January 2024 Version Update

Patch Notes
https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxi/threads/61400

Items
New Items - https://www.bg-wiki.com/bg/January_2024_Version_Update_Changes

I don't see any reason to stream small Ambuscade/Login campaign item updates. I will if something big comes out some day. At least I will still make these threads for new items and to keep drama somewhat contained for future reference.

Thanks funk! Keep the drama contained eh?

I don't think I'm gonna see any new visuals? but if I find anything in my scrapes I'll edit my post.

Meaning: The inevitable derailing that these threads always succumb to after every update. They might be useful when I (in the distant future) get to these updates for The History of FFXI.

Yay for SE, Monthly Obj says "Trial by (Element)" can't make this up. Kudos to first who figures out which one it is.

Since the last one was Leviathan would it not be Fenrir this time round?

It says any of the "Trial by (Element)", pick the one you want.
I just killed Titan, got the point.

Kudos to you sir! I just remember in the past they would list it as Trial by Ice but it be Fire for some reason so figured more shennanigans

Why do they even bother making the lvl 1 copy/paste lock styles? Seriously, who cares about them?

I much rather get real content than some never-to-be-used lvl 1 H2H with kick attacks +5.

has the maint and patch been applied, is the next monthly roes up?

I'd be happy with a lvl 1 Gunblade. But since that's never going to happen, I'll never be happy.

Lol

Lamia TP moves got messed up again. Of note "Imperiling Disregard" is now "Impale" for some reason and the dances are now "Petrifactive Dance," "Poisonous Dance," and "Luxurious Dance." Chastening Disregard is still named that. They must have cut their localization team/qa to the bone.

how does the patch.txt work that it downloads, is it files to check integrity for? the game isn't downloading all the dat files in that list.

The fact that this ambu changes every time it comes out makes me feel like it has to be intentional- like you don’t re-localize a mobs moves every time, that makes no sense. I almost feel like it’s some sort of mini check of players using react or something

Lizard Fangs +1 Synergy is 10 Fire (if anyone besides me cares).

But that also affects the players playing without react since turning on certain TP moves is part of the fight gimmick.

It's not an either-or decision. Of course people would rather have "real content", but that takes development resources that FFXI no longer has. Nobody was sitting around thinking "gee, should we make a new endgame event, or put that effort into making a lv1 cosmetic H2H - we can choose either one!"

So why NOT make the lockstyles? There is almost no development effort needed since the models exist anyway (bonanza weapons), if you don't care you can just not spend the login points, and it adds a unique model that some people do like using. I use the Yagyu Shortblade as a NIN offhand style lock, the gun for my ranged jobs, occasionally the dagger.

So, I guess the answer to "who cares about them?" is... me, for one.

Every time they make new a cosmetic it is a choice to burn that time on it instead of fix something or adjust something or add something else.

It is always zero sum. And yes, despite thinking a cosmetic item is only like a 10 minute thing. It's not. Add 500 hand delivered sketches and manual approvals. Gotta love the speed of business. Entire board meetings went into allocating the time to make those.

You think they need 500 hand delivered sketches for an item that already exists in the game...?

>copy paste a number into the table
"nailed i...." no wait, I can do more..
>+10 fire
"perfection"

Eiryl thinks reskinning an already existing piece of equipment is hours of work.

10 minutes, max.

Fujito let slip they have a stash of models that never made it into the dats, too - that's where the "new" MT dagger came from. It's likely been years since they've had artists working on anything in-game. Swapping texture colors on a bed or what have you probably takes more than ten minutes, but it's definitely intern work.

There would have been artists involved to make some of the newer merch we've seen, but that's a different mithkabob. Oh, and I guess someone drew the Vanabout logo, too.

I don't social media so I'd never win, but I always thought the shield design contest thingy was a great idea. One of the few ways to get the community involved in something design related.

For a japanese company with their business model. It might even be a god damn thousand.

Anything to avoid doing something that matters.

What it should be: a 5 second recolor and hit enter

What it is: Day one business meeting, address want of a new cosmetic. Day two, address if it should be weapon or armor. Day three which weapon type. Day four literally draw it and send it to every human in the building. Day five decide it's too dark, do it again. Day 6-13 literally asking every human in the building if it's ok; approval. Day 14 drunken circle jerk exclaiming how much the (japanse) players love cosmetic trash.

Playonline is a Square Enix owned business too, and that's still running. So that's an extra cost and possibly staff too, not like it does much anymore but it still needs to be managed.

Even assuming this is entirely true, that's still a tiny tiny fraction of the time it would take to create actual new content (which will also have to deal with the same kind of bureaucratic hurdles, likely to an even more burdensome level).

They could spend more time than is necessary every single month for the next five years on BS cosmetics, mounts, swapping out limited time trusts, whatever. Add all that time up and it's still not enough to have created compelling new content. And if they did have the capacity to do new content, you can bet it's going to XIV instead of XI.

So, no, despite it being a zero-sum game, doing this relatively low value cosmetic stuff is not a choice that is preventing any meaningful new FFXI game development.

I happen to be one of the people who think the (low) level of effort is commensurate with the resulting product. Worth it to me.

is it even a recolor, or is it just the bonanza weapon dat? I have a feeling they spend more time typing the stats, such as they are, into the weapon window, and that isn't exactly an indepth process. then again, this month we have "Trial by (Element)" as a monthly Deeds objective, sooo...

Pretty sure they're just clones eyeballing the pics on the POL login point campaign and comparing to the pic linked on the bonanza page.

It's worth pointing out that they have added quite a bit of stuff in the past year however, to keep stuff in perspective.

Mainly recolors and stuff but still.

Also what is this from, I don't recognize it from anything (dat from the end of last year).

I'd guess monster rearing, but I thought the Lynx was fully grown when it evolved. Maybe they just added it for the sake of bloat.