Alpha Manual details uncovered! Gameinformer has the secrets!

[Gman]

Re: Alpha Manual details uncovered! Gameinformer has the secrets!

Could you message me the link or how you found it?

That blog Ziero linked to has links in it to the rapidshare/mega-upload sites.

[Pwnagraphic]

Re: Alpha Manual details uncovered! Gameinformer has the secrets!

Do we HAVE to have a lastname? I hope not.

[Takelli]

Re: Alpha Manual details uncovered! Gameinformer has the secrets!

Wow... Never seen that before. Thanks for the post!

[Ziero]

Re: Alpha Manual details uncovered! Gameinformer has the secrets!

It's looking like we do, every SS of player characters had full names.

[Takelli]

Re: Alpha Manual details uncovered! Gameinformer has the secrets!

It's looking like we do, every SS of player characters had full names.

Yes we do. It says that we have to in some of the leaked info some where on this sight...

Edit: I'm looking at the list of abilities, and I am seeing a few nice combination. Such as....

Luminous Spire - Imbue your blade with brilliance, increasing attack power by ** and dealing astral damage. Reduces magic defense of the target and blinds other nearby targets.

With...

??? - Sacrifice X blood in a sacrificial rite, enhancing magic potency.

Then just slam the foe with a nuke...

Seems like you will need to level other classes to make the best potential for one.

[Kailea]

Re: Alpha Manual details uncovered! Gameinformer has the secrets!

Do we HAVE to have a lastname? I hope not.

yes you do, it will be a requirement.

[Gobo]

Re: Alpha Manual details uncovered! Gameinformer has the secrets!

I have to agree, the soundtrack is really nice. Really like the vocal track. I'ma bit sad that I will be too busy when school starts to play, but getting to listen to the music is fine with me.

[Takelli]

Re: Alpha Manual details uncovered! Gameinformer has the secrets!

I have to agree, the soundtrack is really nice. Really like the vocal track. I'ma bit sad that I will be too busy when school starts to play, but getting to listen to the music is fine with me.

I wish mine would finish downloading... Really want to listen to it to see how it sounds...

At least they got fanfare music lol.

[Solymir]

Re: Alpha Manual details uncovered! Gameinformer has the secrets!

Check the OP, I posted the article and some pics.

Thank you TGM. I was very disappointed when I couldn't see what people were commenting about.

Edit: I would like to have more than two names. Many moons ago when I created my first character I had to pick a name and thought of my favorite character from Heros of Might and Magic IV Solmyr ibn Wali Barad. Unfortunately at the time I had not played that campaign in a while and typed it as Solymir. It would be nice to give the name it's proper due.

[Malacite]

Re: Alpha Manual details uncovered! Gameinformer has the secrets!

Wait where is this link? I wants me some OST...

[Olorin401]

Re: Alpha Manual details uncovered! Gameinformer has the secrets!

Just a heads-up for everyone here.. irc.gamesurge.net #ffxivleaks has open, uncensored discussion of the various "contraband" items that have been found so far.

[Cryxen]

Re: Alpha Manual details uncovered! Gameinformer has the secrets!

yes you do, it will be a requirement.

There's still a chance that if they hear enough complaints, they'll remove it from the final version.


This just in, in Final Fantasy XIX you'll need to name your ancestory.

Stupid name, son of fag-face, son of bad-pun, son of a bitch.

[Kailea]

Re: Alpha Manual details uncovered! Gameinformer has the secrets!

There's still a chance that if they hear enough complaints, they'll remove it from the final version.


This just in, in Final Fantasy XIX you'll need to name your ancestory.

Stupid name, son of fag-face, son of bad-pun, son of a bitch.

its called a RPG, be creative -.- not that hard

[Malacite]

Re: Alpha Manual details uncovered! Gameinformer has the secrets!

From what I remember reading, the way it works is you can type in the first name and then the first letter of the last name, or vice versa when you want to send a /tell. Oh noes, one extra letter. And is it really that big of a pain to try and come up with some kind of last mame? At the very least it should cut down on the "XxxSephiroth" idiots and people who intentionally misspell names.

