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What role
will this Leviathian-like creature play in FFXIV?
Sony created quite the buzz at E3 2009 when it announced
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/68833" target="_blank">
style="font-style: italic;">Final Fantasy XIV Online
launching on the Playstation 3 console in 2010. Ten Ton Hammer got busy
to bring you
target="_blank">the first fourteen screenshots
from the official website. Next,
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/69177" target="_blank">G4
started digging for answers to some pressing questions.
href="http://ps3.ign.com/articles/991/991483p1.html"
target="_blank">IGN brought some questions to SE,
too. Then came the
target="_blank">Square Enix press conference.
After that,
href="http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/story.html?story=18289"
target="_blank">ZAM got in on the action. Now
there is so much great FFXIV information available that its hard to
keep it all organized. Ten Ton Hammer is here to help, offering a FFXIV
Roundup to get you caught up to speed with all of the data conveniently
located in one place.
Is FFXIV MMO?
Yes, Square Enix confirmed that the title will be an MMO
during its press conference. SE noted, Our plan from the beginning was
to make the best Final
Fantasy game available. That is our vision for XIV. Then
we thought, how can we make the best FF game? We came to the conclusion
that it would be an MMORPG. It was decided to make the best FF first,
and that led to the decision to make it an MMORPG and use that genre.
Playstation 3 Only?
No, the official FFXIV website confirms a
simultaneous launch on PS3 and PC. SE has stated that it would keep all
options open, meaning an eventual launch on Xbox 360 is possible. It is
worth noting that Sony never said the game would be exclusive to the
PS3. Jack Tretton (President and CEO of SCEA) said that PS3 was the
only console
for FFXIV at launch.
Though his statement didnt explicitly say it, his words clearly did
not exclude the simultaneous PC launch or a delayed Xbox 360 launch.
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You can
play this on your PS3 or PC at launch.
Is FFXIV a sequel to FFXI?
SE has revealed a few connections to FFXI but maintains that
FFXIV is its own game. First, the races revealed so far intentionally
are similar to those in
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/211"
target="_blank">Final
Fantasy XI so that players of SEs first MMO
would have an easier time getting into FFXIV. Second, FFXIV will
feature some kind of job system like the one seen in FFXI, but
progression will be different. Aside from those elements, FFXIV is a
new game. Characters from FFXI will NOT transfer to FFXIV in any way.
When will FFXIV launch, and
when will it be in beta?
The best timeline for FFXIV must be deduced from statements SE
has made. The company told the press that FFXIV will launch after
FFXIII, a console RPG scheduled to release in Spring 2010, which places
that title between the months of April and June in 2010. This means
FFXIV could release any time between June and December 2010.
SE also said that it would like to beta test FFXIV longer than
it did FFXI prior to release. FFXI was in beta for three to four
months. Pick any date between June and December 2010 as launch and go
back at least five months to find the possible start for the beta.
Will FFXIV use PlayOnline?
SE
will not use PlayOnline, but the company told ZAM that owners of the
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/66120" target="_blank">Square
Enix Security Token could use the device to protect their
FFXIV accounts.
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Is that a
Gria?
What races are in FFXIV?
SE has mentioned that the E3 video, viewable on
href="http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/" target="_blank">the
official FFXIV website, shows races very similar to five
players met in FFXI: Hume, Galka, Elvaan, Mithra, and Tarutaru.
Additionally, the scrolling mural on the official website may hint at a
new race. The far left of the picture shows a group of four people
talking. The left-most is a Mithra. The third is Elvaan, and the fourth
is either Hume or Elvaan. The person in the second position has horns
protruding from her head, which is reminiscent of the Gria race shown
in Final Fantasy
games based in the world of Ivalice (see
style="font-style: italic;">Final Fantasy Tactics
and Final Fantasy XII).
While this image is not confirmed as revealing a Gria, it
opens speculation that other races from Ivalice might be playable too.
Those races would include the fan favorite Moogles, the hearty Bangaa,
the powerful Seeq, the agile Viera, and the clever Nu Mou.
What classes are in FFXIV?
