related things (come from behind, sprint, etc.).

Systems are in place already such as giving items to Luto, as well as equiping puppets, and blue magic, too alow pre-race adjustments. And again, as long as synthing levels are kept low, they are fairly resonably added.

Which brings me to race types.

If options such as those were available you now have he option for different cups like you say. Perhaps the Chiefteness of the Mithra feels that chocobo skill is better based on the chocobo alone. In this cup you have no access to items.

In the Kingdom Cup, perhaps to honor the nature of the cavalry oriented history behind San d'Oria's use of the chickens, they allow equipment but not foods.

I think a variety of options makes for more fun in this case, with perhaps as you suggested the big wins being along the lines of pure chocobo skill.

As for riding your own chocobo around I think that is an awesome, totally perfectly awesome idea. Perhaps the allowing of instancing like is done with Assault to allow people to actually race thier own chocobos. Since the tracks are instanced, player-run, player-races could be possible.

If you want to affect the economy, put a marginal fee into it, such as is done with ballista, and perhaps restrict entry in a way similar to how assault is done - that is, only X number per week. In fact, 1000gil for three instances seems very reasonably, with your access to the instanced player run races renewable every conqeust tally. While official races then become run by NPC chocobos, players still have vailable self-run races. In this way people can do whatever they want without influencing the official races.

As for prizes, there are a whole bunch of possibilities. 1-3 have thier entrance fees returned, while over all winnings are split among the top four owners. Key itme cirtificates of completion could be used to unlock access to bigger races (note - completion, not winning, still making them accessable to average players), key items for intermediate sized races.

Big races should, if you ask me, be acompanied with furnature trophy.

Anyother way to address economy of racing is to do a ballista point-like system. While I think that you are right to say this needs to be available to everyone with the expansion, I don't see anything wrong with enclosing the econmics to some degree. If you are charing, for example, 1000g for a weeks worth of access to instanced races, why not allow chocobo points to be spent as well? Want to raise a new chocobo? Make many of the greens purchasable with points - they are also available via gardening and other means, but RMT can still affect those. Without setting a gil limit, you can manage the impact on the economy by outside influences if you allow alternate means to gain items.

Anyhow. Just my mad ramble additions for now. I really like the idea of instanced access to the races though.

[Kilandor]

Re: Feedback, Chocobo Raising (From SquareEnix)

I didn't read all of the above posts but here are my ideas

Yes, This needs to be done in a way where the GilSellers, And Players in General are unable to monoplize, and rape everyone else on items needed for it. Or just simply make all the items EX.

Yes They also need to have it so people on slower connections are not at a disadvantage, I think AI controled chocobo would be best, but maybe with options to beable to do soemthing like back in FFVII Where you could give your chocobo a temporary speed boost.

[Caspian]

Re: Feedback, Chocobo Raising (From SquareEnix)

Betting I think would have to be on system that was player driven, but NPC supported (to keep people from opening /sh loan sharks mroe than they already will).

Agreed, but I'm betting people start doing personal side bets and such and this ends up happening anyway. Why take the houses odds etc., when I can get a real person to give me actual odds based on what everyone is betting? (Note: This is just as bad as casinos, I'm just playing devil's advocate.)
Besides, how does one go about breaking another character's thumbs in this game anyway?

I don't like that we can't ride our own chocobo, but I understand it the reasoning.
If they are going to do gambling, then winnings should be based on fluctuating odds. (For those who don't gamble, I mean that if a ton of people bet on the same choco, then his odds of winning go way up and you don't make hardly any money at all. Would also prevent people from fixing races by entering a ton of weak chocos and one good one.) Also, I'm guessing there will be some sort of purse to the winner. Sticking with sevenpoint's idea to not create new gil, the money (if its not an item) should come from a percentage of the money gambled. Could screw you over if not very many people gamble on the race you win, but could be huge for that big race where everyone over lvl 21 () bets.

[kuu]

Re: Feedback, Chocobo Raising (From SquareEnix)

Gambling for gil is not a problem on inflation if you don't have continous events.

Daily events, like every xx vanadiel days (to avoid repeated timezones, i.e. RSE)

With set prices.

Satistically you can calculate the amount of gil given out vs the amount of fee entering vs the opportunity cost of farming/gardening/crafting but instead raising chocobos.

If it's popular enough, instead of inflate, it would deflate.

RMT would have no intrest in income, that are
1: restricted to limits (daily, monthly)
2: low odds
3: heavily regulated

I.E. They rather farm for 10k an hour then try gamble for 50k, like any business. ROI is important.

Why do you think casino make money. Customers win and lose, but the house always wins, because it's all math to them. Isn't Satistics evil.

[Thott]

Re: Feedback, Chocobo Raising (From SquareEnix)

If you set it so you can only bet once per day that would be good or else rmt would just for loose/win to get the winning bet everytime... But I can say that no matter what there will be people shouting for bets.... not sure how it is gonna work but I know it will happen... I would like to see it so people from the outside also have control over who wins, aka giving chocos treats or cherring them on from the outside... sounds dumb but if there are bets then this would help.
I do belive though there should be a player controlled race that bets are not allowed on so people can have fun with controlling them, even if they hack it won't be counted on so it is all fun and no loss

[MisterCookie]

Re: Feedback, Chocobo Raising (From SquareEnix)

I like the idea of no-player control: It would only take one speedhacker to ruin everyone's race.

[Thott]

Re: Feedback, Chocobo Raising (From SquareEnix)

But you should still be able to have a race where you can control it, just make it so no one wins anything of it

[avi]

Re: Feedback, Chocobo Raising (From SquareEnix)

Non-Racing: I'm hopping that there will be an item used to sumon your chocobo in an outside zone, A la WOW mounts.

Racing: I would like to see multiple camera angles as well, ut as for the rider, I would like it if the person inviovles(the racer) would be viewable on his chocobo. Like, If I put my choco up for a race, I would be seen on him, although I would have no control.

As for the betting, Within 2 days players will have figured out how to put up sutible odds, so aside from the player gambling system I think an NPC run betting house would be useless. that being said, I like the Idea of a ranking sysyem based on wins/losses, If an NPC run sysytem could be run based on odds made from those rankings, I belive it would be suceful.

In closing....I wanna ride my chcocbo from windy to jueno....thats all I want.