Gamer Escape Interview with Naoki Yoshida!

[Demacia]

Ah, just in time for the swimsuit event you hope?

Well duh. Wouldn't want a clumsy mouse or a pad getting in the way of things would I?

[giftforce]

can someone please copy/paste the review Gamer Escape is blocked for me at work.

Thanks!

Recently we got a chance to shoot some questions over to Naoki Yoshida! We ask about some of the content coming up this week in Patch 1.18 and we also get a few juicy bits of information regarding Patch 1.19 and 1.20. Airships and Hamlet content is coming!

Check out our exclusive interview after the break.

Gamer Escape: There has been a rather obtuse trade-in system for guildleves in place since launch, where players can trade in complete leves in order to increase rewards on future leves. Will this system be revised and/or removed with the upcoming changes to the guildleve system?

Yoshida: I touched on this in the 12th Producer Letter, but we plan on making various adjustments and refinements to the entire guildleve system. We are also currently looking into whether to make adjustments to the specifcations that you brought up.

Gamer Escape: Thus far the hamlets near each city have remained unused. Will there be quests and content added to these locations along with the new quest hubs that have been mentioned?

Yoshida: Yes, we plan on implementing content centered around these areas, with the current aim being patch 1.20.

Gamer Escape: The action bar in the auto attack video looks different. What kind of changes have been made? It has also been mentioned that players will be able to view all three action bars at once. When can we expect this addition? And will it be optional?

Yoshida: In patch 1.18 we will be changing it so that the action bar is always visible. Through the use of commands it will be possible to toggle between visible/hidden at any given time. Recast timers will also become visible. We are planning on addressing being able to view all 3 action bars at the same time separately.

Gamer Escape: An auto-attack system often means that haste gear, or gear reducing delay of the auto-attack, becomes of paramount importance to players seeking to maximize their DPS, leading to an imbalance in demand for gear. How, if at all, will this be dealt with?

Yoshida: I believe you are referring to the possibility of having a much higher DPS via haste, but we will be looking into adjustments for skills and abilities as a whole, not just equipment. However, we will be looking at the balance carefully so that it doesn’t become such that you become the strongest DPS simply by lowering the delay of your attacks.

Gamer Escape: How often will players be able to access the instanced raids? If not a specific time frame, how does the development team view these raids? Are they activities that will be frequently accessible? Or are they rare events that will require work in order to access such that attempting them will be done infrequently?

Yoshida: In order to take on an instanced raid for the first time, you will need to be offered a special quest. Once that quest has been completed, you will be able to take on that instanced raid again without needing to fulfill any quest-related requirements.

Gamer Escape: How will instanced raid rewards work? Since a specific sized party is required to enter, will each party member receive the same rewards? Or will there be a loot pool, requiring multiple runs to get items for each party member?

Yoshida: The main method will be by loot pool distribution, however, there are various mechanisms in place, so please actually try it out and see for yourself!

Gamer Escape: Currently each class has a guild where they can use marks to upgrade their class etc. How will the new Job System tie into the guilds?

Yoshida: The methods of upgrading your class and the methods of upgrading your jobs will follow different paths. We plan to make it so guild marks do not exert a direct affect on jobs. For jobs, we plan on upgrading them via quests known as specialized trials.

Gamer Escape: You have mentioned that jobs are focused on party use. Are there any current plans on assisting with party creation, such as search features, search comment, or auto-grouping?

Yoshida: Yes, we are planning to adjust, enhance, and add new features.

Gamer Escape: Are there any details you can share with us about the Materia system? Any idea which patch it will appear in? Is this system intended to be in use at all levels?

Yoshida: The materia craft system is scheduled to be implemented in patch 1.19, and it seems like we have pretty much decided to go with the name “materia craft.” We will be forthcoming with more details in upcoming Producer Letters, on the Forum, and on Topics soon!

Gamer Escape: What can you tell us about how recipes will be reworked in 1.19?

Yoshida: We will be revamping the materials necessary for recipes to be more in line with the rank of the produced item. Also, we will be simplifying the system by reducing the amount of parts to create some of the more complicated items, and as a result of this change, we’ll see more stimulation of the economy. Keep in mind that the changes were designed in order to compliment and balance the consumption of items relating to the materia craft system. We are also considering creation of a system where crafters can create equipment with different stats from similar recipes.

