Feedback and Thanks!

[Reithomeige]

Not sure if this section is still being read, but I just wanted to say that the venue in Frankfurt was more open than in London 2014. I have to admit though, that the place in London was very charming and made me feel like I was in Gridania
On the other hand, the Frankfurt venue was more spacious and well air-conditioned! Also queue lines were never more than 2min to 15min for me for the mini-games or the challenges.
Most importantly we were not freezing outside for two hours waiting for the doors to open

Cannot thank enough the team that put the Fanfest up, thanks to you all, I got to meet friends I would have never met in Real-Life. We were 7 from our FC and being able to live this experience together was unforgettable.

Last thing I want to close with: The personal touch that Yoshi-P along with his senior staff is just walking around the Fanfest grounds and openly chatting with us is really heart-warming.

[EU_Community_Team]

Hello!

You beat us to the punch with the feedback thread! Awesome stuff!

We hope everyone enjoyed the festivities and had a fantastic time, meeting new friends, watching the keynote, singing along with the Primals and everything the weekend had to offer!

The bonus in-game item codes have been sent now, which makes it official – Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival in Frankfurt is complete!

Even though we'd like to think that the event went smoothly and everything was terrific, we are of course aware that there is always room for improvement and would greatly appreciate your feedback on:

• The event itself
• The stream

Fan Festivals are for the players and we want to make sure they are the best they could possibly be!

If you didn’t make it to the event and you’d like to feel like you were there, you can still get the archive of the live stream from here: sqex.to/riC

You can then watch and re-watch all the content (plus some extra coverage and interviews from the streaming booth) at your leisure and get the in-game items!

FYI, I’m Ella from the EU community team and as I’m getting my forum account polished and ready (lakukisu), I’ll be lurking behind this EU Community Team account just a bit longer!

[XLo]

Hello,

I'm not sure if this is the right thread to reply to but I feel like I need to say this. My best friend and I attended the fan fest this weekend and were left wanting feeling the event itself was a significant disappointment for numerous reasons detailed below:

Location.
For non-German speakers the event itself was extremely difficult to find and poorly signposted. As such, my friend and I spent an inordinate amount of time getting from the tram stop to the event itself which resulted in us missing the Samurai announcement. This set somewhat of a mood for the rest of the day.

Catering/Staffing
Simply awful. Whilst we were expecting no michelin star, when ordering a sausage sandwich, i don't expect a single hot-dog reminiscent of cold-war rationing and even more, i expect it to be in the bread already. There were no staff in-character with everyone wearing plain t-shirts or the blue t-shirts - this was clear and even a little theming somewhere - a chocobo hat or two - would have enhanced the mood/culture.

Merchandise/Goodies
I only have one comment; over-priced and poorly-manufactured. 40 euros for a moogle blanket where the threads are already showing ... I have no words. Also, the hard-selling of Stormblood from those on stage lacked class and tact. The goody-bags on arrival were understocked for the price of the ticket; the only item I have actually kept is the Moleskine FFXIV Stormblood notebook. Furthermore my friend's goody bag didn't even have the USB stick in the box.

Entertainment
Whilst I liked the idea of completing the carnival games to earn stamps and get more prizes, the execution was poor at best. It was clear the games were rented and simply had final fantasy theming applied and overall was significantly lacklustre. Furthermore, there was very little to keep my friend or I engaged in the weekend; so much so we didn't even attend the second day. Why wasn't there a section to see a test Red Mage or Samurai in play, interacting with other characters in a real-time setting? Why weren't there more consoles to play for those not in the tournaments? For those not in PVP tournaments, why was there generally not much more stuff to do? I could write for hours on this. Comparing this "FFXIV-con" to events such as "Blizzcon" or "Comicon" it felt like a very expensive coconut shy. In fact, for nearly 150 euro's I could buy all the materials to make my own coconut shy and the rest ... at least I'd have more satisfaction for my weekend.

Schedule of events
Doing the big announcements first thing on the first day? Not only is this poor planning to keep everyone at the event, it meant those who had issues getting to the event missed the big announcements [the reason we came!]. I also feel there were very few events on-stage to engage with during the day. However, the cos-play competition was exceptional (Fat Chocobo should have won!).

