FINAL FANTASY XIV Letter from the Producer LIVE Part III

[Elexia]

Looks more like balancing to me. Low level Mages are insanely OP compared to Melee at low levels. Plus, it's just Whm. It's ok if the damage is low.

Yep, only THM can do 3-5 star leves at low levels, whereas a melee will get destroyed.

Inb4 "But that's how it supposed to be!"

[Kafeen]

The market is basically revamped as well. As for retainers, it’s impossible to make all of them appear at once. Instead, we want to implement what’s called a market street and have players decide on what they want others to see.

It’ll work kind of like an instance, but you’ll be able to see them out in the open. Each retainer you see will look different. The search feature has also been revamped. Searching will take place through a board. We’ll probably be able to show everyone what it looks like during the beta phase.

So we still have a crap load of retainers standing around? I thought we were getting away from this aweful system!

Who even uses them when there the search system anyway?

A: You will have to create different gear sets for each class and, if you wish to use the same item in multiple gear sets, you’ll have to obtain multiple copies of the same item. We believe that this system, which players will see in the Alpha Test, will be easier for players to use and understand.

So if you get an awesomely rare piece of gear then you want to use conveniently on multiple classes, tough! You need to get another one too? What if the item is unique so you can only hold one?

This sounds awful. I don't see how this is in any way making it easier for players to use. Surely, easier to use would be drag this item in to this set. If you want it in another set, drag it into there too.

First, you'll need a group of four people. Then, you'll all need to join a Grand Company, whichever you prefer. Afterwards, you can form a Free Company under that Grand Company by visiting the Grand Company desk.

You can only form Free Companies under the same Grand Company? What about all those linkshells that exist because of the lack of Free Companies from launch, all with existing members in all 3 Grand Companies. All those linkshells hoping to change to a Grand Company when they were finally released? These too end up disappointed again because they can't all join the same Free Company.

This also makes it sound like they're limited to only 4 people. I hope this is only bad wording.

I'm starting to get worried about A Realm Reborn.

[Aion]

hey, check this, only few paragraph below your last quote

Also, if you have a solid group of 8 people and there’s another Free Company you’re friends with, since it’d be difficult to merge Free Companies, we’ve designed an alliance system that allows Free Companies to work together. You’ll be able to utilize a shared discussion area on the Lodestone, and company leaders can control who has permission to post. It’s quite a complex system.

[Elexia]

So we still have a crap load of retainers standing around? I thought we were getting away from this aweful system!

Who even uses them when there the search system anyway?

Plenty of people since it's how you search for +1 and/or melded gear with stuff that gets flooded out by low prices. Also no, it's not an awful system unless you're calling an AH an awful system as they're virtually the same system.

This also makes it sound like they're limited to only 4 people. I hope this is only bad wording.

I'm starting to get worried about A Realm Reborn.

You should have been worried about it a long time ago. Also no where does it say you're limited to 4 people, I don't know how you even read that wrong....it said nothing about a max just a minimum amount of people needed to start one.

[Felis]

What if the item is unique so you can only hold one?

Put the first in your basaar for repair or in another gear set. It will be out of your inventory and you can get a second.

[Elexia]

Put the first in your basaar for repair or in another gear set. It will be out of your inventory and you can get a second.

That's assuming the bazaar system works the same, which it better not or there's going to be a lot of pissed off people lol.

[Felis]

You can only form Free Companies under the same Grand Company? What about all those linkshells that exist because of the lack of Free Companies from launch, all with existing members in all 3 Grand Companies. All those linkshells hoping to change to a Grand Company when they were finally released? These too end up disappointed again because they can't all join the same Free Company.

Only the 4 founders need to be in the same GC. All the other people who join these 4 ( max. member for free company would be currently 100) can be in every GC they want. It shouldn't be difficult to find in a LS 4 members with the same GC.

[Inaaca]

Put the first in your basaar for repair or in another gear set. It will be out of your inventory and you can get a second.

That's not really the point. Asking someone to get two of the same piece of Darklight gear just so they can easily use it between classes is ridiculous.

Also reorganizing or swapping/unequipping/re equpping gear will become an enormous hassle if you have a lot of unique gear that can't exist more than once in your inventory.

[Inaaca]

You can only form Free Companies under the same Grand Company? What about all those linkshells that exist because of the lack of Free Companies from launch, all with existing members in all 3 Grand Companies. All those linkshells hoping to change to a Grand Company when they were finally released? These too end up disappointed again because they can't all join the same Free Company.

This also makes it sound like they're limited to only 4 people. I hope this is only bad wording.

I'm starting to get worried about A Realm Reborn.

You're misunderstanding, here's a dev post on the subject.

Good evening!

Ogre Okipuit here with a bit more information and clarification about Free Companies!

As you may have heard, you'll need at least 4 people to create a free company and of course you can add more over time. We haven't finalized the details yet, but we're planning on allowing at least 100 members to join an FC.

As for the relationship between grand companies and free companies:

• By requesting permission from a grand company, a free company can become a subsidiary of that grand company.
• Despite the fact that free companies are subsidiaries of grand companies, you do not need to be members from the same Grand Company in order to found or join an FC.

We also plan on making it possible to place your free company's crest on certain equipment.

Current LS features will be carried on to Free Companies and it will be possible to delegate leader rights. As for Linkshells, in A Realm Reborn they will be treated as chat channels.

Note: Sorry about the post misfire earlier!

[Denton]

So if you get an awesomely rare piece of gear then you want to use conveniently on multiple classes, tough! You need to get another one too? What if the item is unique so you can only hold one?

The letter clearly states that you CAN use the same piece of gear you just have to do the switch manually or use a macro, you know, exactly like we already do. Gear sets are for specialized swaps for example I would have felt bracers with +pie on my BRD set and felt bracers with +STR on my WAR set or something, because macros do not take into account things like materia etc. get it?