[Dev] Letter From The Producer

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[Dev] Letter from the Producer
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By Kalila 2013-07-24 07:13:19
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FINAL FANTASY XIV Letter from the Producer LIVE Part VII
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Previous Videos:
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By Kalila 2013-07-24 07:23:10
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It looks like this was streamed in May, oh well, placeholder topic I guess ._.;
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By Sylph.Mizzou 2013-07-24 09:07:58
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Perhaps replace with "coming soon" and add this link under a Previous Videos--May....

Either way, thanks for being as anxious as me :)
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By Kalila 2013-07-25 14:22:53
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07-25-2013 06:01 AM
[source]
Naoki Yoshida
Dev Team

Letter from the Producer, XLVIII (07/25/2013)

Hello again to all of you eagerly awaiting FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn. With only a month left until release, the office is a bedlam of system schematics, game designs, and empty Red Bull cans. Even so, I couldn't go another minute without sending out my forty-eighth letter!

First, I'd like to thank everyone who participated in phase 3 of the beta test. Although character data had to be deleted at the end, players tested every nook and cranny of the game, providing us with a great deal of feedback. The development team and I can't thank you enough for all your help.

As we continue to address all the feedback from phase 3, we're squashing out a few final bugs, and making some last minute adjustments to the end game battles.

Completing the main scenario will get players to level 50, but the adventure doesn't end there. Being an online game, there'll be regular updates to continue the story. So even if you reach the level cap shortly after release, there's no reason to think you've hit the top. Considering all the plans we have for the game, you may want to get comfortable and prepare for a long stay in Eorzea.

Let me use the phase 3 Ifrit battle as an example. Although this battle is a level 20 encounter in the main story, after reaching level 50 you can take on a harder version. Anyone looking to earn weapons from the primals will have to overcome these higher level fights.

The various encounters we've created were designed with a hierarchy in mind, and as players progress through each tier, they'll naturally collect an optimal set of gear for that tier. All jobs were equipped with this optimal gear when we conducted our tests. We've calculated the maximum DPS for these battles down to the decimal, but it's up to you guys to show us what you're made of and reach for that level of precision.
(We've used debug commands to monitor DPS during our tests, and the numbers are intense.)

Because these fights are so tough, it wasn't enough to play with just the battle team and myself. Thankfully, we managed to reel in a few dedicated gamers from the other departments to help with our testing. (Thank you so much guys!)

With that said, I think it's time for a long overdue dose of screenshots.


Titan—the indomitable mountain! You got a glimpse of him during the Crystal's Call trailer, but soon enough you'll have the chance to go toe to toe with this gargantuan fiend. You'll encounter him first during the main story in a four person battle, but in hard mode you'll need eight players to take him down. Just wait until you see the extreme mode battle we're working on.

I somehow managed to stay alive to take screenshots, but with all my running around, there was no time to actually try and defeat him. I was about to get serious, but then came the fist.


Before I knew it, I'd fallen out of the ring just like everyone else. We're all pretty serious gamers so it was a bit of a shock. Trying to keep straight faces, we couldn't help but laugh as he took us down one by one.


We even toned it down a bit because we thought the damage may be a little high. Or so I thought.


Translation
(Anonymous A): Tumult damage was reduced by 15%.
(Anonymous A): But I thought that'd make it too easy, so I also raised its ??? 20%.
(Anonymous B): Hahahaha.
(Producer Director): rofl
(Anonymous A): That's all.
Screenshot saved.
(Producer Director): I've got to get this
(Producer Director): in the next Letter from the Producer.

We'll be making adjustments to really push these fights to the brink. A perfectly timed level 3 limit break just might be the difference between victory and defeat


Here's another high level dungeon for four players. Naturally we've covered up a few things to prevent spoilers, but you guys seem to have a knack for figuring things out. This is sure to be another exciting life and death battle, and Demon Wall is only the mid-dungeon boss! Who or what could be waiting at the end?


I know players from Version 1.0 are curious about their relic weapons, and this picture may give you an idea of what's in store for that quest.
(The quest name in parenthesis came from a debug command, so no need to decipher it.)
We hope you'll enjoy the changes we've made in your quest to acquire the ultimate weapon.

As a gamer, I use a lot of different keyboard and gamepad setups at home, but all of our tests for FFXIV: ARR have been done using a standard gamepad. Checking how difficult it was to finish battles and how much DPS we could put out, we'll do final checks and double checks of everything once gamepad performance is where we want it.

