Revelations from Keynote II

[KageTokage]

We'll probably end up forking the timelines, leaving the original hellhole future intact while we create a different one for ourselves. Whatever time machine BS we used to get to the hellhole future will stay intact, along with that timeline, even after we finish the SH main quest.

If we create a timeline where the future is fine, we would still have no logical reason to return to the bad timeline for future MSQ purposes.

It's things like this that make me really dubious about the inclusion of time travel. It usually works fine when the plot is completely written around it, such as in Chrono Trigger, but when it's suddenly introduced into a setting as a major plot point things can get messy. Not to mention that whole Alexander questline suggested that XIV operates under the "stable time loop" principle, meaning that an attempt to change the future will actually end up causing the future to happen...though that may explain why they keep going on about how fate cannot be changed (Such in the new year's message) or embracing fate (As Y'shtola/Matoya said in the trailer).

[Iscah]

If we create a timeline where the future is fine, we would still have no logical reason to return to the bad timeline for future MSQ purposes.

It's things like this that make me really dubious about the inclusion of time travel. It usually works fine when the plot is completely written around it, such as in Chrono Trigger, but when it's suddenly introduced into a setting as a major plot point things can get messy. Not to mention that whole Alexander questline suggested that XIV operates under the "stable time loop" principle, meaning that an attempt to change the future will actually end up causing the future to happen...though that may explain why they keep going on about how fate cannot be changed (Such in the new year's message) or embracing fate (As Y'shtola/Matoya said in the trailer).

Good point that "future-changing time travel" doesn't really fit with creating new stable locations in other time periods. On the other hand, it could definitely work with a stable time loop - whatever we do while we're there, was always going to happen.

Of course, what it is incompatible with, is Trailer Voice Guy telling us we need to unwrite history.

But then I said from the start, I'm not convinced that we're actually going to do that just because an as-yet-untrustworthy Voice claims that we need to - and I don't think it fits with the themes of the game so far. (And particularly with the Alexander quests, having replayed them recently.)



Inescapable prophecies fit with the unchangeable nature of a stable time loop, I think. Though a good question in that case is: how specific is this fortune or prophecy? Have their exact actions been dicatated to them, or is it vague enough that by 'accepting' their fate and acting in accordance with it, they can decide the exact circumstances and retain some control over the outcome?

For what it's worth, we have at least one solid example of a card reading - the Dawn Cross, according to the lorebook (Vol.1, p.244), is one of the two most common fortune-telling methods and is "believed to provide more detailed information regarding a subject's fate" compared to the three-card Trinity. (The book and quest dialogue have more detail on card placement but what's relevant here is the resulting format of the 'told fortune'.)

JANNEQUINARD (relaying Leveva's reading)
In the center of the Dawn Cross we have the Spear. To its left, the inverted Arrow. To its right, the inverted Balance. Beneath, we have the inverted Spire and the inverted Bole. And finally at the crown, is the Ewer.
“Though peace hath settled upon our great land, it will be along the path of coming destruction that friends new and old shall discover the bush that doth bear the fruit of knowledge and hope.”

If that's the level of detail Urianger is getting out of his cards, that's going to leave plenty of room to get a thoroughly ominous reading, accept that it's going to happen, and do their best to turn it around.



Vagueness is the key to running a stable time loop and still letting the heroes "defy fate". The climax of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is an excellent example - despite being present for both versions of the looped time, neither the reader nor the characters are aware of what really happened by the end of their "first time through", so they are still acting freely during their second time through.

They take action to prevent something that (they thought) happened the first time around, only to set up the circumstances that mean it never happened in the first place - while giving their past selves the impression that it did. And then ending up in the right place at the right time for Harry to save his past self, except that's not why he went there, and he doesn't work it out until the last moment.

It's really clever, it comes together perfectly, and it's a great example of how you can stage a stable time loop without giving the audience the entire story - even while they're in the middle of fulfilling the second half of the looped events.

What job was Yoshi-Ps character in that screenshot?
http://www.novacrystallis.com/wp-con...9_PARIS_13.png

That page isn't allowing hotlinked images.

Here's an alternate page with all the new images: https://twinfinite.net/2019/02/final...ingers-images/

Lastly, at the risk of stirring the pot, the robed figure on the right of the artwork, with the straps and ornate bangles on the wrist... well, it's a little like the original Bard AF hands, and Bard is all about performance, which is.... maybe a bit like... dancing?