The Alpha Test - Hands On! :: Final Fantasy XIV (FFXIV) at ZAM

Fiinal Fantasy XIVFinal Fantasy XIVThe Alpha Test - Hands On!3 hours 27 minutes ago by Elmer

In the latest Famitsu, magazine writers were able to get a up close and personal look at the Final Fantasy XIV Alpha Test! They wrote all about what players can expect, and provided some very juicy information and pictures for us to enjoy.

Discuss this in the ZAM Forums!

Character Creation

Famitsu boasts that the character creation system is so deep, you'll be nitpicking your avatar setting all day long trying to get it just right. Even the alpha, while not complete, has a considerable amount of variations available such as face type, skin color, hair style and body size. There are even smaller details, like putting highlights or streaks in your hair, that are customizable. There will be brand new aspects of your character to select as well -- there will even be a number of different voice types.

The character creation process begins with selecting one's race and customizing the avatar. Once your character is complete, you begin the game and set up your Class, birthday and Guardian Diety. What effects one's Guardian Diety will have in game are unknown at this time. Once all those steps are complete, you choose your name, which as we know consists of both a first and last name.

Seamless Fields and Instanced Areas

Leaving a town brings you into the Field Area where you have your adventures. FFXIV will have a seamless transition between areas that requires no loading time. From their experience with the game, Famitsu says this really gives Eorzea the feeling of a wide, expansive world. In addition, the background music transitions naturally between the areas you traverse.

A new addition, familiar to many MMO players, is the Instanced Area. This is where a private copy of an area is created, into which only you and your party can enter. These will be used in FFXIV for special events, an example being when cut scenes take place in order to eliminate outside effects and noise, allowing the player to enjoy their cut scene in peace.

The Menu System

Status & Equip: Opens up the Status & Equip screen (pictured below)

Action: Unknown... may contain commands like Trade, Craft etc?

Physical Bonus: Unknown... a place to allocate points to stats?

Item: Displays your inventory

Journal: Opens up your Guildleve menus

Party: Opens up party-related lists/functions

Map: Displays the full area map

Teleport: Instantly move to any Aetheryte you have visited at least once

Warp: Instantly return to the last Aetheryte you visited

Logout: Leave Eorzea and return to the harsh banality of Earth



Guildleve and the Battle System

Guildleves are like "quests" that you can undertake by visiting an adventurer's guild in a city. The contents of a Guildleve can vary player to player, and you can attempt them alone or with a group. To begin your selected Guildleve, first you must seek out Aetheryte in a Field Area. Players can move instantly to Aetheryte they have visited once before by selecting the "Teleport" command.

The difficulty of a Guildleve changes based on your selected party size. However, the party sizes are not selected directly, but rather through 5 different categories.

Now, as a big kanji nut, something that I found interesting that I'm going to bore you with here is: Judging from what is revealed in Famitsu, the party sizes are described through å››å—熟語 (yo-ji-juku-go) or four-character idioms. These are terms constructed of four kanji that together hold a profound meaning. Many of these terms cannot be translated directly, or take entire sentences just to explain -- they are tough for even native Japanese to remember! Often times, you will see them translated as clever puns or a play on words that keeps it snappy while attempting to capture the original meaning.

Here are the party sizes and difficulty levels from ☆(easy) to ☆☆☆☆☆(hard) Party sizes are approximated based on what we know, i.e. recommended parties are 6-8 members, and the max is 15 members.

☆ - å¤è»å¥®é—˜ (ko-gun-fun-tou) - A Lone Fighting Force , (solo)

☆☆ - å°‘æ•°ç²¾é‹ (shou-suu-sei-ei) - An Elite Few , (below 6 members)

☆☆☆ - 推奨人数 (sui-shou-nin-zuu) - Recommened Party Size, (6-8 party)

☆☆☆☆ - 千軍万馬 (sen-gun-ban-ba) - A Great Army *lit. 1,000 Units & 10,000 Horses* , (9+ members)

☆☆☆☆☆ - 人海戦術 (jin-kai-sen-jutsu) - A Vertiable Ocean of People *similar in meaning to swarm/zerg* , (~ 15 members)



Many Guildleves involved combat, and the Famitsu team was kind enough to explain the flow of combat below:

1) Target your enemy - Find the enemy you wish to attack and select it. Once selected, the L3 button will initiate Target Lock, keeping you facing the enemy's direction.

