Final Fantasy XIV Interview — Stormblood’s Success, Romance, Graphics Upgrades and Mo

[Exiled_Tonberry]

I like how Yoshi needs to 100% blatantly acknowledge lesbian/bisexual etc, or it doesn't exist!

Seriously. The game had plenty of canon NPC gay couples. Stop trying to twist words around as if they game doesn't acknowledge them just because he didn't openly mention them this one time.

[Naunet]

The game had plenty of canon NPC gay couples. Stop trying to twist words around as if they game doesn't acknowledge them just because he didn't openly mention them this one time.

I just thought it was weird that he went way out of his way to specify the only instances he could think of where a player could have "that sort of idea" as between a male player controlling a male character. I even mentioned that there are gay and lesbian characters in the game, which is what made Yoshi's response even stranger to me.

Talk about twisting words - that's exactly what y'all are doing to mine.

I mean, how hard is it to just be like, "Yeah, I can see how some people could have taken it that way." Instead he had to spent two whole paragraphs elaborating on the very specific scenario where he thought it would be possible and the other scenarios where he didn't think it would be possible. It's not like Lyse or Alisae's dialogue changes much (or at all) if your character is a guy or a girl, so there's not even this subtext that's present only if you're on a guy character.

I just found it a really weird (and unnecessarily excluding) thing to get so specific about.

[Snow_Princess]

I just thought it was weird that he went way out of his way to specify the only instances he could think of where a player could have "that sort of idea" as between a male player controlling a male character. I even mentioned that there are gay and lesbian characters in the game, which is what made Yoshi's response evenstranger to me.

Talk about twisting words - that's exactly what y'all are doing to mine.

I mean, how hard is it to just be like, "Yeah, I can see how some people could have taken it that way." Instead he had to spent two whole paragraphs elaborating on the very specific scenario where he thought it would be possible and the other scenarios where he didn't think it would be possible. It's not like Lyse or Alisae's dialogue changes much (or at all) if your character is a guy or a girl, so there's not even this subtext that's present only if you're on a guy character.

I just found it a really weird (and unnecessarily excluding) thing to get so specific about.

I agree, it is very awkward word twisting to me. Do not get down because the first reply does not get it, you now have 2 other posters that do.

[Hunky]

The reason Yoshi stated it like that was to make it simple and clear.

He was just trying to convey the idea that some people would take Lyse's interaction with the Warrior of Light differently.

Just because he didn't mention people of other sexual orientations doesn't mean he's trying to exclude them. It was just an example.

And it has nothing to do with politics. Yoshi not mentioning LGBT people in the interview doesn't reflect on his political stances whatsoever.

As a gay guy, it didn't bother me at all and I understood his intention. And I definitely don't think he dislikes gay people simply because he didn't mention them.

Anyway, shame about the graphics. Can't wait to see job changes for 4.1.

[Teraluna]

It's the 4.1 changes I'm interested in. Although he stated 4.06 as more or less sorting balance out, I'd say it's not quite there yet.

Smn did get two adjustments, but generally disappointing that more wasn't done at the time. So hopefully a target for any 4.1 changes.

It's opposite number Scholar currently suffers from one of the same issues as Summoner - Clunky.
I'm steering clear of performance output here - and focusing on the actual enjoyment of playing the respective classes.

The 4.0 revisions to both pet classes resulted in a disjointed play style which wasn't there before. The determination to follow the 'gauge for every class' mantra did not carry over well to Smn & Sch.

(Not the only ones as Whm's lily system is over fussy, and could be replaced with just straightforward timers on the skills).

Back to Smn/Sch - they do need to recognize that the quote "I think things have settled down at this point" isn't entirely accurate. Both pet classes gameplay needs to be looked at in 4.1, and with more than just minor tweaking to a system which doesn't really work that well for a smooth, flowing experience.

[ZhaneX]

I mean, how hard is it to just be like, "Yeah, I can see how some people could have taken it that way."

Personally this is exactly what I got out of his statements. His elaboration of male vs. female wasn't him denying or blockading the idea of an LGBT-tilt to it, but simply his view point as a guy who plays both a male and female character going through the game. But the point of the question and the answers given was "It's up to player interpretation", and Yoshi-P's elaborations were his personal player interpretations. Nothin' wrong with that.

That's what I got out of what he said anyway.

Anywho, going on to the rest of the interview... interesting discussion regarding optimization and graphics. Glad that they haven't totally nixed the idea, even if it is low-priority, and that character optimization is first on that low-down list. Would really like to see improved graphics textures.

[JunseiKei]

So, uh, Yoshi - you know that gay and lesbian people exist, right? I'm pretty sure you should, unless the gay and lesbian characters scattered occasionally in little corners of Eorzea were added in as jokes or not to your knowledge. So... why dancing around words here? Why feel the need to specify "if male, then ___" and vice versa?

This answer felt so weird to me.

Yoshida's "dancing around with words" is a rather neutral way of putting it. The wording need not be exclusive to same gender romances. Saying a male player playing a male character does not mean the player (or even the character) needs be attracted to other men, but it does imply that the NPC may still have an attraction to them.

Also, the sentence is slightly taken out of context here;

Even I, when I was looking at some of the dialogue involving Lyse and even Alisae, thought “oh, this can be taken a certain way.” I think that comes from a strong admiration these characters feel towards the Warrior of Light. For example, if it so happens that the player is male, playing a male character, it could easily give that sort of idea that perhaps there is a chance. It’s certainly not strange, and I think perhaps Ishikawa-san is perhaps deliberately writing that into the dialogue.

But at the same time, as another example, if the player is a woman, utilizing a female character, or if he is a man playing a female character, you could easily take the dialogue as strong words of admiration towards a strong woman. I think Ishikawa-san was able to write the lines so well that it can be interpreted in either way.

The way the whole paragraph is worded, it's meant to demonstrate strong feelings of kinship with the player-character, despite their genders. Or romance, since the dialogue was written to allow the imagination to grab ahold and run with it.

It's about as neutral as possible. So naturally, people will take issue.

[Waliel]

It's the 4.1 changes I'm interested in. Although he stated 4.06 as more or less sorting balance out, I'd say it's not quite there yet.

I think he meant output-wise the jobs are more or less balanced when played well, or at least that's how I understood it. How the jobs play is another matter and they're hoping to fix the worst offenders come 4.1.

[Daralii]

I think he meant output-wise the jobs are more or less balanced when played well, or at least that's how I understood it. How the jobs play is another matter and they're hoping to fix the worst offenders come 4.1.

Read as: they're reworking Summoner in 4.1

[Teraluna]

I think he meant output-wise the jobs are more or less balanced when played well, or at least that's how I understood it. How the jobs play is another matter and they're hoping to fix the worst offenders come 4.1.

Yes, I go along with this. Balance and play style can be regarded as two different things.
So hopefully 4.1 can improve the smoothness (for want of a better word), and overall enjoyment of playing the pet classes (but not to the exclusion of others of course).