The Community Teams interview Yoshida in Japan!

[BruceyBruceyBangBang]

6 months is the price to pay to develop HD models and is not exactly horrible if you have a timeline of content, gear set concepts, and story planned well in advance. Which is what all MMOs do and why it seems (to you) that there is a constant flow of content and gear and that it seemingly does not require that much time.

MMOs have these development plans even before they launch. FFXIV did not have this luxury being that it's direction completely shifted in January.

[Eekiki]

It's nice to be judged on your personality and merit rather than just have people hitting on you and talking about your appearance.!

Absolutely. And in this case, we already established that Ruki has a charming personality before anyone here knew what she looked like. Once those with cheeto-stained fingers saw what she looks like, it sent the hormones a-ragin'.

All you lonely guys out there, I just got out of a relationship with a gamer girl, and I can tell you, finding one to go out with you is not necessarily the answer to your prayers.

[Bayohne]

Hey gang! Here are the questions and answers that were gathered and discussed by our French and German community reps!

Can you explain a typical day for the FFXIV dev. team?

Yoshida: The dev. team is made up of various teams such as Core Members, Scenario, Quest, World Settings, In-game Economy, Battle, Grand Companies, The Lodestone, User Interface, Tool, Character, Backgrounds, Art, Animation and so on. The day varies depending on the person.

As an example, I come in to work at 10:00 a.m. The day starts off with morning meetings regarding operation and new tasks. From there on, various meetings are scheduled all the way up until 9:00 p.m. I check the game specifications, plot, design, etc. Then I reply to emails (around 230 per day) and then, get back to working on game specification if necessary. During work, I check forums and post various comments, so I usually leave office at around 2:00 to 3:00 a.m. This has been going on for past 6 months... (laughs)

What type of games do you like?

Yoshida: I like various kinds of games including RPGs, action, FPS and fighting games. I like the Fallout series, Red Dead Redemption and the Assassin's Creed series, as well. I often play Street Fighter IV during my break. I really love MMOs and some of the online games that I still regularly play are Diablo, Diablo II, Ultima Online, Dark Age of Camelot and World of Warcraft. I believe DAoC is what I played the longest, playing it for nearly 6 years. Right now, I am interested in checking out Rift.

What is your favorite MMO?

Yoshida: Oops! I accidentally just answered this! I still cannot forget the excitement of realm vs. realm in Dark Age of Camelot. In Ultima Online, I was a major PK (player killer) player. And for now, I am quite interested in Rift!

Do you prefer console or PC gaming?

Yoshida: I spend quite a time in online games, so I believe the total hours I have spent on each are about equal. If it's entertaining, it doesn't matter whether it's on a console or PC.

Do you play FFXIV as a personal player or only for testing/work purposes?

Yoshida: Since my private hours are close to null, I can only play it while I'm in the office. But on my free time, I wander around Eorzea so some players may have walked right passed my character. (laughs) If things calm down a bit more, I'm thinking about playing from home. Of course, my identity will have to remain hush-hush!

If yes, what race is your character?

Yoshida: Oh, I do have my own character! A Lalafell!

Tell us, just how much do you like Lalafells?

Yoshida: I really love them! They are so adorable, and surely anyone would simply die being around that much cuteness! Also what I like about them is that once the PvP is implemented, they are hard to target and can easily hide from others! (laughs maniacally)

Due to all of the conferences and meetings abroad, are you less afraid of taking the plane now?

Yoshida: Actually, things haven't changed at all... I have been a frequent flyer way before I became the Producer/Director of FFXIV and flew around 30 times a year. However, I still can't overcome my fear of flying. I usually wear shades while I'm on board but even with that the cabin attendant will often ask me "Sir, are you alright?" so guess I'm still not used to it...

Any plans for Mog Houses?

Yoshida: Not sure if it will be a Mog House, but a private space and housing are in our plans for the future. We are planning to work on it along with a major revamp of the map.

Will male Miqo’te and female Roegadyn be available with the PS3 release?

Yoshida: That’s the plan!

When will more means of transportation made available?

Yoshida: We are planning to implement both airships and chocobos in patch 1.19. I believe I'll be able to provide more details in August!

Do you still manage to get enough rest despite all the long hours you put in?

Yoshida: Well, not really… Though I'm a light sleeper, I’m able to get rest when I can, so I'm doing fine.
Thank you for your concern! ^^

Tea/Coffee/Hot Chocolate, what does the dev. team prefer?

Yoshida: Everyone has their own favorite so it's hard to say but I believe the favorite would be coffee. Personally, I sometimes feel that 1/3 of my blood is made out of caffeine… (laughs)

How many sugars do you put in your coffee?

Yoshida: No sugar for me, as I like my coffee black. But around 7:00pm, I start to get a sugar craving. At times like that, I add about two spoonfuls of sugar.

Are you planning to make cities more “lively”?

Yoshida: Yes, we are planning to work on this as part of the revamping of the map!

Here comes part two...!

[Bayohne]

Here is the third and final set of Q&A from the community reps and Yoshida!

