Letter from the Producer, XI

[Lordender]

I'm not understanding the argument over if AA is going to change anything, even with it, terrible game is still terrible. SE should just can 14, put Yoshida on a new MMO project with a proper sized dev-team and a meaty amount of funding so he can produce a nice MMO.

I think he's been put into an impossible situation, he has nice idea's but doesn't seem to really have the resources to do things in a timely manner.

[Alderaan]

As for XIV's future, I can't see anyone wanting to play Rift or similar 4 years from now (its fugly enough even now) and I can see ToR/Terra going the way of Conan/LoTRO but if they get XIV to a point this year, people will be playing this for a long long time.

I would agree with you if XIV had the gameplay of the ones you mentioned. The problem unfortunately is that the issues run a lot deeper than that.

Look at EQ2. That game has more content than any other MMO, short of EQ, but it's bogged down with a horribly inefficient engine and coding.

[miokomioko]

Structure is going to come before content. A building is in the midst of being remodeled down to the very frame and people can only cry about the furniture/appliances inside still being out of date.

[Elcura]

I'm not sure why you're acting like this. I havent said anything to you, then you accuse me of something I havent done, and follow with insult. I don't understand you.

Secondly, the discussion we had about this can be found here, and it takes 10 seconds to search.
http://www.bluegartr.com/threads/100...=1#post4210518
My argument hasnt changed.

Then it seems I owe you an apology on this point, and for the insult (though I didn't mean it as one, it can still be taken as one).

And lastly, auto-attack never did and never will change the gameplay, unless you consider something as trivial as standing close to your target a "change". Removing the default attack and replacing it with auto-attack is a change, but that's not what we are talking about. What they are doing here is add auto-attack on top of everything else.

However, like I said before I'm not gonna get into why I think AA is game changing. And not game changing in the "OMG THIS IS FANTASTIC" way, but way more literally, in the "it changes the way you play the game" way.

Every addition has an impact, and it's a designers job to figure out what it means for the game and what can come from it.

[Sephiroth]

If ARC gets Auto Attack its going to work the same way that most other game deals with "white damage" for ranged classes: Auto Shot. It's the same thing.

Or SE will cop out and make them manual fire like they did in XI which is what everyone here is used to.

I'll be pissed if ARC doesn't get auto attack. Multi shot and Trifurcate can still work fine if changed to work with the new system. For example you hit Multi Shot and the next basic attack will be 3 arrows instead of 1. Multi Shot will be given a cooldown so that you can't spam it.

I'm more worried about things like Raging Strike. What if I want to stack attack/accuracy buffs with a WS or Multi Shot? Won't they just be eaten up by the next auto basic attack? This is an issue for all classes. They might have to make them like Cadence where instead of wearing off after the next attack the buff stays for the full 30 seconds or whatever. But to allow that you'd have to increase the recast timers otherwise they'd be over powered.

[Hyan]

Look at EQ2. That game has more content than any other MMO, short of EQ, but it's bogged down with a horribly inefficient engine and coding.

Eh, I don't see that being a problem nowadays at least. The game had a certain feel to it which I liked, and it ran fine on my pc.

[qpoiuwer]

I'm more worried about things like Raging Strike. What if I want to stack attack/accuracy buffs with a WS or Multi Shot? Won't they just be eaten up by the next auto basic attack? This is an issue for all classes. They might have to make them like Cadence where instead of wearing off after the next attack the buff stays for the full 30 seconds or whatever. But to allow that you'd have to increase the recast timers otherwise they'd be over powered.

Well, that's how SA/TA worked in XI. It was do-able, but I did mess it up every now and then.

[Kurokikaze]

Well, that's how SA/TA worked in XI. It was do-able, but I did mess it up every now and then.

Difference there is that XI used macros. It's going to be impossible to stack all your buffs and hit a WS before the AA goes off.

[Charismatic]

Difference there is that XI used macros. It's going to be impossible to stack all your buffs and hit a WS before the AA goes off.

I don't think the issue was so much with macros but that FFXI was, sadly, more responsive than FFXIV. If I press my SA macro then my TA macro a half second later, they both fire off basically right after I press them. In FFXIV? Sadly, no.

[Celeras]

The only time shit doesn't fire immediately for me in XIV is when I'm waiting on stamina to regen. I dont use macros though.

[Kurokikaze]

Good call Kuroikage. Hitting abilities also delayed your AA swing too ya?

Also Celeras, you're probably in the minority on that issue. There has been far too many times where I hit abilities and they wont go off right away. Few seconds later they go off along with anything that I pressed in between. Before you suggest it - my S/R is fine, thats not the issue.

[CrstyCptSteveWitherspoon]

Looks like archer is going the sword/dagger route for AA. New Rep post.

Checked with the dev. team regarding questions about archers and their ability to auto-attack. Auto-attack as a system will initiate when the player is fighting an enemy in close range. While archers will be able to auto-attack enemies while in close range it won't be with arrows. New animations will be implemented to make this all happen!

[Celeras]

Also Celeras, you're probably in the minority on that issue. There has been far too many times where I hit abilities and they wont go off right away. Few seconds later they go off along with anything that I pressed in between. Before you suggest it - my S/R is fine, thats not the issue.

And you're sure its not because you're under the required stamina?

[edit] also, beaten ^ Archer AA will be like XI it seems.

[Kurokikaze]

Looks like archer is going the sword/dagger route for AA. New Rep post.

Thats fuckin terrible and now leaves me with one gaping flaw in this whole game's structure.

Wtf happened to Weapon = Class? Does this mean that they are backpedaling on that as well?

[Lordender]

Looks like archer is going the sword/dagger route for AA. New Rep post.

inc more nerd rage from OMG its FFXI-2!

[CrstyCptSteveWitherspoon]

Also regarding AA speed...

A quick note regarding the comments about the slow auto-attack speed, dullness, etc. presented in the video, etc. In line with the comments made in Matsui's Battle Reform Blueprint, this is only the first wave of the auto-attack implementation with the second wave including the motion/animation updates and adjustments.

For the first stage, we will implement the core mechanics of auto-attack and perform provisional adjustments to the accompanying damage algorithm. The next stage, planned to take place after the aforementioned crowd control and action/skill revisions, will involve a fine-tuning of the auto-attack algorithm. Other algorithms will also undergo revisions, which will be explained further below. In so doing, we hope to further draw out the unique flavor of each weapon. At this same time, we will also carry out motion and other graphical revisions to accommodate auto-attack.

[Kurokikaze]

And you're sure its not because you're under the required stamina?

Yes. Unless you think that the Stamina I have in my gauge is not really what I have. Which would also be lag/latency related.

[Celeras]

Thats fuckin terrible and now leaves me with one gaping flaw in this whole game's structure.

Wtf happened to Weapon = Class? Does this mean that they are backpedaling on that as well?

They never once said the archer would attack with a sword or dagger. He added that himself. I expect punching, and/or bowstring lynching.

[CrstyCptSteveWitherspoon]

Thats fuckin terrible and now leaves me with one gaping flaw in this whole game's structure.

Wtf happened to Weapon = Class? Does this mean that they are backpedaling on that as well?

Only thing I see happening is giving archer a 'sub' weapon to use for AA.

Edit: Could be daggers/sword/whatever that's archer specific and could give acc/attk boosts or w/e. Pretty XI-2-ish

[Celeras]

OR LEGOLAS ARROW STABBING!