Letter from the Producer, IX (05/02/2011)

[DakAttack]

Letter from the Producer, IX (05/02/2011)

Next big patch coming in mid-June, and will bring with it a slightly more expanded world space as well as the next round of battle system adjustments.

[Grizzlebeard]

Re: Letter from the Producer, IX (05/02/2011)

The burning question in my mind is just how long can they continue to offer a F2P game. Sooner or later they're going to have to brace themselves and reintroduce the billing cycle.

Nice screenshots. Makes me all the sadder this'll probably never see the PS3.

[DakAttack]

Re: Letter from the Producer, IX (05/02/2011)

It'll see the PS3, but it wont look anywhere near as pretty or have nearly the same draw distance. Imagine having only 256MB of RAM to stuff maps, models, and textures into.

[Kailea]

Re: Letter from the Producer, IX (05/02/2011)

moving along at a steady pace, nice to see we will soon be at Beta 1.8 ^.^

The game is honestly getting better every patch, and it gives me the chance to scratch that MMORPG itch without paying anything ;p

When it comes out for PS3 (my guess would be NOV or DEC of 2011) it will be a much more polished game, and will be ready for P2P

This was honestly a simple case of a game being released a year before it should have been. But in the long run, its all good ;p

[Aeni]

Re: Letter from the Producer, IX (05/02/2011)

This was honestly a simple case of a game being released a year before it should have been. But in the long run, its all good ;p

I think part of that problem was the mixed responses they got from players. It seemed like half the players were like, "It's good and ready for launch!" and half of them were "no way this should see the light of day". I think corporate greed and developer "pride" shot itself in the foot.

I'm just waiting on server transfer service ... unless we get a good and active group on Palamecia. I just hate the fact that I live where I live and am between two zones: "I'm going to bed now" and "I just got home from work". There's never anyone around to do anything with when I'm on

[Etra]

Re: Letter from the Producer, IX (05/02/2011)

I think part of that problem was the mixed responses they got from players. It seemed like half the players were like, "It's good and ready for launch!" and half of them were "no way this should see the light of day". I think corporate greed and developer "pride" shot itself in the foot.

I'm just waiting on server transfer service ... unless we get a good and active group on Palamecia. I just hate the fact that I live where I live and am between two zones: "I'm going to bed now" and "I just got home from work". There's never anyone around to do anything with when I'm on

At least you have people to play with if you stay on late enough. I get on and I have to do leves or whatever by my lonesome.

[jenova_9]

Re: Letter from the Producer, IX (05/02/2011)

It'll see the PS3, but it wont look anywhere near as pretty or have nearly the same draw distance. Imagine having only 256MB of RAM to stuff maps, models, and textures into.

Mew mew mew! So what? It will still look better than PS2 FFXI, and that is still very good looking for an mmorpg (far better graphics than the majority of mmorpgs out there.)

So ya, people who like mmorpgs aren't graphics critics!

It's only May and they are already making good progress! Months from now things will be even more amazing! =^^=

Oh yes and FFXIV Online's ongoing success after the F2P period is over largely depends on the PS3 launch, which will grab much more attention than simply promoting the PC version all over again.

Well not sure if they will have an expansion ready in the coming months, but I think an expansion title will make PC gamers think it isn't simply FFXIV 1.2 Maybe treating the upcoming content in the form of a 'free' expansion could be a nice marketing strategy so FFXIV looks more new and upgraded with the expansion title and promotional art/list of additions!

[DakAttack]

Re: Letter from the Producer, IX (05/02/2011)

Mew mew mew! So what? It will still look better than PS2 FFXI, and that is still very good looking for an mmorpg (far better graphics than the majority of mmorpgs out there.)

So ya, people who like mmorpgs aren't graphics critics!

It's only May and they are already making good progress! Months from now things will be even more amazing! =^^=

Oh yes and FFXIV Online's ongoing success after the F2P period is over largely depends on the PS3 launch, which will grab much more attention than simply promoting the PC version all over again.

Well not sure if they will have an expansion ready in the coming months, but I think an expansion title will make PC gamers think it isn't simply FFXIV 1.2 Maybe treating the upcoming content in the form of a 'free' expansion could be a nice marketing strategy so FFXIV looks more new and upgraded with the expansion title and promotional art/list of additions!