Summary
Overall, had the event been significantly lower in cost I would have enjoyed but at the extortionate price of nearly 150 Euros per ticket, I have become disenfranchised with the company and actually finding it difficult to find motivation to play the game anymore.

Please can a member of the dev or events team let me know how i would go about getting a refund?

Thank you.

[LorenzoMoranta]

Personally I found the venue extremely easy to reach, and my German extends as far as "eine bratwurst bitte" and "danke schon". It's a five-ten minute walk in a straight line from the main train station in the city, so personally I feel the venue was excellently located. A fairly quiet area of the city but still central and easy to reach. Comparing it to the venue for the London fest is difficult. Overall the venue was far superior - more spacious, airy, good lighting and sound, easy to navigate - however it did lack that certain charm that Tobacco Dock has in that I genuinely did almost feel as if I had stepped into Eorzea when I arrived. I would have absolutely no hesitation in buying a ticket for a future Fan Fest held at the Frankfurt Festhalle.

As far as catering goes, that was definitely better in London I think. I only had a panini and some juice from the venue itself, which - although tasty - were pretty overpriced for what they were. I'm not sure if that's down to SE or the venue itself, though. The options also seemed somewhat limited. I remember having a box of chicken noodles at the London fest, and they also had burgers and some other stuff on sale for a price not much more than what we paid for far smaller portions in Frankfurt. And considering how expensive London is at the best of times... That was pretty good.

The minigames were fun, but I feel like it would have been nice if there were prizes for actually beating them to incentivise people to keep playing. The carnival games like knocking down all the cans with Ascians on them - it's a quick and fun way to get a stamp in your book, but maybe something a little extra would have been nice for getting all (or at least a certain amount) of the cans down - this applies to the other minigames as well. The Proto Ultima battle was fun, but I think it would have been nice if it was more of a challenge and you offered the T-shirts for beating it like you do at the other events.

The merchandise situation was far superior, good idea with the pre-order system. I personally didn't pre-order anything as I didn't have the money at the time, however there was still a fair amount of stock left on the second day. I bought a hoodie and the whole process of ordering, paying and collecting took around five minutes - a far cry from the 4.5 hours I spent queueing at the London Fest, all the while panicking that what I wanted would be sold out by the time I get there. When you've been queuing that long, you're finally in sight of the checkouts yet there are still 50 people in front of you and a guy comes out saying that they only have 10 items left of the one thing you really wanted... That really kills the event. Especially when it's only a one day thing.

I think there should have been more stage events. The first day was fine, and I appreciate that you probably wanted people to enjoy the in-game events or just give people chance to socialise at the event, but the second day was very sparse. As someone who attended the festival alone, and having done everything I wanted to on the first day, it was only by luck of bumping into some people I actually knew that the second day was worth attending. (Well, that and the Primals concert - no way was I going to miss that!)

Considering the content on offer and the location of the festival, I think it was priced... Somewhat reasonably. A little steep - perhaps if there were more stage shows, or as said above, some extra prizes available for completing minigames and in-game events, the price would be more justifiable.

One thing I would really, really like - though I know this might be asking a bit much of the perfomers - is if the piano concert and Primals concert could be a little bit longer in length. Maybe 90 minutes instead of 60? They were really enjoyable, but it seemed as though they finished as soon as they started!

Overall I enjoyed Fan Fest 2017 immensely. Great job to all those involved, thank you for organising such a fun weekend. See you all at the next Fan Fest!

[Ragnnar_Staalberg]

About the catering, the prices seem the same as some of the restaurants on the city, and the sausage and the closed bun delivered apart, seems it's a german thing, saw multiple shops around the city doing that.

