Greetings everyone!
We’re proud to bring you the full digest from the Producer LIVE Part VIII! If you weren’t able to watch the live stream, or if you just want to watch it over and over again (though this time the stream was nearly 3 hours long!), check it out below! Please note that there will not be subtitles added for this edition of the LIVE letter.
Don’t forget to select the 720p option to watch the video in HD!
Letter from the Producer LIVE Part VIII Q&A
* The video begins by showing an in-game demo of fishing.
Q: Show us fishing!
A: Sorry to keep you all waiting. Fisher will be implemented in Beta Test phase 4.
There are not a whole lot of actions to be used for fishing, and the basic actions begin the fishing process by casting your line and then hooking your target. However, which bait you use is very important and we’ve prepared a ton of different bait. Depending on where you fish, the requirements will change and you’ll have to decide if you need to use bait, what type of bait, and if using not bait, whether you use a lure or not. If you’re using the wrong lure at a fishing spot, a message will appear and let you know that something is not right.
There is also a special log specifically for fishers known as the “Fishing Log.” When you open it up, it will display a map of the area where you are currently fishing, and orange markings will be displayed. These are known as fishing spots. We’ve set a lot of fishing spots in a single area, and there are a variety of spots, such as lakes, rivers, and the sea. At first, these spots will be shown as “Unknown fishing spot,” but as you continue to fish, these spots will open up. There is a ton of data that is released in-game for FFXIV: ARR, but for our intrepid fishers, we’d like players to fish at various fishing spots throughout Eorzea and discover things for themselves. There are also tons of different fish, and we’ll add even more as we add areas and have updates. Not only types, but there is a “fishing result record” and your highest records for the fish you caught will be recorded and updated when you catch something even bigger.
We also have something we call mooching. For fishing up certain rare fish, you’ll have to first fish up bait at the fishing spot, and then use that to fish to attract even larger prey. There are also fish that can only be caught at night or during days with good weather. Additionally, once you reach a high level, you can do sand sea fishing, fish from seas of clouds, and various other places.
Following the concept that I spoke about previously, the system is extremely simple, so please have a good time fishing at various areas as you fill in the map while you wait to be matched in the Duty Finder, or while waiting for your friends to log in. However, due to the fact that this system is simple, please understand that you will not be contributing to the economy despite being a Disciple of the Land. The fishing system of FFXIV: ARR is there to have fun challenging and interacting with the nature found throughout Eorzea.
Q: When is Open Beta and Early Access?
A: Beta Test phase 4 will run from Saturday, August 17, until Monday, August 19.
Those who participated in the Beta Test phase 3 will be able to participate from Friday, August 16.
Early Access will begin on Saturday, August 24 and it will be possible to play straight into official service. We do not plan on conducting any maintenance in the period between Early Access and the start of official service. At some time on August 27, it will become possible to register the registration codes for the official release version. Also at that time, the pre-order bonus and Collector’s Edition bonus in-game items will be sent to users via the in-game delivery moogle.
Q: What type of restrictions (including the level cap) will be implemented in phase 4?
A: The level cap will be lower than that of phase 3 and it has been set to level 20. This is because we are considering Beta Test phase 4 to be the trial version since anyone can participate, so we do not want everyone to see too far ahead. Likewise, the content as well will be limited to that which is possible up until level 20.
However, the content you can experience up to level 20 will include all of the cutscenes, voice overs, and it is exactly the same as the retail version of ARR.
Q: Is there anything you would like for us to test specifically in phase 4?
A: Yes, there are two things we would like you to test in phase 4.
The first is a test for the graphics of the housing zones that we’ve talked about in previous Letter from the Producer LIVEs. When implementing the housing zones, we’d like to release it with as many customizable aspects as possible, and make it so you can adjust the appearance of your house, the color of the roof, the type of roof, the shape of the windows, the placement of objects in your yard, and much more. Due to this, the system will be placing a lot of stress on hardware, but we’ve done our best to follow our policy of making it high quality yet as light as possible, and have made it as close to the line of the highest quality as possible. We’d like all of you to test it out, so we’ve added the La Noscea housing zone with pre-built customized houses. While it won’t be possible to enter the houses, we’d like everyone to check out the outside.
