Letter from the Producer LIVE Part XXX Digest (2016/06/02)
Greetings, everyone!
We're pleased to present the full digest of the Letter from the Producer LIVE Part XXX! If you missed the live stream, or if you just want to watch it again (and again), check it out below!
As was mentioned previously, the title of patch 3.3 is "Revenge of the Horde." The Japanese subtitle is "The Final Chorus," so prepare yourself for the challenge ahead.
The Final Steps of Faith
It's time to lift the curtain on the next trial and reveal who players will be facing off against in patch 3.3. "The Final Steps of Faith" will be the backdrop where adventurers do battle against Nidhogg one last time in a headlong rush toward the climax of the Dragonsong War. While you may have gone toe-to-toe with Nidhogg in the Aery, aided by the Eye held by Estinien to keep the great wyrm's power in check, this time you must face his full fury together with a full party. Be sure to keep a close eye on how the main scenario unfolds in your fight against the great wyrm.
Patch 3.3 will also introduce The Final Steps of Faith (Extreme)! Successfully overcoming this trial will reward players with a weapon. With a respectable item level and appealing design, you'll definitely want to try and get your hands on one.
*The video shows gameplay of the Final Steps of Faith.
*The video shows gameplay of the Aquaoplis, as well as new glamour equipment.
Finding your way to the Aquapolis starts with a treasure hunt. Players will use the Dig action to locate a treasure chest and must defeat any enemies that appear. Upon opening the chest, there's a chance a portal to the Aquapolis will be revealed. It will remain open for 10 minutes, so be sure to hop in before it disappears!
While many players are currently using dragonskin maps with just two people, we recommend you take the dive into Aquapolis with either a light or full party. One easy way to gather allies would be to use shout in the area. After finalizing lots on the rewards that drop from the chest, the map holder can select the entrance and take everyone in with them.
The area is synced to item level 180, so even newcomers who have just hit level 60 can enjoy this new feature.
The corridors of Aquapolis, will lead you to an open area with two doors and a treasure chest. Like all other treasure hunts, clicking on the chest will spawn monsters, and defeating them will reward players. Once these rewards have been obtained, the map holder will have to choose which door to open. Selecting the correct door will allow players to progress to the next chamber. There are a total of seven chambers, and as you go further, the rewards you obtain will increase in rarity.
Additionally, there's a chance a cyclops will spawn, which will reward players with grade IV and V materia upon victory. The cyclops in the seventh room will drop grade V materia. Furthermore, a golden goblin will also occasionally spawn. He is not aggressive and will flee from players, but if you manage to defeat him within 30 seconds, he will drop a considerable amount of gil. Like the cyclops, the further into the instanced dungeon you go, the more gil the golden goblin will drop.
The chest located in the seventh chamber will reward each player with 100,000 gil.
Aside from this, there are treasure chests that contain rare minions such as the baby opo-opo, which are normally obtained through dungeons.
While you’ll be forced to contend with some sticky AoE attacks, we expect you will be able to make steady and easy progress, though, that’s not to say you can let your guard down─especially if you’re facing down a cyclopes. Defeating them may reward you with rare treasures, but dodging the wild swings of their clubs is sure to present quite a challenge!
Previously, we mentioned the spawn rate for the portal leading to the Aquapolis was set to 25%; however, we have increased it to 50%. The number of enemies will not increase with the number of players participating, so the larger the party, the easier it will be to clear. Going with about four players is ideal, but since there are lots of monsters, it is recommended you take at least one tank and one healer.
*The video shows gameplay of the Fenrir mount flying through the skies.
Some players asked if we're planning to implement a mount which will require more MGP than the Fenrir mount, but rest assured, we have no plans to do this for a while. Starting with Patch 3.3, the Fenrir mount will be able to soar through the skies by freezing water particles in the air.
The Raid Finder is a party matching system for high-difficulty raids for players on the same data center.
Players can set their initial matching requirements to either “Duty Complete” or "Duty Incomplete.” The first option will only be available to those who have already cleared the content once before. The system will check your character information, so those who have not completed the area will not be able to select this option.
Players can also select their Purpose, which can be either "Duty Completion" or "Practice." The "Duty Completion" option can only be selected by those who have not yet received their weekly reward. The "Practice" option will allow players to join the raid to practice strategies. Only by hitting "Practice" will you be able to select a Phase.
