Please please reconsider dropping Virtual Reality support. Or if not...

[EirolOcarrol]

Or if you're not willing to consider making any kind of VR support for Final Fantasy Online, please stop taking down Final Fantasy XIV themed worlds in VRChat via DMCA.

I know that VR support was once considered for Final Fantasy XIV.

I've seen video footage like this, and read articles about it years ago that VR support was tested and demoed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SavOo0fORxQ

But that later Square Enix decided against it. And ever since nothing became of it, I've become incredibly disappointed.

I have put many many hours into Final Fantasy XIV, and actually started playing in 1.0 on Besaid server. One of my biggest regrets was not experiencing more of the Seventh Umbral Era, flaws and all. But that's a story for another day. And to go with all that time I've spent playing, I've also spent a lot of money.

But after buying an Oculus Rift, it has become one of the only things that can take my attention away from this world. In particularly I've become addicted to VRChat. I know it has gained a certain reputation. But I have made so many great friends on VRChat and it's a wonderful place when you meet the right people. The social part of MMORPGs is probably my favourite part. That and feeling like I'm always making some kind of progress, it's why I like clicker or idle games, but FFXIV has so much more depth and meaning. And VRChat is nothing if not a very social experience.

VR really is an amazing thing. After having tried it I'm amazed, and want to play everything that way. And whenever I play it, I wish other games were that way. That I could enjoy other games the same way. It all just feel so much more real.

It's been my dream to play a VR MMO since long before Sword Art Online became a thing. My first MMO was Final Fantasy XI. But what got me first so excited for it, wasn't just the fact I was a big Final Fantasy fan and owned every American release, IX being my favourite. It was .hack. I had played lots of the .hack games and watched the anime. And by the time I was done, I was ready to become obsessed with Final Fantasy XI.

But of course, just like Sword Art Online, .hack was about a VRMMORPG, not just an MMORPG. And just like people today, it made me dream of such.

.. and, while the technology has a long way to go. It really is here. VRChat has offered me as close as I've ever dreamed up since I was a child watching .hack. But it's not an MMORPG. It's not a replacement for Final Fantasy XIV. It's more immersive, it's much more social. It feels very real. But it's not a replacement for Final Fantasy XIV.

My full post ended up being 11181 characters. Which is too many. If you don't mind, I will finish this in a multi-post. Edit: It appears I can go past the character limit by editing my post. I will do that and delete my multiple posts.



I've tried playing the only VR MMORPG in existence, Orbus VR. But it just isn't anywhere near as good as Final Fantasy XIV. Even after they made a Reborn version, it pales in comparison to this game. Being the only VRMMORPG is about the only thing it has going for it. And the way the classes play in VR is interesting, I especially like the spellcasting mechanic where you literally have to draw runes in the air to cast spells.

Whether it's from newer things like Sword Art Online, or other media like .hack, or even things like Log Horizon, the dream for a long time has been an immersive VRMMORPG that feels so very real.

But I would rather play Final Fantasy XIV. I want to play Final Fantasy XIV in VR. Many will say that this wouldn't work well, because a lot of the content works much better in third person. And while that may be true for some content, like high intensity raids and dungeons. It's not true for all of that. And besides that, VR works for third person content just fine, too.

Lots of VR games are now being made in third person and show that games don't need to be in first person to be great in VR. AstroBot on PlayStation VR is considered one of the best VR games. I haven't tried it because I don't have PSVR, but I do have a Rift that comes with Lucky's Tale, and if it's as good as Lucky's Tale, I've no doubt that it has captivated many people.

Nintendo even made a cardboard VR solution. That let's you play Breath of the Wild in VR. Which is in third person. While I personally enjoy the game that way, it does have a somewhat negative reception. Though that isn't that people don't like playing the game in VR, it's that people are unsatisfied with the way the motion controls work with Breath of the Wild, and because of how blurry the game looks with its low resolution on Switch VR. But with PCVR, that isn't a problem.

While First Person helps a lot of VR experiences be more immersive. And does add to the immersion, especially with a game like VRChat where you can look down at your own body and move your limbs. Completely embodying your character and avatar. Third person games have proved to be really compelling in virtual reality.



Final Fantasy XIV would be more than incredible in third person in VR. It would be the only way I would want to play Final Fantasy XIV were Square Enix to change their mind and try their hand at implementing it again.

And until Square Enix change their mind, and add some kind of support for VR for Final Fantasy Online. The only way to experience the beauty of Hydaelyn in immersive Virtual Reality, is VRChat. And Square Enix has started taking down that only option, via DMCA takedown of worlds featuring Square Enix's copyrighted Final Fantasy XIV content.

