New Letter from the Producer, XII

[Richard]

lol, way to back up my example there...

XIV requires absolutely state-of the art PC to run at reasonable frame rates. How do these aspects reach an average casual player again?

so the way you see it is that casual gamers cant afford high end PC? Fathers and Mothers and students cant afford a 1000.00 PC? You sir are ignorant. I have maybe 5-6 people in my LS alone who are older and have a casual schedule and own a better PC than I do. They bought it specifically for this game.

the average casual gamer has the resources to play this game. way to back up my example there...

[Elexia]

Where do they think their casual audience is supposed to come from?

According to their own poll most players are XI players or FF players. All FF games are 30-60hrs of gameplay, not that casual.

Eternal Sonata was 32 hours max and excluding the ending section of an OPTIONAL dungeon, it was as casual as it gets. I think a lot of people (including you) don't know what casual mean.

XIV requires absolutely state-of the art PC to run at reasonable frame rates. How do these aspects reach an average casual player again?

Poor Optimization. A lot of casual gamers have a pretty good setup for their PS3/360 including a decent HDTV and sound system.

[Anty]

...I think a lot of people (including you) don't know what casual mean.

to me it seems as causal = easy mode in mmos. the comment about having the mobile in one hand and a drink in the other and well.. have perhaps "a bot" playing?... well i dunno. that's not what i expect of an mmo or any other game.

No matter if you call it casual or not. I know a lot of "casual" gamers but the time they have they wanna have a challenge. Why can't we get that? i don't think people are gonna play to get bored or press one button while playing a free handy game which offers more challenge?...

Im all for hard content that doesnt mean grinding forever but... i don't wanna play a game that is so easy or mindless that i can play or even have to play (so i dont fall asleep) a mobile game in my other hand ...

[Kiara]

Where do they think their casual audience is supposed to come from?

According to their own poll most players are XI players or FF players. All FF games are 30-60hrs of gameplay, not that casual.

XIV requires absolutely state-of the art PC to run at reasonable frame rates. How do these aspects reach an average casual player again?

If I hadn't followed the FF series very closely for the past few years I wouldn't even know XIV exists let alone what kind of game it is.

This is probably just me but I feel like they're trying to reach an audience that just isn't there to benefit from and while doing so they're turning against their old fans who given the state of the game are the only players they have left at this point.

Casual games are usually played on the web-browser or as apps while waiting for a bus. It's not deep enough to hold interest of players for years while paying a monthly fee for that kind of service.

Hi Seif,

Definitely some valid concerns. But I think there might be some confusion about what "Casual" means. A lot of people equate "Casual" to mean "Grandma or Parent that plays FarmVille."

But I think "Casual" in this case is "someone that doesn't have a lot of time on their hands any more, but still appreciates games." It's less hours devoted to playing a game, not "Mainstream" which is what you're referring to.

Definitely if Yoshida-san is trying to target the "Mainstream" audience - Wii Bowling and FarmVille / Facebook "gamers" - then, you're right. I think FF XIV is going to fail horribly at capturing that audience.

I know plenty of friends and relatives nowadays that have graduated, have a new job, are starting a family. They used to like games a lot, but no longer have time to spend 4 - 6 Hours Per Night grinding or doing major events. But they still miss playing games like an RPG, or chatting with friends / making new ones online.

One friend of mine used to play every single Square and JRPG around. Now she's about to start a family and doesn't have that insane amount of time to devote to RPGs any more. But she wants to try and play once in a while.

I have another friend who was a crazy fighting game fan, devoting months and months to practicing combos, etc. He has a family now and can't game very long, but wants to still enjoy games with friends when there's time.

I've run into quite a few players on my server that aren't "hardcore gamers" by definition. FF XIV is the only game they play, and they don't spend very long playing. Maybe log on, chat with people, try some local levequests, do some regional leves (battle), and then log off (after only 1 or 2 hours).

I think that's what Yoshida-san means by "Casual." Just less time, but still wants to get a good online game experience.

In that way, by making the changes he's discussing, I think FF XIV could work that way. Making Guildleves Solo-focused, with good SP, and better Rewards... having them be something someone can do, after a long day of school or work, hop on and play for an hour or so, and hop off, without trying to LFP for 1 - 2 hours and then go and grind for another few hours is a good thing.

And the entire game isn't "casual." Yoshida-san said it right at the start of the letter:

Mind you, that’s not to say that the entire game should be casual. Rather, there should be elements that can be enjoyed in a lighthearted way, for example, after coming home tired from work or school... To elaborate, content that can be enjoyed with little fuss, that doesn’t demand large time investments—up to an hour, say—or require a party to be formed.

But come weekend, players have the choice of undertaking more elaborate adventuring, forming parties with linkshell members and/or likeminded adventurers to accomplish mutual goals. Light parties can exploit the versatility offered by classes to conduct forays into beast tribe settlements, something that a lone adventurer would find grueling. Full parties, on the other hand, can immerse themselves in fine-tuning job configuration in preparation for their bid to obtain rare items in advanced battle content. Disciples of the Hand can outfit the battle-inclined with equipment boasting the requested attributes. And last but not least, Disciples of the Land can set about gathering ingredients based on current class and materia crafting demands.

He's been quoted already as saying the R50 Dzemael Darkhold is going to be "hard" and requires some good strategy. It sounds like FF XIV isn't going to be *all* "casual," not in the slightest.

Now, is it a mistake to try to target "casual" players in this sense? (Those that have a little less time on their hands.) I don't know. I think there are many people out there that appreciate games but don't have the time to devote 3 - 4 Hours camping HNMs per night. Time will tell if he's right or not.

As long as he provides some interesting, challenging content that many of us on the forums want (more "hardcore" or "challenging" / "engaging") in addition to this new focus, then I think FF XIV will be fine.

[CapnBash]

I for one welcome the changes; Since I'm in college and working, I hardly have time to get on, but on weekends my time is kinda freed up a little, so it seems like this will work out well. Leves during the M-F week and pt content on the weekends. I bought the CE of this game and knew what to expect, but I haven't been too dissatisfied. I know it will just keep getting better.

[Wolfie]

Don't act like they can't provide content for both hardcore players and casual players.

[Gramul]

Yes!
Information. Good information that isn't just a blip.
This is what I've been wanting all along.

[Reinheart]

To all complaining about the producer letter... or other changes they made in the game already go read the interviews for why they did it... Just wait and see how it plays out; not really good to judge something just from reading something when you haven't even touched it yet.

[Eldaena]

Could someone inform me where people are getting the information about which jobs are becoming available?

[Reinheart]

Could someone inform me where people are getting the information about which jobs are becoming available?

4Gamer (JP Game site) Interview Translation : http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...JP-4gamer-site

Connect! On (Famitsu) (JP Game magazine) Inteview Translation
1: http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...azine-Aug.2011
2: http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...-%28Famitsu%29