Entering an area which you've already completed for the week will yield fewer treasure coffers for your fellow players and to prevent this, we've made it so those who have cleared the turn will not be able to enter the area. We are, however, aware that there are players who would like to enter to obtain tokens, or play through the content again, so please be sure to leave your feedback regarding this change on the forums.
Phases can only be selected when your Purpose has been set to “Practice.” While players can select from the First Phase, Middle Phase, and the Final Phase options, they will not be able to skip phases. Also, please keep in mind that we've tried to separate phases based on what players would perceive to be the first, middle, and final “phases” of a battle.
Players who have already cleared the turn can also set their Purpose to “Practice” and be matched to other players. This has been done to speed up the matching process, and in the hope that having an experienced player in the group will help the party progress further. Please understand, however, that this may cause the number of treasure coffers to be reduced. I believe players can decide which parts of a given battle would fall under which phase, so we have not set anything specific
Until now, when players wanted to take part in Alexander: Midas (Savage), they had to speak to a specific NPC to enter the duty. From Patch 3.3 onward, players will be utilizing the Raid Finder system, so you will no longer be able to enter the instance from the Dravanian Hinterlands.
We were concerned that having two of the same jobs in the party will cause the Limit Break gauge to accumulate slower. To prevent this, when the "Purpose" is set to "Duty Completion," players will not be matched with another player of the same job. When "Practice" is selected, however, there is a chance the same DPS class/job may be matched in the last DPS spot. This has been done to minimize matching time and encourage more experienced players to participate in practice runs. The system is also set so that it will pick different tanks and healers out of the three available. Please give it a try and see how it feels. If you think that matching speed should be prioritized, be sure to leave feedback, and we'll look into it if there's enough demand.
Unlike Frontline seize campaigns, there are only three key locations for players to occupy and maintain control of. One strategy to consider is whether or not to concentrate troops in certain areas you have claimed. You'll also be able to lay claim to your opponent's stronghold by staying within proximity of areas under their control. However, this is just a part of the overall strategy.
The main focus involves the destruction of icebound tomeliths, which are scattered throughout the field. These objects will become vulnerable after a certain amount of time has passed, notifying all players with a message. After the tomelith is destroyed, points will be awarded to each team based on the amount of damage they inflicted. These tomeliths will flash on the map, and once destroyed, they will not appear again. Therefore, as you get closer to the end of the match, you'll more likely to confront another team.
Also, in Patch 3.3 we will be reverting the Adrenaline Rush gauge back to how it was for Frontline, and the gauge will no longer accumulate while out of combat.
While you cannot intercross plants, the base system is similar to gardening. By planting flower seeds introduced in Patch 3.3, players will see hints notifying what color flower is about to bloom. Pomace can be used to adjust the final color of the flower. Flowers grown can be used as crafting materials to craft headdresses out of the flower. We'll be introducing more flowers in future. There's a possibility the flowers may wither and die if you do not tend to them, so be sure to check them at least once a day.
As mentioned previously, gatherers and crafters will be able to acquire new gear in Patch 3.3 to increase their item level. In Patch 3.4 new equipment is planned to be introduced at the same timing for the next Alexander raid. I recommend upgrading your gathering and crafting gear with the new equipment coming in this upcoming patch if you would like to craft these items before everyone else!
There are two types of equipment, one which can be crafted and shared across all classes, and another which can be exchanged with red scrips and are class-specific. The item level for the red scrips version is set higher; however, players may utilize advanced materia melding on the crafted pieces, which can prove advantageous in the long run. In Patch 3.3, we'll introduce every piece of equipment for the crafted version, but for red scrips version, the secondary tool, belt, and accessories will be added later in Patch 3.4.
We've also made adjustments to how frequently gathering and crafting materia can be obtained. Players will be able to collect grade IV materia at a much quicker rate. Players will also be able to collect grade IV materia by completing the beast tribe story quests introduced in Patch 3.3, and we have also prepared other avenues to collect them.
