Development Team Q&A - May 2008

[Feba]

Re: Development Team Q&A - May 2008

Yes, because Bercus would have asked about the Mycophile Cuffs NM

With the inanity of his other questions, I wouldn't be one bit surprised.

[Gobo]

Re: Development Team Q&A - May 2008

In case you were wondering, he got his questions from this lovely list of suggestions

Cause its big

Key:
- = Description
+ = Suggestion

Einherjar/Dynamis/Salvage/Limbus:

* Scaling possibilities.
* Einherjar reward adjustments.
-Increase drop rates on Abjurations.
+Make the Sheep monster more common.
+Increase Abjuration drop rate with each tier.
* Hourglass fee reduction.
+Lower the cost of Perpetual Hourglass similar to what was done with Limbus.
+Create a seperate, cheaper Hourglass for CoP-Dynamis zones since they have a shorter time limit.
* Drop rate of Lv.35 armor in Salvage.
-Drop rate on Lv.35 pieces is horrible, even with Treasure Hunter 4.
+Adjust the drop rate on NMs that drop said armor.
* Drop rate of AF in Icelands-Dynamis.
-Drop rate on Relic Armor in Dynamis Xarcabard & Beaucedine is much lower than City zones.
+Adjust the drop rate on monsters. Maybe just on NM monsters?
* Drop rate of everything in CoP-Dynamis.
-CoP Dynamis zones have a horrible drop rate compared to other zones, yet the entry fee is the same even though less time is allowed.
+Adjust the drop rate to be comparable to City zones.
* Drop rate in Silver Seas Remnants compared to other zones.
-Armor/Cell drop rates are much lower compared to other Remnants areas.
+Adjust drop rates to be comparable to other Remnants areas.
* Addition of upgrade materials to Chariot drop pools.
-Many players have trouble acquiring the materials needed for Salvage Armor.
+Implement ways for players to get these items through Salvage.
+Suggestion: Add drops to Chariot Bosses. Possibly as items that Desynth into needed materials.
* Addition of Assault Points for defeating Chariots.
-Many groups ignore Chariots until drops from them are needed.
+Implementation of Assault Point rewards adds a new reason for players to clear the zone (beat the Chariot) and further allows said players to continue to participate regularly in Salvage.
* Adjustment to Salvage similar to Limbus where Treasure isn't lost when time runs out in timed events.
-Many players lose items due to defeating NMs with little time left.
+Allow treasure to stay in the treasure pool as normal when removed from the zone.
+If selling of the Rare/Exclusive items is an issue, create a waiting room with a timer for players to be warped to at the expiration of the 100 minutes granted so items can be lotted by participating players.
* Reasoning for the Sheep being so rare in Einherjar.
* Info on Mad Bomber spawning location conditions.
-The NM Mad Bomber seems to appear randomly on each side.
+Are there factors that determine which side it will spawn?
* Option to use Nyzul Tokens to buy a Remnants Permit.
-Many players wish to do both Nyzul Isle Investigation Assaults and Salvage, but can't due to Nyzul Isle offering no Assault Points.
+Allow players to purchase a Remnants Permit through the use of Nyzul Tokens.
+Allow players to gain Assault Points from Nyzul Isle Investigation assaults.
* Non-Assault methods to obtain Remnants Permits.
-Many players would like to do Salvage on a regular/daily basis. However many would also like to use their points on Assault Rewards or are unable to attain the required amounts.
+Implement ways for players to obtain a Remnants Permit without the use of Assault Points.
+Possible method: Repeatable Quest rewards. Maybe mutiple quests that can be done each Conquest Week.
* Participation reward for Einherjar even for losing.
-Many players feel that Einherjar isn't worth it unless you a large amount of members and can clear the chambers due to the event not being scalable.
+Implementation of a partial Ampoule reward.
* Adjustment to timers from 3 day wait to twice per conquest.
-Many Linkshells have players that can only make events on certain times/days making the 3 day cooldown period hard to plan events at times.
+Adjust current Dynamis/Limbus/Einherjar timers from 3 days wait to "Twice each Conquest Week" similar to the "Requiem of Sin" BCNM.
* Adjustment to Salvage set bonuses to include bonuses for having less than the full set.
-Many jobs don't make use of full Salvage Armor sets.
+Adjust the Set Bonus so that it is similar to Campaign Armor where you receive a slight bonus for each piece after the first in the set.
* Seperation of RoZ-Dynamis & CoP-Dynamis entrance timers.
-Many players would like to do both types of Dynamis, but due to the Cost:Reward for CoP-Dynamis, most tend to do RoZ-Dynamis.
+Seperate the entry timers so they are seperate events.


Campaign:

* Reasoning behind Campaign Ops disappearing from list.
* Expansion of Campaign Map to include start time of battles.
-Many players warp out to areas to participate in current campaign battles only to get there as it ends.
+Include the start time (Vana'Diel time?) of current battles on the Campaign Map when checking area information.
* Possible Skill Ups in Campaign.
-Players would like to skill up while doing Campaign.
+Allow players to skill up on monsters similar to Besieged.
* /ignorenpc command.
-Many players hate having to go through numerous NPCs to find their target.
+Implement an /ignorenpc command similar to /ignorepet.