[Lauren]

Here's my feed. Please don't take the critisism negatively. It's only meant to try help for next time

Cleeng Specific

• Stream Quality: Tried on both chrome and firefox and found that using HD was a huge problem. I'd have to refresh the page to get it to work again as it buffered as waiting for buffering. I have no issue streaming 4k on YouTube so it's frustrating for me. The stream was never stable for more than 5 minutes regardless of quality.
• Timetable: The only way to find a concrete timetable of events was to wait for the slide to come up DURING the stream or to google it. It'd probably be best that the placeholder image displayed when nothing is going on should be a run down of events so I know when to come back.
• Payment: Very easy and quick and the code came through instantly.

Content Quality

• The big stuff like panels and liveletter were really great! As always they were entertaining and informative and I really enjoyed the whole thing. I was a bit gutted when the stream cut out during the new trailer (about 10 of my friends experienced this). But thankfully the trailer was released after the Stream so I could re-watch it.
• There was alot to watch as well which was nice. I had the stream running in the background as I wanted to the big stuff to come up and there was generally a new panel or show playing often.
• The EU community team were really nice and energetic - however the in between chats or "run up" chats before major panels or shows like live letter were filled with the commentators talking about anticipation and how much work they put in. This became very repetitive and, while we all appreciate the work you do and understand your excitement, there's only so many times repeating it works.
• The above-mentioned chats also felt very unorganised and I believe the repetition was due to trying to fill a gap in the time. It would be better to use this time to discuss more concrete subjects or to have a shorter "run up" stream. Also some of the reactionary talks felt disgenuine due to players assuming community staff would already know this information prior. It'd be more interesting to talk over the information rather than staff members "reaction" to the announcement.
• Ben did a great job with the panels, cosplay comp and the live letter however there seemed to be some confusion between him and the main FFXIV team in communication. There were also awkward moments where he was put on the spot and unprepared. I don't believe this is particularly Ben's fault but it made him come across awkward and unprepared at times. Which is uncomfortable viewing.
• Please consider a professional presenter to assist with hosting the Live Stream. That way the staff would be able to act more naturally in these live shows.
• Some of the fill in "tour" content also felt very rushed. While I understand the teasm were trying to keep everything as "live" as possible, it would be cool to have a behind the scenes tour that is played so premium customers can have a look at the event itself without there being a rushed feeling. This could be pre-recorded before players turn up.

Question and Answers Specific

• The question quality during the Q&A is really sporadic and while I appreciate the community teams (NA, EU, JP) are trying to get a variety of gamer type (casual and hardcore) into the questions, some of them feel like time wasting. It might be better for the joke or sillier questions to be given to the community team to answer and for Yoshi-P to speak on more interesting items.
• The Butt-slider question is a perfect example of time wasted when better questions could be asked. I've checked out the questions thread and a lot were looked over. It's very obvious the questions are not "random" when selected - so please filter these better.
• Please try to filter out repeat questions. Nearly every major Q&A event with Yoshi P will include a bunch of questions that have been asked before (aka parser, more character body customisation, too hard/too easy).

[Alice_89th]

Here is my list, both the good and the bad:

Venue:

• I found it easy to reach (we walked from the station) and nice and spacious. At no point it felt overcrowded but it also didn't feel empty.
• I had only one negative run in with a staff member and that was only a minor thing (though some of the minigame staff members did seem a bit bored by the end of the day). The rest of the staff was polite, and while they didn't always speak English very well they clearly did their best.
• HUGE props for the staff members that had to cut off lines (for signing etc). They remained polite throughout the whole event, even when they had to turn away multiple people per minute for extended periods of time.
• The food was meh, but not worse than I expected (the Panini I had was quite good, actually). But not much choice so the second day we all either brought lunch or went outside to buy lunch.

Merchandise:

• Being able to pre-order was great, I hope this returns for future events.
• There was a staff member handing out cards with time slots to line up for merchandise. She said we wouldn't be able to buy anything without one...yet one of us was already lined up and was able to buy merchandise just fine. This needs to be fixed. Time slots are fine, but they need to be reinforced. If other people can get in line without one all of the merch will be gone by time your late-afternoon time slot arrives. So either let people queue up at any time, or use time slots and actually reinforce them.

Minigames:

• The Wondrous Tails stamp card was a really cute idea.
• Some of the minigames would have benefited from some explanations. For example, I got two throws at Revenge on Titan and apparently that was it.
• Anyway the Wind Blows went by so fast! You barely had time to see where the floor lit up red and then it was gone again.