What are your work hours? Do you usually get to go home on time?

Yoshida: Generally, everyone starts their shift at 10am. However, in my case, I have a fairly chaotic schedule. There may be days where I would to attend a meeting at 9 am, skip lunch and continue to attend meetings, while also performing various checks. Due to my chaotic schedule, I'm rarely at my desk. From 9pm to 11pm, I read and reply to emails (around 230 emails per day). From 11pm, I create documents and hammer out designs while checking the forums. I leave the office at about 2-3am. I do some stretches, read a book and watch some videos at home. So, it will be after 4am when I go to bed. Then I wake up around 7-8am.

Tell us more about your daily life. For example, what is the work environment like? Is it more of a relaxed environment or a serious environment?

Yoshida: The office is much more lively and relaxed compared to what it was before. Since I am a heavy smoker, I do make frequent appearances at the designated smoking area. Everyone at the office gets along with each other.

What's the most exciting thing you have experienced while developing FFXIV?

Yoshida: Hmm, that's a tough question to answer. I think it may be chocobos as we are currently working on the specifications. (laughs) Since a lot of effort has been made for their implementation, I feel a major sense of accomplishment regarding it. Although it's been taking quite a long time, please be patient and look forward to it!

What's the worst thing you have experienced while developing FFXIV?

Yoshida: Hmm, I would have to say when players get angry at me in the forums… Pointing out mistakes and lack of information is one thing. However, it gets to me (along with the rest of the team) when the players start bashing my personality ^^; Please don't be too hard on us!

What do you do in your spare time?

Yoshida: I play FFXIV, watch movies or play basketball. Sadly… stress does build up as I hardly ever have any spare time these days! (laughs)

Do you play FFXIV on your spare time?

Yoshida: Even when I don't necessarily have the time, I play FFXIV.

How many hours do you work a day?

Yoshida: I would prefer not to disclose this to the public, but I generally work 14 to 16 hours a day.
As commuting takes one and a half hours for both ways, I don't have much time to sleep. (laughs)

Will you continue to monitor the Q&A threads on the forums?

Yoshida: I will continue to check the forums and the reports from community reps each and every day. So, please keep posting your comments!

Are there any plans to implement a housing system for players and linkshells?

Yoshida: Yes, as it's on the plan, it will surely be implemented even if it takes time. It will be implemented gradually with several phases. Please be patient until it's unveiled!

Are there any plans to implement chocobos and/or airships?

Yoshida: Both of them are planned to be implemented in patch 1.19. Cheer the dev. team on so that it will be ready by 1.19! ^^

If there are plans to implement chocobos and/or airships, will players be required to complete a quest? For example, completing a quest to obtain an airship pass.

Yoshida: Yes, that's the plan! Airships will also require a fee after the completion of the quest.

Are there any plans to implement a system where players are able to inscribe their names into the crafted items?

Yoshida: This is currently being discussed; however, we must wait for the server-related adjustments before we can get our hands on it. I'm very sorry for the time it's taking for us to address these types of requests.

You previously mentioned that you guys are working on redesigning the areas. Are you more focused on changing the geography or the design?

Yoshida: Changes will be made to both the geography and the design of the areas. Some areas will be changed rather drastically, so I'd love if you all could discuss how you think the changes will be made while you're all looking forward to it.

Currently, there are only 3 class quests per class. Are there any plans to add more?

Yoshida: There is a plan to add more but there are many other things to take care of first, so I assume it will be after the job system is implemented.

Are there any plans to implement new monsters?

Yoshida: Yes, new monsters will be added along with the implementation of the beastmen strongholds. Other than that, we are considering adding more monsters that are FINAL FANTASY-like. Due to the high quality nature that we strive for in FINAL FANTASY XIV, it's going to take some time until they are implemented but I can't wait 'til you're all able to tackle them!

[Sag]

I like tea.

Seriously, I want to ride my Chocobo !

(meh I was serious)

[Laiferr]

Awesome stuff, super excited for Airships and beastmen! Would like to point out an error here though; 'Airships will also require a free after the completion of the quest' I believe it should say 'fee'?

Tea/Coffee/Hot Chocolate, what does the dev. team prefer?

Oh man you should have said hot chocolate!

[Evangela]

Cool story Bayohne!

[Eekiki]

I wish I didn't have to start work until 10am...

[Perrin_Aybarra]

Yoshida: I really love them! They are so adorable, and surely anyone would simply die being around that much cuteness! Also what I like about them is that once the PvP is implemented, they are hard to target and can easily hide from others! (laughs maniacally)

I don't care for pvp much but this made me smile, the only thing though is what is the use of being able to "hide" when you can see the HP bar which is hard to miss lol (unless they make them invisible in pvp, which I doubt they would)

Like, I'd hide in a bush, but my HP bar is right above my head and doesn't blend well in the bush, so I'm not hidden at all :/

[Karvapeikko]

Yoshida: Yes, that's the plan! Airships will also require a free after the completion of the quest.

I think it's supposed to say fee.
Anyways. I like my coffee black too ^^b