Equipment Related:

* Upgrades to Zilart Abjuration Armor.
+Implement new armor that uses Zilart Abjuration Armor as a requirement in the creation.
* Upgrades to Homam/Nashira/Assault armors.
+Implementation of +1 versions.
* Customizable Equipment.
-Players would like equipment that is more customizable.
+Implementation of items that when traded to an NPC with a piece of armor will add the stat(s) listed on the item.
+If listing these items on the Auction House is an issue, items can become Exclusive.
* Method to change/request ToAU Mission Reward Ring.
+Allow players to change/request their Ring. Maybe similar to CoP Ring?
* More information on "Latent/Hidden Effect" items that aren't known.
-Are there more items that have unlisted effects like the item "Carbuncle Mitts"?
+List of items that have unlisted Hidden Effects.
+Descriptions for what triggers the Latent Effect on items marked as such.
* More equipement that has "Avatar Perpetuation-X" and/or "Blood Pact-X".
-These are the 2 most important stats to Summoners, yet they are rare to find.
+Implement more Equipment that has these stat bonuses.
* Adjustment to Armor Storing NPCs to store single pieces similar to Event Storage NPCs.
* Consideration for Blue Mage to equip Justice Sword.
* Reasoning behind Puppetmaster equipment options.
-Puppetmasters seem to be given most mage equipment even though they are supposed to be a front line job.
+Is there a reason why Puppetmaster gets access to most Mage-related gear and gets left out with most Melee-related gear?
* Item consolidation (ex. Combining all Obis, Elemental Staves, etc)
-Many players use up alot of inventory space that deal with the various elements.
+Implement a quest where players are able to combine these items. (Ex. Trading all 8 Elemental Obis from the "In the Name of Science" quest to create a "Prism Obi". Lesser items can be a possibility using Skillchain names (Ex. Fire Staff + Light Staff to create Fusion Staff).)
* Reasoning behind Octave Club.
-Why is it based on levels?
* More gear comparable to/better than gear released with RoZ.
+Would Salvage/Einherjar be considered the solution to this?
* Equipment quality should be comparable to the time invested in acquiring it.
* Nyzul Relic Weapons.
-What is the current status of them?
+Release a timeline regarding plans for them as well as developer thoughts on the designing of them in regards to stats.
* More adjusting of existing gear to support newer jobs (Blu/Pup/Cor/Dnc/Sch).
-Many of the newer jobs are left out when it comes to existing gear.
+Consideration of jobs to current gear that fits with their roles (Ex. Sch - Nashira set, Morrigan's Robe set, Zenith set; Dnc - Homam set, Skadi set, Hecatomb set; Pup - Shura set; etc.)
* More equipment that grants "Blue Magic Skill".
* Implementation of more Claim Slips including but not limited to Salvage/Assault/Nyzul/Etc. Armor Sets.
+Allow players to store full sets of Salvage/Assault/Nyzul/Etc. armor.
* Timeline for Relic Armor/+1 and Artifact+1 for Blue Mage/Puppetmaster/Corsair/Dancer/Scholar.
+Release of a timeline showing plans of when AF+1 and Relic Armor/+1 will be released.
* Adjustment to Relic Weapons.
-Many players feel that most Relic Weapons aren't worth the cost to upgrade them. And with the addition of new weapons, some are only slightly better than options that are easier & cheaper to obtain.
+Adjust Relic Weapons so that they are worth the investment required to obtain them and aren't easily replaced by "everyday" weapons.
* More ways to get King items.
-Many players don't have the numbers to participate effectively in Einherjar for Abjurations and feel that they cannot compete against 3rd Party programs some use at HNM camps.
+Implementation of alternate ways for groups to attain these rare items.


Job Specific: (Will break this down by job later)

