We learned a few days ago that Final Fantasy XIV wouldn't have a traditional experience point system, which sounds to me like just the wake up call the genre needs. Today we spotted some scanned Famitsu screens over at BlueGartr and a ton of new information about the game (go there to see many more pictures). Here's what the info presented seems to shape up to so far:
* The difference in ability between races is said to be less severe than that of Final Fantasy XI
* Battles progress in real-time, but are not action-oriented, i.e. There is more to consider during battle that simply targeting the enemy and wailing away on it
* The Armory System allows for job changing anywhere, so inventory space is of great importance. Therefore, ways to change armor quickly and easily are being considered
* Currently investigating whether to allow all skills to be mastered, or have a see-saw style system like crafting in Final Fantasy XI
* "Guild Leave" will be a system of quests that include monster hunting, skilling up and a myriad of other activities. Players will obtain items to allow them to travel instantly to their required destination. There seems to be a lot about this system in the article as well, but we'll save that until it's fully visible.
* There will be weather effects and night/day transitions. One game day is one Earth hour.
* Final Fantasy XIV will be casual enough that even playing one hour a day is sufficient to enjoy the game.
* The game currency will be gil.
So far there are five confirmed races, but there always could be more before the game is launched. I do like the idea of changing the way gamers gain experience, but looking at the screens this just looks like a Final Fantasy XI sequel to me, and I'm not interested in that. That's mostly because I steer clear of MMO's, though. What do you guys think of this new info?
[Thanks Nick!]
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Contest:
3:40 PM on 08.06.2009
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My thinking with skill points, is that they will increment based off mobs you kill, and are likely to increment @ an incredibly low rate. For anyone who played FFXI, you know that being @ Par level in skills or whatever, is normally a scarlet letter - IE: "Oh, you just leveled to 75, grats... you didn't Cap your Merits yet?!?!?! GIMP!"
The example is over-dramatic, unless you aren't playing with a group of friends. :p
As for the 'Inventory to Job Change issues', they could let you set an equipped set (or items) of your equipment to 'Active Job Only', unless you are in your Mog house (or the like).
That way, you could change jobs on the fly, and still keep your inventory relatively clear. If you have a Neck piece you would like to keep equipped for Multiple jobs, just don't flag it as 'Only equip on 'x' Job' before leaving the Mog house.
I'm not trying to bash this next MMO by any means, but I am aware that SE has a huge amount of catchup to do, in the MMO-sphere.
Instancing is another thing they need to embrace in FFXIV, as they started to put some in the ToAU content, but neglected on the older, more limited by Single instance constraints - AKA Dynamis.
why you gotta ...
oh ...
carry on.
Will get this.
Hopes aren't very high though.
It looks like the "leveling system" will work just like XI (or tactics), but just for weapons instead of classes. Since it seems that your armor controls what class you currently are, there will be no need to go back to town to swap jobs. Having the ability to swap on the fly (or close to) is pretty awesome, I like the example they used. "If you're a warrior soloing, and you need to heal yourself, just change jobs to your mage class." I imagine there will be severe limitations on how many jobs you can have access to at a time, probably based on the inventory space you have to carry the equipment (or just weapon) needed to change jobs. This adds a pretty interesting flow to the game, and should allow for more solo play or varied leveling experience.
If square has learned anything from the other MMO games (good and bad things), I hope to see a lot more casual gameplay, lots of returning elements from XI, and hopefully plenty of new changes to the gameplay.
I'd say that this game FEELS like FFXI, but doesn't look anything like it (besides the same races with new names), graphically it looks wonderful, and I imagine even better once we have direct feed instead of scans.
I can't help but wonder if these are placeholder models? XIV is far from completion yet, they may well change the models completely in the time between now and release day.
This is what is ruining MMO's. The only MMO left that caters to a hard core crowd any more is Eve Online, and that has a ridiculously steep learning cliff.
Its also hard to say whether or not it looks like FFXI, the setting certainly is not vanadiel. but without proper screenshots its too early to tell how closley this gasme world resembles it
too similar to vanadiel and I wont come within 10 feet of the game...i'll just resubscribe to FFXI
Also, it looks like a FFXI sequel because it is a FFXI sequel. Also, MGS4 looks like a Metal Gear Solid sequel. Mario Galaxy looks like a Mario 64 sequel.
