Letter from the Producer LIVE Part XXX Update Thread

At the start of the broadcast, we'll be using this thread to post the summary from the Letter from the Producer LIVE Part XXX!

Watch the stream live on Twitch and YouTube.

As we'll be updating this thread throughout the show, make sure to reload every so often! We'll be posting the event summary exclusively in the thread and posting reminders occasionally on Twitter. However, please keep in mind that updates won't be occurring in real-time and there may be a delay.

After we create the full summary, it will be posted in the "Letter from the Producer LIVE" forum.

See you here at 2:00 a.m. (PDT) / 5:00 a.m. (EDT) / 9:00 (GMT)!

Revenge of the Horde, Patch 3.3, launches on Tuesday, June 7, 2016!

The Final Steps of Faith

The secret trial is The Final Steps of Faith, where you will face off against Nidhogg with a full party of 8 adventurers. We won't touch on the story leading up to it, but you can also expect an Extreme version that will reward weapons. The item level is pretty good, and the designs are really cool looking as well!

The Aquapolis

*Introduced The Aquapolis with live gameplay.
Yoshida explained about The Aquapolis while playing the game.
(*Also showed off new cosmetic gear.)

Up until you find a treasure chest and defeat all the monsters, it be the same flow as usual for treasure hunts.

However, when opening the treasure chest a special portal could open. It will stay open for 10 minutes, so be sure to hop in before it disappears. It’s recommended to head inside with more than a light party. After finalizing your lots on the rewards that dropped, the map holder can select the entrance and bring everyone in.

Inside, the content is synced to item level 180.

Heading down the corridor, there is an open area with two doors and a treasure chest. Clicking on the treasure chest will spawn monsters, and similar to treasure hunts, once you defeat all the monsters you will be able to earn a reward.

Next, the map holder will have to choose a door to open.

If they succeed at opening it, you will be able to proceed to the next area. In total there are seven rooms that you can go through, and the further you go the easier it will become to obtain rare rewards. Partly through the dungeon a cyclops will appear and defeating it will yield materia IV and V. The cyclops in the seventh room will drop a bunch of materia V.

There's also a chance that a golden goblin will spawn. These goblins are not aggressive and they’ll flee from players. If you’re able to defeat them within 30 seconds, they will drop a lot of gil. The further into the dungeon that you are in, the more gil the golden goblin will drop.

The 7th room will reward players with 100,000 gil each.

Aside from this, there are rare minions such as the baby opo-opo which are normally obtained through dungeons.

There are some big AoE attacks, so the difficulty is set to something which can be enjoyable. However, players will encounter the cyclops which will reward players with rare treasures, but they swing their clubs pretty wildly, so you you may have a hard time.

The spawn rate of the portal to the Aquapolis is set to 50%.

The amount of chests do not change depending on the number of players participating, so it’ll be easier to go through the content with more players. It can be done with 4 players, but you should probably have at least a tank and a healer.

Fenrir Mount
*Introduced the mount with live gameplay.

From Patch 3.3, the Fenrir mount will be able to fly. Fenrir will freeze the water particles in the air and soar through the skies.

Raid Finder

This is a party matching matching system for high-difficulty raids for players of the same Data Center, and it will work with the following content:

Alexander Midas: Fist of the Son (Savage), Cuff of the Son (Savage), Arm of the Son (Savage), Burden of the Son (Savage)

Raid Finder Overview Part 1: Matching conditions

There are two different options for matching conditions: “Duty Complete” and “Duty Incomplete”. Only if you’ve cleared the content once before will you be able to select “Duty Complete.” The system will determine this, so if you haven’t cleared it, you won’t be able to select this option.

Raid Finder Overview Part 2: Objective
Next you will have to select your objective. “Duty Completion” will only be selectable by those who have not yet received their weekly reward. By selecting “Practice” you will be able to go into the raid to practice strategies. Only by selecting “Practice” will you be able to select which phase to focus on.

So, you can decide to go all out and try to clear the content, or you can use the practice mode to repeat the battle to get used to it.

In the event that you’ve already cleared a particular area for the week, you will not be able to enter that area. This is because the number of treasure caskets upon completion are reduced if there are players who have already received rewards present. However, since you can still get tokens, we are awaiting feedback for those of you who still wish to go.