* Attachments to reduce Overload for all elements.
+Implement attachments for the remaining elements that reduce the chance of Overload.
* Enhancements to the Black Mage job.
-Many players feel that Black Mage is inferior to Scholar.
+Addition of a job ability that is only available to Black Mage as a main job.
+More Black Mage exclusive spells. (Ex. Aspir II)
* Adjustment of Blue Mage Physical Spells to factor in Main Hand Weapon.
-Players feel that the attack rating of their weapon should be factored into spell damage.
* Beastmasters being able to raise pets similar to the Puppetmaster/Automaton relationship.
-Beastmasters would like to be able to raise pets similar to the way a Puppetmaster raises their Automaton.
* MP Restoring ability for Whm.
-Every other magic based job has a unique way to restore mp except White Mage.
+Implement a new spell/ability that would allow MP restoration for White Mages.
* Adjustment to Puppetmaster ability "Activate".
-Players feel that the 20 minute timer is too long due to how fragile the Automaton is.
+Lower the recast timer of the ability Activate.
* Adjustment/Inclusion of spells for Elemental Spirits.
-Many Elemental Spirits are either lacking spells they should have or tend to use spells that are of no use.
+Reevaluate the spells used by Elemental Spirits and add/remove spells as needed.
+Adjust the AI of Elemental Spirits so they don't cast worthless spells. (Ex. Silence on monsters that don't cast.)
* Increased # of buffs transferred with Empathy.
-Players would like to see more Enhancing Spells transferred per merit with the Empathy Trait.
+Increase the amount of Statuses transferred per merit.
+Raise the limit of Merits allowable on the Empathy Trait.
* Info on provocation of Stun Effect from Violent Flourish.
-Are there any stats that affect the Stun Effect of Violent Flourish?
* More Flourish options. (Dispel, Enfeebling Based)
-Despite the uniqueness of the job and capabilities, Dancer is still a less desired job.
+Implement new Flourishes with Enfeebling Magic based effects as well as a Dispel based Flourish.
* Allow Beastmaster to zone without losing their jug pet.
-Whenever a Beastmaster changes zones, they lose their jug pet.
+Allow Beastmasters to keep their jug pets when changing zones similar to the way other pet jobs do.
* Finishing the "Ni" line of spells for Ninja.
-Players are still waiting for the Ni line of spells to be completed.
+Implement the following spells: "Jubaku: Ni", "Dokumori: Ni", "Monomi: Ni".
* Adjustment to the timer of the Divine Veil effect.
-With Scholar's capabilities, Divine Veil is no longer a White Mage only effect.
+Seperate Divine Veil from the Divine Seal timer.
* Increase to Puppetmaster Hand to Hand skill.
-Players feel that Puppetmaster Hand-to-Hand skill is too low. Raising the skill wouldn't overpower them due to the Equipment options available.
+Raise the Hand-to-Hand skill cap for Puppetmaster.
* Extension of duration of Puppetmaster Maneuvers.
-Many players feel that the duration of Automaton maneuvers is too short.
+Increase the length of Maneuvers.
* Adjustment to Automaton AI. (Casting spells on monsters where they'll have no effect.)
-Spellcasting Automatons tend to cast useless spells.
-Automatons prioritize status healing over curing even with the "Damage Gauge" attachment.
-Automatons will use the highest cure regardless of the amount of HP lost.
+Adjust Automaton AI so they won't cast useless spells. (Ex. Silence on Beetles, Aspir on Warrior type monsters.)
+Prioritize Puppetmaster Curing over status healing.
+Adjust Automaton AI so it will use Cure spells more effectively.
* Future plans for Ninja main job.
-A few years ago the Ninja class was considered to be overpowered. Due to changes for other jobs and the lack of updates for the job, this is no longer the case.
-Will Ninjas ever see a signifigant change?
* Paladin exclusive spell(s).
-Dark Knights have plenty of magic exclusive to their job while Paladins have none.
-Are there any plans to implement Paladin exclusive spells?
* Consideration of a Raise/Party Reraise Dance for the Dancer job.
-Dancer was meant to be a frontline healer, yet parties still rely on others in the event of death.
+Implementation of a Raise/Reraise ability for the Dancer job.
* Scholar usefulness as a subjob.
-Many players feel that while Scholar has potential as a subjob, it still lacks spells needed to make it worth considering over other options.
+Addition of Stoneskin & Blink as Scholar spells.
* Incentive for Summoners to keep Avatars out for more than just Blood Pacts.
-SE has mentioned that it wants Summoners to keep their avatars out and has made TP affect Pacts.
-The promised TP bonus is too minimal to make it worth the mp cost.
+Adjust TP Bonuses to have a much larger impact on Blood Pacts.
+Lower the perpetuation cost of Avatars/Elementals through the implementation of a Job Trait/Ability or Equipment.
* Expand the range of Summoner Enhancing Blood Pacts.
-Many Enhancing Blood Pacts have a small range and require the Summoner to go right in the middle of battles.
+Expand the range in which Enhancing Blood Pacts affect players.
* Adjustment to Summoner Magical Blood Pacts, including but not limited to Astral Flow.
-Many of the Magical based Blood Pacts are very weak when compared to their player casted counterparts, even with TP Bonuses.
-The Blood Pacts granted by Astral Flow are rarely used post 70 due to the weakness compared to the Physical Blood Pacts.
+Adjust the strength of the Magical based Blood Pacts so they are comparable to the Level 70 Physical Pacts.
* Enhancements/Adjustments to Blue Mage Magical based spells.
-Many Magical Blue Magic Spells have a high MP cost in addition to a long casting time only to receive minor results.
+Adjust the performance of Magical based Blue Magic so that it is on par with the Physical based spells.
* Adjustment to the duration of Blue Mage enhancing spells.
-Many of the Enhancing Blue Magic spells have only a short duration.
+Increase the duration of Enhancing Blue Magic spells.
* Adjustment to the Blue Mage ability "Azure Lore".
-Many players feel that this ability is lacking compared to other jobs' 2hrs and that it is similar to the Black Mage ability "Elemental Seal".
+Entend the duration of Azure Lore and allow players access to all learned spells.
* Adjustment to Blue Mage having no Throwing Skill but access to Throwing Weapons and Puppetmaster having low Throwing Skill and access to minimal Throwing Weapons.
-Puppetmaster has a native Throwing Skill and little-no access to throwing items, yet Blue Mage has no native Throwing skill and access to a decent amount of throwing items.
+Remove the Throwing Skill of Puppetmaser.
+Implement a native Throwing Skill for Blue Mage.
* Adjustment to jobs 37 and under as more Support Job options.
-While many jobs have received changes to make them more useful as subjobs, there are many that haven't.
+Reevaluate/Adjust jobs and their abilities to make them more beneficial as subjobs.
* Allow Automatons to be cured by Party members.
-With more and more monsters using Area Attacks, Puppetmasters are having a harder time keeping their Automatons healed.
+Allow Automatons to be cured by Cure Spells.
* Adjustment to "X Killer" , “X Circle” &"Resist X" Traits.
-Many of these traits are relatively weak and/or not worth using unless you have the trait built up alot.
+Adjust the resistance rate of "Resist X" so that it actually takes effect at least 50% of the time.
+Implementation of additional effects when fighting monsters monsters of a specific "Killer" effect. (Ex. Boosts to Haste, Attack, Defense, and/or Accuracy)
+Revert Circle effects back to the way they used to work in addition to the current effect. (Ex. Monster will receive negative effects while Circle is in effect.)
* Implementation of Rare Exclusive Automaton Attachments.
* Job Traits for Pets.
+Implement more Pet based Job Traits similar to Strafe.
* More Pet Food options similar to those accessable by players.
-Players would like to see more Pet Food options.
+Implement Pet Food that is similar to player food. (Ex. Food that gives the pets Accuracy, Attack, etc.)