@rainbowblack - Mithras are in the game, but like all the other races, the name was changed. (proof here, and here). Furries can rest easy at night.
@Exquisitor - by ruining MMO's, do you mean it's drawing the biggest audience of any MMO that's ever existed? Some might say that WoW is ruining MMO's, but exactly how is it doing that? Because you can solo to the level cap? Just like every single genre of game out there, MMO's are being refined into more accessible and user-friendly versions of themselves. This is not bad for MMO's, because it bolsters the community, i.e. the most important aspect of an online game. Archaic gameplay conventions are being tossed out the window because they are impractical. If you want forced group play, there are tons of instances out there that require a group to play through. There is still plenty of hardcore play in WoW and other MMO's that allow casual play. They just give the option for casual players to get into the game as well.
i thought the reason people played these things was to see numbers go up?
Cool, you clicked on a link for an MMO, which you don't care about. Way to go, you!
@ Exquisitor,
"This is what is ruining MMO's. The only MMO left that caters to a hard core crowd any more is Eve Online, and that has a ridiculously steep learning cliff."
It's ruining MMO's because they want to deliver a game to people that also happen to have lives? Why would they not want to tap into that market?
What the hell is the hardcore crowd anyway? Define that. I think it's imaginary. Unless hardcore = 10 hours a day. But "hardcore" crowd makes it sound way cooler then it actually is.
Wasn't excited before but those landscapes inspired me!
Right now, this game is looking sweet of course, because of the HD CG, but there is no actual game play to prove it is going to look as beautiful as the screens are. Not to mention they already somewhat ruined (to me) the game by keeping the same races from FFXI and just renaming their names.
Also, if their idea of making a new race playable from old monsters from FF11 and not a original new race, well I will be a bit more disappointed.
Everything sounds cool in writing and in these nice HD screen-shots which normally are not the actual in-game screen-shots, everyone knows this as a fact from Square-Enix. So until they release some in-game game play footage and that characters can finally jump, don't be to surprised.
"Hardcore" players like this because it sets them apart from new players. They don't like the idea of someone catching up to them in a few months, they want it to take years. This is why EVE is "hardcore", there is no way to really catch up to someone who has been playing for years if they are actively training their skills. They like to look down at newbies with their radiant glowing aura thinking, "he will never be me". While in real life, pimples are forming on their asses and backs from sitting in a chair too long.
@Exquisitor: I agree completely. FFXI was a true hardcore mmo when it was released and SE caved into all of the bitching and now look what happened. Nearly every lv75 doesn't know how to play their job. I got RDM from 1-75 in about a week and it pissed me off because that should take months. The hardcore players left all have Maat's Cap which requires you to have 15? jobs at lv66+. I want a real hardcore mmo to make up for the WoWtardation of online RPGs.
Yes I want a hardcore MMO that weeds out weak people who can't play and reward those who can be quick and good. I agree with your hardcore statement but certain things SE did go a little bit far to off, like monsters popping one time a week with cool rewards when theres 2500 people wanting the same item on one server? and making drops not 100%? some things SE made the system so people would hate each other to death, hatred between players emerged and many turned from being good people players to damn ugly hateful machines. That is not my way of thinking of being Hardcore. I don't want the FF11 end-game drama that caved in to everyone to ever happen again.
That being said, I played XI for 5 years and I'm pumped as hell for this to come out.
Crunshii posted scans yesterday, and then I dug up a lot more, including the Blue Gartr thread, and posted and I think maybe 20 people noticed? But as soon as an editor front pages a story, it's like magic: HOMAIAWD DERE'S FFXIV PICTURES!?
Just bothers me and makes me feel like C-blogs get overlooked by so many people. Seen many times info posted in a C-blog before it was a Dtoid story, and the Cblogs get over looked. But anyway, no offense to you Colette, I'm glad someone put this more out in the open, especially the Blue Gartr post, because it's good. But anyway /endrant.
Onto some more pressing matters:
FULL PAGE MAGAZINE SCANS:
http://www.ffring.com/news/Final-Fantasy-XIV-dans-la-presse-asiatique-beaa30357c4.html
FULL PAGE!