Since some classes had an easier time than others collecting blue scrips, we've made adjustments so that all classes should find it just as easy to collect them. We've also made adjustments so that it's easier to earn red scrips as well. Other general adjustments include, but are not limited to, increasing the number of gathering spots for the items used for collectables, increasing scrips earned when turning in items on a level 60 class, and boosting experience points when turning in items on a class which is level 59 or lower.
*Video showed images of various glamour equipment.
UI-Related
0:59:03 Recommended Gear Button
This feature will allow you to automatically equip the gear from your Armoury Chest with the highest item level. Mentors, be sure to tell new players to utilize this feature often, since they receive gear through completing quests!
1:00:02 Save HUD Layout
*Video introduction of utilizing the HUD layout save feature
Players will be able to save up to 4 HUD layouts, and they can be switched with the press of a button. Since this can also be done via text command, you can customize macros that simultaneously change your job, gear set, and UI. You will also be able to copy and paste with the "Save HUD Layout" button, in order to make fine-tuned adjustments.
1:03:14 Addition of ”Draw Quality Setting” for PlayStation®4
While the PC version has had this feature from Patch 3.0 with DirectX 11, from Patch 3.3 the PlayStation®4 will also be receiving features from DirectX 11. The quality up until now would be “Normal Quality”, so players seeking improved graphics should try out the “High Quality” setting. However, this may cause the framerate to drop by around 1 frame depending on when it is used. The default setting will be “Normal Quality,” so please try out “High Quality” starting in Patch 3.3. We highly recommend visiting Fortemps Manor in the main story, where you can easily see the difference in the polished floors.
1:06:31 Addition of Partial Match search feature to Market Boards
*Video shows off the partial match search feature on the market board.
When searching for items on the market board with the "Partial Match" search box checked, items whose names contain the characters you enter will be displayed. However, in order to prevent server congestion, searches will search from locally cached data, and will not support functions such as the Wish List, nor will it display the number of items on sale. Although this limits the functionality somewhat, the search itself is very speedy.
1:09:51 Addition of new Mentor Icons
Mentors will now be able to change their online status to one of the following, according to specialty:
Mentor / Battle Mentor / Crafting & Gathering Mentor / PvP Mentor
1:10:38 PvP Preset Actions Feature
*Video introduction of using the PvP preset actions feature
We’ve realized that, in addition to changing gear sets, players up until now would have to reset their PvP points whenever they changed jobs, which takes up considerable time. To address this, we are adding the PvP preset actions feature. Similar to registering gear sets, players will be able to register up to five sets. However, the difference from gear sets is that this feature preforms a special save data check on the server to prevent cheating. Because of this, it will take a few seconds to change between presets.
1:14:09 Party List Customization
After hearing the numerous requests from healers, we are finally implementing the ability to rearrange the party list.
1:15:25 Idling Camera
In response to players wanting to use idling camera angles to view their characters in the heat of combat, the idling camera will be usable during battles as well. However, please make sure to ask your party members before using the camera when running trials or dungeons.
1:16:34 Group Pose
In addition to player requests for the idling camera, the development team also wants players to take more of those wonderful screenshots with their friends, so we have improved upon the group pose feature as well.
1:17:06 Auto-Translate
We received several requests to auto-translate phrases like “Break tethers,” “Stack,” and “Come closer,” so we have added commands similar to these and other raid-related phrases to the auto-translate dictionary.
Players will be able to raise their weapon’s attributes for this installment of the anima weapon questline. Each attribute has a limit of 120 points, and catalysts made from crystal sand and umbrite will be necessary to convert the attribute points. One conversion will yield 3 points, however, some might get lucky and receive 4 or 5 points in a single sitting. There are many ways to obtain the items needed, so you can gather them using the playstyle that best suits you.
Each method will differ in terms of time efficiency, and while we can’t give too many details, we can say that everything has been balanced in terms of gil and time required. Unlike the first step in creating the anima weapons, there will be a variety of ways you can obtain the items. The weapons will also have an entirely new look. The end result will be the same strength as a weapon infused with three grade V materia, so I believe they will become much more relevant.
After investigating everyone’s gameplay logs in relation to the anima weapons, we found that there are fewer players with crystals than “unidentifiable” items, so we will be easing the drop rate for crystals in Patch 3.3. However, the drop rate for the “unidentifiable” items will remain the same.
Special Talk Session “Ask the Devs!”