[Gobo]

Re: Development Team Q&A - May 2008

Oh look there's more

Crafting Related:

* Supply of various crafting materials (Star Sapphire, Khroma Ore, etc)
-Many crafting items are alot rarer/harder to acquire than others.
+Implement more ways to obtain these items. Desynthesis would be a good method.
* Crafting adjustments. (Recipe drops, Merits, etc.)
+Implement Recipe Key Items. (Ex. Rare Exclusive Recipe drops from NM. Trade recipe to Guild NPC to learn Recipe Key Item.)
+Implement Crafting related Merits. (Maybe make them purchaseable with Guild Points?)
* More items buyable with Guild Points. Including, but not limited to HQ Crystal Clusters.
+Implement the purchase of HQ Crystal Clusters.
+Implement more items for purchase with Guild Points. Maybe crafting materials?
* Adjustment to the quantity created by crafted Attachments.
-Due to the demand for these items, many crafters end up with an overstock of these.
+Adjust the synthesis recipe for Attachments so that it yields 1 Attachment at a lower ingredient cost.
* Item drops of monsters in WotG areas compared to other areas. (Ex. Wivres not dropping Wivre Hides in WotG areas.)
-Why do monsters in WotG areas not drop items that their counterparts in other areas do?
* Adjustment to item stacking quantities. Allow all items to be stackable.
-Many crafting materials take up alot of space due to the fact they don't stack.
+Please allow all synthesis materials to be stacked (at least to 12).
* Reevaluation of the "Moglification - X" Key Item. Many feel that it doesn't work.
-Many crafters who have this Key item feel that there is no change to the amount of items lost and that it is just a placebo effect.
* Allow the use of HQ items in crafting recipes where currently only the NQ is useable.
-Many high level crafters get frustrated when they HQ an item they need an NQ for and cannot use in another synth.
+Allow HQ items to be used in place of an NQ in a recipe. (Ex. Being able to use Feral Gloves in place of Tiger Gloves when making Dusk Gloves)


Security/Support Related:

* Addition of a censor to the POL ID on POL Viewer during log in.
* More preventative measures.
-Why did it take a considerably long amount of time for the Square-Enix support team to assist players that had their accounts stolen starting in December?
-What steps are being put into place to protect players so they don't lose their characters and valueable gear in the future?
+When currently logged in and someone else tries to log in from another location, rather than disconnect the logged in player, the logged in player stays logged in and receives a message stating someone tried to log in to their account.
+Whenever someone does try to log in from another location while an account is logged in, a flag should be sent to the GMs/STF as a precaution along with a follow-up with the player.
* Support for NA players who started with the JP version.
-"Example: If I losted/forgot my PW on a FFXI JP verison and would like to reset it/cancel it, can I call SE in America for assistant. As of now, I would have to call SE JP for this but the only issue is, I don't speak Japanese."
+Allow players to contact any SE office for support.
* Making it easier for new players starting the game to find their way around without the use of online resources.
-Many new players have trouble figuring out what they need to do and not all players have the time to show them.
+Implement NPCs that further help new players find their way around.
* Expansion to Linkshell Community Beta.
+Make it easier for Linkshells/Players to set up events.
+Implementation of a Calender would be very helpful for things like Dynamis where Linkshells are competing for zones.
* DX9 support.
-A lot of people with Nvidia cards are still having troubles since Nvidia doesn't seem to support the old and archaic DX8, so will you please reconsider?
* More Graphic options.
-Can we have the option to set higher resolutions(2048x2048), draw-distance and mip-mapping?


Misc:

* Movapolis Outpost
-Where is the outpost?
-Can it ever be player controlled?
* Summoner pet /emotes.
-Will they get them?
* Remapping of areas to accomodate players.
-With decreasing server populations accross the board, with an increasing zone space, and an ever increasing high level population, is there any way that the developers can take a break and remap some of the areas to accomidate high level players?
* Reskinning of Jailers.
-Will they get skin changes similar to what was done with Seiryu/Byakko/Genbu/Suzaku/Kirin?
* Character adjustments. (Changing Race/Face)
-Players would like an option to change their race and/or face model.
+Implement a way for players to change their race/face model(s). Maybe at a minimal cost? ($1 for face change; $5 for race change?)
Note: Race/gender changing would probably not be an option due to Racial/Gender Specific Equipment.
* Color code text when typing.
+Adjust text so it shows as the color of the channel you're typing in.
* Implementation of methods to acquire points (similar to Einherjar/Limbus) for purchasing "luck based" items.
* More XBox Live Achievements.
* Allow Avatar Prime fight rewards to be reobtainable if dropped.
-Many players have dropped item rewards from these fights now knowing they'd eventually want/use them.
+Allow all items to be chosen at all times, but give the player a "cannot obtain" message if said item is already in their possession.
* Additional ways to obtain Conquest Points.
+Can be done through Quests among other things.
* Allow Imperial Standing & Allied Notes NPCs to sell all "Common Rank" Conquest Points items.
-Many items are only purchaseable through Signet NPCs.
+Allow all items sold by Conquest NPCs under "Common Rank" to be buyable by Sanction and Sigil NPCs.
* Plans to further the hunting and actions against those using 3rd Party Tools.
-What are your plans?
* Adjustment to Shami to store Seals similar to Sagheera with Ancient Beastcoins.
+Allow Shami to store your Seals and let you purchase Orbs with them later.
* A limited amount of user questions answered Monthly/Quarterly by the Development Team.
-Would this be a possibility?
* Single target "Home Nation Warp" spell akin to Moogle Cap.
+Add a new Warp Spell for Blm that has this effect. Similar to Retrace.
* Company Satisfaction
-As a company, are you satisfied with the environment, community(player interaction), and encounter style of all of the events that are designed for level 75 players?
* WotG Areas
-Will there be a Tavnazia [S]?
-Will there be a Jeuno [S]?


