Letter from the Producer, LI (10/16/2013)

Hello again, all you FFXIVers out there! Yoshi-P here, bringing you my fifty-first Letter from the Producer.

It's already been a month and a half since release, and after adding several new Worlds, optimizing the servers, and expanding the data centers, it's full speed ahead for the development team as we prepare for the first big patch.

Looking over data from each World, it's great to see so many players in every level range. Whether it's exploring the nooks and crannies of Eorzea, chasing after FATE, braving through dungeons for Allagan tomestomes, or taking on the Binding Coil of Bahamut, everyone seems to be settling into their own play style as they find their place in the community.

As for myself, I’ve finally defeated Titan in the main story, and am now in snowswept Coerthas. I’ve been going it incognito on the public servers, and it’s been a lot of fun playing with you all. I can never resist a shout for help to venture through lower level dungeons, so it'll probably be a while before I reach end game.

Speaking of end game, I'd like to take a moment to address our players who have completed the main scenario, and are now working to complete relic quests and fight against the hard-mode primals. We realize how difficult it's been to acquire tomestones and have taken measures to alleviate this problem. Although we had a few setbacks necessitating an extension of the planned maintenance on October 15, as well as a subsequent emergency maintenance, we've added additional instance servers for Amdapor Keep as well as the Wanderer's Palace. We've also increased the number of tomestones obtainable in these dungeons, and made adjustments to gil received from within. Patch 2.1 will introduce even more ways to accumulate tomes, so please bear with us.

End game players have also encountered problems with the fifth turn of the Binding Coil of Bahamut. This issue was to be addressed with the patch on October 15, but unfortunately we've confirmed that the problem still persists. Please rest assured we are working diligently to resolve this issue so that players can resume play in this instance as soon as possible.

Our first update will be fairly substantial, and can be divided into three key parts. First and foremost, we want players to have more options to enjoy themselves in Eorzea. We'll be introducing daily quests and treasure hunts for those looking to play solo, and various system adjustments will make it easier to obtain Allagan tomestones of philosophy and mythology with your party mates. You can also expect to see new dungeons, the Crystal Tower, extreme primal battles, and the return of Good King Moggle Mog. There's also housing and the Wolves' Den to look forward to, both of which are being fine-tuned and debugged as we speak.

Second, we'll be implementing feedback from you, the players. Not only will the user interface be updated, but we'll also be adding an item-sort function, item level restrictions on the Duty Finder, the MVP system, and a number of other new features.

Last but certainly not least, we'll be introducing the salon where players can customize character features such as hair and face paint, and a party search function for individual Worlds. This wouldn't be a FINAL FANTASY if it didn't have a story, so expect to see new developments in the main scenario, and perhaps even the return of a certain someone from Version 1.0.

More details will be revealed during the upcoming LIVE letters. I'm planning to host one every month up until the release of 2.1, and I hope you tune in to all of them!

And that’s all from me for today. See you again on October 19, at the ninth Letter from the Producer LIVE! :)