The short answer is that no one knows yet. SE has indicated
that FFXIV will use a job system like the one so popular in FFXI, but
the company also said that it would feel different from the one in its
previous MMO. Most of the speculation in this area stems from the SE
response to IGNs question about the importance of weapons. SE told IGN
that weapons greatly influence character development and that fans
should inspect the FFXIV logo for clues. SE further explained that the
concept is a wheel of warriors trying to cover the backs of their
comrades.
Popular theories for the meaning of these clues is that
weapons will grant stat bonuses as people use them or that they will
define the job of the character equipping them and have abilities that
can be learned from them.
The FFXIV logo displays what appears to be a group of casters
and support jobs surrounded by allies with short- and long-range melee
weapons, prompting speculation that combat may involve a front and rear
guard with casters in the middle.
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What clues
are hidden in the FFXIV logo?
Will the same character be
able to learn any job?
The answer to this question is unknown at this time. SE
admitted that character development is the main focus of FFXIV and that
it will not involve a traditional experience points system. This has
led to conjecture that the game will employ a skill up system like the
one used in
target="_blank">Darkfall
or an Ability Points (AP) system like the one used in
style="font-style: italic;">Final Fantasy Tactics.
A skill up system would result in a character getting better
at wielding long swords the longer he fights with them. Meanwhile, the
AP system has players earn points to unlock abilities. AP earned while
a white mage could only buy white mage abilities.
Does the E3 video have any
real gameplay in it?
SE has divulged that a small section of the E3 trailer
contained footage generated from the game engine. This portion of the
video shows a battle on board a ship.
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/68909" target="_blank">The
most popular still from the battle features a Galka
with a pole arm squaring off against tentacled sea creatures in the
pouring rain. The game engine footage also includes
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/68904" target="_blank">enemies
boarding the ship and a group of adventurers
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/68907" target="_blank">encased
in a magical sphere.
What will combat be like?
SE has promised a combat system that employs strategical
thinking and that may feature many enemies attacking at once.
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What will
your hero look like?
Where will FFXIV release
first?
SE plans a worldwide simultaneous launch of FFXIV with
translations in Japanese, English, French, and German.
Will servers be restricted
to regions?
SE will evaluate this further during beta. The developer seems
to value the interaction of players from all over the world on the same
server, but it also notes that players naturally segregated themselves
in FFXI anyway.
What is the target server
capacity?
5000-6000 users.
Will FFIV charge a monthly
subscription fee?
Yes, SE has revealed that it plans to allow billing increments
of 30 days. It is assumed that this means players can purchase
month-to-month or in any increments of 30 days.
Will FFIV have solo content?
SE vows to have content for solo players and groups. The team
knows how much RPG players value a solid story and wants to provide an
experience that allows for different play styles and time commitments.
Will FFXIV use a level sync
system like FFXI that allows stronger players to group with weaker ones?
Yes.
Will FFXIV have chocobos?
The E3 trailer features a chocobo. Its
style="font-style: italic;">Final Fantasy. It
will have chocobos.
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Could those
crystals be Materia?
Will FFXIV focus on crystals
in any way?
Crystals are a common theme in the
style="font-style: italic;">Final Fantasy
mythos, and they look to return in FFXIV. Even so, SE promises they
will work a bit differently than in FFXI. This stance and careful
inspection of the mural on the official site has led to conjecture that
FFXIV may feature material, a type of crystals used to learn skills in
style="font-style: italic;">Final Fantasy VII.
The mural on the official site presents a belt filled with
crystals on a table in the right side of the image. The group of four
people on the left that might include a Gria also contains an Elvaan
who could be tossing a crystal into the air or causing it to hover
above his hand. Its also possible that the crystal is hovering in the
background (there are others back there) and the Elvaans hand is
raised in a gesture.
Parting Thoughts
Ten Ton Hammer will continue to follow the development of
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/2079"
target="_blank">Final
Fantasy XIV to bring its readers the
most current information available. In the meantime, discuss FFXIV
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/" target="_blank">in
our forums.
To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn Game Page.