Game Mechanics:

* Expansion/Adjustment of the Merit System.
-When can we expect Dancer and Scholar Merits? Tier 2 for them as well?
-Many jobs have Merits which are a complete letdown (Ex. Ninjitsu: San line). Are there plans to adjust these Merits to make them more worthwhile?
+Increase the amount of Merits per catagory. (Ex. Combat Skills from 20 to 24+)
+Implement new Meritable options. Including but not limited to: Racial Merits, HMP, HHP, Magic Attack Bonus, Magic Defense Bonus, Ranged Accuracy, Ranged Attack, Defense, etc.
* More storage/inventory space.
-Many player would like to have more of these.
+Increase Inventory to 80 slots through Gobbie Bag quests.
* Expansion on the Shield equipment slot similar to Grips.
+Implement Shields that have bonuses on them similar to those on Grips for those who use One-Handed Weapons and don't make use of the Dual Wield Trait.
* Expansion on the Adventuring Fellow System. (Storyline, Level Cap, etc)
-Are there plans to further expand on this?
+Raise the level cap.
+Continue with the storyline.
* More NMs changed to force spawns.
+Make more NMs force spawned by trading items to certain spots. (Ex. Goblin Wolfman:Scrawled Writing)
* Designer thoughts on the Colibri monster type.
-Were colibris intended to be xp mobs or were they designed to prevent players from fighting them ? Why ?
* Adjustment to VIT/Defense formulas to offset the use of Utsusemi.
-With the damage reducing of the spell "Utsusemi", many players have adapted to using this subjob when tanking monsters.
+Adjust the damage calculations of VIT & Defense to make other subjobs more viable in a tanking situation.
* Lower respawn time of the ???/"Target" of force spawned NMs. (Ex. Kirin, Goblin Wolfman)
+Adjust the respawn time to 5 minutes instead of 15 minutes.
* Expansion to the Auto-Translate feature, including but not limited to: "Cavernous Maw" & "Past"
* Outpost Warps saved when changing nations.
-Many players won't change nations because they don't want to lose their Outposts.
+Allow Outposts to be saved by country similar to Conquest Points when changing nations. (Ex. Player changes from Windurst to Bastok. If they return to Windurst they'll have all the Outposts they had when they first changed.)
* More user friendly functions. (Displaying Party member TP, Distance from current target, Maps, etc.)
-Player would like to see more info regarding their environment.
+Allow players to see the TP of their party members,
+Allow players to know the distance from their current target.
+Allow players to move while viewing maps that don't take up the full screen.
* Adjustments to old content. (Ex. Mob behavior)
-Old content has become redundant to players.
+Adjust monster behavior so it is new. (New moves, AI adjustments, etc)
* More Macro Lines per Macro Key.
-Pleeeeeeaaasssseeee.
* Seeking for Party Invites for multiple jobs at once.
+Allow players to seek Party Invites for multiple jobs at once.
* Making finding a party for Assault Orders easier.
+Maybe allow players to sign up with Rytaal. Then players could check his list to see who is available.
* Adjustment to the Level Cap in Pankration.
-Any plans to raise the level cap?
* Raised Chocobos being "weaker" than Stable Chocobos despite the investment.
-Why?
* WotG Monsters as Pankration Pets.
-Will this be implemented?
* Storage of items marked as "Exclusive".
-Players would like to be able to store Exclusive items they have.


Battle Related:

