Letter from the Producer, X (05/20/2011)
Hello again, all fans of FINAL FANTASY XIV!
Today’s letter marks the tenth entry in the series, which is still going strong thanks to your support. As always, I’ll endeavor to keep the latest information flowing to you, so keep watching this space!
It’s been a while since I last updated our list of changes, so I figured it was due for a good clean up. Like last time, I’ve grayed out the items already implemented and noted what patch they were released in. New entries to the list are appropriately marked as -NEW-. The Battle System section was getting a bit large, so I made a separate category for enemy and field changes. This time around, the list contains additions planned for up until summer 2011. You see what I did there with the bold font for emphasis? But anywho, without further ado, feast your eyes on the list in its entirety! (Remember, these are our plans until summer 2011!)
<table width="600" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="1" align="center" class="ta01"><tr valign="middle" align="center" class="th01"><td width="15%" bgcolor="#f5cca2">Category</td><td width="25%" bgcolor="#f5cca2">Planned</td><td width="30%" bgcolor="#f5cca2">Current Tasks</td><td width="30%" bgcolor="#f5cca2">Future Tasks</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f8dfc5" align="center" rowspan="10">Quests</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Opening tutorial adjustments</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Planning of simplified opening tutorials and assessment of implementation costs</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Implementation of simplified opening tutorials for the three city-states</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Quests revolving around the danger facing Eorzea</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Planning and implementation of quests</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Introduction of additional quests</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Storylines and world quests</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Development and release of supplemental storylines and world quests</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Introduction of additional quests</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Grand Companies quests</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Development of the Grand Companies for the three city-states and design of accompanying quests</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Introduction of additional quests</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Seasonal events</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Implementation of new seasonal events for summer</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Ongoing development of seasonal events</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Job quests</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Design of quests to accompany the job system</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Implementation of job quests</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5" rowspan="4">Quest-related system changes</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="darkgray">Addition of icons to make quest NPCs easily recognizable (complete as of 1.17)</font></td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Addition of several icons to distinguish between quest types</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="darkgray">Addition of quest NPC locations to maps (complete as of 1.17)</font></td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Division of map data for various quest types</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="darkgray">Addition of confirmation windows for accepting/refusing quests (complete as of 1.17)</font></td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Opt from among several rewards upon quest completion</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="darkgray">Ability to abandon accepted quests (complete as of 1.16a)</font></td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5" align="center">-</td></tr> <tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#f8dfc5" align="center" rowspan="27">User Interface<br>(UI)</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" rowspan="2">Improvements to the log</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3">Examination of new log config settings<font color="#006600">(moved from Future Tasks)</font><br> Ability to set length of inactivity before log is hidden</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" align="center">-</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="darkgray">Revision of text colors by message type (complete as of 1.16)</font></td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3">Increased log tabs<br>Increased color customization by type</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3">Improvement of dialog windows<br>(ex. market area selection)</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="darkgray">Changes to increase the amount of on-screen data to reduce the need for multiple pages (complete for market area selection screens as of 1.15a)</font></td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3">Reexamination of page-scrolling mechanics<br>Conversion to specialized query windows</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" rowspan="3"><font color="darkgray">Improvements to journal usability (complete as of 1.16a)</font></td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="darkgray">Changes to consolidate all current quests and levequests on one screen (complete as of 1.16a)</font></td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="darkgray">Ongoing changes<br>Additional list entries (complete as of 1.16)</font></td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="darkgray">Increased speed for text scrolling in general, and further speed increase for continuous scrolling<br>Addition of page-scrolling control for gamepads (complete as of 1.16a)</font></td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" align="center">-</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="darkgray">Addition of entries to journal list (complete as of 1.16a)</font></td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" align="center">-</td></tr> <tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3">Character jump feature</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" align="center">-</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3">Examination of the implementation of jumping<font color="#006600">(moved from Current Tasks as lower priority)<br>*Implementation dependent upon risk analysis</font></td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="darkgray">Rank/Level up fanfare (complete as of 1.16)</font></td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="darkgray">Examination of dramatic effects when a new rank or level is attained (complete as of 1.16)</font></td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="darkgray">Further rank/level up fanfare enhancements (complete as of 1.16)</font></td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="darkgray">Increased usability of maps (complete as of 1.17)</font></td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" align="center">-</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="darkgray">Subsequent increase in the number of points and icons pictured on maps (complete as of 1.17)</font></td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="darkgray">Improved minimap usability (complete as of 1.17)</font></td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" align="center">-</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="darkgray">Quest NPC directional indicator (complete as of 1.17)</font></td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" rowspan="2">Improvements to camera usability</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="darkgray">Changes to allow camera distance settings