Although we're making a product, it truly is a pleasure to be engrossed in this game all day. Final adjustments to the later battles are well underway, and soon everyone will be having as much fun as we are, and then some.

Thank you again to all the players around the world who took the time to test our game, and to the players from Version 1.0 who've supported us from the beginning. Release day is on the horizon, and we'll continue to give it our all to provide you with a great gaming experience.

I have to go for now, but I'll see you all soon in my eighth LIVE letter. Until next time!
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By Siren.Kunimatsu 2013-07-25 16:24:48
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The thought of there being hardmode as well as an extreme mode for some battles excites me greatly.
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By Bahamut.Mizuharu 2013-07-25 18:32:19
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Siren.Kunimatsu said: »
The thought of there being hardmode as well as an extreme mode for some battles excites me greatly.

In 1.0, there was
It Kills With Fire (Ifrit storyline/easy mode)
Ifrit Bleeds, We Can Kill It (hard mode with primal weapons)
A Relic Reborn (Ifrit Extreme)

In each fight, you'd have to kill these fetters that appeared, or "nails" as players would call them. Easy mode had 1, Hard had 4 (killing at least two made Inferno survivable, but good DDs could kill all 4.) and then extreme had three Hellfires. First at 85% with 4 nails, then 8 at 60%, then 13 at 30%. It was a hell of a fight for players.

... I still consider In For A Garuda Wakening more of a *** fight. Stupid tornados....
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By Phoenix.Kojo 2013-07-26 08:16:43
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Bahamut.Mizuharu said: »
Siren.Kunimatsu said: »
The thought of there being hardmode as well as an extreme mode for some battles excites me greatly.

In 1.0, there was
It Kills With Fire (Ifrit storyline/easy mode)
Ifrit Bleeds, We Can Kill It (hard mode with primal weapons)
A Relic Reborn (Ifrit Extreme)

In each fight, you'd have to kill these fetters that appeared, or "nails" as players would call them. Easy mode had 1, Hard had 4 (killing at least two made Inferno survivable, but good DDs could kill all 4.) and then extreme had three Hellfires. First at 85% with 4 nails, then 8 at 16%, then 13 at 30%. It was a hell of a fight for players.

... I still consider In For A Garuda Wakening more of a *** fight. Stupid tornados....

Oh...no... ; ; Previously, we have be shown that it's ih-freet, now they are using it in a pun as ih-fritt.

/headexplode
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By Kalila 2013-07-26 08:50:18
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Begins:
Aug 08, 2013 5:00 PST
Ends:
Aug 08, 2013 12:00 PST
Automatically converted to your time zone

07-26-2013 03:55 AM
[source]
Gildrein
Community Rep

Ask Your Questions for Letter from the Producer LIVE, Part VIII!

Greetings, adventurers!

We're pleased to announce that the next Letter from the Producer LIVE, Part VIII will take place on Thursday, August 8, 2013, from 5:00 a.m. (PDT) / Thursday, August 8, 2013, from 12:00 (GMT)!

In addition to collecting your questions in real-time via Twitter, we will also use this thread to gather questions ahead of time for another chance to have your questions answered during the event.

Therefore, when submitting a question, we ask that you follow these steps:

Please post your questions as a reply to this thread
Please limit posts to questions only and do not use this thread for discussion
If another player already asked a question you agree with, simply click the "Like!" button instead of re-posting the question
Please post only one question per reply (of course you are allowed to post several replies!)


For more information regarding the Letter from the Producer LIVE, please click the following: NA / EU

Please note that once the event is over, we will be closing this thread.
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By Bahamut.Mizuharu 2013-07-26 09:56:05
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Phoenix.Kojo said: »
Bahamut.Mizuharu said: »
Siren.Kunimatsu said: »
The thought of there being hardmode as well as an extreme mode for some battles excites me greatly.

In 1.0, there was
It Kills With Fire (Ifrit storyline/easy mode)
Ifrit Bleeds, We Can Kill It (hard mode with primal weapons)
A Relic Reborn (Ifrit Extreme)

In each fight, you'd have to kill these fetters that appeared, or "nails" as players would call them. Easy mode had 1, Hard had 4 (killing at least two made Inferno survivable, but good DDs could kill all 4.) and then extreme had three Hellfires. First at 85% with 4 nails, then 8 at 16%, then 13 at 30%. It was a hell of a fight for players.