* Battle mechanic adjustments (Lesser used Weaponskills; Throwing; Ranged; Magical)
+Adjust the lesser used Weaponskills so they are more useful.
+Implement Throwing-based Weaponskills.
* Any plans to further boost 2-handed weapons?
-Are there any plans?
* Expansion of the ISNM system.
+Add more please.
+A high cost ISNM similar to the KS99 fights, but against Hydra/Khimaira/Cerberus would be nice. (Suggested cost: 50,000 IS)
* EXP Bonus for killing Easy Prey Monsters in a small party.
Note: I don't see this happening considering most/all jobs can solo EP mobs.
* Macro queue to eliminate the need for /wait.
-Some abilities won't work unless you have a minimal wait time between them.
+Adjust macros so that the /wait command isn't required when putting multiple abilities in a single macro.
* More PvP options.
-Will PvP Servers ever be an option?
* Adjustment to/Removal of the Experience Point penalty in level capped CoP Areas.
-Despite being limited to a certain level, players still receive an exp penalty based on their actual level.
+Adjust the exp calculation so it is based on the level you are restricted to.
* Skilling up in Ballista.
+Allow players to skill up in Ballista.
* Enhancing Skill similar to Summoning Skill system.
+Implement/Adjust bonuses for having more Enhancing Skill.
Note: This is already a part of some spells like Protect/Phalanx(2)/etc.
* Difference between comparable stats. (Ex. Evasion+5 vs. Evasion Skill+5. Enfeebling Skill+5 vs. Magic Accuracy +5.)
-How do they compare to each other? Is 5 Skill better than 5 Accuracy?
* Addition of "hidden" skills to the Combat Skills & Equipment windows. (R.Acc, R.Atk, M.Acc, M.Atk, etc)
+Allow players to see their stats for Ranged Accuracy/Attack, Magic Accuracy/Attack, Accuracy, etc.
* Adjustment to ability/spell timers & item useage when Paralyzed.
+Adjust so that items aren't used up when Paralyzed.
+Adjust so Spell/Ability timers aren't set to their normal cooldown times when they become Paralyzed.
* Removal of TP loss when using a Weapon Skill from "out of range".
+Adjust the battle system so players cannot use Weapon Skills from out of range.
Note: This would likely affect monsters as well.
* Confirmation message for "Call for help" feature.
-Players tend to accidentally use Call for help instead of Disengage.
+Implement a Confirm Window when using the call for help option so players are aware of what they are doing.
+Seperate the Call for help button from the Disengage button.
* More bonuses for using Skillchains.
+Induce penalties to the monster (or player) when a skillchain is performed on them. (Ex. Temporary slow effect imposed, TP reduced, etc. All dependant on the strength of the skillchain.)
* Addressing the AV video that was released.
-More info is needed.
+How long did the fight last from start to finish?
+How did the players use their 2hrs multiple times without the use of a Corsair?
* Adjustment to "The Hills Are Alive" KS99 so it is comparable to the other 2 KS99s.
-Players feel this KS99 is much harder compared to the other 2.
+Adjust the fight so it is on a similar difficulty level compared to the other 2.
* Adjustments to effectiveness of other Non-Shield skills.
-Many skills are subpar when fighting Very Tough or higher mobs.
+Adjust defensive skills to play a larger factor when fighting High Level monsters.
* Difficulty of skilling up Guard skill.
-Players feel this is much harder to skill up compared to any other skill.
+Adjust the skill up rate.
* 3rd Tank class.
-Tank jobs are harder and harder to find while leveling up.
-Are there plans to implement another tanking class?
Note: The update to War seems to have addressed this, but I'll leave for now.
* Making Conquest areas comparable to ToAU and WotG areas.
+Add an Exp Bonus similar to that of Sigil & Sanction.
* More Besieged incentives.
-With Campaign's Time Spent:Reward ration, more players are ignoring Besieged in favor of Campaign.
+Increase the Exp/IS Reward caps so they are comparable to Campaign.
+Allow players to still get Exp when raised if they are dead at the end of Besieged (Same as Campaign).
* Further Incentives to do events like Garrison/Expeditionary Force/Pankration/Eco-Warrior/Brenner/Diorama/Ballista.
-Many players don't do these events because the rewards are no longer worth the time.
+Adjustment to the rewards offered for these events.
* More ways to exp low level jobs with low support.
-Finding parties at lower levels is getting harder and harder due to players mainly having high level jobs.
+Implement low level Campaign Battles.
* Expansion on the food system to include more options for Mages.
+Magic Accuracy enhancing food.
+Magic Attack Bonus enhancing food.
+Magic Defense Bonus enhancing food.
+Skill enhancing food?
+More "Middle of the road" food that has moderate amounts of multiple stats. (Ex. +8% Accuracy & +15% Attack)


Endgame Related:

* More Merit/Exp camps at 75.
-Many players end up having to compete for the "good" camps for various reasons.
+Addition of more "chain-friendly" camps so players are able to spread out more.
+Addition of an Exp Bonus to Signet similar to Sigil & Sanction would bring back more areas.
* Respawn timers of HNMs.
+Adjust the timers so they are in smaller windows. (Ex. Fafnir is 21-24 hours with 30 minute windows. Maybe adjust it to 23-24 hours with 10/15 minute windows.)
* More challenging NMs.
-Many players are no longer challenged by the monsters currently implemented (aside from Absolute Virtue).
+Implement more (H)NMs that are difficult to defeat based on what is available to players. But don't make them impossible like Absolute Virtue currently is.
+Finish the Grand Wyrm element cycle (Jormungand, Ouryu, Vrtra, Tiamat)
* Endgame congestion.
-There are alot more players at 75 than there used to be which causes congestion with events/areas.
-Do you have any plans to help ease the congestion?
* Usefulness of less desired jobs in an endgame setting.
-Many jobs aren't very useful in endgame events compared to others.
+Adjust jobs so every job has something useful for endgame events, preferably something unique similar to what was done with Thf (Feint), Drg (Angon) & War (Tomahawk).
* Reevaluation of the claim system and spawning methods of HNMs to combat 3rd Party tools.
-Many players still feel that 3rd Party tools play a large part when it comes to claiming (H)NMs.
+Reevaluate the current claiming system.
+Change spawning conditions similar to that which was done with Despot (NM pops claimed to group that killed placeholder).
+Change spawns to force spawned by players.

[Malacite]

Re: Development Team Q&A - May 2008

Why did they only ask about drops in Northlands?

What about making Dynamis instanced, and maybe changing the way the current relic weapons are obtained so it's more of an epic and long quest as opposed to a soul crushing repetitive grind for coins?

[BurningPanther]

Re: Development Team Q&A - May 2008

Why did they only ask about drops in Northlands?

What about making Dynamis instanced, and maybe changing the way the current relic weapons are obtained so it's more of an epic and long quest as opposed to a soul crushing repetitive grind for coins?

