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Letter from the Producer LIVE Part L (04/05/2019)
We are pleased to present the full digest of the Letter from the Producer LIVE Part L that was delivered from the Fan Festival 2019 in Tokyo! If you missed the live stream, or if you just want to watch it again (and again), check it out below!
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https://sqex.to/wkaAD
* Don't forget to select 720p option to watch the video in HD!
Schedule Overview
In this broadcast, we’ve covered the future updates leading into the upcoming expansion, Shadowbringers.
■ Upcoming Patch Schedule
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Patch 4.56 - A Requiem for Heroes is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, March 26.
The European data center expansion will take place during the following week, on Tuesday, April 2.
The FINAL FANTASY XV Collaboration Event, A Nocturne for Heroes, will begin on Tuesday, April 16.
Although the Regalia mount won't be obtained by completing the event quest, it won't be too difficult to obtain.
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The World Visit System will be implemented in Patch 4.57 on Tuesday, April 23.
We had originally planned this feature to debut in 5.0, but we’ve decided to release it earlier so that we could address any unforeseen issues that may arise. The North American data center expansion will also be taking place on the same day. You can read about the North American and European data center expansions on the Lodestone.
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We're planning to make some adjustments and updates in Patch 4.58, which is scheduled to be released in mid-May. Following the patch, we have the early access for Shadowbringers, which is scheduled to begin on Friday, June 28th at 2:00 a.m. (PDT) / 9:00 (GMT) / 10:00 (BST).
It may seem like there’s a bit of a blank period between Patch 4.58 and early access, but there’s actually quite a lot going on during this time. We have more information to reveal through a media tour scheduled in mid-May, as well as a Letter from Producer LIVE covering job changes, and a video showcasing job actions.
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The official release date for Shadowbringers is on Tuesday, July 2, but those starting at early access can consider the earlier date as your official start timing. Just remember, to partake in early access, you'll need to pre-order Shadowbringers, so don't forget to do so!
In May, we're also planning to release a brand new benchmark that will allow you to create Viera and Hrothgar characters, so please be sure to look forward to that as well!
Special Guest Section
For the second half of the show, we invited World Lore Creator & Main Scenario Writer Banri Oda to answer some of the questions we gathered from the official forums.
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Q: What exactly does the World Lore Creator & Main Scenario Writer job entail?
A: I have a leading role in both the Lore team and the Event team within the Scenario team.
On the Lore team, I direct and supervise the naming and adding flavor text to guildleves, FATEs, and log entries, among other things. As the Main Scenario Writer, I not only write the scenarios but take the lead of the Scenario team, providing plot points and drafting the storyline, and supervising texts written by the other staff members.
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Q: Where do you get your inspiration when you're writing the story?
A: History, legends, and myths. Documentaries about nature and animals. Fictional works such as novels and movies. My sources of inspiration change depending on what kind of story I'm looking to write. For example, the Namazu beast tribe quests are based on what I read from a railroad travel log by Hyakken Uchida, which my wife had recommended. I personally enjoy reading science fiction and historical works.
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Q: Please tell us about your daily schedule at work.
A: Aside from checking my emails in the morning, what I do that day depends on where we currently are in development. During the early stages of development, I spend a lot of time brainstorming and then turning my ideas into reference materials. After the brainstorming has reached a certain point, more time is dedicated to supervising and directing. Towards the end of development, I oversee the finishing touches. In between all that, I'll also write the text for parts of the story that I need to work on. I have a meeting with Yoshida at least once a week, although depending on the situation I may discuss things with him more frequently.
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Q: Please tell us about any works that you would recommend for players, or ones that have left an impression on you.
A: There are simply too many works that have left an impression on me, so I’d like to recommend "Legends of Charlemagne" by Thomas Bulfinch, which is a compilation of many British and French myths. It's not as widely known as "King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table" in Japan, but it has a feeling of grandeur that I found enjoyable and would like to recommend. As a side note, the name of Nael van Darnus's weapon, Bradamante, is a reference to "Legends of Charlemagne."
