KMC Forums - Final Fantasy XIV Online

FFXIV Q&A session

Note: read from bottom to top.

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/990/990578p1.html

quote:

12:28p.m.: The session is ending. The audience claps and heads to the front to take photos of the Square-Enix team.

12:27p.m.: Question - If I am new to MMOs, why would I choose FFXIV over all the games that are already on the market?

Answer - The world and the story. They believe theirs stands out.

12:26p.m.: Answer - It is a different world, a different game. So you will not be able to do that, no. But as they said earlier you can create a similar character.

Also, FFXIV will not be using the Play Online system. But they want to be able to move friend lists from FFXI over.

12:25p.m.: Question - FFXI fans want to know if they will be able to move their characters from FFXI to FFIX

12:24p.m.: Question - Will you let FFXI players into the beta test? How will that process work?

12:23p.m.: Also, FFXI is still party-based, but with FFIX they want to make content for many different types of play styles - people who want to play in long stretches or short bursts, etc.

12:22p.m.: Answer - The key word is growth of the character. Not just high quality of graphics and storytelling but new game systems that allow characters to grow and change in a dynamic way. The job system will be 'quite different' than the one in FFXI.

(They are mentioning 'new systems' quite a bit. But we're not quite sure what those will be just yet.)

12:21p.m.: (He is saying something about peregrine falcons. Wait, that can't be right. My Japanese dictionary is terrible.)

12:20p.m.: Question - What are the highlights of the game they would like to emphasize? What are they doing differently from FFXI?
How many different kinds of Chocobo will be in the game?

12:19p.m.: Question - During the battle scene we saw many different enemies. Will the combat be many vs. many or one vs. many? A mix of both?

Answer - They don't know how much they can say about that. But they do want to have a mix of both.

12:18p.m.: Question - In yesterday's trailer, is that the quality we will see in the actual game?

Answer - There were parts that were pre-rendered and parts that were in-game. The combat scene shown in the trailer was in-game footage.

12:17p.m.: A question from the Japanese press coming now.
Not ruling out a version of the game on Xbox 360.

12:15p.m.: Answer - Originally FFXI was designed for PS2 and moved on to PC and 360. People were wondering why they didn't just port it to new generation machines. But it just wasn't feasible to move all the content. They used that time to make a new experience instead.

12:14p.m.: Someone just asked why the FFXI team is making another MMO. I think they were a little confused. The panel is politely answering.

12:13p.m.: Answer - The plan from the beginning was to make the best Final Fantasy game available. The way to do that, they thought, was through the MMO genre. But they are also implementing some new systems that will innovate.

12:12p.m.: Question - Is there anything within the MMO genre that SE is trying to improve with FFXIV?

12:11p.m.: Question - Is there any plan to translate the game to Spanish?(What do platypuses have to do with anything? Again, I should probably wait for the translation. That doesn't make sense at all.)

Answer - Currently there is no Spanish translation in the works. But if the demand is high enough it would be considered. But it would have to be after launch because of the plan for a simultaneous worldwide launch.

12:10p.m.: Answer - It's up to the communities themselves. We hope they will move from FFXI eventually to FFXIV.

12:09p.m.: Question - How will the communities be managed in FFXIV?

12:08p.m.: Question - Will there be a plan for taking feedback from users and integrating it into the game over time, much like FFXI today?

Answer - Yes. They plan to do just that. The beta will also be important.

12:07p.m.: Also, there are worldwide servers and cross-platform and cross-region servers. But things have yet to be determined in the beta. Much like FFXI. Going for a good balance.

12:06p.m.: Question - Will there be a simultaneous worldwide release?

Answer - Yes, at the launch it will be worldwide for PS3 and PC. Four languages - Japanese, English, German and French.

12:05p.m.: Answer - Yes, they plan on using the things they learned in FFXI, which was designed for party battles and was adapted over time for solo play. Solo play will be integrated earlier in FFXIV this time around.

12:04p.m.: Question - Will the ability to play solo be a part of FFXIV, as it was in FFXI?

12:04p.m.: Question - Will the combat be turn-based?

They decline to answer that question just yet.

12:03p.m.: Answer - We do want to put some of that (casual user appeal) in the game. But they want to make it unique.

12:02p.m.: Question - Jeremy asks about the influence of World of Warcraft on the development of FFXIV. Was it (or games like it) considered when making the game?

12:00p.m.: Answer - The development for FFXIV started 4 or 5 years ago, and it's gone on alongside FFXI development. They plan to continue with one year more of content for FFXI.

11:59a.m.: Question - What happens to FFXI now if we're moving to FFXIV? Will it be phased out? (I don't speak Japanese but I think he's saying something about fruitbats. Maybe I'll just wait for the translation.)

11:58a.m.: Answer - These are different races. The world is different then FFXI. The reason they made them look similar is so the people who were playing XI can choose a similar type of race to the one they were already playing.

11:57a.m.: A question is asked about the races in the game - are they tied to FFXI?

11:56a.m.: He says the game will come to PS3 and PC, and they are also 'considering all options at this time' in terms of other hardware, including Microsoft products. The q and a session begins.

11:55a.m: The speakers are the producers and a director. Hashimoto-san wants to clarify the exclusivity details of the game. He speaks through a translator. He has a lot to say, apparently...

11: 54a.m. The session is beginning. The speakers come on stage. They are not riding Chocobos. Fail.

11:53a.m.: IGN Editorial Manager Jeremy Dunham is here with me. He is berating members of the audience.

11:52a.m.: I'm hoping they ride in on chocobo's. This is an invitation-only event. How the heck did we get in here?

they didn't rule out a 360 version...