Patch release dates, Fanfest, Housing Auto Demolish? Covid-19?

Update!

2/3 of the topics aforementioned in this post have been resolved/addressed.

1.) Fanfest information is "hopefully" going to be completely covered in a single online/virtual event. The event is being held at the time the final fanfest was scheduled.

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(02:49:13)
In light of the ongoing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the European Fan Festival, similar to the Japanese and North American Fan Festival. As the physical Fan Festivals for all regions have been canceled, we will be holding an event in February 2021 to announce new information.

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2.) Housing addressed/auto demolition resuming.

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After careful consideration, we have decided to resume auto-demolition with the release of Patch 5.4.

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https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodes...634fa6df3f42b8



Hello everyone,

Is anyone curious about the current state of FFXIV?

What are your thoughts regarding the significant changes in player dynamics and behaviors under these new normal delays, and housing situations?

Are you curious about FFXIV's initial 2 month delay, and now 3 month delay, while Blizzard and WoW is only seeing a 1 month delay?

Are you curious about Fanfast and further details about upcoming FFXIV content?

Here are my thoughts, and a few facts surrounding these topics.

Patch release dates:
5.3 was originally slated for June 2nd 2020.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/comme...v_patch_dates/

It was officially released October 10th 2020

https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodes...5c2da260eae21a

Per the FFXIV team they stated "patch 5.3 will be delayed by more than a month at the very least"

https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/threads/420143

So we're seeing a 2 month delay for 5.3.

It was also stated:

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If you consider our usual, pre-pandemic development production to be at 100%, we are currently sitting at around 85-90% capability.

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Yet 5.4 was originally slated for September 22nd 2020, and is currently with no release date, with an estimation of "December."

This puts 5.4 at a now 3 month delay from its original release, which would mean, if you consider the original 2 month delay for 5.3, then the slow down from 2 months to now 3 months for 5.4, the XIV team is running closer to around 66%-75% production.


Fanfest Information:

We also havent heard any new developments for the fanfest and its respective announcements.

The North American, Japanese and now European Fanfests have all been canceled.

With the first Fanfest in North America slated for November 6th and 7th canceled, we have not heard any developing information regarding its reschedule or even information regarding what would have been announced during said event.

https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodes...ff71508bb1a4cb

The Japanese Fanfest was slated December 19th, with no new developments or released information regarding the announcements that would have been shared during this event.

https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodes...f42a09e74a97b2

The European Fanfest cancel with no new information:

https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodes...b9cbea715f8189

Housing:

Here is a comparison of what I am used to seeing under normal circumstances in what would be a typical player activity/behavior during such a patch cycle, versus, now with Covid-19.

Normal conditions:

Auto Demo: On
Balmung/Gilgamesh-Few houses going empty, immediately getting swarmed/purchased.
Smaller Servers-Multiple available empty plots, some/many seeing reduced pricing.

Typical Housing availability/Owner transfers: 10-20% or more.

Covid-19

Auto Demo: Off

Balmung/Gilgamesh-Deadlock
Smaller Servers-Now under Balmung/Gilgamesh status since players still will transfer/demo houses.

Housing Availability/Owner Transfers: 1%-5% or less.


Normally under a similar patch cycle many players would be quitting/dropping their houses and the influx of new players would see a regular amount of housing availability. This happens every patch cycle. Houses become widely available during these slower smaller patches, and many houses start to see drastically reduced pricing on smaller servers.

With Auto Demo turned off, and a major influx of new players, housing is at a standstill across all servers.

I think its important to point out:

1.) There is a larger than normal influx of new players due to the 2.0 revamp
2.) People not financially affected by Covid-19 are at home more.

This means there would be a major increase in desire for housing.

Meanwhile.

3.) People affected by Covid-19 likely are not concerned with their pixelated house on a MMO game. Especially at this point as most people are already about as adjusted as one can be.

The most important factor to point out, is there has been no word regarding changes to housing to reflect this change in player activity. No plans or announcements regarding housing revamps, apartment expansions, instanced housing.

Is anyone else curious what changes might be coming for FFXIV regarding the new delays, as well as housing and other player dynamic changes?

I am interested in hearing more information about the delays, future updates, and housing adjustments.

As far as the auto-demo timers and COVID, I was just telling my husband that as long as this has been going on they might as well turn the timers back on...after giving players a month or so heads up. Not that it will probably matter. People who have found a way to continue to play will do so and those who have more pressing needs than a game subscription, it is not going to change for the foreseeable future. No it is not fair that people might lose their virtual house to a pandemic (plenty have lost their real houses to it unfortunately), but it is also unreasonable to think that a company can just hold indefinitely something that is normally bound to subscription.

I think it is time for the timers to return. It is not going to solve the housing problem, but it could make a slight dent in the issue. I think too many who have not been affected by COVID have taken advantage of the timer situation and being able to unsubscribe at will and still keep their houses. It is just time for it to stop.

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Originally Posted by Daniolaut

Are you curious about FFXIV's initial 2 month delay, and now 3 month delay, while Blizzard and WoW is only seeing a 1 month delay?

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Not really. Blizzard are USA based company and that country is different to the norm when it comes to it's response to COVID-19.

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Originally Posted by Daniolaut

The Japanese Fanfest was slated December 19th, with no new developments or released information regarding the announcements that would have been shared during this event.

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It was cancelled. Please be patient for it's planned announcements to be made later.

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Originally Posted by Daniolaut

The European Fanfest cancel with no new information:

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Please be patient for it's planned announcements to be made later.

