Direct X 10/11 Question - Answer (Translated)

[derekx]

There's a lot of assumptions and misinformation in this thread. DX11 Cards have not been out that long, and the adoption is not where most of you think. Google it.

Here's a link to the most recent Steam hardware survey: http://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey

Bunch of armchair experts in here.

[Renshi]

Hell, even Crysis 2 has been firstly released with DirectX 9, then they've updated to DirectX 10, but before it was still pretty good.

Just give the Dev team the time to better the DirectX 9 version of the game, as the changes to DirectX 10 need to be made when everything is ok with the previous version. That goes with everything in this world if you want Quality.

[Tiraelina]

23.16% have a DX11 capable GPU.
68.09% have a DX10 capable GPU.
61.96% are using an OS and video card capable of DX10.
66.5% are using Vista/W7.
22.63% are using XP.

What about misinformation?

[MaxWinter]

I am one of the users that is still on xp , however my hardware could run dx 11 if i upgraded to win 7 , which intill windows 8 next year i have no plans to.

I would not be agaisnt the idea, someone said that wow has a mode you can switch as long as the game did not require it then i would be ok with that.

[Ilean]

The discussion is whether Steam's data is relevant to a discussion of FFXIV's needs. That sort of makes whether Steam sells FFXIV totally relevant.

A recent poll of Pokemon players found that 97.3% of them love Pikachu. Does that mean S-E should add Pikachu to FFXIV? I mean, only 2.7% were undecided on their love of Pikachu. Get with the times, S-E!

(What's that you say? "FFXIV isn't Pokemon?" Well, FFXIV isn't Steam either.)

("But some FFXIV players are on Steam!" Yeah, and some FFXIV players play Pokemon. QED.)

Awesome SE logic, you should apply for a job there!

I am not about to educate you on interpreting simple statistical data, so I leave you with this: LAWLS!

[Elkwood]

I am one of the users that is still on xp , however my hardware could run dx 11 if i upgraded to win 7 , which intill windows 8 next year i have no plans to.

I would not be agaisnt the idea, someone said that wow has a mode you can switch as long as the game did not require it then i would be ok with that.

Windows 8 is not even in Alpha it probably will not even be out next year most likely we wont see it until early 2013

[Tiraelina]

Windows 8 was officially slated for 2012 with Beta and RTM several months before whichever date that is.

[Rentahamster]

You do realize that Steam sells FFXI right?

LMAO

I know a lot of people who played FFXIV but don't have Steam accounts, and I know a lot more people who have Steam accounts but never played FFXIV. I know a lot of people who play some games but not others.

Anecdotal evidence is not strong evidence.

A recent poll of Pokemon players found that 97.3% of them love Pikachu. Does that mean S-E should add Pikachu to FFXIV? I mean, only 2.7% were undecided on their love of Pikachu. Get with the times, S-E!

This isn't a very good analogy. The point was that DX10/DX11 adoption among Steam users was at a fairly decent level, and that the general habits of Steam users and FF14 players most likely have a non-trivial level of overlap. Therefore, in lieu of the lack of hardware data from the people who are actually playing FF14 itself, using Steam data as a general indicator of gaming habits is a decent indicator.

Nobody is saying that Steam = FF14. Only you are saying that.


But wait! Perhaps there IS actual data about FF14 players we can draw on!

http://lodestone.finalfantasyxiv.com...98e4034b898102

In the first players poll, 41.3% of players stated that the feature they find most appealing is the graphics.

Now, if they are gamers who like graphics, I really doubt that most of them are running around with crap GPUs.

[Aravou]

This was posted in response to asking about support for DirectX 10 and DirectX 11, specifically. When taking into consideration the performance of the PlayStation 3 version, we currently have no plans of supporting DirectX 10/11. However, in the event that large changes or alterations take place to the graphics, or if DirectX 10/DirectX 11 continue to grow in popularity, we will begin to support them.

Yeah, that's an ok response, SE.

But, here is what you should have said...

"Having chosen DirectX 9 as FFXIV's base API, we realize the PC version of FFXIV suffers from unoptimized performance-issues and we fully intend to fix these problem. We also understand that our player-base deserves only the best in both game optimization and visual fidelity; therefore, plans are being drawn up to modernize the game for support of all current versions of DirectX. Due to budgetary and staffing constraints, we will first be focusing on fixing FFXIV's core mechanics and game-play issues. Once these adjustments are implemented and the game is launched for the PS3 (assuming a successful launch and we all keep our jobs) we will then begin work, alongside standard content additions and future expansions, to fully optimize the game for DirectX 9, 10, and 11. These updates will be done to showcase FFXIV as a flagship product from SE, and to provide our customers with the best in compatibility, optimization, performance increases, and forward-thinking advancements; as well as implementing improvements to graphical-quality on more modern APIs. As a would-be leader in the MMO genre we, FFXIV's staff and SE as a company, plan to keep a steady eye fixed on future hardware and software developments, such as next-generation consoles and unreleased APIs (DirectX 12 and beyond) so as to one day add support for these future technologies to FFXIV. These future updates (as they are implemented) will ensure the continued success, growth, and longevity of the FFXIV world and the continued enjoyment for all those who inhabit it. We thank you for your support."

Gosh, that would have been refreshing to read.

[Rentahamster]

Gosh, that would have been refreshing to read.

It would have been very refreshing. What's nice about the statement you wrote is that it says pretty much the same thing as the official response, and yet doesn't even promise anything (in the short-term), but still sounds good.

I think that in general - about these dev posts - you guys need to take into account that the Japanese dev responses are just being directly translated into English, and that in a general sense, Japanese language PR doesn't exactly sound the best to Western ears. I would hope that you could give them a little slack in that regard due to cultural differences.

That being said, that doesn't mean they can't do a better job of it