1:37:09 Guest: Main Scenario Writer Natsuko Ishikawa
Prominent Questlines
2.0 Main Scenario (Coerthas Central Highlands) / 3.2 Main Scenario / The Binding Coil of Bahamut Series / The Crystal Tower Series / Rogue Quests / Dark Knight Quests / Alchemist Class Quests (up to level 50) / Matoya’s Cave Sidequests
1:38:00
Q: As the main scenario writer, please tell us what kind of work you do.
A:Ishikawa: This is actually the first time I’ve been called that. I think that “main scenario writer" is self-explanatory, but there are actually two people who've written the main quests since Patch 3.1: myself and Oda, who is in charge of the lore. And of course Yoshida is also involved, as he decides how the story will unfold.
Yoshida: The plot is decided beforehand, and then I have a discussion with the main scenario writers. After that, Oda and Ishikawa are the ones who write the story.
Ishikawa: Oda wrote the main scenario this time, for Patch 3.3.
Ishikawa: As you can infer from the patch subtitle, “The Final Chorus” (EN: Revenge of the Horde) will mark the conclusion of the Dragonsong War. I hope players will look forward to watching what becomes of Estinien, and whether Aymeric’s efforts to reconcile will bear fruit.
Yoshida: Setting aside your developer role and speaking from a player’s perspective, would you want Estinien to be saved? Or would you rather see his spectacular collapse as the Azure Dragoon?
Ishikawa: I want Estinien to be saved, but I also want to see Ishgard saved from the wrath of Nidhogg.
Yoshida: Since we are introducing the "The Final Steps of Faith" instead of a new trial for 3.3, players won’t see another “awakening” in the Warring Triad just yet. Even so, the Triad’s story will continue in this patch.
Ishikawa: Players who have progressed through the story so far know that a clash with Regula van Hydus will be inevitable in quelling the dangers that the Warring Triad pose. So the quests will focus on the Garlean legatus’ next move. It won’t be a trial, but there will be a confrontation of sorts, so please look forward to it.
Yoshida: More characters will become intertwined in the Warring Triad quests, so the story and setting will expand as well. This confrontation won’t require a party, so we want you to enjoy it at your own pace.
1:43:29 New Beast Tribe Quests
*Video showed gameplay of the moogle camp from moogle beast tribe quest
Yoshida: Similar to the Ixal quests, these new quests will be focused on crafting. The Ixal daily quests capped at level 50, so these new daily quests will be aimed at players leveling crafting from 50 to 60. For those who have already reached level 60, well, the moogles would still greatly appreciate your help.
The moogles have a pact with Hraesvelgr to repair Zenith, but as everyone knows, they love playing tricks and try to avoid their work. The player will help a group of Ishgardians sent to teach the moogles the ways of crafting with a practice project, so that they will be able to eventually repair Zenith.
Ishikawa: The engineers whom you encounter during the beast tribe quests have lines that might echo the sentiments of some players.
Yoshida: The required materials are already a part of the quests, so players will only need to craft the materials they are given to complete them.
Q&A
1:47:41
Q: How much freedom do you have when writing the scenario? Do you ever need to meet requests from other teams, such as “please include this tribe,” or “make sure players visit this area”?
A: Ishikawa: It depends on the quest. For example, the delivery moogle quests were something that my team developed on their own, but for stories that involve dungeons and such, we discuss with other teams to figure out what they want to do. Rather than what kind of story we want to write, it’s more important to create an experience that is interesting for all aspects of playing the game.
Yoshida: Writing a story for a video game is different than writing a novel. The lore team lead Oda also has been saying, “If you want to write whatever you want, then go and write a novel. For video games, trying to engage the audience is meaningless if the story and the gameplay experience do not complement each other. The link between gameplay and story needs to be kept, or else there would be nothing but a wall of text and pressing a button over and over to progress." I think a perfect example of this cohesion is the dark knight job quest line, which was led by Ishikawa.
Ishikawa: When the dark knight job quest line plot was still being planned, the battle team said they wanted to try to develop a battle that would have the character fight against themselves, so I created a scenario which would eventually lead to that sort of climactic battle scene.
1:49:56
Q: What kind of requests do you get from Yoshida?
A: Ishikawa: Every so often I get requests to add more cutscenes.