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Q: Do you have any scenario events or characters that you worked on that especially left an impression on you?
A: If I were to specify a character, it may give off a feeling of favoritism, so I’d like to talk about events that left an impression on me.
The first is the scene in Patch 4.3 where you played as Alphinaud. I’d discussed with the Lead Battle Content Designer Nakagawa for quite some time about how we could make this work, and it was made possible with the help of programmers. I believe this was a pleasant surprise for players, and it also greatly increased the possibilities of how we could show off the scenes where the player character wouldn’t be present.
Another scene was during the Namazu beast tribe quests, where the screen was divided to sequentially display three Namazu and the Warrior of Light. This was done by producing an in-game effect which showed the images of the three Namazu in order, then displaying the Warrior of Light in a static position in a pitch-black zone. This creative method was the result of a collaboration with the Cutscene Team and Effects Team, and so I remember it quite well.
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Q: We hear that you and Yoshida go on a business retreat when you’re deciding how to do the Main Scenario Quests. What sorts of things do you two discuss, and how are the meals?
A: It’d be pretty nice if we went to a hot spring in Hakone or something like that... but we actually just do this in at a rental office in the city. We cover conceptual topics such as the overall plot and direction of the story, as well as new characters and enemies we’d like to add.
During the Patch 4.0 business outing, we decided on a general outline that included bringing the story to Ala Mhigo in Patch 4.1, and moving towards the East through Patch 4.2 to 4.3. As for the meals, we typically eat nearby, like at a local ramen place.
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Q: We understand that the Ascians bringing Zodiark back into power would be a bad thing. On the other hand, how bad is the current situation with Hydaelyn?
A: I can’t answer this one directly, but a hint would be that the degree of how bad things are varies depending on the perspective you look from. Please look forward to discovering the answer in the story for Patch 5.0 and onward.
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Q: During the Battle of Carteneau, Louisoix sent the Warrior of Light five years into the future. Why five years into the future? Also, does the Warrior of Light remember the Battle of Carteneau as if it were yesterday, as the five years had passed in the blink of an eye for them?
A: I believe that Louisoix did not have a specific time in mind when sending the Warrior of Light away. I think he simply intended to move the Warrior of Light to a future where the things may have settled down after the Calamity, when people may be less confused about forgetting the Warrior of Light. As for how the Warrior of Light may remember those five years, I believe that is unique for each player. What you as the player feel had happened during those five years is the truth.
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Q: I was very surprised when we discovered the reason for the disappearance of the Isle of Val in the Eureka storyline. Was the implementation of Eureka and its story planned out early on?
A: The story of the Isle of Val had already been planned, but using the Isle of Val during the Eureka storyline was done ad lib. It fit what we had planned for Eureka, and Yoshida had also requested us to use the keywords “Isle of Val” and “Eureka.” Some of the foreshadowing you may see in the story may already have an implementation in mind, but others may simply have the lore ready but no content planned for it yet. Also, we're thinking about utilizing foreshadowing from 1.0, while making sure that it can be enjoyed by those who started from A Realm Reborn and later.
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Q: I’m very excited for the story in Shadowbringers. How much of the story has been written so far?
A: While I can't go into the details of the upcoming story, in terms of progress, we’re about 80-90% complete with the main scenario. Things that remain are things such as the sidequests and checking over the completed sections.
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Q: Estinien had mentioned that half of the blood that flows in him is dragon blood, does this mean that he actually has dragon blood flowing through his body? If so, was he able to destroy the cannon at Castrum Abania due to the strength from the blood of the dragon?
A: Estinien didn’t literally mean that he had dragon blood flowing through his body. He meant this as a metaphor, as he had been drawing upon the aether from the dragon’s eye in his battles. In regards to single-handedly destroying the cannon at Castrum Abania, Estinien was capable of accomplishing this feat because he was able to utilize Nidhogg’s power, as well as his own strength that he honed over the course of many battles as the Azure Dragoon.
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Q: I’d like to know if birthdays have been decided for any NPCs. If not, are there any plans to decide them in the future? I would like to celebrate them.