via gamepad (complete as of 1.16)</font></td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" align="center">-</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Implementation of initial camera position retention</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" align="center">-</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3">Changes to notification windows</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="darkgray">Changes to window placement (complete as of 1.16)</font></td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3">Changes to increase the specialization of windows</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" rowspan="3">Improvements to targeting mechanics</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="darkgray">Changes to allow targeting by type (PC or NPC) when targeting with a gamepad (complete as of 1.16)</font></td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3">Examination of target indicator customization<br>Addition of an "attacking enemies only" type to targeting system</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="darkgray">Ability to target by clicking on character name displays (complete as of 1.16)</font></td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="darkgray">Examination of additional information display on unit frames (complete as of 1.17)</font></td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Display targeting cursor above character</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" align="center">-</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3">Emote usability improvements</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="darkgray">Display of text commands for each emote on the emote list (complete as of 1.16)</font></td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3">Alphabetization of emote list</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="darkgray">Auto-translate dictionary update (complete as of 1.16)</font></td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="darkgray">Update of auto-translate dictionary contents (complete as of 1.16)</font></td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" align="center">-</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Introduction of pop-up help</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Implementation of pop-up help messages</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" align="center">-</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" rowspan="2"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Configuration menu improvements</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Make settings done via text commands also available in the configuration menu</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" align="center">-</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Reorganize configuration menu layout</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" align="center">-</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" rowspan="3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>UI revisions based on battle system reform</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Action bar and other GUI revision based on the introduction of auto-attack</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" align="center">-</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Graphically display recast time on the action bar</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" align="center">-</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Addition of shortcuts to improve battle controls</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" align="center">-</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Management window for achievements</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Examination of a window for achievements unlocked</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Implementation of a window for managing achievements</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Grand Companies</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Cost analysis for creating command center UI for the three Grand Companies</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Implementation of command center UI for the Grand Companies</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Materia crafting system (name tentative)</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Conduct UI implementation cost analysis based on system details</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Implementation of Materia crafting window</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f8dfc5" align="center" rowspan="3">Guildleves</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5" rowspan="2">Improvements to guildleve-related information</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Additional information when exchanging guildleves</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5" align="center">-</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="darkgray">Revision and balancing of local leve issuing conditions (complete as of 1.16)</font></td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Ongoing revision and balacing</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Balancing of guildleve rewards</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Changes to less popular guildleves in line with reward balances</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Further release of new guildleves following balancing</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#f8dfc5" align="center"><font color="red">[NEW]</font><br>Behest</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Reward and balance adjustments for behest</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Changes to less popular behests in line with reward balances</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" align="center">-</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f8dfc5" align="center" rowspan="16">Items,<br>Synthesis, and<br>Gathering</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Adjustments to item condition values</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="darkgray">Adjustments to lower the rate at which item condition deteriorates (complete as of 1.16)</font></td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Ongoing balances in line with player feedback</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Higher visibility of the optimal rank of items</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Changes to the color of item names to convey the disparity between optimal rank and a player's current rank<br> Currently assessing costs of implementation</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Color categorization of item names</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Reassessment of the gear affinities</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Introduction of gear with rank requirements to create player-oriented goals</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Further changes to gear affinities</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Reexamination of class-based requirements for gear</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Addition of class-specific gear to enhance class uniqueness and goal-oriented play</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Reexamination of recommended class system for gear</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="darkgray">Revision of battle loot and quest rewards<br>(spec revised, implementation ongoing)</font></td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="darkgray">Ability to obtain weapons and armor via battle loot and quest rewards<br>(spec revised, implementation ongoing)</font></td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="darkgray">Implementation in line with quests<br>(spec revised, implementation ongoing)</font></td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Equipment attribute revisions</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Adjustments