In all three cases it was said they are looking to an online event.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Daniolaut

The most important factor to point out, is there has been no word regarding changes to housing to reflect this change in player activity.

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Well yes, there was. A live letter, statements by YoshiP and the recent release of 720 new lots per server. More will come when the USA is safe to travel to (it's not safe right now), you just have to patient.

Thank you for all the info!

To think that the first Fanfest would have ended yesterday...
In a normal world, we all would be very hyped by now after all the reveals we would have seen mere hours ago ;w;

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Originally Posted by Shibi

Well yes, there was. A live letter, statements by YoshiP and the recent release of 720 new lots per server. More will come when the USA is safe to travel to (it's not safe right now), you just have to patient.

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They already released the additional wards.

I was curious if there would be any changes, as clearly leaving auto demo turned off, and not making changes isnt going to address the issue. If you recall, auto demo was their response to the housing shortage all those years ago. With it turned off, for covid, which is likely going to last in my opinion indefinitely much like the Flu or other similar sickness' I dont assume they plan to leave auto demo turned off forever.

If that is the case, that they leave it turned off forever, will they be creating something else to address this new normal?

I am patient, this thread is just starting a discussion to see if any more information will be released, or to hear other players thoughts. Seeing as mentioned above at this point under normal circumstance, we would be hearing about 6.0 to great detail, yet we dont even have a release date for 5.4, thank you for your response regardless.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Daniolaut

We also havent heard any new developments for the fanfest and its respective announcements.

The North American, Japanese and now European Fanfests have all been canceled.

With the first Fanfest in North America slated for November 6th and 7th canceled, we have not heard any developing information regarding its reschedule or even information regarding what would have been announced during said event.

https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodes...ff71508bb1a4cb

The Japanese Fanfest was slated December 19th, with no new developments or released information regarding the announcements that would have been shared during this event.

https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodes...f42a09e74a97b2

The European Fanfest cancel with no new information:

https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodes...b9cbea715f8189

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I don't think I imagined the part of the last LiveLetter where they said we're getting a virtual FanFest in Feburary and May, did I?
(They didn't say it was FanFest, but they dropped enough hints at it being a special live event where they have "a surprise and totally not the announcement of the next expansion")

Which would roughly line up with the 3 months behind schedule you rightly pointed out with patch 5.4.
5.3 was early in my opinion, with them admitting to shafting some of it's content to 5.35 and even 5.4. So the 3 months behind seems to hold to me.

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Originally Posted by Seraphor

I don't think I imagined the part of the last LiveLetter where they said we're getting a virtual FanFest in Feburary and May, did I?
(They didn't say it was FanFest, but they dropped enough hints at it being a special live event where they have "a surprise and totally not the announcement of the next expansion")

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It's true. You didn't imagine it. They mentioned this during the Letter from the Producer LIVE Part LX:

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Originally Posted by Voltenyne

Fan Festival

https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/...5&d=1602887418
https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/...6&d=1602887428
https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/...7&d=1602887438

(02:49:13)
In light of the ongoing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the European Fan Festival, similar to the Japanese and North American Fan Festival. As the physical Fan Festivals for all regions have been canceled, we will be holding an event in February 2021 to announce new information.

While this will take place in Japan, we’re planning to make it an online event so players around the globe can participate. We’re also planning to have a 14-hour broadcast on the same day.

Furthermore, we are now considering going digital and hosting an online event in 2021.
This is also being planned as an online event where all players around the globe can participate, so please look forward to it!

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They didn't explicitly say "Expansion pack" or "Virtual Fan Fest", but they did refer to the Fan Festivals as the primary reason as to why they will be holding an event. Knowing them, they will be showing at least something in that direction.

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Originally Posted by Clover_Blake

Thank you for all the info!

To think that the first Fanfest would have ended yesterday...
In a normal world, we all would be very hyped by now after all the reveals we would have seen mere hours ago ;w;

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I miss the days when we got to experience fanfest expansion announcements, if things were like they used to be I could picture myself being super excited while watching a Mr Happy or Work To Game vid about 6.0 news and seeing Beast Master announced as the new dps job, that's the news I would have loved to hear.

But we still got whatever that announcement there gonna do in February is, so I'm gonna look forward to that and hope Beast Master is one of the jobs and also hopefully we get previews of the 6.0 zones.

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Originally Posted by NekoHina

As far as the auto-demo timers and COVID, I was just telling my husband that as long as this has been going on they might as well turn the timers back on...after giving players a month or so heads up. Not that it will probably matter. People who have found a way to continue to play will do so and those who have more pressing needs than a game subscription, it is not going to change for the foreseeable future. No it is not fair that people might lose their virtual house to a pandemic (plenty have lost their real houses to it unfortunately), but it is also unreasonable to think that a company can just hold indefinitely something that is normally bound to subscription.

I think it is time for the timers to return. It is not going to solve the housing problem, but it could make a slight dent in the issue. I think too many who have not been affected by COVID have taken advantage of the timer situation and being able to unsubscribe at will and still keep their houses. It is just time for it to stop.

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No. It's not time.

The reason for the timers isn't because social distancing might make logging in harder, if anything your general player had MORE time to play, not less. The reason for the timers being off is in case you or someone else contracts COVID, has to go into quarantine and potentially a lengthy hospital stay that this person doesn't then also come back from this disease with a deleted house. Even those who have not been effected by it NOW doesn't mean that a week from now they won't contract it (a player friend of mine just went to the hospital last week from contracting it, and now it's good things that for his hospital stay his house is safe)

If I were to go into hospital suddenly, a virtual house would be one of the last things on my mind...