The second is the PvP system. Until now we’ve been developing two kinds of PvP systems, the coliseum and the front lines, with the coliseum system coming first; however, the official name for this has been finalized and it will be known as “The Wolves’ Den.” In phase 4, we’d like players to test out the basics of the PvP system, and we will be checking the distance that your attacks register against other players, as well as how much we need to increase the accuracy of players’ packet matching. However, PvP-specific actions will not be implemented, so we’d like to have you test this out by using basic attacks. With the results of the test, we will be fine tuning the data packets and checking the lag, and plan on releasing the content in patch 2.1. Once implemented, we will have all of the PvP actions available as well as PvP equipment and other rewards.
However, there is one thing I would like to mention. As it will not be possible to enter the Wolves’ Den if you are not level 30, we will need the assistance of our version 1.0 players that have existing characters, because the phase 4 level cap will be set to level 20.
Q: Will the arcanist class be available in phase 4?
A: Yes. As I mentioned before, phase 4 is the same as the retail version, so arcanist will be available.
Q: Can you show us some in-game footage of arcanist, summoner, and scholar?
A:*In-game footage of arcanist, summoner, and scholar is shown in the video.
Q: When using the Duty Finder as an arcanist, what role will they be set as?
A: There are a lot of people who have been assuming that arcanist fits in the healer role, but they’re actually a DPS. However, they can heal a bit as they possess a healing spell known as “Physick.” Also, since they are a pet class, they have an array of pet actions, and of these they have an action called “Sustain” which will use your own HP to heal your pet. One way you can fight is by having your pet attack a monster, and use “Sustain” when your pet’s HP gets low.
Q: Will the arcanist’s attribute points be shared between summoner and scholar?
A: They will be shared. Up until level 50 the equipment has stats that support both. Summoners will focus on INT, while scholars will focus on MND; however, this is because their roles are different as one is a DPS and the other is a healer. After level 50, you will have to select which you would like to specialize in by selecting the appropriate equipment.
Q: Are there any plans to implement additional egi?
A: I believe this will happen when we raise the level cap.
Q: Just like how arcanist has summoner and scholar with differing roles, I’m sure in the future there will be other classes that have different branching roles. What kind of jobs are you planning to add to classes?
A: Of course we have plans. It’s probably a bit early to talk about this, but we have rough plans for the expansion, which we’re calling 3.0, how the main story will progress in real-time in the patches leading up to it, scenarios that give the world a feeling of being alive, and in what time frame we provide content. Naturally we are planning various things, but I can’t say any more than this. Once the time is right, I’ll tell you all about it.
Q: Will there be any additional payment methods other than credit card and Square Enix Crysta?
A: Yes, we will be introducing “game time cards” which can be purchased at your nearest electronic store or convenience store. By registering the code on the back of the card, you’ll be able to add 30 days or 60 days of game time. There are various designs and they will be available in other countries as well, so this will add yet another method of paying for the game.
* Various game time cards are shown in the video.
* Please note that the usage of game time cards may vary from region to region.
Q: Are you planning to have a world transfer service?
A: As this is a game with world barriers, there are a variety of situations that may arise. You could meet a friend that happens to play XIV, but your servers are different and you want to play together. Or you could make a friend while using the Duty Finder and wish to switch over to their world, so we’ll be providing a world transfer service for these occasions. This will be a fee-based service that will allow you to transfer to the world of your choice, and it will be possible to transfer up to 8 of your characters. We plan on launching this service around 2-3 weeks after launch.
Q: When will the smart phone application be released?
A: First, we’ve decided on the official name for the application – “Libra Eorzea.” By logging into the application with the Square Enix Account tied to your service account, you can view all of your character data and other information. You will also be able to research items, equipment levels, find out how items are obtained, how to receive quests, quest levels, and how much experience points you can gain from within the database. Also, the database in the application is linked to the Lodestone database, so you’ll be able to write strategy information on the dungeon maps and supplement strategy information.
The application will be available for free. As the application has in-game information, the iOS version will first be released one week after launch, and the Android version will be released roughly one month after that.
* The video shows off a brief demo of the Libra Eorzea application.
Q: In the Player Feedback Status List you mentioned “it’s thought that players would wait until the last minute to repair gear. Doing this would cause a lot of stress worrying about gear damage while playing content when your gear is nearly broken, so we’ve made it so that regardless of when you repair your gear the cost does not change.” However, this is a strange reason to do this. Please go into more details about the thought process behind this.
A: As you have mentioned, it’s in fact the opposite. This was something I missed, and we’ve implemented it the opposite way in Beta 4. I apologize for the mistake.