Just an angry rant, lol. Don't be mad ^^;
Get real. It doesn't change a thing. Other rpgs don't use exp but they still manage to find a way to force in a grind. And this is Squeenix. There is no f'ing way they would make an MMO and not include a grind. They really don't care about making their games fun anymore so much as profitable.
And how are they going to sucker in people to play? By saying there's no exp. By providing the illusion that they're making some revolution to the genre when they're not.
Square has SAID that the game will involve grinding, as is natural with any MMO, it's not going to be that easy. They're not trying to trick people into playing the game either.
The appeal for many people in an MMO IS the challenge, if you haven't noticed, there are people complaining that it may be too casual. Grinding is enjoyable and part of the experience, to an extent. It's impossible not to have to grind. How the hell else would you level up?
There's no experience, they said, but you need to level up your skills somehow, and let me reiterate THEY SAID THERE WILL BE GRINDING.
Please, before you speak, become informed.
Believe it or not SE did listen to the fanbase of FF11 since day 1. Remember they removed monsters MPK to players? (God how much I loved THAT SH!T!) and made a system people could level with their friends at the very end with Level Sync. I applaud SE for listening to their fans and making the correct adjustments so people can have fun.
Yes I believe strongly in hardcore players should get better rewards, but for that you would need your hardcore guild and just stick with them. forget about the rest. On FF11, even so SE made it easy for people to reach end game, noobs could never kill Tiamat, Dark Horseman, Absolute Virtue, Jormungand, (only kirin and maybe).
@trunxkam45, well, it is a MMORPG and thats usually what that type of gaming is. If you don't like it then don't play it. The + side of playing a Squeenix MMO is that you can have allot of replay value with online friends in one game instead of spending $60x (X amount of games bought per month) and you just pay $15 or so.
Compare it to say super mario rpg. All the stages are linked together. You really don't need to go back and forth between levels to earn experience as one time through will earn you enough to be formidable against any oncoming enemies. The stages are pretty different and minigames and such are also integrated to make it more varied and less of repetitive, well, WORK.
The FFXIV team has a lot more experience this time around than they did making FFXI, and I'm sure the finished product is going to be awesome. Everyone LOVES to hate and no matter how much people say FFXIV looks horrible, or it will suck, I will play it in the end regardless and I know I will enjoy it.
If Square listened to every little thing that the community said they should do, they'd probably be in a bad position right now. Obviously they know what they're doing, and I think the game is going to be great.
As you should know, MMO's don't really end, and as you are told by the ESRB - "GAME EXPERIENCE MAY CHANGE DURING ONLINE PLAY." - Meaning that the game is always changing, new things are added, forcing you to grind to gain levels, skill points, merit points, gear, whatever you need to get in order to complete the content the game is offering.
I don't know about you, but I don't know of another MMO that is like FFXIV, please, enlighten me if you know. And then tell me everything about FFXIV since you seem to know that it's NOT innovative.
Quite frankly, your argument is stupid.
You're not making sense.
My argument is "stupid"? I think I have been bested by one of the leading debaters of our time! You sir, are the newly proclaimed "Master Debater".
All MMOs appear to be different on the surface. But there really isn't much adventure. It's all within the confines of a regular rpg. Fetch quests, battles, etc.
"Game experience may change during online play" just means that somebody online might say "assholio".
Mr. "I don't understand why people like you need to get all their negativity out there to try and convince others, who are genuinely excited for the game, that it will suck?"
You are correct, SE is adding a illusion to FF14 to change peoples perspective on EXP, lets just wait and see if its a good implementation. It is the same as MS offering MS points to buy games and stuff, it gives the people the illusion that they need MS points. I see right through it and I don't fall for it but I can't brag about it because people do love to spend on MS points, so the marketing works for Microsoft. Just like Apple, I don't like their "You use a PC? aw sorry your not cool" marketing because the specs they sell for $1300 to be "cool" does not justify that my $400 laptop does the exact same. But people fall for the marketing and if they succeed, then people will buy it. If they don't do it right then guess what, they will go the way of TurboGraph16.
So please...better thing about what SE could bring in what they missed in FFXI and try to help them to make a good game...for casual-beginner-gamers and hardcore-veterans. Thx.