Interim Report – Sorry to keep you all waiting!

[Camate]

Happy Friday everyone!

I'm back yet again for more Producer Akihiko Matsui follow-ups!

I saw the version update information on PlayOnline just before posting and I noticed that it listed "Job Ability adjustments: Perfect Defense / Tabula Rasa." Does this mean that the new special abilities will also be implemented at the same time? If at all possible, I’d really like these new special abilities to be implemented with the Perfect Defense and Tabula Rasa nerfs.
Also, I don't mind how you do it, but could you please give some kind of response to the Perfect Defense thread? There are over 1400 posts there and just leaving it be is not good. Also there are numerous threads talking about the same thing, so how about closing them?

Sorry for the confusion.
First in regards to the new special abilities, the direction has pretty much been solidified, but there are still adjustments and fine tuning to be made, so we will not be implementing them in the upcoming version update. In regards to Perfect Defense and Tabula Rasa adjustments, we are aiming to have these implemented along with the content adjustments in the upcoming version update. We are currently making preparations to explain about this along with some other topics. We'll be informing you all early next week, so please wait for that for the time being.

To be honest, it's not that the development team and community reps do not play the game. They actually proactively play.

You mean not on the Test Server, but on the actual servers mixed in with all of us players?

Yes, we all play on the same servers as all of you with regular accounts. (Of course the staff conceals their identities and plays as a regular player.)

I believe I mentioned this before, but there are a lot of times when I actually play in static parties with my family. I try my best to do things like returning lost chocobos, but, while this is embarrassing, I'm only at the level where I can challenge the Maat fight.

However, there are a good amount of hardcore players amongst the staff (there are also instances where hardcore players have joined the staff), and they are hardcore into the recent end-game content.

I’m always hearing things at the office like "Man, the Odin’s Chamber II I created is tough to beat!" and "We just barely lost a win on that low-man Arch Dynamis Lord run."

I've been playing this game for quite a long time now and this is just something I noticed.
One time when I quit for a while and finally came back, I had absolutely no idea about the objectives, what to do, or the difficulty for all the content that had been implemented in my absence.
External sites' strategy guides and Wiki information are pretty easy to use for people that have continued to play the game, but I feel like it's way too much for a person with no knowledge to study up on everything. With that said, I think it would really help a lot if there was some kind of system that would breakdown the content design and teach you what each content is about, what level you can play it, and how to start it. This is sure to come in handy for new players coming in.

Thank you for the feedback.
Even I feel this as I just came back to the game the other day.
Up until now the stance for FINAL FANTASY XI has always been that the constantly varying trends, strategy, and other information are created from within the player community, but we didn't make it so all of the answers were on the official site.

This has continued for 10 years, and with the world and content growing massive currently, I really feel that it would be best to organize some form of instruction that shows "we recommend this kind of content at this level," "it would be good to get this kind of gear," etc. At this point in time this is really nothing more than a vague idea, so if you have any suggestions about what would be good, I would love to hear them.

[Luvbunny]

It's great that he has this more open communication with the players. Keep this coming. And yes creating official site with plenty of suggestion would be very helpful. I understand the "exploration and discovery" aspect. But let's face it, this is not 10 years ago. Be transparent, communicative and build relationship with your paying costumers. You are building a brand, not creating content for your heart desires. Make sure that it works for the majority of the players.

[Malthar]

Hello Mr. Akihiko Matsui,

Do you play beastmaster at all?

[kingfury]

I've been playing this game for quite a long time now and this is just something I noticed.
One time when I quit for a while and finally came back, I had absolutely no idea about the objectives, what to do, or the difficulty for all the content that had been implemented in my absence.
External sites' strategy guides and Wiki information are pretty easy to use for people that have continued to play the game, but I feel like it's way too much for a person with no knowledge to study up on everything. With that said, I think it would really help a lot if there was some kind of system that would breakdown the content design and teach you what each content is about, what level you can play it, and how to start it. This is sure to come in handy for new players coming in.

------------------------------

Thank you for the feedback.
Even I feel this as I just came back to the game the other day.
Up until now the stance for FINAL FANTASY XI has always been that the constantly varying trends, strategy, and other information are created from within the player community, but we didn't make it so all of the answers were on the official site.

This has continued for 10 years, and with the world and content growing massive currently, I really feel that it would be best to organize some form of instruction that shows "we recommend this kind of content at this level," "it would be good to get this kind of gear," etc. At this point in time this is really nothing more than a vague idea, so if you have any suggestions about what would be good, I would love to hear them.

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Tactician Moogle

[Demon6324236]

Never cease to impress with your artwork King.

[Economizer]

Tactician Moogle

Why has SE not hired you yet? D:

[Castanica]

Excuses and pleas to wait longer while continuing to pay a very expensive subscription cost when the money is not being used on what I'm paying for are not enough for me (when FF14 was in as bad a state as FFXI is now they stopped subscriptions as a sign of respect, where is that here?), especially when it's coming from a company the size of Square Enix that is literally throwing money at FF14. I'm sorry but if the company cares so little for this successfull game and so much for a gamble that says it all for me. Money should not an issue for FFXI, staff should not an issue because if Square enix really cared they could do what they did with FF14 and put as much money and staff into it as was needed, or at least more than they are now. They don't because they don't care, as such the producer has to say these things to try to squeeze as much money out of us as possible before we finally give up and quit.

I read this and I have not only now unsubscribed after 5 years but I now see that this game for what it really is, finished. At best to SE this game is now fallback position incase 14 fails, this I believe is the only reason Adoulin was given the go ahead at all and they have done almost nothing towards it and will continue to do very little towards it until they see how FF14-2 is received.

In my 5 years playing this game I went from happy, contented and pleased to support the company with my money to in the last 2-3 years angry at the content drought (especially when I knew the cause of it), leading to sad acceptance that the game was near it's demise to where I am now of finally not caring anymore. I never thought I would say it but I no longer care if this game shuts down or not anymore and seeminly neither does the company. It's been left to stagnate for far far too long.

The player loss the last 2 years has been catastrophic and it's not due to boredom of the core game, it's due to boredom and anger at how the company has been running it for the last few years. With proper budget and content this game would be as popular as it ever was, the company killed it and now so many have moved onto other companies games it might be at the point of no return. In fact I know it is.

This post will probably be deleted but honestly I don't even care anymore, just my final act after 5 years support towards a game I once loved that has been ruined by and inept and uncaring handling.

[Zirael]

Excuses and pleas to wait longer while continuing to pay a very expensive subscription cost when the money is not being used on what I'm paying for are not enough for me [...]

Well written.i know of and have spoken to many people thinking the same way, unfortunately.

[Aethon]

I don't post on the forums much but i do tend to check them every day to see what is happening. Thank you for at least trying to read up on what people are saying and trying to answer them.
I usually read the Dev responses and community reps posts first since they have relevant info and player threads devolve into petty bickering.
Development on multiple fronts can be very difficult and time consuming so thank you for the work that you are doing and i hope everyone can be pleased with the end results.

[Teraniku]

Excuses and pleas to wait longer while continuing to pay a very expensive subscription cost ...

You lost me right here, and really can't take the rest of your post seriously.

Content Drought? What Neo-Nyzul, Voidwatch, Legion and Meeble burrows to name a few not to your liking?