By the way, when a party completely wipes, we have eased on up the penalty where equipment durability is reduced. We received feedback that players didn’t like how parties would immediately disband when failing Ifrit, and other primal battles, and in phase 4 we’ve made it possible to retry these battles without the group disbanding, which would cause durability to drop considerably.
Q: Will we ever be able to transfer item/gil between characters on the same account and World?
A: We currently have no plans to implement this feature. We would like to guard against RMT being able to earn gil in mass quantities; however, as we are still unsure of the methods they will employ to generate gil, we like to look at conditions carefully and once we confirm that the elements we are concerned with are safe, there is a possibility that we open this up to boost conveniences for players. We’d like to remove the motivation for players to participate in RMT-related activities as well as proactively remove behavior that will interrupt gameplay, so we’d like to proceed with this cautiously.
Q: What features will we be able to change in the barber shop?
A: You will be able to change your character’s hairstyle, hair color, eye color, scars, face paint, and face paint color. The barber shop will be released in patch 2.1, so don’t worry too much about not being able to change aspects of the character you initially created.
Q: When will be able to obtain the new “heat resistant” gear?
A: I’m sure there are some newcomers watching, so please allow me to explain. What we refer to as “heat resistant” gear is really just swimwear. FFXIV:ARR and other MMORPGs run 24/7/365 and have seasonal events that follow real-world times and seasons. For FFXIV, in the summer we hold the “Moonfire Faire” event and we are planning to hold it this year as well. This year’s Moonfire Faire will be split up into different phases, and depending on the day the scenario will progress. From a certain phase there will be a scenario that requires you to have heat resistant gear, so you will be able to obtain it from this event. You’ll be able to get your hands on some roughly one week after launch.
* In the video, various equipment that can be obtained from seasonal events is shown.
Q: Please tell us what kind of bosses and mechanics are waiting for us in the Great Labyrinth of Bahamut and the Crystal Tower. Will primal equipment be necessary?
A: Again, as there are most likely newcomers watching, let me explain things in simple terms. The Great Labyrinth of Bahamut will be the hardest content at the start of ARR for a while. It will contain a lot of mysteries such as what happened after the Seventh Umbral event. Naturally I can’t tell you what kind of enemies you’ll be facing, but to give you a few examples mechanics-wise, there will bosses that can only be defeated by performing certain actions and that have different phases. You might start off fighting together as 8, but then have to split into two groups and fight. Without having a party that can deal the proper amount of damage, you won’t be able to move past certain phases.
Due to this, the Great Labyrinth of Bahamut is content that cannot be cleared unless you go around to other content first and gather up gear to prepare. Additionally, there will be shared damage type of attacks that you will need to have 4 people get hit by, as well as have a certain character act as a channeler for the damage. We’ve implemented a lot of different elements that we weren’t able to include in 1.0, so please look forward to it.
Crystal Tower is a 24-person alliance raid. Though the tower is actually completed, we’re currently adjusting the difficulty as we thought the difficulty might have been a bit too hard and felt it would be better to make content that allows you to enjoy the world of FINAL FANTASY by progressing through gigantic boss battles with alliances formed through the Duty Finder. Due to this it will be implemented in patch 2.1
Q: Will the primal battles be the same as what they were in 1.0?
A: Amongst 1.0 players, there are a lot of people who possess job-specific weapons and can deal a good amount of damage. With that said, strategies used in 1.0 will work, but there are some aspects that will be surprising. We are planning to add other primal battles from here on out, and we will be making the battles with a lot of variety. Please look forward to it.
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Q: Will we ever be able to send tells from within an instanced area?
A: From a system perspective it may be possible; however, we’ve currently disabled all tell-related systems within dungeons. The reason being that you will be randomly grouped up with a vast number of people when using the Duty Finder, and because of this, there may be players who verbally abuse and harass others, so we are considering this carefully.
Also, we’re currently planning expansion elements to the Duty Finder feature, and among these elements we are looking into a system where you can communicate together with everyone. We’re planning to make it possible to send tells when these expansion elements are implemented.
Q: Will we be able to fight the primal “Good King Moggle Mog XII” in ARR?
A: We plan on implementing this in patch 2.1.
From a lore-perspective, Good King Moggle Mog XII is not a primal and is introduced as a sort of fairy tale which became real due to the effects of the Seventh Umbral Era. Due to this, we have to have a proper story for his appearance in ARR, and we will be implementing this via a scenario in patch 2.1.
