Translation of Yoshi-P JP Interview

FanByte reports on a translation of a June interview of Naoki Yoshida with Game Watch.
https://www.fanbyte.com/games/news/y...-service-game/

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“...I decided to position FFXIV as a fan service title, and because it belonged to the MMORPG genre, I was able to run with an idea nobody had ever tried before and create a sort of Final Fantasy theme park,” [Yoshida-san] explained.

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The full translation by TurquoiseHammer is in a Google doc here.

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Yoshida: We’d like to satisfy as many of those expectations as possible, but when we conducted research on a global scale, the answers we received were even more disparate. While there were many who called FF a legendary RPG franchise with moving stories, other words and phrases came up in reference to the series’ image, such as “cult” and “classic,” as well as the more frank indictment “geared toward children.” This inquiry was conducted by a separate survey company, so we consider the results to be objective.

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Yoshida: FFXIV is a title that plans far into the future and executes that plan incrementally. I think MMORPGs are games that let you enjoy yourself in the present while anticipating what lies ahead.

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Here's hoping that the 'fan service' goes in both directions, then. Simply copying and pasting characters and locations from previous Final Fantasy titles doesn't quite do it for me on its own. I need the sort of presence and consequences that they brought with them in their original home to truly be satisfied. Especially if it's coming at the cost of original content that would help XIV establish itself on its own merits.

You must really dislike Troia then, lol.

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Originally Posted by Greyhawk

You must really dislike Troia then, lol.

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It was an ok dungeon but the story and characters of specifically Troia in FFIV weren't even there. No epopts, no Leonora, and no dark elf. It should've been called something else.

I am OK with them bringing characters and themes from other games, and they have done it well so far, but for major characters and stuff it should not be done for nostalgia alone. If anything I would like to see them use such elements in new and interesting ways that still adds to FFXIVs own unique lore, rather then just “Look! Its Thingyme from an old game! You like them right?”

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Originally Posted by Hurlstone

I am OK with them bringing characters and themes from other games, and they have done it well so far, but for major characters and stuff it should not be done for nostalgia alone. If anything I would like to see them use such elements in new and interesting ways that still adds to FFXIVs own unique lore, rather then just “Look! Its Thingyme from an old game! You like them right?”

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I love FFX, its my 1st and naturally my favorite FF game (plus its in my name lol)
If they just randomly put in Titus, or Yuna, or even Khimari, I wouldnt be impressed or excited, unless they served a purpose in the story they are brought in.
Nostalgia alone does nothing for me, and feel like a cheap tactic to get me excited....it has the opposite effect.

I'm not against putting references to other games in the franchise, but frankly, explain to me who they are.
I haven't played any other final fantasy, besides tactics (and I've never finished it, because my PS1 memory card kept giving error). So I don't know these characters, and I don't care about them.

We killed 2 villains that I wouldn't even know who they are until other people inform me that they are FFIV characters. They appeared so little, and died so quickly, that honestly to me who had never seen them before, it made them look like they were weak. (and I found that DG is also based elsewhere in the franchise)

Do you want to put only characters/places from other games in the franchise? Okay, but not everyone played, not everyone knows. Would it be too much to ask for these characters to have some development within FFXIV before things just started happening?

I know you all hate that someone compares your little game with others, but frankly this is going to start to turn into WoW, where I'll have to play the other 13 previous games, to get to know the characters I'm facing better. (WoW you had to go after the physical books to understand the characters/story better)

I wonder how many people play FF14 while never having touched another FF game, cause I'm one of them.

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Originally Posted by Adamantini

Do you want to put only characters/places from other games in the franchise? Okay, but not everyone played, not everyone knows. Would it be too much to ask for these characters to have some development within FFXIV before things just started happening?

I know you all hate that someone compares your little game with others, but frankly this is going to start to turn into WoW, where I'll have to play the other 13 previous games, to get to know the characters I'm facing better. (WoW you had to go after the physical books to understand the characters/story better)

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I would say WoW is worse in that regard, as its an actual sequel to those past stories so knowing who the characters are can be rather important. With FFXIV though, I feel you never need to know who these character are in past games, because here in FFXIV they are their own people, even if they can reflect the personality and story from past games. That said, I do wish FFXIV would explore more outside media like books and stuff. There are so many events, like the Sundering and the Calamities, that could be explored in novels ect.

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Originally Posted by Zanarkand-Ronso

I love FFX, its my 1st and naturally my favorite FF game (plus its in my name lol)
If they just randomly put in Titus, or Yuna, or even Khimari, I wouldnt be impressed or excited, unless they served a purpose in the story they are brought in.
Nostalgia alone does nothing for me, and feel like a cheap tactic to get me excited....it has the opposite effect.

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Thats fair yeah. They need to actually add to the lore and world... though I do really want them to add Blitzball one day haha.

Honestly, I think they put too much stead in those old sprite-based games from last century.

As an example, all that alphascape/deltascape stuff in the Omega story is still mega-confusing to me.

I can deal with a bunch of hopping televisions and a braindead click-spam mechanic, but we are we fighting on a train with ghosts one moment then some clown with a statue the next? What does this have to do with the WoL again?