Gamer Escape: What happened to the recipe book idea that would store recipes of items we’ve crafted and learned via a leve? Is this still planned?

Yoshida: The first steps that we’re currently discussing would be the introduction of a way to confirm recipes through NPCs. Following the implementation of that, we plan on making it possible to confirm recipes from within an interface itself.

Gamer Escape: With changes being made to recipes, it seems a major overhaul to food (as a system) is needed as well. Will food effects be easier to understand or at least simplified to make it easier for Culinarians to sell their wares?

Yoshida: The first change we’ll be making will be to display the effect of food directly in the item help text.

Chocobos Are Coming In Patch 1.19!

Gamer Escape: We’ve heard that there may be some additions to transportation coming in 1.19. What can you tell us about that?

Yoshida: We are planning to add airships that you can use to travel between city-states as well as chocobos that you can ride freely. We’ll be releasing more information on Topics, the Producer Letters, and on the Forum soon!

Gamer Escape: We’ll finally able able to map the arrow keys to the camera! Which patch can we expect this in? What other kind of adjustments to key mapping are going to be made?

Yoshida: We are currently working on implementing this. Please wait just a bit longer!

Gamer Escape: Having the ability to move the various elements of the UI is great! However, there is one part you can’t move- the window that displays NPC dialogue. Any chance of having that made movable in the future? I can never have anything in that position on the screen since the NPC window is transparent, it makes it hard to read if i have something behind it.

Yoshida: We are working on this alongside the other user interface fixes and I can say that we are planning to make this possible in the future. However, it will take some time so please understand that it’s something that will be released down the line! Sorry to make you all wait for it.

Gamer Escape: Anything else you want to let the community know about what we can look forward to seeing in the future?

Yoshida: Beginning with patch 1.18 the amount of content being introduced will steadily increase and the realm of Eorzea will begin seeing drastic changes. The results of the New Year survey as well as the mysterious prophecy will also begin to manifest, so please look forward to it!

Thanks, as always, for your continued support of FINAL FANTASY XIV!

there you go your majesty, anything else I can get you?

[Khalus]

Thanks for asking about arrow keys controlling the camera. It is just a matter of time until I can put down the logitech controller.

I can't wait till I can put down my PS3 controller too. I want to be able to play with just the keyboard, or keyboard/mouse.

You can use just the KB already. Yeah I know I loved playing XI with one hand too with just the 9-key and arrows, but with IJKL as the camera it doesn't take long to get adjusted to it. Though it will be nice to play like this again should I return to XI next month too. {that'll be difficult to adjust, going back in forth from}

Gamer Escape: We’ve heard that there may be some additions to transportation coming in 1.19. What can you tell us about that?

Yoshida: We are planning to add airships that you can use to travel between city-states as well as chocobos that you can ride freely. We’ll be releasing more information on Topics, the Producer Letters, and on the Forum soon!

This is my favorite part though...airships finally, and of course Chocobo which we knew about already...but airships...holy crap! I sure hope its more like XI, hovering over the landscape for 3-5min with a great view of the world.

[Airget]

I always felt FFXI was backwards in that you leveled the job even if you sucked with the skills that it used. What was leveling up a Paladin if not increasing your swordsmanship prowess and shielding abilities? From a designer perspective, it was increasing the effectiveness of your input-output variables within damage and ability algorithms, but what about from a content observation (lore) standpoint? After Level Sync and Astral Burn shredded any hope of having a well-skilled-up party member, it started to get under my skin quite a bit.

Look at this amazingly developed Paladin! Level 75! Why's... why's he getting hit so hard? Block! BLOCK, SON!

I think the weapon class to job expansion system makes a lot more sense, so I'm excited to see how the trials will work.