This is where I get a little bit scared to speak my mind. Because I don't know whether it's okay to say this. And the last thing I want to do is lose face and cause harm for myself on the account I've had since 1.0. I don't think anyone at Square would take kindly to the defense of such copyright infringing content.

But I must say, it's been a joy, as someone who has spent so much time on this game and world and is so emotionally invested. Seeing the beauty of Hydaelyn in VR has brought me to tears. It has felt so much more real, and like I was finally there. It's not a replacement for playing the game, there is no gameplay, it's just VRChat. You can look around and talk, but the ability to add gameplay is very limited. What's incredible is the experience of seeing this world's beauty. It's breathtaking, and makes you realize what other VR games are missing; Hydaelyn's beauty.

I know that by showing people these worlds, I've made many people interested in buying and playing Final Fantasy XIV. And I even got one of my friends to play Final Fantasy XIV, thanks to showing him around Final Fantasy XIV themed worlds in VRChat. He now has a subscription for 60 days.

The content in VRChat that is yours, is your copyright. Much like a lot of content in VRChat. It's your copyright and your content, not theirs. I'm not sure whether it could be considered fair use or not. I'm really not an expert on that. But it is your copyright and your content, and you're well within your rights to DMCA and remove the worlds from VRC.



But... it's very so sad of a choice to make. I know several of the people who have made these worlds and they've put so much time and effort into making them. And I'm ever so grateful to them, because of their hard work I've been able to experience and see this world in ways I've only ever dreamed of. ... only for them to be taken down with a DMCA from Square Enix. You're in your rights to do all this. But, it feels like a mistake. I don't think anyone is going to not play and buy the game, just because some of its content has been ported to VRC. You can't play the game in VRC, you can only see how beautiful it is. And like Youtube videos and Let's Plays and such, it only serves as a free advertisement for how wonderful the game is, and how much effort went into making the world so beautiful. People will come away from such worlds, curious about where they came from, and wanting to play the game. Not feeling like they need not bother with buying and playing the game, because they can experience the same thing for free in VRC. Because you can't experience the same thing for free in VR, it's only an enticing taste of what a great game it is. It's a free advertisement, and will compel people to buy the game.

Thus, like with streams and Let's Plays and other content that promotes a game, I wish that you would look the other way. And please stop with the DMCA's. It makes me so sad to see them disappearing. When I first heard the news it was happening, I was too depressed to keep playing Final Fantasy XIV. And was, and still am, really sad over it. And terrified it will keep happen. And that because of that, I will never, ever get to experience how gorgeous the world of Final Fantasy XIV is in VR ever again.

But if not, I understand, it's your IP. And you're well within your rights to do it.

But I beg of you, if you really must DMCA takedown all of the wonderful Final Fantasy XIV content in other games and programs and VR experiences like VRChat that promote this game. Please, please give people like me the option to experience your wonderful world in Virtual Reality. That's all I ask. I just want it to be possible to experience the breathtaking beauty of Hydaelyn this way. Some way. Some how.



I read through this for the rules of this forum.

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/threads/63104

And I didn't see anything related to what I'm talking about being rulebreaking. But I know it's related to very sensitive Copyright related things. Maybe there's also a second set of rules I somehow missed, that I'm breaking. If so, I deeply apologize. I honestly do see it as a similar case to Let's Plays and streamers in that I think it will only promote and bring people to this wonderful game. I don't know the ins and outs of copyright law and fair use, though. And I'm not at all trying to stir the pot or cause offense.

My point wasn't really to discuss this, anyway. Nor was my intention of the thread mostly to plea to look the other way towards VRChat users.

But rather just to let you know, that, I just desperately want to experience Final Fantasy XIV in VR. I have dreamed of playing a good MMORPG in VR for so long. So many years. And I know I can't be alone.

I love this game and have spent so much time and money on it. But I would spend so much more if I could just have a decent MMORPG to experience in VR. Even more my favourite, most beloved MMORPG of all time, Final Fantasy XIV.

Please, it would make my world if I could only enjoy your extraordinary creation in Virtual Reality. As of right now, I'm just depressed and scared I'll never be able to enjoy them in VR again if the DMCA's keep coming. And Square Enix decide to never make a VR version of the game or any Final Fantasy Online content. Because of that, I haven't played Final Fantasy XIV in several days, and have gone back to VRC, because I want to be able to experience them in VR while I still can. And I don't know if I'll ever be able to again. And it makes me really sad. And anxious.

Thanks for your time. And sorry for stirring the pot on this issue if I have. I want nothing more than to support and celebrate your game. But I also love VR. And I loathe choosing between the two. I dream of enjoying both at the same time.