New Vanafest incoming.

[Shenrien]

expansion seems more and more likely to me. I mean whats the reason behind all this UI revamps we got lately, and the expanding of the PS2 harddrive, zone limit abolishement etc. and now those new .dats zones? I think they are prerparing for a new expansion.

I mean you dont put development time into a new UI/icons whatever, when your old playerbase was ok with the old one. Unless you want to attract some new players on maybe a new platform that has higher resolution?

http://i46.tinypic.com/sxgd2u.png

Really? This is acceptable for icons to display what buffs you have active?

[Kaisha]

it seems this news is spreading like wildfire lol. its pretty much everywhere now. ffxiah, guildwork, petfoodalpha, somethingawful (lol), fb, twitter and the usual japanese blogs / bbs. (edit: everywhere except the OF XD )
if this isn't something SE had foreseen i just hope they don't throw a C&D at me lol.

I just find it funny there's more discussion on this discovery everywhere else but the forum it originated on. Perhaps we should move all this to a dedicated tinfoil-hat thread?

To think all this started with a simple query, lol.

Spoiler: show

I blame Julian for us not noticing this earlier.

[Apelila]

So if it's Tavnazia: (pointless speculation time!)

Images spoilered for table breaky.

Tavnazia before war:

Spoiler: show

Tavnazia today:

Spoiler: show

http://bucket.bluegartr.com/63cf5ad0...695bdda171.jpg

Tried to use the highest def I could find. Makes me wonder where the sacraium is if its directly under the cathedral, since I can't really identify what building the cathedral is.

Anyway.

If it is tavnazia, this part is off to the side and over the river.

Spoiler: show

This would be the view up the hill, from the docks by the river.

Spoiler: show

9 isn't very likely the final # of zones. 9 zones and 2 are city areas? And 2 Dungeons, no BC area's? As cool looking as the hill is that's a huge god damn zone to only use for cut-scene's.

I'd like to say that a certain amount of hand waiving has to happen for it to be Tavnazia, but look at TAU and WoTG. Instead of having the zones link up and just kick out a player who didn't have access, those expansions are gated. The hill is probably the zone we'll start out in, move to the city and then to the jungle/desert beyond. The Beaucidine copypasta could be the cliff overlooking where lightbringer blew up, hence the reused effects. Or they could not be even remotely close to done with the zone and those are all placeholders.

[Dazusu]

expansion seems more and more likely to me.

I remember them saying in an interview a while back (I think it was on Zam, maybe?) that they wanted to do more mini expansions, and stated: "We've done the story addons, we've done the battle addons, the next set we do will be something completely different"

Inc. 3 new $10 addons that give 2-4 new zones each, and a new mission/quest/storyline and some OP weapon at the end of it. If it was going to be boxed, I'm not sure why they're pushing out dats bit by bit each update now...

I can't see them publishing PS2 CDs at this point in time, and as for the 360 - it's virtually impossible to find any copy of the game as it is.

[Kaisha]

It'll be a digital download. There's no way they're releasing new discs.

What they need to do though is get the 360 version on Games on Demand since the discs for it are impossible for find.

[Greyman]

So if it's Tavnazia: (pointless speculation time!)

...

I'd like to say that a certain amount of hand waiving has to happen for it to be Tavnazia, but look at TAU and WoTG. Instead of having the zones link up and just kick out a player who didn't have access, those expansions are gated. The hill is probably the zone we'll start out in, move to the city and then to the jungle/desert beyond. The Beaucidine copypasta could be the cliff overlooking where lightbringer blew up, hence the reused effects. Or they could not be even remotely close to done with the zone and those are all placeholders.

Assuming it is Tavnazia (I'd say it is more likely than another continent) then are we to assume it'll be in the present? If it is then:

A) Wouldn't it be destroyed? Last I checked the Orcs did still have control over it no?

B) As you put it Apelila, how would we get there? If it was a present day then I guess getting a boat or airship could work? This still raises the question of from where?

What if they set it in the past? Doesn't have to be Crystal War era but either way travel to the region would then simply be by Maw. It would also mean the town would be habitable by something other than Orcs no? Unless I'm mistaken about that.

[Spira]

heh.. can't really blame julian. he doesn't play anymore to know when test server updates come.

its a nice feeling seeing the XI community get this riled up over the discovery. seems like a lot of people really want something big to happen so that they'll come back to the game.

also i didnt see it at first but i totally understand what people mean when they say it resembles tavnazia now..
stairs town is supposedly the right side of the cliff facing east correct? and i guess prontera is over the river so you can't see it.
would seem pretty close to the FMV portrayal of the city. funny thing too, because Tavnazia is the only city in FFXI that has ever been featured in FMV, and has a 'template' to follow..

but based on the FMV/game version, most of the central and western part of the rock formation have been reclaimed by nature.. so i don't exactly how how this will work out if it is tavnazia

[Kaisha]

I don't exactly recall there being any water near Tavnazia either, which is why I'm ruling it out. I'd honestly prefer a new location that isn't just on a giant arching rock and some of its surroundings below.

[Spira]

true. i like tavnazia and all, but i'd also love the see the rest of vanadiel... i mean, we've been begging to go to the far east for ages. what i think would draw me in most is something refreshing. tavnazia might feel like too much of a CoP rehash

[Tsuneo]

Maybe the zones aren't all in the same region. Perhaps, they'll be connected through Atomos or something.

[Spira]

hope not. i've had enough of all this time travel / parallel dimension atomos vomiting bs. going back to simpler times like CoP or ToA would be so much more fun...

[Tsuneo]

Yeah, it's not something I want, but I wouldn't be surprised if it ended up that way.