to the attributes of existing equipment</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Resetting the attributes of existing equipment</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5" rowspan="3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Synthesis recipe revisions</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Optimize ingredient and task requirements of recipes to be appropriate to rank<br><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Develop optimized synthesis recipes for new equipment</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Addition of optimized synthesis recipes for new equipment</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="darkgray">Expansion of synthesis recipe history (currently stores eight recipes) (complete as of 1.16a)</font></td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Ongoing improvements to recipe history feature</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="darkgray">Adjustments to the item synthesis process (complete as of 1.16)</font></td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5" align="center">-</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="darkgray">Increased pace of gathering actions (complete as of 1.16)</font></td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="darkgray">Changes to the frame rates of action animations to speed up gathering (complete as of 1.16)</font></td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5" align="center">-</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5" rowspan="5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Materia crafting system (name tentative)</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Finalization of system details and implementation cost analysis</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Implementation of Materia crafting system</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Adjustment of equipment attributes for Materia upgrade</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Implementation of equipment attributes for Materia upgrade</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Development of Materia attributes</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Adjustment and implementation of Materia obtainment rate</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Devising a catalyst required in Materia crafting</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Adjustment and implementation of obtainment rate for Materia catalyst</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Establishment of Materia crafting success rate and conditions</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Adjustment and implementation of Materia crafting success rate</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Repair system improvements</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Implementation of improvements to the repair system</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5" align="center">-</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#f8dfc5" align="center" rowspan="4">Market Areas</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3">Improvement of market area connectivity and stability</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Stage two of radical improvement measures</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3">Ongoing improvements to market area stability</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3">Retainer system improvements</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="darkgray">Ability to summon retainers currently operating a bazaar (complete as of 1.16)</font></td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="darkgray">Ability to save retainer location (complete as of 1.17)</font></td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3">Improved usability of the item search feature</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" align="center">-</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3">Examination of ability to search by specific item names</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3">Examination of an auction house system</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3">Final examination of retainer and auction house systems</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3">Initial planning following final decision</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f8dfc5" align="center" rowspan="15">Battle System</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Ability to toggle display of head gear</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5" align="center">-</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Addition of a menu option</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5" rowspan="2"><font color="darkgray">Party system changes (complete as of 1.17)</font></td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="darkgray">Examination of maximum single party size (complete as of 1.17)<br> Changes aimed at improving battle balance</font></td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="darkgray">Reduction of "full" party size from 15 to 8 members (complete as of 1.17)<br>Release of "small" parties made up of 4 members (complete as of 1.17)</font></td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="darkgray">Redesign of UI elements in line with new party system (complete as of 1.17)</font></td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="darkgray">Examination of a buffing system and party display for small and full parties (complete as of 1.17)</font></td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="darkgray">Revisions to party-based skill point acquisition in parties<br>Battle adjustments for new party system (complete as of 1.17)</font></td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="darkgray">Adjustments to degrees of difficulty and bonuses for behests for full parties (8 members) (complete as of 1.17)</font></td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="darkgray">Adjustments to period of time between behest resets (complete as of 1.17)</font></td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Auto-attack system</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Implementation of core mechanics for auto-attack</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Adjustment of class-specific motions to accompany auto-attack</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="darkgray">Character collision detection (complete as of 1.16)</font></td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="darkgray">Removal of character collision (complete as of 1.16)</font></td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5" align="center">-</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5" rowspan="3">Changes to enmity calculations</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Revisions to enmity algorithms</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Ongoing revisions to enmity algorithms</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Adjustments to positioning algorithms of enemies in relation to PCs</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Ongoing adjustments of algorithms as necessary</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Adjustments to ranged attack algorithms of enemies</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Ongoing adjustments of algorithms as necessary</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Revision of crowd control actions</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Revision of crowd control actions for each class to improve party-based play</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Implementation of changes after finalization</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Crowd control system revisions</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Implementation of rules for when stacking crowd control actions</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Ongoing adjustments</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Changes