Letter from the Producer, XXI (11/24/2011)

[Ropeydonkey]

Hello again, all fans of FINAL FANTASY XIV! There’s been a long blank period between this letter and the last, and I’d like to apologize.

My twentieth missive went out on October 13, the day before our announcement of Version 2.0. A flurry of interviews followed, first in Japan, then overseas during my two-week media tour, which included meetings with the staff of our regional offices. I endeavored to stay on top of patch 1.20’s progress while on the road, and upon returning to Japan busied myself with the second installment of Letter from the Producer LIVE.

Right now I’m managing and directing work on Version 2.0, all the while keeping a close eye on balance and specs for various areas of patch 1.20 ahead of release. This past month has been a veritable maelstrom for me, and as a result I didn’t have a single letter to show for it (I devoured steak for seven consecutive days while overseas, though, which did wonders for my stamina ).


But the dust has now settled both for me and the team, and I’m back with a new Letter from the Producer! This time I’ll be reporting on our progress on patch 1.20.

First up, some bad news. We had planned to have patch 1.20 out by late-November, but now we’re looking at a delay of roughly ten days to deliver features such as the Dark Moogle battle (name tentative), class reforms, achievements, PC search, and market tweaks.

The last two items, in particular, are proving to be quite demanding on resources, as they’re closely tied to the server. Our programmers are giving it all they’ve got, but with some work still undefined, there’s a chance the schedule will be affected. For the time being I thought it’d be best to report on the current situation.

I’m terribly sorry to make you all wait. I’ll be sure to inform you of the release date for 1.20 as soon as it’s confirmed. Just to add, none of this will affect work on patch 1.21 and beyond, Version 2.0 included. But in the off chance that it does, you can rest assured we won’t keep you in the dark.

Some of you are probably wondering, when exactly will billing commence? There’s no need to worry here, as the extended free trial period won’t end until 1.20 has been out for a while. We’ll have the details of billing, including the fee, ready to announce by early December, so please sit tight for just a while longer.



But without further ado, let’s dive into the updated list of changes.


[easier to just go see the tables...] http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/threads/31373

As you can see, we’ve added a lot of new tasks under items, synthesis, and gathering. Major reforms are in the pipes for HQ synthesis and gathering items, to take place in patches 1.20 and 1.21. To ensure that these changes come to you in a refined state, we will focus mainly on groundwork in 1.20.

At the same time, work is underway to revise the effects of accessories, food, and medicines, as well as to overhaul recipes. However, we need to ensure that all these changes are in agreement with the class reforms currently in progress. And so the team will concentrate on balance tweaks in 1.20, with an eye for full implementation by 1.21. The last thing we want is to mess up balance, and we ask for your patience and understanding.

We received a great many fan requests after 1.19 went live, one being the separation of color and attributes in the dyeing process. I’m happy to say that this revision is on track for a 1.20 release, and has been added to the task list. Adventurers will soon be able to enjoy color-coordinating their wardrobes!


And that’s where we stand right now, with patch 1.20 heading into crunch time for all teams. Oh, a slight tangent, but I wanted to share with you that the goobbue mount is now functional. Work on 1.21 is already underway, and we’ll continue pushing forward at full tilt on all fronts, from smaller tasks like checks and tweaks to grander ones like the implementation of Version 2.0 itself!

The seasons are going through a transition right now, and it’s easy to fall ill. Please make sure to look after your health!

See you next time and/or on the forums!


P.S. Below is a link to something I posted regarding Disciples of the Land. It’s a little long, so please read it when you can spare the time.
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...l=1#post439683

Don't think there's much new in here...

Also, this has been up all day - people not really interested in the updates/info any more? o.O

[Niiro]

People still in post-thanksgiving diabetic comas, black friday, little new info, etc.

There's more in there about what won't be coming in 1.20 than what will.

edit: Also the link is borked.

[kisada]

skyrim

[Grey Jorildyn]

skyrim

COD, Saints Row, AC: R, etc. Lots going on in the game world right now that isn't FFXIV ;p

[Lucavi]

Skyrim, haha.

[Lordender]

Kinda crappy news/info tbh, it was up early thanksgiving AM. Going to be a hard sell getting people to P2P with a patch like that.

[Corrderio]

Kinda crappy news/info tbh, it was up early thanksgiving AM. Going to be a hard sell getting people to P2P with a patch like that.

"But I'm supporting the future of the game!"

At least the 30 day trials are still good. I won't mind P2P too much as long as it's about half the original price until 2.0, but knowing Wada...

[TacoTaru]

Was posted in the comments from the devs thread is probably why no one made a post of it. Nothing really new, but THREE NEW EMOTES AMG.

[Cichy]

That gobbue mount probably gonna be tied to achievement system, I dont see why else he would mention it.

[Kensaki]

Not so sure I wanna pay for this game. Only real new content for max level is the dark moogle primals till february. I don't like the fact that their copying cataclysm with the ability redesign either.

[blythe]

Not a patch to start charging with.

Not to say it's not a significant patch with major and needed changes, but the dearth of content is going to be an issue when 3 weeks in they ask us to pay and we've already done most of it. I started having a hard time bringing myself to even log in not too long after the last patch... why on earth would I pay for the same experience?

[Lordender]

Not a patch to start charging with.

Not to say it's not a significant patch with major and needed changes, but the dearth of content is going to be an issue when 3 weeks in they ask us to pay and we've already done most of it. I started having a hard time bringing myself to even log in not too long after the last patch... why on earth would I pay for the same experience?

Totally agree, I'm not saying all of what they're doing isn't needed or terrible, just seems a little light on content. I haven't played in like 3+ weeks, no drive to do so, don't really see that changing too much with a new primal fight either.

[kisada]

on the topic of pay to play:

when i have some time i'm going to post a proposal on the SE forums asking them to dispense a couple weekend guest passes (either once an update or perhaps one every month) to those who have active accounts but aren't willing to pay when december rolls around. i feel like it's a viable way for those unwilling-to-pay-players to still provide some vital feedback that the game won't be receiving once they're forced out. not only do they get to playtest each patch, but it keeps these players more connected to the game and that they can more easily jump into it when they feel it's ready.

any thoughts or suggestions?

[Charismatic]

Not a patch to start charging with.

Yeah, I expected this patch to be a lot larger than we were initially anticipating just because of the fact that they wanted to start charging after it. Figured they'd want to try to blow us away to make us want to stay and pay.

[miokomioko]

I don't like the fact that their copying cataclysm with the ability redesign either.

lol, do you have a better idea for making sense of the entire world being redesigned/overhauled?

[solracht]

lol, do you have a better idea for making sense of the entire world being redesigned/overhauled?

He's talking about the removal of ranks, I'm assuming. Nowhere did he mention world/area redesign.

[Gokulo]

He's talking about the removal of ranks, I'm assuming. Nowhere did he mention world/area redesign.

Or just the ability redesign like his post states? (the new ability lists etc.)

[miokomioko]

Then enlighten me how the new class/job abilities/reassignments are copying Cataclysm.

[Gokulo]

Well, I actually dunno what he meant by that, simplification or what? Didn't even play WoW after Cata so I only have basic knowledge about the changes.

[solracht]

Cata (technically, the patch before Cata) removed ranks, hence my post. That's the only similarity between the two ability systems.