“In terms of how far in advance we’re thinking about our schedule, roughly we plan up to two years ahead,” Final Fantasy XIV director and producer, Naoki Yoshida, reveals. The MMORPG’s second enlargement, Stormblood, only launched back in June, however the workforce’s eyes have been turned to what’s subsequent for some time, and much past that, too.
Haven’t performed Final Fantasy XIV’s newest enlargement but? Here are the five biggest changes Stormblood brings.
However, Stormblood didn’t precisely have a cushty begin, which pressured the workforce’s imaginative and prescient out of the longer term and introduced them crashing again into the current. Various snags in its early days left some gamers unable to progress or completely unable to log in to the game. Sure, busy servers are to be anticipated on the launch of an enlargement, however the points that plagued Stormblood appeared excessive. The workforce labored to resolve the issues as quick as they might however had to take action whereas additionally within the midst of warding off an aggressive DDoS attack. It appears the recognition of Final Fantasy XIV had made it a goal.
“We had problems with the duty finder, down time, bottlenecks on some of the instanced content, and there were other incidents and accidents that happened that may not have been seen in the public,” Yoshida explains. Though he was disenchanted with the launch and the setbacks they confronted, he has immense reward for the efforts of the event workforce and what they achieved. It’s simple to see why.
Eventually, as soon as the sport had been stabilized, Stormblood was appreciated by followers and critics for all of its new options. It provided a grand and expansive journey that despatched gamers on a journey via the areas of Doma and Ala Mhigo. Two new jobs impressed gamers to begin a complete new degree grind: the acrobatic spellslinger, Red Mage; and the stoic duelist, the Samurai. Meanwhile, new dungeons and encounters proved the workforce are nonetheless capable of invent distinctive and iconic moments throughout the generally tough confines of an MMO.
By now, many have seen the brand new content material to its conclusion, and have been left questioning what’s subsequent. With prior expansions A Realm Reborn and Heavensward, the Final Fantasy XIV growth workforce had settled into a cushty rhythm of releasing patches and new content material. Will that very same strategy be utilized post-Stormblood as effectively?
“Yes, what you have seen throughout the 3.x [Heavensward] series – with the Main Scenario Quests, Raid and Alliance Raid – all that major content and how they are updated throughout the 4.x [Stormblood] series in terms of schedule is pretty much the same,” Yoshida says. “But, that being said, if it is literally the same exact pattern we’re sure that players might start to get a little bit tired of that, so we are making sure to incorporate content that feels new as well.”
The most vital new addition on the horizon is coming this October in Patch four.1: The Legend Returns. That replace will introduce the primary a part of Stormblood’s 24-man Alliance raid, Return to Ivalice. The world is a well-recognized vacation spot to each followers of Final Fantasy and Square Enix on the whole, it being the setting for video games reminiscent of Final Fantasy XII and Final Fantasy Tactics. So far, nevertheless, Yoshida has been very coy with the main points, as he tells us that “literally everything could be a potential spoiler.”
A latest developer livestream discussing the upcoming patch was additionally mild on new data, though it was revealed that gamers will probably be heading to the town of Rabanastre within the raid. Yoshida has some recommendation for these trying to leap in: “Final Fantasy Tactics plays a large role in understanding the background. We would recommend if you’ve not played it already to try it out and experience that story because it deals with the start of the Ivalice Alliance. That is a key element.” That provides you a month to brush the mud off your PSP or give the cellular model a spin.
If you’re hoping to see future content material veer away from the usual dungeon and raid cycle, then you definately’re in luck. One concept the workforce has confirmed they’re engaged on is bringing Final Fantasy X’s Blitzball to the sport. With the introduction of swimming and diving in Stormblood, the aquatic sport appeared a pure match after the MMO already has its personal variations of Final Fantasy mini-games Triple Triad and Chocobo Racing.
It is, nevertheless, nonetheless a great distance off, because the workforce is debating about how precisely to carry it to Final Fantasy XIV. Yoshida says there are presently two strategies that exist as potential concepts: an nearly actual replication of how the game performs in Final Fantasy X, or a mode extra much like the model in Final Fantasy X-2 through which you recruit NPCs and function the supervisor of the workforce. The workforce is outwardly “very torn” on which course to take.
“I felt there was a big risk if we just literally translate it into FFXIV,” Yoshida explains. “The first time playing it would be great, people would enjoy it, it’s Blitzball, but they might not come back. That’s problematic for an MMO.”
As for the second concept, “that would be the more appropriate format,” he declares. “But the disadvantage of having it in that format is that people won’t… it’s not the Blitzball people have remembered and people might not recognise it as the Blitzball that they know and love.”
“That’s how seriously we’re taking it – we’re thinking about this really hard,” Yoshida continues. “We might still be thinking about this so hard and for such a long time, so we might have another element implemented in the Gold Saucer, like a snowboard mini-game or something!”
Elsewhere, additional assist is deliberate for the sport’s PvP modes – a side Yoshida remains to be very enthusiastic about. The adjustments in Stormblood simplified a variety of the mode’s mechanics by normalising HP ranges throughout jobs and decreasing the variety of PvP skills to a far much less intimidating quantity. The hope was to encourage extra gamers to check out one of many sport’s lesser populated actions.
Since introducing these adjustments, Yoshida says suggestions from newcomers and veterans has been constructive – although among the extra skilled gamers do miss their previous skills and need for extra complexity. “We feel that it’s not a negative reaction per se. They do receive it positively, and they do think it’s an improvement, and it’s more of a suggestion to make it even better,” he says.
What these gamers is perhaps joyful to listen to of is a brand new “large scale” PvP mode that will probably be launched in Patch four.15. Rival Wings pits two groups of 24 gamers towards one another in an unlimited enviornment. Skirmishes received’t solely be happening on the bottom, you’ll additionally be capable to pilot highly effective mechs and tear throughout the battlefield.
Yoshida needs to proceed bringing steadiness altering to the sport’s jobs, too, after the weak positions Warrior, Scholar, and Summoner presently sit in. Tweaks will probably be made main as much as Patch four.1 and past, as Yoshida explains: “we’re always looking to make sure we have the best balance between all of our jobs and so there is no finite goal for this.”
Specifics are laborious to come back by at this stage, although the overall sense from Yoshida is that the workforce needs to scale back the danger of lacking alternatives to extend your DPS for Summoner, enhance the usability of Scholar total, and buff the Warrior’s potential to tank and deal harm so they’re extra consistent with Paladins and Dark Knights.
In the identical sense, Yoshida talks as if there’s no finite aim in thoughts for Final Fantasy XIV on the whole. The sport just lately celebrated its fourth birthday with a 14-hour livestream and an in-game seasonal occasion. However, for Yoshida-san, it’s all the time extra essential to consider what’s to come back – and that two yr schedule is all the time behind his thoughts.
“Of course, having these milestones year after year is definitely something that is special, but it feels like a point in which we pass through as creators of the game. I think five years will be the more recognisable milestone in my perspective, so I think the worry is more about what should I do next year!”
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