Also, in 1.0 only certain primal battles had a hard mode known as “extreme,” but in ARR we will be adding “extreme” modes to all primal battles, so please look forward to it.
By the way, you can consider the story-based battle as the easy mode, the high level fight as normal mode, and then “extreme” as hard mode. However, as we continue to patch the game, we plan on gradually easing up on the difficulty.
Q: We’ve already seen chocobos and magitek armor mounts, but will you be adding even more?
A: * The video introduces the unicorn mount.
The unicorn mount will be added for the official release, and you can obtain it by playing through the conjurer class quest line. Once you obtain it you can ride it as other classes and jobs. Also, depending on the race, female characters will ride the unicorn sidesaddle. We’ll be making it possible to obtain various types of mounts moving forward.
Q: You previously mentioned that you might restrict the number of times we are able to roll a “NEED” lot on loot. Have you decided if any restrictions will be in place?
A: Besides the Great Labyrinth of Bahamut, we’ve completed the difficulty adjustments for content, and as a result of checking all of the clear rates and reward drop rates we’ve come to the conclusion that there is no need for these limitations when the game is released.
Q: The starting stats are different for each race, but will these variations only be marginal when reaching level 50 or will differences arise?
A: It will be a marginal difference. It’s at the level where you don’t even need to worry about it, so please select the race that you prefer.
Q: If you make it possible to transfer items between characters on the same account, and you can transfer relics or other Unique/Untradable items, would it be possible to equip them on the character you transfer the items to?
A: No, this will not be possible. If it were possible, after obtaining some difficult to obtain job-specific equipment, you would be able to pass it around to other characters and as a result players who have job-specific gear but have no idea how to play their class or job at very high levels might end up in end-game content that they cannot clear.
For example, playing as a paladin and earning Bahamut-level gear for black mage by using a greed lot. Even if you were to level on another character to be able to equip it, it doesn’t mean you understand the intricacies of the job enough to challenge that hardcore content.
Q: When will the job-specific armor for the companions be implemented?
A: They will be available at launch and you can obtain them through high-level FATEs and other things. Also, minions will also be quest rewards and you’ll be able to obtain them as rewards for defeating bosses in instanced dungeons.
Q: Can you show us any images of the furniture that we can place within our houses?
A: * In the video, concept artwork is shown that introduces a variety of furniture.
Q: I’ve heard that there is going to be darklight armor for white mages. Is this true?
A: Yes, but not only for white mages; we will have it for all jobs including black mage.
Q: Is there any new information on the “rare weapon apperance” system? And when implemented, what will happen balance-wise with raid weapons and armor?
A: Currently, as we have quite a lot of equipment in ARR with high item levels, we are planning to discuss this afterwards. At launch we will have high-tier, unique looking equipment that elicits flashy effects, and we’ve reached the conclusion that there is no need to implement this system at this point in time. Also, in regards to the balance with other equipment when this system is implemented, we are imagining a system where you can change the appearance of equipment above a certain strength to be unique, so there is no need to worry about stat balancing with other equipment.
Q: What’s the status of the marriage system?
A: We’d like to implement this as soon as possible. We are planning to make it so you can have an elaborate wedding celebration inviting as many people as possible.
Q: When we change our grand company, we are unable to equip any of our previous grand company gear. Could you let us convert our previous gear into seals?
A: As we continue to update the story moving forward, the positions of the three grand companies will change. We consider one aspect of role-playing to move to the grand company that best fits your personal policies. As we do not want you regretting decisions to exchange it or get rid of it, we’ve just locked it so you cannot use it until you go back to the respective grand company.
Q: In addition to primal battles, will you also be implementing hard-mode for instanced dungeons?
A: Yes, we will.
Q: There are a number of primal battles in ARR, but will there be a Morbol’s Wrath kind of primal battle?
A: Well, we have a high level FATE known as “Good to Be Bud,” so please try and find it.
Q: Show us the Ul’dah and Gridania housing areas!
A: We should be able to show you these in the next Letter from the Producer LIVE.
Q: What’s the status of the treasure map idea?
A: We are currently developing this to be a large-scale game using field areas. We’d like to implement this as soon as possible with content that has a beastmen tribe with daily quest content as well as treasure hunts. We’re planning for this content to be done either solo or with a light party, so please look forward to it.