What could expansions expand upon? There isn't enough content there to build on.

[jenova_9]

Re: Letter from the Producer, IX (05/02/2011)

What could expansions expand upon? There isn't enough content there to build on.

That's because they might be saving the upcoming content (the big content stuff no one knows about yet.) like maybe most of it, as a part of a free expansion plan. (kind of like how the U.S. region PS2 version came with Rise of the Zilart for free). So by treating the content as 'expansion', even though it would be equivalent to simply adding updates normally, they can convince people the withheld content is like expansion-level content!

That or they are building more content as we speak, besides the content being saved for release later in the months, so that 4th quarter, they will have so much content that it will surprise many and feel like an expansion!

Because there is likely lots of stuff they intentionally haven't released yet, like Ishgard city, missions, items, classes, high level NMs, cutscenes, more zones/locations and more!

[Armando]

Re: Letter from the Producer, IX (05/02/2011)

So by treating the content as 'expansion', even though it would be equivalent to simply adding updates normally, they can convince people the withheld content is like expansion-level content!

FFXI's add-ons barely count as expansions as it is and you have to pay for them. You think SE can convince people that periodic patches are a free expansion? Lol.

[Taskmage]

Re: Letter from the Producer, IX (05/02/2011)

Because there is likely lots of stuff they intentionally haven't released yet, like Ishgard city, missions, items, classes, high level NMs, cutscenes, more zones/locations and more!

If SE is intentionally withholding completed content while their players complain of nothing to do and lose interest, they seriously do not deserve to be in this business.

[jenova_9]

Re: Letter from the Producer, IX (05/02/2011)

If SE is intentionally withholding completed content while their players complain of nothing to do and lose interest, they seriously do not deserve to be in this business.

nuuu! the producer said it is better to fix existing problems and finalize the gameplay changes and stuff, before adding the rest of the content! Adding that content now will not help that much if the gameplay details are still not finalized and smoothened out. Releasing that content now would be like adding furniture to a house still under construction, mew! That's why it's still free to play because they are fixing things before adding the big stuff! Well they already have been adding stuff like a few NMs and items, but this stuff takes time!

[Aeni]

Re: Letter from the Producer, IX (05/02/2011)

nuuu! the producer said it is better to fix existing problems and finalize the gameplay changes and stuff, before adding the rest of the content! Adding that content now will not help that much if the gameplay details are still not finalized and smoothened out. Releasing that content now would be like adding furniture to a house still under construction, mew! That's why it's still free to play because they are fixing things before adding the big stuff! Well they already have been adding stuff like a few NMs and items, but this stuff takes time!

Content is being released and is scheduled over the next few weeks. This isn't expansion ... this is content that players already paid for with their "box". Future content that will come with expansions, i.e., the stuff you pay for, will mostly likely not be on the horizon for many, many months to come. From what I understand, the level 50 cap and subsequent "end game" content is currently lined up for the next year, year and a half. Cap will be lifted in the expansion, as well as any potentially new classes. This is why I said that I'm skeptical about any new classes being released for this "vanilla" release.

[jenova_9]

Re: Letter from the Producer, IX (05/02/2011)

Content is being released and is scheduled over the next few weeks. This isn't expansion ... this is content that players already paid for with their "box". Future content that will come with expansions, i.e., the stuff you pay for, will mostly likely not be on the horizon for many, many months to come. From what I understand, the level 50 cap and subsequent "end game" content is currently lined up for the next year, year and a half. Cap will be lifted in the expansion, as well as any potentially new classes. This is why I said that I'm skeptical about any new classes being released for this "vanilla" release.

oh ya I misused the word expansion for the coming content, but I still think there will be class(es) added before the first expansion. Stuff like Musketeer, Fencer, in data are probably content already finalized or close to completion and they might be saving it after they release and test the battle update plans that could dramatically change some abilities/etc.

[Freelancer]

Re: Letter from the Producer, IX (05/02/2011)

I wonder what do they mean by battle changes, the letter isn't clear enough on that, its either adding new elements to the battle in general or just re-balancing classes, which is what I think will happen.

With classes like THM and ARC dominating lately, I can see them getting nerfed or maybe the others getting buffed. (or just changing the mobs AI/abilities/attributes to handle this).