That reminds me of a funny story:

One day, my shell was at Xarcabard, and we all decided we didn't wanna take on Dynamis lord that day(crazy, innit?), so we just took to a killing spree on every thing in the zone up to the wall of Kindred/Ahriman.

At the end of the run, we found, for all the mobs we killed and all the Relic armor that dropped, there was no fundamental difference between Xarcabard's drop rates and any of the cities. We thought maybe we just had a really good day, until we did it a couple more times, with similar results.

Moral of the Story: Northlands drop rates are not different from cities, if you take the time to kill more than just the path to the NMs.

[ItazuraNhomango]

Re: Development Team Q&A - May 2008

Why did they only ask about drops in Northlands?

What about making Dynamis instanced, and maybe changing the way the current relic weapons are obtained so it's more of an epic and long quest as opposed to a soul crushing repetitive grind for coins?

People already asked about making Dynamis instanced, I think, so useless to revisit that again. (Probably already asked several times.) As for relics, S-E has already stated its is HAPPY with the rate players are obtaining those weapons, so asking the devs to change the way to obtain it is kinda pointless since the current system is pretty much doing what they want.

I have some guesses on why S-E thinks Dynamis should not be instanced, and happen to agree that those would be difficult issues to fix--and probably not worth the dev time/yen.

Basically it boils down to this: If a very large group activity like Dynamis as it was designed were to become instanced, it may screw over more people than help. The reason being is almost all the groups would end up entering Dynamis at prime times for each time zone, since now they all can, and people with odd hours are left to fend for themselves. By not instancing, it forces the Dynamis LS's to spread out into later and earlier hours, so on the whole more people have a chance to participate.

That, and the company don't want to see currency farming by smaller groups--as stated, the devs are very happy with the rate of relic weapons, and don't want to see those appear in-game at a faster rate.

Then again, I don't really understand S-E's resistance to a scheduling and reservation system. Non-refundable reservations would really make LS's whip their people to show up on time, one would think.

[Feba]

Re: Development Team Q&A - May 2008

As for relics, S-E has already stated its is HAPPY with the rate players are obtaining those weapons,

Nobody has asked to make relics easier or change how many players can get them. People are asking to make relic weapons epic quests, instead of just a money collecting grind. The difference is pretty clear.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Development Team Q&A - May 2008

-Many jobs aren't very useful in endgame events compared to others.
+Adjust jobs so every job has something useful for endgame events, preferably something unique similar to what was done with Thf (Feint), Drg (Angon) & War (Tomahawk).

The first part was pretty vague, but never asked either. Personally, I want to know what these people considered not useful.

I do know that PUP has limitations with healer frame since if you let the Automation go for to long on its own, it will start doing things that aren't curing people. I also know BLU is limited in its ability to cure across alliance, which is a problem DNC shares.

DNC is very limited when it comes to HNMs and mobs they wouldn't be allowed to touch, not to mention they're kinda screwed crossing over into some battlefields as well.

Pet jobs I don't really understand the resistance endgame LSes have about them. I mean, yeah, pet melee is bad in some cases especially where crowd control (such as RNG shadowbinding Seiryu) might be a concern. But then, if SE would let pets be a bit sturdier, SMN and BST in particular would be a larger asset in crowd control elsewhere, such as Dynamis or Limbus.

Most non-HNM/god endgame content any job works out well enough. There's nothing really outstanding about mobs in Dyna/Limbus/Salvage/Einherjar that renders a particular job useless from what I've experienced.

The last endgame LS I trialed with - and they didn't do HNMs at all - had an attitude of resistance to certain jobs, pet jobs especially, even SMN. I have to admit, I didn't really get it. I mean, OK if you don't want a PUP at Proto-Omega. Fine. But other content I'm just not seeing the problem.

I think a lot of it is just superstition and cut-and-paste strategy that hurts these jobs more than these jobs not being effective.

The reason being is almost all the groups would end up entering Dynamis at prime times for each time zone, since now they all can, and people with odd hours are left to fend for themselves. By not instancing, it forces the Dynamis LS's to spread out into later and earlier hours, so on the whole more people have a chance to participate.

This makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. You're saying being able to join a linkshell compatible with your primetime hours and timezone is a bad thing and being forced to cope with shells that enter too early or late is a good thing.

Try it with an EU/NA LS when you're on PST time and the EUs want to do Dynamis on a timetable comfortable for them. It doesn't end pretty.

Instancing and being able to form LSes around time zones would be a VASTLY superior option to the one we have now with Dynamis.

[Malacite]

Re: Development Team Q&A - May 2008

Try it with an EU/NA LS when you're on PST time and the EUs want to do Dynamis on a timetable comfortable for them. It doesn't end pretty.

QFT

[ItazuraNhomango]

Re: Development Team Q&A - May 2008

This makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. You're saying being able to join a linkshell compatible with your primetime hours and timezone is a bad thing and being forced to cope with shells that enter too early or late is a good thing.

Hmm. How do I explain this?

Let's say 60% of NA players can make 8 p.m. EDT entry time. With instancing, almost all NA shells will likely do that, since East Coasters probably don't want to stay up too late if they can help it, and the middle America won't mind the time--the schedule would be terrific for most of the English speaking players.

This leaves the people on West Coast with a problem; many of them would be stuck in traffic--8 p.m. EDT is 5 p.m. PDT. This means West Coast people will have to hope they can find enough of their time zone people with the right job and experiences to form Dynamis LS, since 2/3 of the U.S. players insterested in Dynamis will be in the 8 p.m. EDT Dynamis LS's. That is, form LS's from those West Coast people who haven't found way to join East Coaster's schedules.