Yoshida: We run checks at a very early stage for the portions of the scenario that have voice acting. The final checks are performed once all of the pieces of the main scenario are connected together, so around that time, I sometimes make requests to make those scenes look better.
1:52:05
Q: The dark knight job quest was really cool. Could you tell us your thoughts about this quest and any stories from writing it?
A: Ishikawa: It’s a bit difficult to explain stories you’ve created yourself, but when I was writing the dark knight quests, I first tried to keep the image of the dark knights from past FINAL FANTASY games in my head. Dark knights typically have to make a significant sacrifice in their battles, so I made this the quests’ theme. We’ve been receiving requests for a continuation of the same storyline, but new developments in the dark knight quests will probably involve a different scenario. So for now, I ask that you continue your travels with Fray in your heart.
1:54:48
Q: I love Nero and would like to meet him again. Could you write Nero into the main scenario somehow? I’d also like to see quests focusing on Alisaie and Yugiri.
A: Ishikawa: While I can’t say much right now, I can say that you'll definitely meet them again at some point.
1:55:58
Q: The Matoya quests reminded me of the early FF games and felt very nostalgic. Could you share with us some fond memories or hardships of the scenarios you were in charge of?
A: Ishikawa: Each time I write, I pour all my soul into it so I have fond memories of all the scenarios. With that said, I recall having an especially hard time with the Binding Coil of Bahamut. I joined the development team at the start of FFXIV: ARR, and I found myself wondering how I could continue the story from 1.0. It was quite the task to tell such a large story through a raid dungeon. I also had to make sure that the story was told properly for those players who started playing the game in FFXIV: ARR. Maehiro’s checks for Alisaie’s characterization were quite strict. After the CGI cutscene for the Final Coil of Bahamut Turn 3, I got the go-ahead to change her attitude towards the Warrior of Light by the end of the story.
Yoshida: I made very thorough checks of the Bahamut storyline as well, and even went so far as directly pointing out things that couldn’t be mentioned at certain times and when to write in certain keywords.
1:58:56
Q: I really like the unique personalities of the rogues' guild members. I’d like to hear more about how they formed and some other stories about them. Will we ever get to work with them again?
A: Ishikawa: I’d very much like to do something with them again, so I’ll definitely look into this. Actually, there are many smaller tales that aren’t told directly through the story. For example, the master of the rogues’ guild, Jack, prefers attractive older women, but as luck would have it, he never manages to find these women around him. And every time it's almost brought up, some sort of trouble arises, steering conversation to more pressing matters. Looking back at past FINAL FANTASY GAMES, I think the rogue or thief characters have always had unique personalities. We’ve also been receiving requests to bring back the masters of the other class guilds, so I will try and look into these requests as well.
2:00:51
Q: I really liked both the dark knight and alchemist stories. Is there any story in particular you'd like to write next?
A: Ishikawa: I’d like to write a story describing events in everyday life similar to Matoya’s Cave. Other than that, towards the end of the 2.x series, text was added to Buscarron in South Shroud, and he mentions he's worried about Laurentis, so I’d like to write up a story about these two characters. I really don’t want to have to write a story about Buscarron preparing alcohol to bring to Laurentis’s grave, so…
2:02:13
Q: Do you have any plans of adding a love story? For example, a story about how Gaius and Livia met?
A: Ishikawa: If it’s about Gaius and Livia, it would likely be more geared towards adults, but I would like to write a love story. I guess you could say I channeled some of that desire to write love stories into this year's April Fools' topic. Unfortunately, the opportunity to write such a love story hasn't come yet, but since I'm here, I guess this is as good a time as any to plead my case to Yoshi-P .
Yoshida: As I get older, I find I'm not as interested in romance stories as I used to be. While I think there are places in the story where a love story could be written in, fate has greater things in store for our characters in the main scenario, and unfortunately I don't think romance quite fits into the picture. I think this would be best suited for a side story.
2:03:58
Q: During the Patch 3.2 main scenario, Aymeric and Lucia are talking to each other, and she addressed Aymeric in a different way than usual, which surprised me. Could you tell me about their relationship?
A: Ishikawa: At the very least, it's safe to say that Lucia has feelings for Aymeric. However, I think Aymeric is a bit clueless as he’s too busy with what’s in front of him at the moment.