Raid Finder Overview Part 3: Setting phases for practice mode.
Phases can only be set while practice mode is selected. Players will be able to select from first phase, middle phase, and final phase; however, this does not mean players will start from that phase. Also, I’m sure players can decide which part is first phase, middle phase, and final phase on their own, we didn’t set anything specific on development side.

Raid Finder Overview Part 4: Role Structure
When participating in a content via the Raid Finder, the role structure is set to 2 Tanks, 2 Healers, 1 melee DPS, 1 ranged DPS, and one other DPS (wild card). There will be no other matchings outside of this role structure.

Until now, players had to speak with the NPC to enter Savage mode of raid dungeons; however, players will now use this Raid Finder to enter the content, so you do not have to gather around the NPC anymore.

When the mode is set to “Duty Completion,” players will not be matched with the same DPS class/job. This was done to avoid causing the Limit Break gauge to accumulate slower.

When “Practice” is selected, the same DPS class/job may be matched in the last spot.

Since it’s only practice, we made it so the matching can be done quickly rather than being too strict on the jobs. Please try it out and give us feedback, such as you would like to set the main Tank or off Tank, or prioritize the matching speed.

Field of Glory (Shatter)
*Introduced this with a video.

This time around the battlefield is set in Coerthas, so it’s a map that is covered in snow. In terms of how this is different from Seal Rock, there are 3 different locations on the map that you can take over by entering into the circle area. One strategic point is whether or not to leave some troops here or not. You’ll also be able to lay claim to your opponent’s strongholds by continuing to be in the circle. However, this is just a piece of the strategy. The main part of this content involves the destruction of objects which are scattered throughout the field. After a certain amount of time has passed, it will become possible to destroy these, and doing so will earn you points. Once they are destroyed they will not reappear.

In Patch 3.3 we will be reverting the Adrenaline Rush gauge back to how it was for Frontline.

Housing: Flowerpots
*Introduced with gameplay

While you cannot cross breed, the base system is similar to gardening. We’re also introducing a vase furnishing item which players can set the flowers they grew to decorate. The color of the flower can be adjusted depending on the fertilizer used. Additionally, the flowers obtained from flowerpots can be used a crafting material to craft flower headpiece to wear and we’ll add more types of flowers in later patches. There’s a possibility the flowers my die if you do not tend to them, so be sure to check them at least once a day, and it should be all set.

Gatherer/Crafter
We mentioned this previously, but gatherers and crafters will receive a boost in the item level. If you would like to craft new equipment planned to be introduced in Patch 3.4, please be sure to collect these new pieces of gear. There are two major types of equipment, one which can be crafted, and another which can be exchanged with red scrips. The item level from the red scrips are set higher, but the crafted version can be melded, so that’s a strong point. New primary tools will also be introduced. Belts, and accessories are planned for Patch 3.4.

Crafter and Gatherer Scrips
Since there are classes where it’s easier and harder to obtain blue scrips, we’ll be making adjustments so that the harder classes are brought to the level of the easier to earn classes. We’ll also be making adjustments to make it easier to earn red scrips.

We’ll be increasing the gathering spots for the items used for collectables, increasing the scrips earned when turning in items on a level 60 class, boosting experience points when turning in items on a class that is level 59 or lower, and other all-around adjustments.

Glamour Equipment
The piggy-related equipment added in the next patch can be dyed.
As for the pose the character was using at the start of the broadcast...it's a secret!

User Interface Part I

Recommended Equipment Button
Pressing the recommended equipment button will equip players with the highest item level gear the player currently possesses. We would like the mentors to tell new players to utilize this button to equip the best equipment.

HUD Layout Save Feature
*Introduced with gameplay
Players will be able to store up to 4 HUD layouts. HUD layouts can be switched with a press of a button, and can also be switched via text command, so please combine it with gear set change macro to match that job. Furthermore, you will be able to copy over one HUD layout to another slot, to make fine adjustments.

Addition of the PlayStation 4 “Drawing Quality Setting”
With DirectX11 support, the floors in the game are displayed nicely with a polished/reflective look. We’ve added this same look to the PlayStation 4.

Addition of a partial matching search method for the market boards
*Introduced via gameplay.
While entering something into the partial matching search field, items that contain the characters you input will be displayed. In order to boost the search speed, we didn’t add support for the demand or number of items up on the market.