Without instancing, LS's are force to spread out, and you'd get more LS's with later entry times. That would accommodate West Coast people, as well as East Coast people who get home late.

Lack of instancing is an incentive for more varied entry time--well, it forces it, really. Instancing may actually help create a situation where there are fewer LS's at "off" hours, preventing more players from participating.

* * *

At least, I think that's the way the devs would look at the situation.

Keep in mind they designed the original Dynamis content for large groups, and probably don't want to see small groups. Given that only so many people are interested in Dynamis, they probably believe lack of instancing is an incentive to make sure there are large groups at staggered time slots.


* * *

Instancing and being able to form LSes around time zones would be a VASTLY superior option to the one we have now with Dynamis.

Well, I think WoW has free scheduling of instanced, large battlefields, right? How do the guilds there typically deal with East Coast vs. West Coast time conflicts? Do larger percentage of people get left out because of inability to find schedule that fits than FFXI's Dyanmis scene? Or smaller percentage?

Keep in mind I'm just speculating what S-E's developers may fear; it'd be nice to have concrete examples from similar situations to see if such concerns are justified.

[Tickmeoff]

Re: Development Team Q&A - May 2008

Well, I think WoW has free scheduling of instanced, large battlefields, right? How do the guilds there typically deal with East Coast vs. West Coast time conflicts? Do larger percentage of people get left out because of inability to find schedule that fits than FFXI's Dyanmis scene? Or smaller percentage?

You join a guild that raids at a time you can attend. Since it's instanced and end game raids only require 10-25 people most guilds will set up two to three runs a night depending on how many members they have, and they are generally spaced out over the night. Usually something like group 1 at 6pm, group 2 at 9pm, group 3 at midnight, or whatever. There are a lot of guilds that will also run very late runs at 2-3am.

The only reason you'd get left out is if you're too lazy to find a guild that raids at hours you can make. It's actually difficult to -not- find a guild that supports your hours, since it's all instanced it's much easier to be flexible with times.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Development Team Q&A - May 2008

Keep in mind I'm just speculating what S-E's developers may fear; it'd be nice to have concrete examples from similar situations to see if such concerns are justified.

If those are the fears, they're totally unfounded. Just look at the way JP players play - do they make any real effort to do events with NA shells?

Of course not, they pretty much all live in one time zone, they join a LS or PTs that are more in-line with thier times and since they generally do live in on time zone to my knowledge, they usually seek out an LS compatible with thier times. I'm sure that's not very hard.

Now try that with english-speaking cultures.

Our time zones are not just wide in the US, but there's Europe and even Austrailia to consider. Australia falls a lot more closely to Japan's timeframe, too. Since a lot of JP players lump us english-speaking types into the same group of morons, its kinda hard for AU and EU players to do anything with them.

A lot of these players I knew had to take on more supportive roles such as RDM, WHM, BRD, SCH or COR to even see an invite from JP players seeking at or close to thier prime. That or they took up soloable jobs and got to 75 that way. If you're a english-speaking melee on JP prime, you're basically fucked.

But if you go to more populated serves such as Odin or Bahamut, it gets even more shrewd than it was on the smaller server, JPs will get picky about whether or not their BRD speaks english and they'll do it because there's a lot more JP players on the server to choose from. On Titan, JPs will pick up an NA BRD in a heartbeat and JP melees will take what they can get. Here on Odin, even the JP meleescan sometimes be really snobby.

So let's weigh these time and cultural factors and try to apply them to Dynamis, Limbus and Einherjar non-instanced, three-day waiting period structure...

Can I start banging my head on a wall now?

At least with Limbus it can be a bit more soloable or even a duo/trio affair, that is, if you're just out for coins and certain AF upgrades. That's do-able and easier to organize, but doesn't get you Omega or Ultima fights, usually. And you could farm AF with smaller Dynamis groups if you wanted, but the cost of entry is somewhat prohibitive. If you want to do the bigger parts of this content, you must submit yourself to a big LS capable of doing it.

And that big LS might but usually isn't in your time zone.

[Ziero]

Re: Development Team Q&A - May 2008

So instead of someone having to work for months and months and months to obtain one of these intentionally super rare items, people should be able to burn through a few "quests" to gain them en-mass to the point they become standard gear?

Unless every step of the way was harder then the hardest BCNM fights, and most of these entirely soloable with no chance to get help, with intentionally long wait periods before you can continue the quest chain...all of which would result in even more bitching about how hard it was to do these things...then making Relic weapons "questable" would be a bad idea.

They're supposed to be neigh-unattainable, that's what makes them so special. Right now they ARE epic quests simply because of all the work someone has to put in to get them. These weapons are not for everyone.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Development Team Q&A - May 2008

They're supposed to be neigh-unattainable, that's what makes them so special. Right now they ARE epic quests simply because of all the work someone has to put in to get them. These weapons are not for everyone.

Dude, seriously, take a reading comprehension course.

NO ONE has said they should be easy to obtain.
NO ONE has said they should not be rare.
NO ONE has said they should not be work.

But really, what "work" is there now aside from buying gil or senselessly grinding away at Dynamis? There is no skill involved in grinding, there is nothing epic about buying gil to buy currency - these are the only two ways relics are really completed. RMT it or a senseless grind where leaders get served and LS members may not.

If you think the system that presently exists is "epic" you have no concept of "epic."

[LyonheartLakshmi]

Re: Development Team Q&A - May 2008

is it just me, or did SE evade every single goddamn question?

Old habits die hard?