Letter from the Producer LIVE Part LXXIII (10/31/2022)

[Voltenyne]

Job Adjustments



(00:18:28)

Patch 6.2 was also the first patch where we posted our reasoning behind job adjustments. Some agreed with our reasons, while others asked for us to explain in more detail. In any case, we’re planning to continue these posts moving forward.

A concern we have about being too detailed with our explanations is that certain portions of them may be taken out of context, leading to the spread of misinformation. Another point is that while we could post detailed percentages, it’s possible that players are referencing different data compared to those observed within the development team. With that said, we’d be grateful if you would continue to bear with us as we keep working on how our explanations are written, as well as the amount of information we include.

We'll be adjusting values in the job adjustments scheduled for Patch 6.28. Generally speaking, we'll be looking at the overall balance within each role and increasing values for jobs that we find lacking.

Something we've been hearing a lot about from our players, and have also noticed within the development team, is how ranged DPS jobs (both physical and magical) have lost some of their advantages ever since 5.x, which introduced enemies with large target circles and reduced downtime for melee DPS jobs. As such, we're also looking to balance ranged DPS jobs based on how they compare to melee DPS jobs. Do note, however, that this doesn't necessarily entail adjustments for all ranged DPS jobs, as some have powerful party support effects.

Adjustments which require changes to programming or action functionality are scheduled for Patch 6.3, which we'll be going over in a future broadcast.

PvP



(00:22:52)

PvP Series 2 has commenced, and Rival Wings has returned from its hiatus. Meanwhile, Season 3 of Crystalline Conflict is currently underway.

Ever since Crystalline Conflict was released in Patch 6.1, we've been seeing unprecedented numbers of participants in PvP. To maintain that momentum, we're also looking to make some level of PvP job adjustments in Patch 6.28 as well. An exception is the paladin action Guardian, which is affecting the overall balance of Frontline gameplay; it'll be addressed with system-side adjustments in Patch 6.25.

The current balance of win rates per job in Crystalline Conflict is the best since its release, with no job having reached over 50% when excluding matches where both teams have the same job composition.
However, there are some subtly overpowered jobs that have gone unnoticed, so we'll be fine-tuning those while addressing other areas which need attention.

Island Sanctuary



(00:24:55)

Many of you have been enjoying Island Sanctuary, so much so that instances were full at one point.

The feedback we received covered a wide range of topics, one of them being "This isn't easy-going content at all!" which we especially saw from Japanese players. This opinion varied wildly per region, with many of our Western players enjoying the content at their own pace; Japanese players, on the other hand, are often compelled to optimize when they see objectives and schedules. However, this was somewhat intentional. We're currently on the first phase of Island Sanctuary, but when later phases become available, it could be difficult to feel motivated without a clear goal or reason to keep playing. Therefore, we provided objectives to some extent and implemented the schedule management aspect.

Statistically speaking, most players are progressing their island sanctuary every few days, but it's understandable that some may feel pressured to maintain an optimized routine, so we may consider easing that aspect a little. However, we also feel that it's okay for Island Sanctuary to have diverse playstyles, so we'll need to be mindful to maintain a balance.

We also received a lot of feedback regarding the user interface, which will be earnestly reviewed by our UI team.

Something we predicted beforehand were requests for more options to personalize your island sanctuary. Island Sanctuary is designed upon the foundation that is the game systems of FFXIV, so allowing players to freely construct facilities wherever they want on the island without compromising aesthetics was unfeasible. This meant facility locations were mostly predetermined since the initial proposal, so our idea was to allow customization in the form of deciding where to build each facility. That said, future updates will introduce more facilities, allowing you to further distinguish your island from those of others.

Another possibility we're looking into is somehow allowing players to place outdoor furnishings on their island, though this is something we always knew would be difficult to execute. It's not something we can give a time frame estimate for, but we're trying our best in hopes that it'll allow you to further enjoy customizing your island sanctuary.

We'll continue to allocate development effort towards Island Sanctuary, so we'd appreciate if you could continue to share your feedback with us.

Items & Graphics



(00:30:18)

We saw that some of you were surprised to see the umbrella dance emote added to the game.

Fashion accessories render certain features unavailable when they're in use because of how they switch to different data internally. However, this allows for various functions, with the umbrella dance being one such test feature.

If we were to forgo swapping data around and simply increase the amount of memory required per player character, it could potentially cause the game to stop working on certain machines. That's why we have to make do with more complicated methods, but this sort of trade off to make the game more enjoyable for players is something that'll continually occur in the next ten years. However, we do have the upcoming graphics update, and it'd be nice if we could eventually make various ideas a reality without sacrificing something else in exchange.



Like the Abyssos raid equipment, the Fae's Crown weapons garnered a lot of attention for their outstanding visual effects.

The Fae's Crown weapons are just one example among many of the endeavors taken on by the Visual Effects team when designing new items, including those that affect character appearances as well as weapons. It all started back when we were designing weapons for Ultimate content; the idea was to make weapons that would stand out as much as possible, thus furthering research on visual effects as well. This research involved designing new and varied visual effects within memory limitations, and it appears the team was able to break new ground with their work in Patch 6.2.

On a related note, we're occasionally asked if it'd be possible to add a feature that toggles the visual effects off, but that happens to be quite a complicated process. Making a version of the weapon with the effects properly disabled would require roughly the same amount of development cost as creating an entirely new item. The FFXIV team aims to please and may be able to implement it someday, but for now, we'd appreciate if you could keep in mind that it'd be very hard to work on at this point in time.

The upcoming graphics update may allow us to express our designs in new ways, so we'll be looking to take on new challenges based on your feedback.

What's to Come in Patch 6.25




(00:37:25)

Patch 6.25 is scheduled for Tuesday, October 18 and has turned out to be quite the voluminous update. We showcased the new area you'll visit as part of the Omicron tribal quests and new equipment.

North American Data Center Expansion



(00:40:09)

The North American Data Center expansion will be implemented with Patch 6.28, scheduled for Tuesday, November 1. We also revealed the names of the new Data Center and Worlds. Four Worlds will be added in this first stage of the North American Data Center expansion, and more will be added as we approach 7.0.

Note that the November 1 maintenance may require 24 hours; we'll release an official announcement beforehand, but we just wanted to give a heads up for now.

The housing lottery is scheduled to begin on Saturday, November 5, and further details will be announced on the Lodestone later.

We're also working on adding new housing plots to all Worlds. We're still unsure what patch they'll be available in, but our goal is to add them as soon as possible. Our company has already approved our investments in the overall game infrastructure for the next four years or so, so we'll continue to do our best to improve your gameplay experience.