Letter from the Producer LIVE Part LIII Update Thread

[Bayohne]

Q34:
Do you have plans to add a feature to recruit or search for Free Companies, also community groups other than the Free Company/Linkshell?

A34:
We are currently coming up with a new feature tentatively called "Circles," which will be less restrictive than linkshells. You can create a Circle for certain activities, which you can register for and it will send you notifications. You could also use it like some kind of "customer list." This will be added in patch 5.1, and we're hoping to cover it in the next LIVE letter.

[Bayohne]

Q35:
Are there any plans for a new Deep Dungeon in 5.x?

A35:
That's still a secret.

[Bayohne]

Q36:
The beard on the Hyur shown in the patch notes and benchmark software is cool. Do you have any plans to give this beard as an option for players in the future?

A36:
We were trying to add this as an option, but it wasn’t something that could be done easily. It was something that required specifying a Hyuran male face pattern. However, it may take time, but we’d like to make it work somehow.

[Bayohne]

Q37:
I used fantasia to change to Viera and I'm enjoying it. As they're a special race and it may not be possible, but feel like the number of hairstyles available for Viera and Hrothgar is quite limited. Do you have plans to add more in the future?

A37:
Of course we plan on adding more, so please wait for future patches. However it will still be race-specific, so there won’t be as many selections when compared to other races.

[Bayohne]

Q38:
Please allow us to challenge The Great Hunt (Extreme) in an undersized party, so I can go with more friends.

A38:
This is currently being worked on.

[Bayohne]

Q39:
In Tempest, the music doesn't change even when you enter battle. I imagine this is intentional, since the large-scale FATE changes the music, but I'm curious about the reason behind this.

A39:
It's intended to offer the atmosphere of a quiet seafloor, with foam appearing and foreshadowing incoming danger. Some of you may have noticed that unlike other areas, the entrance is bright but it gradually grows darker as you go further. I think we’ll be talking about this at PAX West as well.

[Bayohne]

Q40:
Will there be an Extreme version of the "last boss" battle?

A40:
It will be added in 5.1.

[Bayohne]

Q41:
The level sync feature of the 5.0 sidequests were very helpful while leveling my other jobs. I hope they will be added for sidequests in 4.x and older.

A41:
I understand how you feel, but it would require recreating all the data, so it has a very high manpower cost associated with. The New Game+ that is currently in development also requires a lot of resources, so we’re currently allocating resources there. As a side note, we’re working on adjusting the A Realm Reborn main scenario to be more compact, and are aiming for patch 5.3.

[Bayohne]

Q42:
I would like to know more about the end-game content for Disciples of Hand and Land, the Restoration of Ishgard!

A42:
This would take away topics from future LIVE letters, so please look forward to those instead. Regarding apartments, it might be fun to make them Amaurot or Crystarium themed.

[Bayohne]

Q43:
I feel like the amount of time/effort required to level desynthesis and the returns don't match. Do you have plans to make major changes to the desynth system?

A43:
Will be making large changes to Disciples of the Hand and Land-related systems in 5.1. Desynthesis rates will be changed to be 100% guaranteed, no need to level up skills. Desynthesis will be something used when you have a surplus of something. That’s the plan we have in mind. I’ll provide more details on this when we’ve solidified the details.