Comments from the Devs

[Alkar]

Sorry if I missed this somewhere else, but haven't paid any attention to this game since last year. Was arcanist playable yet, or brand new in 2.0?

Brand new but there were NPC Arcanists in the game ever since launch (the class has been completely altered since then though).

[Lucavi]

When are people gonna stop hating on the grass?

I don't get the sudden talk of PC/PS3 splits, are they splitting the services into two separate groups?

I'm not hating on the grass at all, but enhanced grass is better than NQ grass, especially in Skyrim.

@Alkar: The PS3 is as feeble as a newborn child compared to today's PCs. When you try to compare 512 megs of ram split into dual channels vs potential 16 gigs... yeah. Just no.

Would be nice to get a moddable MMO at some point, but the game would have to be "less serious" so that people wouldn't have too much of a reason to hack all over the place. Shit, just give me my multiplayer mod for PC games like Skyrim and I'm okay. A multiplayer mod for FFXII would have been so badass, especially if you could split up and do your own thing, quest-wise, until you felt like coming together to work on something.

[Amiricle]

I was so certain I was done with final fantasy, but the shit I've been seeing over the last week or so has gotten me pretty hopeful again. Dammit.

[Alkar]

@Alkar: The PS3 is as feeble as a newborn child compared to today's PCs. When you try to compare 512 megs of ram split into dual channels vs potential 16 gigs... yeah. Just no.

I was comparing FFXI and FFXIV. Not sure what you're trying to say here.
Saying that FFXIV will follow XI's path is just stupid, the two games have entirely different history and the PS3 isn't nearly as popular as the PS2 was back in the day. Also, like I said, FFXI was PS2 exclusive at launch in Japan. FFXIV has been PC exclusive for 2 years now.
The team is also creating a UI dedicated to PC and one to PS3, something FFXI is getting after 10 years. PC will support all kind of things that PS3/consoles won't get, Yoshida isn't afraid of pushing the PC version further if needed.
Even FFXI is now getting slight changes that aren't supported by the PS2 version (very slight).

[Sign]

Even if/when they bump up against the limitations of the PS3 it is nothing but their policy that would keep them from updating the PC version to improve graphics etc. They could have done it in FFXI but they stubbornly insisted on keeping both versions equivalent. I know it was an argument repeated often but as long as it isn't gameplay changes I don't see why making the PC version more detailed is a bad thing (adding more grass, filling out the world more); other than the extra work for the devs of course.

[Alkar]

Even if/when they bump up against the limitations of the PS3 it is nothing but their policy that would keep them from updating the PC version to improve graphics etc. They could have done it in FFXI but they stubbornly insisted on keeping both versions equivalent. I know it was an argument repeated often but as long as it isn't gameplay changes I don't see why making the PC version more detailed is a bad thing (adding more grass, filling out the world more); other than the extra work for the devs of course.

I'm pretty sure that was all Tanaka's doing. It's not a coincidence that all the slight improvements to the PC and 360 versions of FFXI and the announcement of a PC UI came after the FFXIV fiasco and the relative negative feedback. Yoshida is already making the PC version better by default.

[Niiro]

Graphics are only ever a limitation if they're lazy and don't design them to 2 different standards for each format (ie: XI).

Graphics/UI shouldn't, depending on how much effort they're willing to put into optimizing them for both formats, be a limiting factor. As far as gameplay mechanics the PS3 will limit things as it's memory can only handle so many objects/events. Though considering how impossible it was to play XI on a PS2 at times because the game's demands were simply far more than it could handle I don't anticipate them catering to the PS3's limitations this time around either.

It would be nice if the game ran at a playable level for PS3 but we'll juts have to see how much they've learned (ominous words when talking about SE).

[Sephiroth]

PS3 is fine for a few years. By the time it starts becoming a big problem everyone is going to have a PC or laptop capable of running the game. That's when they need to stop supporting it and bringing out a PS4 version.

[Lucavi]

PS3 is fine for a few years. By the time it starts becoming a big problem everyone is going to have a PC or laptop capable of running the game. That's when they need to stop supporting it and bringing out a PS4 version.

The only thing that gives me any hope in what you're saying is the fact that 1.0 never actually came out for PS3, instead remaining squarely on PC. This was completely different from XI, which began on PS2 and was ported to PC. I'm still under the impression that SE considers Japan to be a console-first, PC-third market, so I could still realistically see the "PS3 RHIMITATIONS!" calling card being used at some point.

I want to believe, but all I have to go on is past history of SE's dealings with PC, which hasn't looked good; last of which was 1.0, which looked downright terrible.

[Waraji]

everyone is going to have a PC or laptop capable of running the game.

Not gonna happen. Whilst the tech-savy consumers are currently capable of surpassing current requirements, the average consumer lags behind by about 4-6 years, hardware wise. Couple that with the strong movement towards mobile computing, which is also pushing dedicated Laptops aside, it will be a long shot to assume people will have capable machines, and not for lack of availability, but lack of interest (blame the industries moving them away). Less of course technologically sound users.

PC master race will still be around though.
http://media.tested.com/uploads/0/12...aster_race.jpg

[Lucavi]

^ Damn straight.

Edit: Just look at that bronzed chest! /le swoon

[miokomioko]

A few meh dev posts~

Relics will scale:

While relic weapons are currently the most powerful, when we release weapons stronger than them, we plan on making it possible to enhance relic weapons. So with that said, keeping relic weapons as a base, we'll look into enhancements so that their stats can catch up to others if they lag behind.

Interest in compiling an XIV lore book just for Rocl:

Final Fantasy XIV lore will first be told in-game, but in the future Yoshida will be looking into compiling it into a book and releasing it!

[Fievel]

Maybe they'll finally get smart and give sphairai and bravura ACC, right? right?!

[Churchill]

Every relic should have the base stats as far as I'm concerned; accuracy, attack, then branch into your other stuff.

[Rocl]

Interest in compiling an XIV lore book just for Rocl:

Actually, I'm writing it

[solracht]

Buy the special edition lore book and get an in-game Rocl mini-pet with a glowing tattoo

[millionsknives]

While relic weapons are currently the most powerful, when we release weapons stronger than them, we plan on making it possible to enhance relic weapons. So with that said, keeping relic weapons as a base, we'll look into enhancements so that their stats can catch up to others if they lag behind.

The level cap is eventually going up in ARR, right? If so, SE just needs to forget the relic weapons. They were the best weapons in 1.0, just move on in 2.0, and let them become like AF weapons in FFXI. Who wants to be using a weapon they've had since level 50 at level 99 (or whatever we get to).

[Grey Jorildyn]

Pretty much everyone that got one?

[Aratharn]

Well if they make the upgrade process cool it may be okay.

Like if the upgrade at level 75 or 99 or whatever adds that blue flame around Curtana that we saw in the very first 2.0 screenshot.

Not sure how much they can change, aestheticly speaking.

[miokomioko]

Eh... The amount of work required to obtain a Relic is not something that should just be brushed off and forgotten. That's a massive slap in the face.