Questions and Feedback on the Future of FINAL FANTASY XIV

[Lienn]

Once the new servers are up, will you guys do a quick beta with it to try out stressing it and checking performance...or will you guys just put it live and hope everything works properly?

Would be a shame seeing the 2.0 getting live and we getting the infamous daily server crash/emergency maint until it all start working properly again due lack of tests...

[Snugglebutt]

Can you please if not going to allow the ability to alt-tab from full screen without crashing, or tabbing in windowed mode also crashing... Could you atleast please allow a built in web browser option into the ingame menu on PC version so that we can look up quests and recipes and guides etc inside the game. It is the most annoying thing to me at the moment meaning if I even wish to locate an NPC or item I have to log out go look and then log back in of which takes over 5-10 minutes just in the logging in password input>going through all the screens and such again and logging out/in process alone.

[Reliquia]

Can you please if not going to allow the ability to alt-tab from full screen without crashing, or tabbing in windowed mode also crashing... Could you atleast please allow a built in web browser option into the ingame menu on PC version so that we can look up quests and recipes and guides etc inside the game. It is the most annoying thing to me at the moment meaning if I even wish to locate an NPC or item I have to log out go look and then log back in of which takes over 5-10 minutes just in the logging in password input>going through all the screens and such again and logging out/in process alone.

In multiple recent interviews Yoshida has said that they are well aware of this problem and they know that it's inexcusable. They also promised that they will fix it, although I don't recall if he stated when they are planning on this.

[Alfortis]

Will Masashi Hamauzu, Junya Nakano, Yoko Shimimura,Hitoshi Sakimoto, Takahito Eguchi, and other known Final Fantasy composers make music in the future of Final Fantasy XIV? I feel by adding them, the game will feel more like a Final Fantasy game since there are elements from the past Final Fantasy games.

[Betelgeuzah]

Will Masashi Hamauzu, Junya Nakano, Yoko Shimimura,Hitoshi Sakimoto, Takahito Eguchi, and other known Final Fantasy composers make music in the future of Final Fantasy XIV? I feel by adding them, the game will feel more like a Final Fantasy game since there are elements from the past Final Fantasy games.

Naoshi Mizuta (FFXI, FFXIII-2), Ryo Yamazaki (FFX, KH, FFXIII), and Tsuyoshi Sekito (Dissidia, The Last Remnant, Advent Children, The Black Mages) are the composers of the game.

[Tannlore]

More info on the summoner please!

I'm sure they will still add in the summoner the only change/limitation from traditional summoners will be regarding the "gods". i kinda like the concept of once again making them something uber powered for one crazy damage attack, i'm curious as to how they will pull it off. all it means is they will have other things to summon as pet types that are not mini primals. take the elementals, they are a good start, from there they can evolve and grow in power (fire elemental 2,3,4,etc) maybe provide elemental golems, drakes, etc. there is no end of what kind of things a summoner can summon, it does not need to be the primals all the time.

Please give us a little more of an idea of what the summoner will actually do as this is one of the more convoluted classes especially after the little nugget of info about free companies and primals.

Yes please, some answers here would be great. Could we get some more details on the planned summoner class? Like what will they be summoning? Lesser avatars, spirits? Summoners without being able to summon hallmark avatars sounds... not really summoner. If not primals all the time, then what? summoning elementals all the time just makes me think we're more like Aion's Spirit Masters, and not the classic summoner of Final Fantasy.

[Betelgeuzah]

1) In past Final Fantasy games (FFXI included), Nuking (as a BLM or some other role) has been greatly inferior to melee damage in late game. While this is not so much of an issue in a single player game, in an MMORPG this kind of problem may lead to significant balance issues (as one can see from how FFXI has shaped up during the years).

Have you put any thought into how to address this problem in FFXIV? With the way the current gameplay mechanics are set-up, I don't see how the same issue wouldn't be present here. As you are planning to introduce a BLM Job, I feel that this should be addressed- mainly because Square's track record shows that not much thought has been put into making offensive magic worthwhile in all stages of the game.

FFXIII introduced the Stagger concept to give Ravagers (nukers) a distinctive role aside from just dealing damage, and I feel that it helped to keep them relevant even if their damage output was lower than that of Commando's. Do you have something similar planned, or will you seek to balance the Job through other mechanics? Do you even have anything planned in the first place?

2) While looking at the community mindset when it comes to clearing 1.18 and 1.19 content, it has become clear that efficiency is encouraged and even demanded, regardless of it's necessity. This has led to some classes being left out because another class that shares a similar role is better. For example, in 1.18 using Archers was the main tactic in clearing the instanced raid, and in 1.19 using Lancers (and to some extend Marauders) is the preferred tactic, leading to a different kind of class hiarachy.

While you can try to balance this via patches, in the end as three classes (possibly four in 1.20) compete for the top spot it is quite difficult if not impossible to keep them equal, from patch and encounter to another. Do you have any plans to make the classes (and in the future, Jobs) more different from each other so that there is more incentive to make use of all three(four) DPS classes instead of just one?

[Reika]

Dunno if it has been asked, but is there plans to do something about the latency issues before 2.0, or will those that live fairly far from Japan have to just suck it up and hope for a miracle?

[Altanas]

1. Will/When the crafting minigame be changed/altered/sped up?

2. What changes can land/hand expect pre 2.0. We've had battle balances, its a long time to wait for 2.0 for land/hand gameplay changes (i dont regard recipe changes as gameplay, the gameplay is the minigame to craft etc)

3. Will we ever get more than 3000 TP?

[SmokeyTheSequel]

I just started playing again with the implementation of chocobos and such and I have to say that this game has made leaps and bounds compaired to what it was at the start. If you think that now is the time to start charging then I am all for it.
I also know that anytime people see $$ being charged to play a game the trolls come out and everyone throws a fit.

With that said, I also think that if you start charging people and this amazing 2.0 turns out to be a complete fail (which im sure wont be), every single person that has paid from next month or so until it releases will be paying for said promises in which you might fail to follow through on. Im a fanboy and I know it, but if this happens I PROMISE you that every single person that has respect for what you do and what you have done will be gone and your reputation will be tarnish forever. I can live with that, but can you?

Goodluck and ill pay for it, but be sure before you decide to make something go live that it works without a doubt because if 2.0 fails, this game WILL be lost.

Keep up the good work and we are all behind you 110%!!