In-Game Events:

• Winning the Ultima battle gave us five stamps (3 for participation and 2 for winning). Since it was the first thing we did, all our stamp cards were already halfway full after just one in-game event. I think it would have been fine giving only one stamp for participation and one more for winning. Especially because we had two whole days to fill the stamp card.
• Roulette was OK? I guess? Thordan EX flattened us xD
• We spent an extremely long time waiting for the dungeon speedrun one and eventually got out of the queue because it hardly seemed to be moving.

Stage Events:

• The full trailer was perfection.
• The Development Panel was great, especially because we got to hear some stories behind the designs and also got to see some new things.
• The Art School was really cute, it was also timed perfectly. At 5pm people start to get a bit tired and it was great to just be able to flop down and watch.
• I have mixed feelings about the Question Time the second day. There were so many questions that we've already heard before, and nothing that really made me feel exited.
• Against all expectations, I really loved the PVP Tournament! I find watching others PVP extremely dull most of the time because it is hard to keep track of what is going on, but the commentary was so energetic it was a joy to watch. And judging by the amount of cheers the winning team got, a lot of people felt the same way.
• Seeing Mogi being genuinely happy and moved by the amount of cheering he got from the audience at his artwork reveal was great. I hope there will be other developers at the next event again.
• Primals concert absolutely rocked. But poor Ben when he had to announce the event was over and no one would believe him....

Other:

• Magitek armour was epic
• The cards with QR code/url for both the Magitek and Green Screen pictures were nifty (we had a bit of a panic moment when our Green Screen picture took ages to appear but it all worked out).
• Moghome was nice to chill, especially because you had a good view of the stage from most of it.

[RoadyPie]

1)I found the venue easy enough, others might've struggled as there was no sign posting at all.
2) My gripe has to be that those that got there early on the first day, weren't allowed to sit downstairs in the auditorium.
3)The goodie bags were Lacking.
4)The mini games were meh, you had longer activities in London Fan Fest (gem craft, perfume making), throwing a ball at stacked cans doesn't really cut it. 2nd day, i didn't have much to do.
5)Food was crap. Other fan fests, they got proper food. We got crappy overpriced sandwiches, slop soup, or basic pizza.
6)The chill out area, was anything but, well overcrowded.
7)Q&A session wasn't long enough, if you're going to accept questions before hand instead of asking people in the crowd, make sure they're good.
8)Merchandise done well, pre-order great idea. Then i brought a hoodie and there was no queue.
9)I still had a good time, but i feel like this event was overpriced and you gave us far less than you did in Vegas and Tokyo.

[Tillen]

Greetings!
TLDR; Awesome! Keep the pre-purchase merch, maintain the schedule, refine the event pre-registration; Bring back the challenge T-Shirts, better food, larger relaxation and game login area.
Let’s get it:
Thank you for a wonderful event and taking the time to query our feedback on the event.

What was the intent?
To provide the FFXIV community with a safe forum through which they can socialize, have fun, and take part in Eorzean-themed events while the FFXIV team expresses gratitude to the community for being a fan and customer. The forum will provide merchandising opportunities for fans, a method of obtaining sustenance, and deliver the future plans and past achievements of FFXIV via stage events.

What actually transpired?
A fan festival that was safe, accessible for those with physical disabilities, provided an adequate amount content to fill 1.5 days of the weekend, and where senior members of the FFXIV team demonstrated an appreciation for their fan base. Although, the entire event lacked the engrossing experience that was achieved in London 2014 and did not provide adequate in-house sustenance for the attendees.
What went well?

o Pre-Planning: The merchandise pre-purchase, PvP sign-up, and Mr. Nobou Uematsu signing session emails were an outstanding idea. Recommend sustain and refine. The only recommendation would be to send any special time-limited event emails out prior to the timed event, such as the Mr. Nobou Uematsu signing. Send out the emails on X-DAY that states the sign-up session will take place from Y time to Z time. Some of the emails appeared late for some individuals and they were not afforded the opportunity to sign up.
Merchandising: The pre-purchase made this a breeze. The store area was much larger than in London 2014 and overall the process seemed faster and smoother. Recommend sustain however, can be improved by increasing the number of tellers during the initial Saturday morning push. We know that immediately following the opening keynote speech on Saturday there will be a mad rush to the store.

