End of the Year/New Year Greeting

[Camate]

Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone had an amazing holiday season and is ready to make 2013 into an awesome year.

While this might be just a tad late, I wanted to share Producer Akihiko Matsui’s end of the year greeting with you all.

This year (2012) was the FINAL FANTASY 25th Anniversary and in this time I have been requested to work on a few projects – the old person that I am.

While this is completely unrelated to FFXI, since the there won’t be too many posts during the year-end through New Year holidays, I decided to pick something from long ago to post about today.

(Warning: There are spoilers for the Super Famicom version of FFIV. For those of you playing the iPhone version please be careful.)

Now then, the first team I belonged to was the FFIV team.

I think I wrote this some place before, but the first work that I was delegated was the creation of memory maps. This was my first official task, but there was actually an unofficial first bit of work of sorts, which I personally believe I did a pretty good job on.

Back in that time, each cubicle at Square had a Mac and the LAN was set up with Apple Talk. Sakaguchi shared the unfinished plot of FFIV with everyone on the LAN and the development team members were able to post their complaints ideas. It was a very nice environment.

It was here that I was able to influence a change in the one portion of the plot related to Edward even though I wasn’t asked. In Sakaguchi’s original plot, after Anna’s death Edward awakens and becomes extremely powerful in battle. I just couldn’t agree with this.

I told him that a weakling does not stop being a weakling just because his girlfriend dies, and I thought he was going to lash back saying that I was the world’s biggest weakling, but I managed to persuade Sakaguchi. He was set things in motion as if it was a pain enthusiastically and changed the plot to the current FFIV plot.

Though very minor, this was just one thing that I was able to do.
Edward was created to save the party through his songs. Don’t you think this was a good way to change it?

With that said, please have a wonderful New Year!

[Ophannus]

I'm glad he did that. I'm tired of those 'shounen' moment in manga/anime where a weak character suddenly gets a power boost just because they're avenging somebody i.e every anime ever.

[Seyomeyo]

I don't want to derail this too much, but maybe I can get an answer for this.

FFIV spoilers:

If that was the case with Edward, what was the thought process behind Edge?

[Prrsha]

This year (2012) was the FINAL FANTASY 25th Anniversary and in this time I have been requested to work on a few projects – the old person that I am.

While this is completely unrelated to FFXI, since the there won’t be too many posts during the year-end through New Year holidays, I decided to pick something from long ago to post about today.

(Warning: There are spoilers for the Super Famicom version of FFIV. For those of you playing the iPhone version please be careful.)

Now then, the first team I belonged to was the FFIV team.

I think I wrote this some place before, but the first work that I was delegated was the creation of memory maps. This was my first official task, but there was actually an unofficial first bit of work of sorts, which I personally believe I did a pretty good job on.

Back in that time, each cubicle at Square had a Mac and the LAN was set up with Apple Talk. Sakaguchi shared the unfinished plot of FFIV with everyone on the LAN and the development team members were able to post their complaints ideas. It was a very nice environment.

It was here that I was able to influence a change in the one portion of the plot related to Edward even though I wasn’t asked. In Sakaguchi’s original plot, after Anna’s death Edward awakens and becomes extremely powerful in battle. I just couldn’t agree with this.

I told him that a weakling does not stop being a weakling just because his girlfriend dies, and I thought he was going to lash back saying that I was the world’s biggest weakling, but I managed to persuade Sakaguchi. He was set things in motion as if it was a pain enthusiastically and changed the plot to the current FFIV plot.

Though very minor, this was just one thing that I was able to do.
Edward was created to save the party through his songs. Don’t you think this was a good way to change it?

With that said, please have a wonderful New Year!

Happy new year Matsui-san! May you have good fortune in the following year.

FFIV was one of my top 3 favorite Final Fantasy series of all times (yes I have played every one of them. I still have my NES cart of FF1 and the manual/box and strategy guide :3). I was really excited when I heard that you were going to take over leadership of FFXI many months ago. I know your main role in designing the original FFXI was in the design of the battle system, I am pleased that a member of the original crew still holds the lead developer post. I was saddened to see so many of FFXI's original developers go by the way side. I was really saddened when Koichi Ishii and Hironobu Sakaguchi left as well. =;_;=

You are one of the last people that were a part of the making of FFXI and that gives me hope. Also I was wondering, is Kenichi Iwao still working with SE? I know Iwao was responsible for much of FFXI's lore and storyline. Rumors said he was working on the storyline for the new FFXIV now. As writer of the of the first Resident Evil video game, he has much to offer to the storyline of the upcoming expansion. Will he be returning?

I know how hard it must feel to be tossed into a mess of code with complaints galore. I have hope you can bring FFXI back on track to the game that Ishii, Sakaguchi, and Tanaka envisioned. I know it is a large legacy and a tall order, but I wish you the best of luck. I also hope we as a community can come together and guide you to an end goal that players of all nationalities will enjoy and FFXI can be an example to all other MMOs of what a great game should be.

[Edyth]

I think that your suggestion was a very good one. You avoided a cliche even though it cost Edward his power. Unless Edward had once been planned for the final party in FFIV, there were no endgame repercussions caused by this decision; just a more believable story.

[Corey]

edward's tragedy of losing his lady may certainly lead him to singing to soothe his heartbreak. all the better if it benefits the party. keen decision, i'd say. here's hoping you can discover the "edwards" of ffxi!

[Prrsha]

Maybe he will send some love to BRD in FFXI as tribute now. :3

[Yrusama]

I don't want to derail this too much, but maybe I can get an answer for this.

FFIV spoilers:

If that was the case with Edward, what was the thought process behind Edge?

Haha, technically Edge is the only real Edward there (Edward Geraldine). In any case, Edge was more of a hot head than Edward, who spent most of his time moping. Plus his ability list makes more sense for a super charge. How would it work with Edward Chris von Muir? "Edward learns sadder, more potent songs due to his deep grief."

Don't get me wrong. I like both Edwards in IV, but I'm glad one of them could serve as a frame of reference that not everyone who joins your party is destined for combat greatness. He really proves his political worth in The After Years, though.

[oliveira]

Camate, tell your boss to get Ishii back ! We need our Seiken Densetsu fix.

Also thanks for translating Matsui awesome post. m(_ _)m

[Rosalie]

I don't want to derail this too much, but maybe I can get an answer for this.

FFIV spoilers:

If that was the case with Edward, what was the thought process behind Edge?

*SPOILER ALERT*

Lol... Edge didn't get a really huge power-up with those new spells he gets when facing Rubicante, I never really found any Ninjutsu at all to be that strong at all and just used him for his speed with physical attacks with the sole exception of resistant mobs like flans. He really wasn't a weakling to begin with.