Yoshida: Aymeric seems like he’s pretty insensible. I think he doesn’t know. But I have a feeling some parts of patch 3.3 might answer that request for romance from the previous question, so please look forward to it.
Ishikawa: Also, you’ll be able to read up on Lucia and Livia inside the Lore book the Lore team is working on, so please be sure to check that out! For these two characters, they’re the type that would do everything in the power to help those that took them in.
Localization Note:
This question concerns a voiced scene in late 3.2 main when Lucia and Ser Aymeric are speaking in confidence before things get...a little complicated. Specifically, it concerns a moment in which Lucia, who normally addresses Ser Aymeric by his name, title, or in some other relatively inconspicuous fashion opts instead to use the pronoun "貴方". This is something of a flashing neon sign trope in Japanese media which usually indicates strong, personal, and likely romantic feelings. Naturally, such linguistic quirks are not so easily rendered into English, especially for folks unfamiliar with Japanese culture. As always, we have made an effort to render these complex and evolving relationships in a manner which feels natural and organic to our audience to ensure that players in all regions will have comparable emotional experiences.
- Corvinoobus
2:05:57
Q: As is standard for Letter from the Producer LIVEs, can you tell us about any crazy requests that Yoshi-P has made?
A: Ishikawa: Personally, I think him asking me to appear on the Letter from the Producer LIVE is the craziest request he's made.
2:07:35
Q: A certain Sound Director mentioned that the melody for a song once came to mind while he was shaving, but do you have similar experience where an idea for main scenario suddenly pops into your head?
A: Ishikawa: I'm often struck by inspiration when listening to songs written by that certain sound director. I believe many of you heard the song playing before the broadcast started, but I convinced him to give me the file for that song, which wasn't used in Patch 3.3, in exchange for a can of coffee. Listening to that kind of song gives me inspiration. That battle song wasn’t used this time, but I believe it can be used later if we can make something for it, so please look forward to it.
2:09:00
Q: The cutscene from the Final Coil of Bahamut Turn 4 was very impressive, but did you play a role in the in-game cutscene direction?
A: Ishikawa: The cutscene team was in charge of this. Although there are times when the scenario team makes requests, some portions are decided based on cutscene team suggestions as well as with read-throughs with both teams. There’s a scene in Crystal Tower where Eternal Wind plays in the background, but that was a surprise from the cutscene team. Even though they were busy for the release of 3.0, they did this without any kind of direct order to do so. I was quite surprised.
Yoshida: This happens sometimes in the FFXIV team, where things are created even without any orders being made. We haven’t cut the work tasks in any way, so we work hard together as a team. In general all cutscenes are drafted by the cutscene team and proceed from there. However, this phase is still prior to actual in-game development, they combine all the cutscenes together and if they feel that something is missing, that’s when they add cutscenes to improve the overall experience.
2:11:51
Q: I really love Haurchefant! I recall many moments in Patch 3.2 that reminded me of him. Was this your intention?
A: Ishikawa: Well, it’s not that I added in all these scenes because I personally wanted them in the game, but there were a few scenes that included dialogue options that might remind players of Haurchefant. As an aside, the Haurchefant that adventurers meet in the Intercessory during Patch 2.55 is the last that I wrote of him. At that time, I spoke a lot to Maehiro and asked him to let me re-write a few of his lines. It’s during Patch 3.2 that players finally go back to that same place and come full circle. There are many more hardships to come, and we hope players will be able to relate with their characters as they continue through the story.
2:13:28
Q: I feel like the writing style for MMORPGs and single-player RPGs differs, but could you tell us some hardships you've experienced or techniques you've used for writing the main scenario?
A: Ishikawa: The entire event team is focused on keeping things brief whenever possible. As a player, I really understand that people want to hurry and get to fighting and adventuring, so we try to ensure everything important to the plot is retained without increasing the volume of text.
Yoshida: I think this goes without saying, but another difference between a single-player RPG and MMORPG is that other players are also interacting with you. During the main scenario quests, we want you to go on a journey with an NPC, but this doesn't exactly sync up with other players’ progress. It’s difficult to have really long cutscenes when you are playing with a party of other people, so I believe keeping such things in mind when writing for an online game can prove quite difficult.
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