In order to avoid congestion between the servers, when searching, the data will be cached locally for a moment, and then it will search from there.

User Interface Part II

New Mentor icons
Players will be able to switch their mentor icon to the following mentor icons based on their specialty:
Mentor / Battle Mentor / Crafter & Gatherer / PvP Mentor

Preset Feature for PvP Actions
Until now, players needed to redistribute their PvP points every time they switched jobs. The new preset feature will store the PvP actions set on the job. This is similar to the gear set feature, and you can store up to 5 sets. However, unlike the gear set, the preset feature requires some time to switch the action sets. This was done to avoid exploits, so the system will check back with the server to update the information.

Customization of the Party List
We have received request from healers that they want to arrange the party list, so we made it possible to freely adjust the list.

Idling Camera Update
Idling camera can now be used while in combat. This was to answer requests where players wanted to take beautiful screenshots of their characters fighting from different angles. However, please be considerate when using this during party content.

Group Pose Update
We received request from the UI team where they want players to take more screenshots to enable players to make as many adjustments as possible, so we’ll implement an update the group pose feature.

New Battle-related Auto-Translate Terms
We have added new battle related words to the auto-translate feature. These can be used for raids and other battle content.

Anima Weapons
*Introduced via gameplay

You’ll be able to develop your weapons further by allocating points to each type of parameter. The cap for each parameter is 120. You’ll be using two different types of items to convert into a catalyst for allocating points. One conversion will yield 3 points. Sometimes if you are lucky you will be able to get a higher yield of points.

There will be various ways to earn the items needed for conversion, so find the avenue that best suits your playstyle.

The time efficiency if quite different for each method. However, though I can’t say very clearly, everything has been balanced in terms of spending gil and time. There will be much more variation.

Completing your Anima weapon will give your weapon a new look. Ultimately, it will attain a power on par with that of a weapon you put 3 grade V materia in, so it will definitely be a useful weapon.

Additionally, after investigating the logs of the conditions of everyone playing in relation to Anima weapons, we’ve found that the number of crystals compared to the number of people who have the “Unidentifiable” items is lower, so we will be easing the drop rates in Patch 3.3.

Special Guest Talk Session
We brought over the main scenario writer Natsuko Ishikawa as special guest for the show.

Prominent Questlines

• 2.0 Main Scenario (Coerthas Central Highlands)
• 3.2 Main Scenario
• The Binding Coil of Bahamut Series
• The Crystal Tower Series
• Rogue Quests
• Dark Knight Quests
• Alchemist Class Quests (Up to Level 50)
• Matoya's Cave Sidequests

Q: What exactly does a main scenario writer do?
A: Natsuko: I was actually called by this title for the first time during the QA. I work with Oda who is in charge of the lore to write the main scenario. Oda is in charge of Patch 3.3 main scenario quest.

Patch 3.3 main scenario
As you can infer from the patch title, Revenge of the Horde, this will be the conclusion of the Dragonsong War.

Yoshida: Not from dev. team’s point of view but from a player’s point of view, what would you want to happen to Estinien?

A: I would like Estinien to be saved.

The Warring Triad
To resolve the issues surrounding The Warring Triad, adventurers will be unable to avoid fighting against the Garlean empire. There are some parts where the focus is set on Regula Van Hydrus from the Garlean empire.

It’s not full blown battle content, but there will be some battle involved; however, this does not require any party, so players will be able to go through this anytime they want.

New beast tribe quests
Similar to the Ixal quests, these new quests will be crafting-focused quests. They will be quests that you can level from 50 to 60, and you’ll get the materials during the quests. If you’ve already reached level 60, you will be able to earn grade V materia. There will be story developments where a master who learned crafts from Ishgard talks about player memories.

Q: How freely can you write scenarios for FFXIV? Does it have to involve requests from other departments such as “please have this race in the story”, “make sure to have the players visit this specific area”?

A: It depends on the quest, but we cannot simply write anything that we want. It’s important to keep the overall experience in mind and ensure that the story is enjoyable. We received a request from the battle team where they wanted the adventurers to fight against themselves, so we wrote a scenario based on this request.

Q: What kind of things does Yoshida like to request?

A: Occasionally he will request that cutscenes be added.

Yoshida: After all the elements have been arranged I do a final check, but there are times when I want to make it even better so I make my requests.