A: Some scenario writers are detailed in their specifications for characters, while others keep details irrelevant to the story vague. I personally don’t go too much into detail, so while I do have specific ages for characters, I don’t decide birthdays.
Yoshida: I’m sure there’s a demand for birthdays, but once we decide them we’d have to determine their current age and other details…
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Q: Do you oversee the phrases and abilities for FFXIV characters when they’re introduced in another game?
A: The Lore team does oversee these. Oftentimes many members of the development team we’re collaborating with are Warriors of Light themselves, and I notice that they seem to have played FFXIV quite a bit. Lyse recently appeared in DISSIDIA FINAL FANTASY OPERA OMNIA, and they were able to include her in a way that really fit FFXIV’s scenario timeline. I was so touched that I couldn’t help but send an email thanking them.
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Q: I like playing as a Roegadyn, could you share any details on how Roegadyn children might look?
A: I also personally like playing as a Roegadyn, so this interests me as well. I’ve tried to bring them up during development in the past, but apparently, this is limited to one race at a time due to the amount of resources required to create them. So first they lost to Miqo’te children, then they lost to Auri Children… so they’ve lost twice so far. I have a personal interest in them as well, so I’d like to discuss this with Quest Designer Takayanagi.
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Q: In the past, Yoshida suggested that Au Ra show affection by rubbing their horns together, but this was not officially recognized. Would it be possible to make this official lore?
A: We should have Mr. Yoshida decide this.
Yoshida: I just came up with that out of nowhere, is that okay? If Mr. Oda is fine with it, I’m okay with it.
Oda: Then it’s decided. It’s now officially part of the lore.
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Q: Some of the monk and scholar weapons obtained from the Omega raids have some type of symbols on them. Are these part of the language of Omega’s origin? I’d also like to know what they mean.
A: They could be words from Omega’s origin, words that Omega learned while traveling from star to star, or even words Omega learned while recreating various enemies. When you think of it like that, I feel like you get a better sense of Omega’s long journey, so I’ll refrain from answering.
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Q: How does the Lore team interpret the Duty Finder?
A: When you participate in the same dungeon over and over, the bosses will reappear each time. Thinking about this sort of thing too seriously seems detrimental, so I just think of it as no more than experiencing the dungeon through someone else’s retelling. The game’s various systems will continue to be expanded and improved upon, so I believe a lot of flexibility would be lost if we were to determine specific lore reasons.
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Q: Where does my companion chocobo come from when I summon it? Where does it go when it leaves?
A: This also seems detrimental to think about too seriously. When you start pursuing realistic details, you end up having to come up with things like "how does the Warrior of Light swim in the ocean while holding so many weapons and equipment" or "all mounts, including chocobos, follow behind the Warrior of Light in a huge line.” This can become quite difficult to cover. For these kinds of things, some players may believe that they are traveling alongside their Companion Chocobo, some players may not, and I’d like to maintain that level of flexibility.
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Q: I’d thought that the new continent to the west of Eorzea was not somewhere we could easily travel to, and so I was very surprised when the blue mage job quests revealed that people were traveling there and back. Is it actually quite easy to visit, and the Warrior of Light simply has no reason to travel there at the moment?
A: You would simply need to go there by boat. However, like traveling to Hingashi in Patch 4.0, you would need a good reason and the appropriate preparations in order to travel there. I imagine if a reason to travel there arises, you may eventually be able to go there.
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Q: I was surprised by the Garlean Empire’s absolute superiority in the air, as seen in The Ghimlyt Dark. I would think that with that kind of power they would be able to easily overtake the Eorzean Alliance. Is there some kind of reason the Garlean Empire can’t or hasn’t taken over Eorzea?
A: We have quite the superhuman soldiers on our end as well, such as dragoons that can jump absolutely absurd heights, or black mages that whip out massive explosions. The Garlean Empire’s technology was developed so that people without magic would be able to match opponents who can use magic, so I believe their technology allows them to finally stand at an equal level, perhaps slightly higher. There’s also the matter of their strength in numbers, as the Garlean Empire is very large.