to enemy group dynamics</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Introduction of enemy group variability, as well as enemy group highlighting to enhance combat visibility</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5" align="center">-</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Changes to claiming/engaging enemies</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Examination and implementation of changes to claiming and engaging enemies</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Ongoing balancing of skill point acquisition following initial changes</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Reexamination of Return cost</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Examination of reducing Return cost to 0 anima</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Abolition of anima cost for Return</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Reexamination of surplus values</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Final examination for the abolition of surplus values</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Abolition following balance adjustments</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#f8dfc5" align="center" rowspan="11">Armoury System<br><br><font color="red">[NEW]</font><br>Job System</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" rowspan="4">Changes to actions for Disciplines of War & Magic classes</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3">Further changes to enhance class uniqueness<br><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Adjustment of certain action effects in line with the introduction of dungeons</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3">Initial implementation of partial changes</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Adjustment of range of effect for actions (single target or area)</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" align="center">-</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Adjustment of recast time and MP consumption for actions</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" align="center">-</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Development of unique motions and effects for certain weapon skills</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" align="center">-</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3">Reexamination of stats</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="darkgray">Addition of an auto-MP regeneration feature (complete as of 1.16)</font></td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3">Ongoing reeaxmination of attributes and stats</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Abolition of physical levels</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Abolish physical levels and experience points and shift character development to class rank</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Implement simultaneously with physical bonus revisions (below)</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Physical bonus revisions</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Shift to automated character development based on class rank, with optional attribute point allotment</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Implement simultaneously with abolition of physical levels (above)</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Reexamination of requirements for setting actions</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Implement the default setting of class-specific actions when playing as that class, and define conditions for setting the actions of other classes.</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" align="center">-</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Job system mechanics</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Development of core mechanics for the job system</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Cost assessment for job system implementation</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Establishment of job specifics</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Establish the details of the initial set of jobs and their skills</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Determine the attributes of each job</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Creation of job assets</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Development of graphical assets for each job such as equipment</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Stage by stage implementation of job-specific weapons and armor</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f8dfc5" align="center" rowspan="2">Company System</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5" rowspan="2">Introduction of the Grand Companies</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Implementation of command centers in the three city-states</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Appearance of the three commanders</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Implementation of a contribution system and rewards</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Ongoing addition of rewards and expansion of content</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#f8dfc5" align="center" rowspan="10"><font color="red">[NEW]</font><br>Monster<br>and Field</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Addition of frontier hubs</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Addition of hubs to remote areas</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Ongoing consideration for the addition of further hubs</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3">Balancing of enemy attributes</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3">Changes to enemy attributes and drops</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3">Ongoing balancing as necessary</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" rowspan="3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Strengthening of beast tribes</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Distribution of roaming and quest-specific beastmen<br><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Diversification of monster types in existing species</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3">Further implementation in line with new quests</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Addition of beast tribe settlements</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Ongoing addition of beast tribe settlements</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Development of beastman strongholds and assets</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Implementation of beastman strongholds</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3">Environment collision detection</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="darkgray">Risk analysis of collision detection adjustments to improve movement response (complete as of 1.17)</font><br><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Initial adjustments stable, moving towards ongoing adjustments</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3">Ongoing adjustments to environment collision detection</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3">Enemy distribution adjustments</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3">Examination of free-ranging enemy distribution<br> Changes aimed at clearly defined territories and secure travel routes</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3">Gradual adjustments to roaming enemy distribution</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3">Revision of enemy sizes</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="darkgray">Optimization of enemy size for ease of play (complete as of 1.16)</font></td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3">Ongoing adjustments to enemy size</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" rowspan="2">Design and release of notorious