Q: The dark knight job quest was really interesting. Can you please let us know how you came up with this story?

A: Because I feel close to all the stories I wrote, it’s difficult to explain this. When writing the dark knight story, I had an image of dark knights from the FF series in mind, and imagined a dark knight sacrificing something to fight through. We’ve received requests for a continuation of that story so there may be a separate scenario waiting. For now, please continue your ventures with Fray.

Q: I really like Nero. I’d like to see him again. Could you write him into the main scenario? I’m also interested in Alisaie and Yugiri.

A: While I can’t give any details, perhaps…

Q: I had a really nostalgic feeling due to the original FF-feel of the Matoya quests. Were there any fond memories you have of the scenarios you were in charge of?

A: I pour all my energy into the scenarios every time, so I have fond memories of all of them. I actually had a lot of trouble with the Binding Coil of Bahamut. I joined the team with A Realm Reborn, and I was somewhat lost as to how to continue the story on from 1.0. There was so much to tell through content, so it was quite tough. Additionally, Maehiro’s checks for Alisaie’s character were quite strict.

Q: I personally like the members of the rogues’ guild. I’d like to hear more about how they formed and some other stories about them. Will we ever be doing anything with them again?

A: Thank you. I’d like to do something with them again, and I will look into this proactively. Thieves from past FF games have a unique coolness to them.

Q: I really liked both the dark knight and alchemist story. Please let us know if there’s any specific story you would like to write next.

A: I would like to write something similar to Matoya’s cave, where you can read up on their everyday lifestyle. Aside from this, near the end of 2.x series, Buscarron is worried about Laurentis in South Shroud, so I would like to write a story based on this.

Q: Do you have any plans to add a story focused on love? For example, one which talks about how Livia met Gaius.

A: While I cannot say if Livia and Gaius are deeply in love... I would love to write a love story; however, we do not have any in mind yet, so I’ll use this opportunity to request this to Yoshida!

Yoshida: Characters from the main story have very specific stories to focus on, but I think it’ll be alright to write a story as a side story.

Q: During the Patch 3.2 main scenario, Aymeric and Lucia are talking to each other, and she said something that surprised me. Could you tell me about their relationship?

A: At the very least, Lucia has special feelings for Aymeric, and I think he is a bit clueless about what’s right in front of him.

Q: As is standard for Letter from the Producer LIVEs, tell us a story about Yoshida.

A: I’d say the best is him asking if I would appear on the Letter from the Producer LIVE in a private room that only had three people in it.

Q: Some Sound Director mentioned that a melody came to mind while he was shaving, but do you have similar experience where an idea for main scenario suddenly pops into your head?

A: An idea pops into my head while listening to the song which that Sound Director wrote from that idea. I mentioned this during the test stream, but I bartered to use a song that wasn’t used in Patch 3.3 for a can of coffee. Listening to that kind of song inspires a story. The song wasn’t used this time; however, I believe it can be used later if we can make something for it, so please look forward to it.

Q: The cutscene for the Final Coil of Bahamut Turn 4 was very impressive, but did you have any role with the in-game performance?

A: The cutscene team dealt with this, and there are times I make requests; however, some portions are decided based on their suggestions as well as with read-throughs with the team.

The cutscene for Crystal Tower with the Eternal Wind was a surprise from the cutscene team. Even though they were busy for the release of 3.0, they made this without any kind of implementation order. I was quite surprised.

Q: I really love Haurchefant! I believe there were many stories in Patch 3.2 that reminded us of him, was this your intention?

A: It’s not because I’m writing it that I wanted to write more about him, but I wanted to write this from a player’s point of view, where they ventured through Ishgard. I pushed Meaehiro to change the scene with Haurchefant inside the intercessory in Patch 2.55. I would like for everyone to feel the struggles that our adventurers will continue to go through in these stories.

Q: I feel like the writing style for MMORPGs and single-player RPGs differs, but could you tell us some hardships or techniques in relation to scenario writing for MMORPGs?

A: The entire event team is focused on keeping things brief when they can be. We understand that players want to hurry up and get to the content, so we are trying to tell the story without pushing the volume too much.

Yoshida: During the main scenario quests, we want you to go on a journey with an NPC, and this is not synced up with other players’ progress. It’s difficult to have super long cutscenes when you are playing with others in a party, so it’s tough to keep this in mind that this is an online game's story.