Q: Will the Free Company housing be in the area of the Grand Company we belong to?
A: There are no real restrictions, so you can build your house in the location of your choice.
Q: Will housing areas be implemented in Coerthas and Ishgard in the future?
A: If there are enough requests for living in extremely cold areas we can look into it.
Q: Will we be able to clear all job quests solo?
A: In ARR, we’ve made it so as long as you can utilize the skills of your class/job well, then you will be able to clear the quests solo. It will also be possible to obtain your job-specific equipment solo.
Q: Will you be able to have your minions run loose in your house or set them up as furniture?
A: We’ll let the lead know you’re interested in this.
Q: When randomly choosing content through the Duty Finder you said that the rewards will become significantly better, but exactly what kind of rewards get better?
A: We plan on implementing this system in patch 2.1 when we add dungeons for level 50 characters.
The rate and number of tokens you can obtain will increase. By collecting these, you can exchange them for equipment. For example, if you are having trouble defeating the hard Ifrit battle and cannot obtain the rewards, you can use the equipment obtained with tokens to boost your strength and challenge Ifrit once again.
Q: I heard that you can reallocate your attribute points, but will this be something you can do easily multiple times?
A: You’ll be able to use a special item you can obtain by exchanging a certain amount of another item, but it won’t be something you can do so easily. For example, it’s not like you will be able to allocate them so today you can challenge the Great Labyrinth of Bahamut as scholar, and tomorrow allocate them so you can go as summoner.
Q: Could you provide us more information on when we will be able to develop add-ons and when official add-ons will be released?
A: We’ve just begun working on the environment that players can use to create add-ons. We’ve been receiving a lot of feedback and have managed to increase the completion rate of the base aspects, and once we develop the tool based on this we will be distributing it to players and letting you make your own. It’ll be possible to make these add-ons in approximately 6-8 months after launch.
Q: Could you show us some in-game footage of PvP?
A: * The video shows in-game footage of the Wolves’ Den PvP area.
The Wolves’ Den is a fighting arena that was made through the cooperation of the three city-states, and can be accessed by boat from the Moraby Drydocks. In the Wolves’ Den, there is a PvP ranking board. The fighting arena was placed inside a crater formed from a meteor that fell during the Seventh Umbral Era, and there is a PvP registration area as well as a shop in the structure alongside it.
By speaking to the NPC at the registration area, the Wolves’ Den will be added to the Duty Finder, and you will then be able to participate in PvP right from the Duty Finder.
Q: When coming back for ARR, I heard there would be a Welcome Back Campaign, but could you tell us the time period and other details for this?
A: As we announced previously, we will be providing the ARR client for free to those who played version 1.0. These players can play for free until September 9, 2013. Even if you only used the 30 day free period during 1.0’s service, you’ll be able to take part in this campaign, so please consider coming back to the game.
Q: Are there any plans to implement an item that can be used to change the appearance of our characters?
A: To start off I’d like to explain about our long-term subscription rewards.
We are calling this the “Veteran Reward System” and it’s a feature where you can obtain items and mounts as rewards based on the accumulated subscription period. There are two rewards for 30 days: the Wind-up Cursor (minion) and a phial of Fantasia, which can be used to remake your character’s appearance. After playing an MMORPG for 30 days, you will encounter a lot of cool-looking characters and perhaps find that some of the gear you obtained doesn’t look as good on your character, which may lower your motivation to play as you’d really like to change your character’s appearance. As we’d like you to continue playing FFXIV: ARR for a long time, we’ll be giving you a phial of Fantasia as a reward for playing for 30 days, and you’ll be given the opportunity to revamp you character’s appearance.
Additionally, for 60 days we will be rewarding players with a rare black “heat resistant” gear as well as the “Black Chocobo Chick” minion. For 90 days we will be rewarding players with the “Beady Eye” minion and the “Voidsent Resonator” Ahriman mount. Also, we are planning to add 120 day and 180 day rewards as well when we patch the game.
Furthermore, the unique feature about the system is that players will receive the reward immediately upon subscribing for more than 30 days. For example, if a player subscribes for 90 days, they will immediately receive the reward for subscribing 30 days, 60 days, and 90 days.
* The video shows off in-game footage of the “Wind-up Cursor,” “Black Chocobo Chick,” and “Beady Eye” minions, as well as the “Voidsent Resonator” ahriman mount.
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