monsters</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="darkgray">Release of notorious monsters (complete as of 1.17)</font><br><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Ongoing addition of notorious monsters</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3">Further implementation in line with new quests</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3">Conversion of roaming monsters to notorious monsters</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"> Implementation after finalization</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f8dfc5" align="center" rowspan="9">The Lodestone</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Official forums</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="darkgray">Test launch of official forums in JP, EN, FR, and DE beginning in early March (commenced 3/8/2011)</font></td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5">Improvements to forums based on test period results<br>Determination of final launch date<br><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Linking profile with in-game character<br><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Change to content-themed design</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5" rowspan="2"><font color="darkgray">Additional blog features (complete as of 3/8/2011)</font></td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="darkgray">Addition of a "Like!" button to mark preferred posts (complete as of 2/23/2011)</font></td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5" align="center">-</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="darkgray">Ability to add decorative text, HTML links to blog entries (complete as of 3/8/2011)</font></td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5" align="center">-</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="darkgray">My Site automated notifications (complete as of 2/23/2011)</font></td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="darkgray">Notifications of new blog entries, new followers, etc., posted at the top of My Site pages (complete as of 2/23/2011)</font></td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5" align="center">-</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5" rowspan="3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>New blog features</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Implementation of monthly archives</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5" align="center">-</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Implementation of blog access counter (visible only to the user)</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5" align="center">-</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Addition of draft feature</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5" align="center">-</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Preview feature</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Implementation of preview feature for blogs, linkshell forums, and profiles</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5" align="center">-</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td01"><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Visual history for characters</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Implementation of browsing feature for gear obtained through events</td><td bgcolor="#f6efe5" align="center">-</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#f8dfc5" align="center" rowspan="7">New Content</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" rowspan="2">Instanced PvE Content (Dungeons/Raids)</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Implementation of a rank 50 dungeon for full parties</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Periodic addition of dungeons</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Implementation of a rank 30 dungeon for light parties</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Periodic addition of dungeons</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" rowspan="3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Ifrit battle</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Development of Ifrit battle quest</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Implementation of Ifrit battle quest</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Development of cutscenes for Ifrit battle</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3" align="center">-</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Finalization of details for Ifrit battle</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Balance adjustments for Ifrit battle</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Achievements</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Establishment of details for achievement system</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Implementation of acheivements and rewards</td></tr><tr valign="middle" align="left" class="td02"><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Mount system (name tentative)</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Examination of mount system (including chocobos)</td><td bgcolor="#fffaf3"><font color="red">-NEW-</font><br>Establishment of details for mount system</td></tr></table>
Now here’s the accompanying commentary. On the hot topic of battle, as our lead battle planner Akihiko Matsui posted on the forums the other day, major changes are in store heading into summer, such as the introduction of auto-attack. Now, to make Matsui stop his incessant poking (he’s still at it!), let me put it this way—the theme of the overhaul to the battle system is reward effort, reduce monotony. Let’s see if that holds off the pokes.
Think of the satisfaction you get when taking out an enemy solo by a stroke of brilliance. Or the supreme exhilaration you feel when pwning entire hoards of foes by playing out your party role to perfection. Now, in contrast, imagine a person who, with only half his heart in the battle, struggles to dispatch the enemy. This kind of range in experience is what we’re aiming for with the reformed battle system—a system that rewards effort and innovation. Revisions to the Armoury System and battle algorithms will be spearheading the changes, along with the introduction of the job system. We’re pressing forward with changes catering to both solo and party play, so you can rest assured whatever your playing style.
1.18 will see levequest balancing go into full swing, starting with revisions centered on rewards. As for crafting and gathering, we’re tweaking existing recipes and adding brand-new ones for crafter gear ahead of the summer. I’m pleased to say we’ve concluded our feasibility study for the Materia crafting system (though the name is still tentative), and will soon hammer out the details for the UI and start working on the data.
Now, there’s one new item on the list that fans of the FINAL FANTASY series wouldn’t have missed: the long-awaited battle with the primal Ifrit is on the way! But that’s hardly where it ends. We’ll be summoning forth more and more primals in the future, so keep an eye out for further announcements. :D
A number of plans made at the beginning of the year will soon be ripe for release. Among these are the shiny new job system (a proper system, mind you, not just renamed classes), an in-game achievement system related to Lodestone character histories, and new modes of transport to address the mobility issue. Once our current plans progress to the next stage, I believe it’ll be possible to unveil a longer-term update schedule. (We’ve been giving chocobos a lot of thought, but it’s hard to establish a timeframe before we define exactly what needs to be done.)
And that about does it for this letter. For next time, I’m planning to write all about our progress on auto-attack, and hope to be able to present the feature to you in fully animated glory rather than with dull screenshots. (Note to self: have Lodestone crew implement video embedding on the website.)
Thanks for reading! Catch you next time and/or on the forums! :D