[Damane]

clearly: we caused a time-paradox in WotG in the past, which we distorted time so much that we land in another present day, in which Tavnazia is actually not destroyed and the main capital of Vanadiel, because the elvaan took over all of vanadiel!
or: we landed in Liliths alternate time-dimension, where Tavnazia is the only standing city against the Shadowlord and ruled by Lilisette!

[Sagacious Sundi]

It's set 20 years in the future and Tavnazia's been rebuilt.

[Apelila]

Assuming it is Tavnazia (I'd say it is more likely than another continent) then are we to assume it'll be in the present? If it is then:

A) Wouldn't it be destroyed? Last I checked the Orcs did still have control over it no?

B) As you put it Apelila, how would we get there? If it was a present day then I guess getting a boat or airship could work? This still raises the question of from where?

What if they set it in the past? Doesn't have to be Crystal War era but either way travel to the region would then simply be by Maw. It would also mean the town would be habitable by something other than Orcs no? Unless I'm mistaken about that.

A + B) The handwaves that get done currently for cutscenes that gate some players but not others. All that's needed is a point of access, the gate to Sky, like the vortex in the dunes, the cavernous maws or the ship to Aht Urgan. That last one would work the best in this scenario, just put it in Selbina on the off times like in Mhaura.

Orcs could explain the giant walls surrounding the city. And the water like i said, could be the river to the east which they built a bridge over the river and the new town on the bridge. Gate goes outside to the forest/beaches.

It's fun to hope, if only because I think its the sorest spot in all the game that Tavnazia as central a setting as it was to the story is never visited in game outside the sewers and some closets under the cathedral.

[ronin sparthos]

Given what little we've seen I'd put my money on the Mithra capital to the south given the beaches, jungle, grasslands and waterfalls. It'd pretty easy to link the rest of Vana'diel to it using an NPC which could save SE repeating another ferry zone like they did with TOAU.

Tavnazia just doesn't really have much going for it outside what it could have been for the WOTG storyline. How do you explain the city being rebuilt without going to the future or going even further into the past which would make no sense given the storyline of WOTG. An expansion built around saving Lilisette in the alternate timeline? That'd be... silly given it'd lead to another confrontation with Odin and the Shadow Lord.

What's he gonna be? Green like the Hulk this time?

I guess the Far West could make sense but we know virtually nothing of that region and those cities don't look very "advanced" compared to the Middle Lands or even Aht Urhgan. Remember, Aht had television and radios so I'd be expecting the West to have lightcycles and hovercars.

Ok ok, maybe not that advanced but I'd still expect some architectural for an area that seems to have little contact with the Middle Lands.

[Khamsin]

I don't exactly recall there being any water near Tavnazia either, which is why I'm ruling it out. I'd honestly prefer a new location that isn't just on a giant arching rock and some of its surroundings below.

Tavnazia was a peninsula turned into an island when the connecting part got blown away. They should be surrounded by water on all sides now (and on three sides in the past). Not to mention the rivers that run through there.

[fattrav]

I'll be the first to admin, I'm not that well versed in the lore of this game. I stopped paying attention when WotG came out.

With that being said, and all the cues from the devs over the past 3 years. Could we not see mini expansions for the Far East, Near East, Mithran homeland, Gigas homeland? They could just do an add on scenario for the open ends in the lore we currently have.

Charge $10 for each of them, that should generate a few mil in revenue.

I could see that giving life to the game for another year or so.

That type of "expansion" would be a big enough PR move to warrant a Vana'fest.

[Kyte]

Each one of those areas would have more than enough material for a full expansion. Why charge 10 dollars for something when you can charge 30?

Mini expansions were priced at 10 dollars because they either 1) had no new areas or 2) were just a small collection of rehashed areas.

[Gwynplaine]

Assuming it is Tavnazia (I'd say it is more likely than another continent) then are we to assume it'll be in the present? If it is then:

A) Wouldn't it be destroyed? Last I checked the Orcs did still have control over it no?

B) As you put it Apelila, how would we get there? If it was a present day then I guess getting a boat or airship could work? This still raises the question of from where?

What if they set it in the past? Doesn't have to be Crystal War era but either way travel to the region would then simply be by Maw. It would also mean the town would be habitable by something other than Orcs no? Unless I'm mistaken about that.

Grey message me some time you Irish bastard.

I think I may be like the only FFXI player who doesn't really care about Tavnazia. I mean it's neat- it would be better than Wings and Abyssea's rehashed garbage - but still I feel like it was only intended to be part of the background plot of the game. Not some supremely interesting neverland. Tavnazia represents the danger and viciousness of the Crystal War. That's all it's for. I feel like an alternate timeline do-over or revisit would miss the whole point. Just like the Star Wars prequels that completely missed the fucking point of the story of the originals. It just crammed in well known popular symbols without justification.


I'm playing it extremely skeptical, because the last 5 years of FFXI were lame and they continue to disappoint. And because Square hates their customers and hates making money (unless it's on a single player sequel that mars the original game.) This is a fact, it's in the Fact Encyclopedia stating "Square hates making money".

Anyways...

Can someone tell me if these files were actually part of the live server update? Or are they only from the test server update? It would seem odd to put seemingly unfinished stuff on the live server. And yes I'm familiar with all the past old test zones and weird junk, but that was over a decade ago and they have been much more strict since then about junk data.

One explanation for the crude re-used look of the zones textures: it could be that the zones 3D models are just using old textures for the time being before the graphic artists finish up the design. e.g. Testers can test out the models to make sure you don't fall through the world into oblivion, or get stuck in terrain etc (ahem, Jueno sticking spot). So then when the base model is given the green light the artists can make the new textures that will go on top which would make the final product look very different than what we see now. Buildings would still be buildings, tunnels would still be tunnels, but of a whole other variety.