Alpha First Look: Video 2 - New Gridania - 11/08/12

[Cichy]

I also appreciate how loud-and-clear each class guild is labeled with big red/black banners. The small docks got me curious where one might be able to take water-based transportation out of the Black Shroud.

They really took that "copy-pasta" criticism to heart, nothing looks obviously reused at first glance here (unless you're really looking for tree models and whatnot). It also looks like they got water refraction looking good (the posts of the dock can be seen through the water), now I'm just waiting for dynamic reflections though I'm not sure if I'll hold my breath for that one although it may have just been a shortcoming of Crystal Tools as XIII couldn't do it either.

I was wondering the same thing. The npc has "transportation" above his head and it's obviously not a airship dock. Maybe a quick way to get to some zones.

[Balb]

Anxious to see how some of the other guild buildings/areas will be done, loved the new look of the lancer guild. So much more color and personality to the town and the music fits beautifully. Very pleased so far with what I'm seeing.

[Kurokikaze]

SE needs to learn how to showcase a game... That video is pretty embarrassing to look at after seeing this:

[Lucavi]

Would that be possible with an online MMO game? To get those high res mods on your local machine but it still runs well online?

PC-only, I believe so. Console-enabled, I don't believe so. You can do anything with a powerful enough processor, enough ram, and enough power within your cards. There comes the point, of course, where you're excluding a market of players if you're "only" focusing on that power, but I'd love to see a moddable game that would allow for people to perform such visual upgrades to it.

[Lokus]

Was hoping ARR would keep a seamless world but if it means I don't have to run through a 5 minute long tunnel full of nothing, it's fine.

[millionsknives]

SE needs to learn how to showcase a game... That video is pretty embarrassing to look at after seeing this:

Their marketing department needs a kick in the face as big as FFXIV's development team got. This video is still too similar in form to the original game launch.

I went to Distant Worlds last week, and on each seat was a flyer about ARR. All it had was the logo taking up the top half of the page, and then a QR code, with mention that it'll take you to an exclusive website where you can sign up for the Alpha - which took up the second half of the page. No where did it mention any of the major changes, that this was a relaunch of an entire new game, no pictures of the new game, or info what'll be happening etc. Everyone there glanced at the flyer and just threw it away. For all they knew it was just an expansion pack to a game they know got terrible reviews.

It was crazy SE just wasted an opportunity to market the relaunch to nearly 6,000 FF fans in one go. It actually made me angry because it was such a half assed attempt compared to just doing nothing at all haha!

[drwaffles]

SE needs to learn how to showcase a game... That video is pretty embarrassing to look at after seeing this:

I'm not white-knighting or anything, but to be fair this is just a quick look at one small bit of the Alpha, not a 'look at our amazing game that's coming out' PR video.

As a side-note that TESO video left me cold anyway. Another cookie-cutter MMO but with an Elder Scrolls veneer to try and differentiate it? Colour me bored.

[miokomioko]

Was hoping ARR would keep a seamless world but if it means I don't have to run through a 5 minute long tunnel full of nothing, it's fine.

It's pretty much a trade-off between seamless-looking zones with weird player/mob/NPC loading issues at the invisible borders between active chunks of the map or just slick and obvious zone lines. Hopefully, they'll allow for a town/shout channel that spans across all the zones within a town now that they've officially divided them up.

[blindSharingan]

SE needs to learn how to showcase a game... That video is pretty embarrassing to look at after seeing this:

I've kind of assumed that the alpha videos are really meant more to satisfy the current player base/fans with 2.0 info rather than being intended as a general advertisement.

Also nothing I've seen of Elder Scrolls Online has got me interested and I actually love the single player games. :-/ To each their own though I suppose.

[Seravi Edalborez]

As someone who has been eternally pessimistic about ARR since the moment it was announced... I'm actually getting my hopes up a bit from this footage. Just the little things like others have mentioned: clearly-drawn XII-esque zone lines, guild signposts, functional NPC titles, and goddamn jumping off of ledges.

May need to bite my tongue after all my bitching about how ARR has thus far just been "it looks prettier". Maybe.

[solracht]

Another cookie-cutter MMO but with an Elder Scrolls veneer to try and differentiate it? Colour me bored.

Why are you here if you dislike cookie-cutter MMOs? This game is doing the same thing but with a FF flavor.

[Lokus]

It's pretty much a trade-off between seamless-looking zones with weird player/mob/NPC loading issues at the invisible borders between active chunks of the map or just slick and obvious zone lines. Hopefully, they'll allow for a town/shout channel that spans across all the zones within a town now that they've officially divided them up.

Defintely not going to miss dying instantly to an invisible scorpion. Also, I hope the transitions between zones make a bit of sense/are smooth at least. Looking at you Meripatau/Zi'tah. Some fluff at the zone lines so you can see the changes coming would do well to build a nice world.

[drwaffles]

Why are you here if you dislike cookie-cutter MMOs? This game is doing the same thing but with a FF flavor.

When did I imply anything different? Like I said I wasn't white-knighting, just pointing out that the two videos aren't comparable because they're not trying to achieve the same things.

[miokomioko]

Also, I hope the transitions between zones make a bit of sense/are smooth at least. Looking at you Meripatau/Zi'tah. Some fluff at the zone lines so you can see the changes coming would do well to build a nice world.

Yes, this. Hopefully as you approach the Black Shroud from Thanalan, the amount of foliage increases so it makes some sense (and the amount of foliage decreases as you do the opposite). I have a feeling they might pull this off just because of how much time seems to have been spent constructing the environments we've seen from ARR as opposed to Legacy's construction of zones out of a tile set of like 10 pieces rotated in different directions.

[Croy]

Yes, this. Hopefully as you approach the Black Shroud from Thanalan, the amount of foliage increases so it makes some sense (and the amount of foliage decreases as you do the opposite). I have a feeling they might pull this off just because of how much time seems to have been spent constructing the environments we've seen from ARR as opposed to Legacy's construction of zones out of a tile set of like 10 pieces rotated in different directions.

We also have the 'monuments' to help with zone transition. In the North Black Shroud concept map they revealed last year the monument in the North West corner is the mountain vista going into Coerthas and to the South is the Ancient Eorzea Stratum which appears to be replacing Black Shroud West (since that area isn't in Alpha unlike the other 4 zones). Its possible Black Shroud west becomes a new zone in the Mor Dhona region since that place has at most enough space for 2 zones with everything centered around the big lake. In fact the changes to Coerthas and Mor Dhona are the ones I'm really looking forward to the most since we really haven't seen much if anything on them or how they are getting split.

[Stanislaw]

Looking at you Meripatau/Zi'tah.

Thanalan/Black Shroud zoning is pretty bad too when you think about it. XD

Oh, and all Mor Dhona ones too.

[Grey Jorildyn]

I just hope the loading screens are interesting and not pitch black nothingness. The entire experience must be immersive, even when waiting.

[Kurokikaze]

I just hope the loading screens are interesting and not pitch black nothingness. The entire experience must be immersive, even when waiting.

As you can see from this video... They are not. lol

[shepardG]

DAT BOUNCING TAIL.... HGGGNNNNGHHHH

[Raldo]

I just hope the loading screens are interesting and not pitch black nothingness. The entire experience must be immersive, even when waiting.

I would like to see some concept art of the zone you're entering into (even if it's the same concept art every time), but at least they put up some words that tell you what zone you're entering. That's already one-up on the ol' 1.0 black screen.