Alpha First Look: Video 3 - The Black Shroud

[Andrien]

That would be the little in "little to no." They haven't made illusions about it being much more than an aesthetic decision - one made because it is standard in western MMOs. Is your view that functional jumping opportunities will be prevalent enough to where extraneous jumping will not dominate functional?

There seems to be a strange amount of pushback (given a usual preference for toggle options) to this idea. It's not enough that you can jump as much as you please, but you need 100% of other players seeing it as well?

You're picking at straws now. producer live letter II

They've completely renovated the map for jump as stated by Yoshi-P in the live letter 2.


You haven't played much Korean style MMOs have you? Jump is not just a western thing..

[Landale]

All this nagging about the jumping is just making me pull my hair. Well, not really, but honestly jumping BELONGS in a MMORPG. The exploration part and feeling of freedom to leave the ground is very important to these games, being able to jump on top of/over anything instead of having to run around a tiny pebble, makes the world a lot more natural. So what if they JUMP a lot in the vids. They're demonstrating it. Once the game is out there I can assure you that people will behave EXACTLY the same way as they do on any other jump-enabled mmo: Jump when necessary.

[Zetsumei_Tsunarashi]

Great video.

My one complaint for this video is the map revealing. It seems like too much of the area is revealed all at once. Also it seems a little broken, the character was traveling west, but the area to the south was revealed ?

Seems like this feature needs some work.

[Tupster]

All this nagging about the jumping is just making me pull my hair. Well, not really, but honestly jumping BELONGS in a MMORPG. The exploration part and feeling of freedom to leave the ground is very important to these games, being able to jump on top of/over anything instead of having to run around a tiny pebble, makes the world a lot more natural. So what if they JUMP a lot in the vids. They're demonstrating it. Once the game is out there I can assure you that people will behave EXACTLY the same way as they do on any other jump-enabled mmo: Jump when necessary.

I've played jump enabled MMOs as well and in my experience people jump because they haven't jumped in the last second. If a game without jump requires you to go around everything that is a level design problem due to the levels not being made with the lack of jump in mind. Honestly if a fence is in my way in an MMO or the real world I don't think "Oh, I need to jump that" because I'm not Mario.

If a little rock you could step over is in your way it is because the level is messed up not because you can't jump it.

[Tupster]

Great video.

My one complaint for this video is the map revealing. It seems like too much of the area is revealed all at once. Also it seems a little broken, the character was traveling west, but the area to the south was revealed ?

Seems like this feature needs some work.

Maybe it needs to reveal the map for the area when you reach the middle of the area, not the edge. At least further in than right on the edge, that prevents the hysteresis of when you reach the corner of 3 areas and they all pop into view at once like in the video.

[Coyohma]

You're picking at straws now. producer live letter II

They've completely renovated the map for jump as stated by Yoshi-P in the live letter 2.


You haven't played much Korean style MMOs have you? Jump is not just a western thing..

So you directly answered neither of my two questions. I'll assume for the first that you're saying no, extraneous will not dominate functional.

And while there is no use to replying to this point, I used the term "western" because most of the references from Yoshida concerning other games have been western.

[Andrien]

So you directly answered neither of my two questions. I'll assume for the first that you're saying no, extraneous will not dominate functional.

And while there is no use to replying to this point, I used the term "western" because most of the references from Yoshida concerning other games have been western.

Look, whether or not someone jumps just for fun it is up to them, it is freedom, and that they wont feel bound to the ground. When the opportunity arrive to use it for ease of transport they'll just jump over it like normal.

There is nothing irrelevant about it. People jump for joy, happiness, sports, and a way to get around things even in real life. The demonstration shows all this, it speaks for itself.

edit: Regarding the other question. To me it wont look right if I see somebody walk through a rock, or slide over something, or even phase right through a fence like a ghost and what not. It just doesn't look right. A toggle option to me is a waste of time. If they do implement it, it wont bother me but I still think it is a waste of time.

[Tupster]

Look, whether or not someone jumps just for fun it is up to them, it is freedom, and that they wont feel bond to the ground. When the opportunity arrive to use it for ease of transport they'll just jump over it like normal.

Feeling bound to the ground really isn't any more important than being distracted by other player's nervous jumping. Both are personal annoyances that people have little choice over feeling. I played FFXI for 8 years and never felt like I needed to jump.

We'll see. If people are popping like pop-corn a week into beta then I'm gonna be bringing it up. If they aren't then I'm gonna shrug my shoulders and move on.

[Ursus]

The theme at 2:50 is so so good.
I think the more ambient and relaxed music with silent breaks is the way to go in MMOs. But I know there will be those epic FF tracks for when the situation calls for it. Really happy with the direction the music seems to be going. That's what I'd say is the strongest showing right now. Following that up would be the art direction. We've only really seen the Shroud area so far but it looks good. I like the more than just green design. Also that there are places where you can actually see the sky. It's a good idea for every area to look a bit different from the original game.

I'm split on the UI. It's obviously a big improvement in terms of functionality and speed - that's great. What I dislike is the design. It looks like styles from two different games mashed together. The map, compass, mini-menu and job icons look classy fantasy with dark colors and brass. But all HP/MP/TP bars and action bar look futuristic sci-fi with bright glowing neon colors. The bright neon doesn't really fit with the rest and against the overall look of the world it just feels jarring and distracting to me. Maybe if they could just be toned down or changed to deeper colors (forest green, royal red instead of lime green and pepto pink)?

I appreciate that our feedback seems to be asked for and heard this time around so I hope it's taken to heart when so many people have repeated that the character animations aren't up to expectations for a FF. I understand that some things can't be exactly like the original FFXIV and you are so focused in creating a better gameplay and overall experience than the original game that it might be hard to look beyond the original problems. But I must remind you that not responding to the concerns and criticisms players had in the original alpha/beta is what led to dissatisfaction with the original release. Even if you fix the old problems you have to still be aware of what new ones you could be creating. If enough people are not satisfied with the animations then they must be improved.

[Bitty]

First thank you so much for the video about the Black Shroud! I can hardly wait to be able to explore these new scenic areas. I do wonder if an entire zone is revealed the moment you enter it though?

Second, about jumping if you want to you will, if not then don't. I for one hope that exploration achievements can be gotten through the use of getting to some areas that can only be reached by jumping.

Thank you again!