Plausibility of an FFXIV 1.23 Offline Edition

[Dhalmel]

It wouldn't be possible, you would need the server client and that's something Square probably will never distribute for security reasons.

[Hohenheim]

this is sad just sad

[indira]

True enough, but then I gather they completely rewrote the server structure for ARR, so I wonder how much they'd care that it was out there. If they intended to sell off the rights to it, then it might bother them, but if it was being tossed on the scrapheap, they might be less concerned.

still have to remember ©square-enix which means you have to pay if you want to use and thats gonna cost many times more then the normal person can afford. i also dont think SE licence out there IP's.
if ARR is popular enough maybe they can do like EQ and put out 1.0 servers.

[Zehira]

Call me Crazy,
Yeah, I'm Crazy.

You are crazy, no more chocolate for you! lol X3

[Forgo]

I've been thinking about this. Ok, I'm going to park the financial and staff cost element of this discussion because it's not something I can comment on. I'll leave that open for other, better informed folk to discuss if they choose.

However, technically, could an offline single-player version be done, and would it make a fitting tribute to FFXIV 1.23? I think yes, with a couple of simple changes.

Firstly, you must be able to control and level multiple characters. I think a nice feature would be for you to have unlimited scope for the number of characters you want to create; you could leave the ones you didn't want to use in the inn. You could control up to a full alliance-worth at the same time, switching between direct control at a keystroke (though your active party members would have to be in the same zone).

Sounds hectic! So secondly, you'd need a pause function wherein you could 'ready' actions of your currently controlled characters like other offline RPGs. I only suggest this over the traditional FF ATB because it would require a lot less resource to implement.

With those couple of functions, I think the game could stand alone as an enjoyable aside to ARR. I'd certainly take the time to attempt the battles I was never able to originally and examine the lore that I missed.

Anyone else think it's not beyond the realms of plausibility? If such a thing were to be released, how much would you pay for it?

So basically a FFXIV version of FFXII...Could work...just make it where you can make the main chara(you) and have npcs you can get to join in (like FFXII) with a gambit system like FFXII, the only problem I see is how to move the story along w/o the game becoming linear. Since FFXIV was/is a MMO how to remake the feel of a MMO in a offline w/o turning it into a .hack clone?

[Mjollnir]

i also dont think SE licence out there IP's.

Well you've got Final Fantasy Unlimited and Imaginary Range. Don't know how they worked, but I envisage that a separate studio was commissioned for each of those projects.

this is sad just sad

It wouldn't be possible, you would need the server client and that's something Square probably will never distribute for security reasons.

Yeah, perhaps they wouldn't. But perhaps there wouldn't be any security issues, if they've just junked the server software. It's still be as copyright as the rest of their stuff anyhow.

I think a cut-scene player would be a fine compromise.

Youtube's quite comprehensive on the cut-scene front to be fair (kudos to all you folk btw). A lot of additional lore was held in NPC dialogue too and a lot of quests were text-only.

So basically a FFXIV version of FFXII...Could work...just make it where you can make the main chara(you) and have npcs you can get to join in (like FFXII) with a gambit system like FFXII, the only problem I see is how to move the story along w/o the game becoming linear. Since FFXIV was/is a MMO how to remake the feel of a MMO in a offline w/o turning it into a .hack clone?

Yeah, it seems a few people have posted wanting to retain that feel of an MMO; suggestions of private servers and NPCs etc. That's not really my bag - I'd be interested in a single-player RPG version..

Gambits are a good way of dealing with parties, though personally I'd prefer full control and pause, akin to Baldur's Gate.

[Yrusama]

*Haven't read the whole thread yet*

I'm mostly skeptical about boss fights, like the Primals and the dungeon end bosses where positioning is key. Unless they totally redo the interface into an RTS-style (send units to specified positions), or give you a powerful solo character, they'd have to make the monsters only a few pegs higher than "absolutely pathetic" in order for a solo version to be playable. Looking at the FFXII AI, even ranged characters were only programmed to move a few steps every couple of hits, and weren't capable of choosing specific positions beyond that.

I'm not saying they COULDN'T do it, but they'd have to spend a lot of resources in the process for reprogramming or balancing. Personally I'd prefer if they made a handheld-scale adaptation of 1.0's story. Maybe just take resources from the FFTactics games. "Final Fantasy XIV: Dirge of Dalamud"

Edit: Before I get yelled at TOO much, if you've ever played FFTA2, XIV follows that world model a lot (intentional or not), between Levequests and job abilities. On top of that, FFTA2 has written content comparable to smaller-scale MMOs.

[SkyeWindbinder]

Nah. It seems somewhat "novel" as an idea, but I'd rather keep FFXIV as an online game.

I know, I know, we already have ARR, but I'd rather the old version remain as it was archived. Maybe I just feel messing with it and turning it into an offline game would be, well, I dunno, kind of hard to explain.

[indira]

Well you've got Final Fantasy Unlimited and Imaginary Range. Don't know how they worked, but I envisage that a separate studio was commissioned for each of those projects.

you just dont get it at all if you bring up something like that. for one that a whole different thing cartoon vs game and the cartoon is its own thing, another thing wheres your corporation, your LLC, and so on why should they licence out anything to you no "resume" no chance in hell getting out there clutches.

there not giving out the server & any IP to the public plain and simple.


send SE a email about wanting to get a IP licence watch them shoot you down with NO.

[Mjollnir]

Nah. It seems somewhat "novel" as an idea, but I'd rather keep FFXIV as an online game.

I know, I know, we already have ARR, but I'd rather the old version remain as it was archived. Maybe I just feel messing with it and turning it into an offline game would be, well, I dunno, kind of hard to explain.

I understand. I do remember a decent portion of the forum community cheered when 1.23 went offline for good at the end of December. I can certainly understand there are some that would leave it dead and buried. Well maybe in time; a 10th anniversary thing? I'll necro this thread back in a decade lol

you just dont get it at all if you bring up something like that. for one that a whole different thing cartoon vs game and the cartoon is its own thing

We were talking IP. I understand game development and production of a cartoon are two completely different things; in this case, they both use the FF IP and would have hence both been licensed.

another thing wheres your corporation, your LLC, and so on why should they licence out anything to you no "resume" no chance in hell getting out there clutches.

there not giving out the server & any IP to the public plain and simple.


send SE a email about wanting to get a IP licence watch them shoot you down with NO.

I think you misunderstand. My question was about *if* it were done, how could it be done and would you play it. I wasn't suggesting that SE license anything to me for this! I was trying to illustrate that they could outsource the development of the idea to a smaller studio working under their guidance.

My own company's doing very well since you asked, and has had IP licenses much larger than FF (eg Star Wars, the Olympic Games). I'm sure if I could find a way to make an FFXIV live event profitable they'd have no problems granting a license to do so given my company's experience in the events field. Unfortunately I haven't come up with a profitable idea yet lol