o Venue: Safe, centrally located, acoustically perfect, and not congested. There was plenty of room to move around, regardless of the queue forming somewhere, plenty of bathrooms, and located adjacent to an external food hall that provided many options to eat at….on Saturday. The size of the venue was great. It seemed overall accessible to those fans that may have a physical disability and require special equipment to move around.

o Schedule: The schedule had a good pace to it, approximately 1.5 hours between each event that afforded attendees the opportunity to use the bathroom, eat, or do some events. I never felt rushed to get to the any event and was able to mill around and socialize with new and old friends at a comfortable tempo. Additionally, having a 2-day ticket is a must. Recommend sustain.
Stage Events: Excellent. This ties into the schedule. The quality of the events and duration of each event was adequate (save for the Primals’ concert). It provided enough entertainment without getting bored or waiting for it to end. Each event was unique and provided something for everyone.

What did not go so well?
o Catering / Sustenance: Lack luster. I understand that this was probably contracted. Such that Frankfurt Messe provides in-house catering or the options to obtain [Package A, B, or C] from [Vendors X, Y, or Z]. I also understand the proximity of local establishments. However, most of us are staying within the event all day, which means we are enjoying breakfast, lunch, and supper at this event. I felt as though London 2014 had better choices for sustenance, which is surprising because Germany does festival food sooooo well. Recommend improve. The catering company selected should provide options that are a bit heartier at least for the evening time: vegetables, noodles, meat. You know what we like! Pizza, Cup Noodles, and Chicken
o Floor Events: Needed some “oompf”. No I beat Proto-Ultima T-shirt!?? Both London 2014 and GamesCom 2016 awarded T-Shirts for their events (at least the battle trial). I was surprised when the Fan Fest didn’t even offer it as purchasable. I felt as though the Mog-Home should have been expanded. If I remember correctly, at the London 2014 there was a Nintendo-DS or similar handheld booth where people could play something. I was able to clear all events on the first day and still take part in the PvP tournament, which left little to do on Sunday (save for the PvP finals). I think one way to improve is to expand the Mog-Home relaxation area. Providing a large place for fans to relax, generally converse regarding the game, and more terminals to login would have been better. You’ve got us hooked on the event, keep us there. Sure we could go back to our hotel rooms and play but why not keep us there in a LAN area?
o Atmosphere: Difficult to gauge. I felt as though the constant pressuring to purchase merchandise was a bit over the top, although this might be a cultural aspect. I was buying articles anyway, so I didn’t need to be reminded to buy them. When we stepped off the train in London, there were staff members and signs guiding us to the event and the Tobacco Dock was decorated in such a way that I also felt as though I was stepping into Eorzea. The sheer size of the Messe made it difficult to provide the level of atmosphere achieved at London. Recommend improve. Selecting a venue for the event is probably the most difficult task for the staff however, I believe that an engrossing atmosphere should be a major selection criteria for the next event.

Assessment
Overall, I believe the event was quite enjoyable and a wonderful experience. If given the opportunity, I would purchase a ticket and attend again. If there is to be another fan fest (let’s pray), some methods of improvement would be expanding the “Mog Home” relaxation area, event rewards, and improving the atmosphere of the event. Although, the latter is contingent upon the venue selection, which requires factors like accessibility, safety, relation to adjacent amenities. As mentioned by Reithomeige, I also found it wonderful that Naoki Yoshida-san and the other senior members were always walking around, signing autographs, and thanking fans. Kudos to the staff, FFXIV community, and FFXIV team, for providing a safe and enjoyable event. See you in Paris 2019!

[LorenzoMoranta]

Here is my list, both the good and the bad:

But not much choice so the second day we all either brought lunch or went outside to buy lunch.

Ah, the Great Chipotle Queue of 2017. :P