O_o eh? That's kind of like saying everyone learns at the same pace in terms of the weapon class system. In XI a job level could be considered your knowledge potential in which you can enhance your combat and magic skills. You may have knowledge for a lv 75 PLD but what do you do to gain that knowledge? Were you a backup healer so maybe your healing skill is capped for a PLD 75, Did you decide to use a Greatsword while leveling, then you're a lv 75 PLD with capped greatsword or close to it. Or maybe you soaked in by watching others fight in abyssea and gain knowledge of a 75 PLD but with no abilities.

Think of a PLD 75 with no combat/magic skills like a child who's only reason for getting accepted and given a degree for a high prestige college is because their pops donated to the school. Sure they may "say" they have the knowledge but while they have something that says they have it, it's different from actually having it.

Basically XI serves more of a variable to reaching the top, while you can take the easy route of xp through abyssea, if you don't have the combat skills you won't be as effective. The true cap of a job in XI is ones own determination to cap the combat/magic skills they need which I find interesting, that even when you level up, during the fight towards the next level you are slowly going stronger since your skills are improving while you gain xp.

With XIV it's basically you gain full knowledge every rank and there is no sense of progressing while you are leveling. Now if the weapon class system was more like sword, with sub weapons in that class like rapier/dagger/longsword that could also be leveled to gain skills and techniques from using different weapon types it would make more sense. Since you can't say that those 3 weapons use the same technique when fighting, each sword type has it's own unique style and way of fighting and just because you are a lv 1 gladiator and suddenly a rank 5 gladiator shouldnt' mean you suddenly have mastery over all these weapons.

Sure while XI may only have it based on one weapon type at least there is combat skills to show a sense of improvement while you are fighting and reaching the next level. A part of me thinks it's a step back not to have anything you can skillup while leveling and basically everything in terms of lving in XIV is straight-forward with no variables to it other then how much xp you get based on what mob you kill.

Other then that I am interested to see how they improve on the towns that were already set there with nothing to do. I'm also curious when they'll open up that one town that's in the caverns new Camp bald knoll though. I remember running through there since I saw on the map that there was a town there, and after evading mobs I made it only to see a closed off gate and an empty town. very disappointing lol but at least they are amping up to bring more life to all the towns so it would be cool to see the "norg" like area come to life.

[Fated]

Those were some really well thought out questions (one of the few interviews to ever do this IMO) and I want to applaud them for that. Most of the answers were standard SE fare "we doin it eventually lulz", but some of them gave us some nice insights into upcoming changes.

[Anonymoose]

While I disagree with the "no feeling of progression" angle, the lore observation of a gimpy skilled job being like a college degree your rich parents paid for cracks me up to no end.

"Of course he can be the captain of Jeuno's military! He's a 75 PLD! ... Oh, god. No... no, don't test hi- put down the Nerf balls!... BLOCK! ... BLOCK, SON!"

I do see your point about skill diversification, but, like many aspects of FFXI, I considered it a {whispers: time sink} at times. Your point will come full circle, though, if Team Yoshi-P doesn't scrap the previously planned classes (which I don't think they will, since Arcanist, Shepherd, and Bard have been getting steady updates in the DATs) since someday there actually will be different types of sword to master.

[SuzakuCMX]

Thanks for asking about arrow keys controlling the camera. It is just a matter of time until I can put down the logitech controller.

You can use IJKL or .... are talking something else?

[Reinheart]

You can use IJKL or .... are talking something else?

Probably people like my wife got so used to FFXI camera controls with arrow keys; makes sense they want it.

[Libtech]

Probably people like my wife got so used to FFXI camera controls with arrow keys; makes sense they want it.

Pretty much.. I like being able to control movement and camera with one hand leaving my other hand to do macros or spells or what not.

Using wdas for movement and iklj for camera doesn't do it for me

although I have to say wdas and mouse works a lot better in XIV than in XI at least for me, but I would rather use my controller over that option as well.

[Dreadnought]

Being able to move and control the camera with one hand.

in most games you can map controls to your left and right button on the mouse.

--right button moves the camera and holding both left and right at the same time moves me forward aswell as being able to move the camera
-- in order to move backward i hold the right button and hold the mouse wheel in. this way i move backward and control the camera.
why cant i do this here?

it allows me to have W as well as the arrows and "short hand pad" numbers available to map to other things (such as potions, spells.... anything)
again, why cant i do this here?