2) Ready your weapon - Move your cursor over your weapon of choice and press Circle. Once selected, R1 will take out your weapon and ready your stance. Now you are in "Active Mode" and able to engage the enemy.

3) Select your commands - A list of your commands is displayed at the bottom of the screen. Underneath each icon is a gauge showing how much time remains until they are ready for use.

4) Store up your Action Gauge - Once your Action Gauge is full, you can activate commands. To boost their effect, store up the Effect Gauge.

5) Using the Effect Gauge - You can activate commands immediately, or you can enhance their effects by storing up your Effect Gauge. This gauge is constantly building, so timing is important. Below you can see there are three levels to the Effect Gauge.

Convenience and Travel Time

Aetheryte provides the foundation for adventure for all players. It exists out in Field Areas as well as inside cities. Aetheryte serves as a the launching point for a Guildleve and the destination for Teleport. All players are able to use Teleport right from the start. In addition, once a quest is complete, an Aethereal Node will appear, allowing players to easily warp back to the original Aetheryte they came from. Everything is designed to allow players to move around and enjoy the game with ease.

Freedom of Growth

In FFXIV, what most MMO players know as "levels" will be the character's "Physical Level." Points you accumulate in battle can be freely spent on HP/MP, physical strength, intelligence or a variety of other parameters. In other words, you can focus on one aspect of your character, or aim for balance between all stats. The ultimate decision regarding the direction of the character is completely up to the player.





Alpha Test Hands-On Report

The team from Famitsu were able to create characters and try out the Alpha Version of FFXIV. They put their experiences into two write-ups -- one for Disciples of War and one for Disciples of Magic. Here are the key points of what they had to say.

Kikuo Saji: Roegadyn, Disciple of War, Pugilist

- The Character Creation system is so deep, you'll spend all day tweaking your avatar

- Don't fret too much over Class, you can change at anytime by changing your weapon

- The size difference between Roegadyn and Lalafell is quite massive

- You'll love the variety of new emotes -- Lalefell are especially adorable

- Aetheryte warps you right to where you need to go for Guildleves

- Guildleve difficulty is split into 5 levels, 1 star (easy) 5 stars (hard)

- The locations of target monsters for Guildleve are clearly displayed on your map

- There is a "weakened state" after dying -- HP/MP are lowered and it lasts for 5 minutes

- The game feels incredibly expansive, and it feels like you could walk on forever

- Crabs are back! Apparently Kikuo Saji found a giant one outside town that killed him in one strike!

Opone Kikuchi: Lalafell, Disciple of Magic, Thaumaturge

- There is so much more to do in the alpha compared with the Gamescom version 7 months ago

- Again, feels character creation is like a day's work in and of itself

- Once your MP is spent, you cannot recover it through resting

- Disciples of Magic have a basic magical ranged attack that does not consume MP

- It is possible to move while casting magic, but still important to be aware of the area of effect your spell will cover when cast

- Sheathing your weapon puts you into Passive Mode, which begins to recover HP, making it possible for even magic users to solo effectively

---------- Post added at 08:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:44 PM ----------

OH HOLY CRAP YOU CAN SEE ACCURACY NOW!




So, it seems SE has decided to take a Diablo-style approach with stats, letting us pick & choose what stats to boost as we gain physical levels/points.

So I can infact, be a "gimp" magical race if I like how it looks and then put all my points into magic abilities...

Thank you SE, thank you. XIV is going to ROCK!

[Kailea]

Re: Alpha Manual details uncovered! Gameinformer has the secrets!

wait how would that one letter thign work? I dont think that is how it can be done


Kailea Highwind
Kailea Hareball



how would the game know who to send the /tell to if you just typed in Kailea "H"?

I am sure the syntax for it is

/tell <first name> <last name> <message>