That's quite a stretch.... but come to think of it, guess what class G'raha is?

Yeah, okay, archer rather than bard. But still.

[Fenral]

That's quite a stretch.... but come to think of it, guess what class G'raha is?

Yeah, okay, archer rather than bard. But still.

Well, Encyclopaedia Eorzea Vol. 1 retconned him into an archer who also sings the song of his people. Pretty sure there's a specific Job for that, but I'm drawing a blank...

(Still has nothing to do with Dancer, though he may end up in that gear anyway if I want to do a retainer respec...)

[Anonymoose]

AFAIR, Maggie had a mammet core; mammets have soulkin quasi-souls.

[Lauront]

I firmly expect more than a few nods or head shakes.

Also...

#GunbreakerHype

Wonder where it's gonna sit in terms of Tank balance.

An early answer.

[ObsidianFire]

I'd just like to point out that we know very, very, very little of what Ilsabard and Garlemald in particular are like. We do know that Garlemald is in a very inhospitable region. We don't have that great an idea about what makes it inhospitable, except that since it's so far north, it's climate is likely like that of Siberia. The FFXIV team could do pretty much anything with Ilsabard and it wouldn't contradict what we know of the continent. I'm kinda wondering if the new raid and the zones we haven't seen yet are in Ilsabard and the team just doesn't want to spoil that yet.

As it is, Ilsabard is huge. It's the clouded-over center part of the map and is at least as big as Othard is if not bigger. Thavinir is also an option for locations as well. There's plenty of space for the FFXIV team to fit in six zones on the preexisting world map with room to spare if they would just lift the cloud cover.

[Lauront]

Well, my thoughts are that they have already revealed 3 zones. One of these is near Dalmasca, and the other two, although potentially in Ilsabard, may well lie within its fringes. Orbonne nudged heavily in Dalmasca's direction, so that will probably occupy a zone or two, as would Thavnair if we went there. It'd be an opportune time to go there, as it's not far from Dalmasca and it may become treacherous to access Ilsabard through other avenues. Amh Araeng had a pretty unique look to it, with those large natural crystalline walls, so I can see why some may get the impression that it could be at the epicentre of a flood of light.

So, I'm leaning to the view that they're reserving most of Ilsabard and a perhaps few other zones (e.g. Sharlayan) for 6.0, with the New World coming in 7.0, perhaps departing from Sharlayan.

The new raid may well be in Ilsabard, and there is also that giant figure on the map, which some think could be used as a XIV interpretation of the Giant of Babil. It's a question of how much of Ilsabard will we see.

The prospect of world hopping and/or time travel, and lack of any clear resemblance to existing areas, are proving to be real confounding factors here.

[RukiaFae]

After watching the additional scenes I'm leaning more towards us going to the first. The hints seems to point to more than just time travel. How can Thancred use magical bullets? Why do Yoshida point out how Y'shtola is not exactly a black mage? We already know the scions are never purely one job at why make this destinction with her? Then I started thinking about the WOD scene and remembered their jobs are different than ours. Maybe things seem close but not exactly the same. Plus Minfilla is back so that means the WOD storyline is coming back to focus. Everyone was called before us so maybe the scenes we are seeing are happening on the first prior to our arrival and that is why the forest is burnt before we arrive.

[Alexandre_Noireau]

After watching the additional scenes I'm leaning more towards us going to the first. The hints seems to point to more than just time travel. How can Thancred use magical bullets? Why do Yoshida point out how Y'shtola is not exactly a black mage? We already know the scions are never purely one job at why make this destinction with her? Then I started thinking about the WOD scene and remembered their jobs are different than ours. Maybe things seem close but not exactly the same. Plus Minfilla is back so that means the WOD storyline is coming back to focus. Everyone was called before us so maybe the scenes we are seeing are happening on the first prior to our arrival and that is why the forest is burnt before we arrive.

I think we are not time traveling. We will be Reflection jumping.

This forest in the cutscenes where is exactly located in Hydaelyn?

[KageTokage]

They haven't specified where any of the zones are, though the fact that the Nu Mou are seemingly present in the Rak'tika Greatwood suggests that it's likely somewhere in southern Othard/southeastern Islabard.