... I still consider In For A Garuda Wakening more of a *** fight. Stupid tornados....

Oh...no... ; ; Previously, we have be shown that it's ih-freet, now they are using it in a pun as ih-fritt.

/headexplode

They meant it to be said as If-reet Bleeds, We Can Kill It. The pun isn't so much making it pronounced like "If it", but rather just showing a close similarity to "If it bleeds, we can kill it". Kinda like "In for a rude awakening" is the base for "In For A Ga-ru-da Wakening"

And my question for the live letter was if Bahamut Eggi was possible or not. >:o

Technically it should be... Since the whole point of the Eggi's was because it'd be against the lore if we were able to summon the primals every time a summoner wanted to... What, with they destroying the land and all that jazz.
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By Kalila 2013-08-06 07:13:19
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Still 2 days until the stream, but here is the video url:

http://www.youtube.com/user/FINALFANTASYXIV?v=-oLdgjimrUQ

FINAL FANTASY XIV Letter from the Producer LIVE Part VIII
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By Kalila 2013-08-07 17:03:10
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08-07-2013 01:32 PM
[source]
Bayohne
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Letter from the Producer LIVE Part VIII Q&A Updates

At the start of the broadcast, we'll be using this thread to post the Q&A from the Letter from the Producer LIVE Part VIII!

Watch the stream live at: http://www.twitch.tv/finalfantasyxiv

As we'll be updating this thread constantly throughout the event, make sure to reload every so often! We'll be posting the questions that Yoshida answers to Twitter and linking to this thread for the answers. However, please keep in mind that translations won't be occurring in real-time.

Please note that after we create the full Q&A summary, it will be posted in the normal "Letter from the Producer" forum and this thread will be removed. While we will prepare the full Q&A summary after the event, there will not be subtitles made available for the video after the fact.

See you back here at 5 a.m. (PDT) / 8 a.m. (EDT) / 12:00 (GMT)
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By Kalila 2013-08-08 07:13:14
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bumping to remind everyone that the stream has started (actually looks like it's been going on for an hour already ._.)
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By Valefor.Ivaan 2013-08-08 08:49:23
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if you dont wanna skip through the video:

open beta: aug 17-19

early access 24-26
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By Kalila 2013-08-08 10:48:59
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08-08-2013 07:25 AM
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Bayohne
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Letter from the Producer LIVE Part VIII Q&A Updates

Q1: When is Open Beta and Early Access?

A1: Beta Test phase 4 will run from August 17-19. Those who participated in the Beta Test phase 3 will be able to participate from August 16th. Early access will run from August 24th until the 26th with official service begins on August 27th, but the servers won't go down after Early Access, so you'll be able to play non-stop from August 24th.



Q2: What type of restrictions (including the level cap) will be implemented in phase 4?

A2: First, the level cap for phase 4 will be set to level 20. Therefore, game content will also be restricted to that which can be done within level 20. Please note that the content itself is exactly the same as the retail version of ARR.



Q3: The characters we create in Beta Test phase 4 will carry over to the official release, but will the items, quests, and other data besides our appearance also be carried over?

A3: Yes, everything will be carried over.



Q4: Will a screenshot feature be added to the PlayStation 3 version in Beta Test phase 4?

A4: Yes, we will be implementing this.



Q5: Will the arcanist class be available in phase 4?

A5: Yes, it will be available in phase 4!



Q6: Is there anything you would like for us to test specifically in phase 4?

A6: There are two things we would like you to test in phase 4.

First, we are planning to do a stress test on the housing area (mainly to see how the graphics will stress the system). A housing area will be released in the La Noscea area during the stress test so please come check it out!

Second, the PvP system. While the content was referred to as the “Coliseum” up until now, we have changed it and it is now known as the “Wolves’ Den.” We would like the players to test the basics of the PvP system (i.e. attack ranges, etc.). Therefore, the PvP-specific actions will not be available during the PvP test.

Therefore, you will only be able to use your basic attacks at this time.
However, you must be level 30 to enter the “Wolves’ Den.” Since the level cap of phase 4 is set to 20, we will need the assistance from our Legacy players to test the system out.



Q7: Will the arcanist’s attribute points be shared between summoner and scholar?

A7: No, they will not be shared.



Q8: Are there any plans to implement additional egi?

A8: If we were going to implement additional egi, it would be when we raise the level cap.



Q9: Can you show us some in-game footage of the arcanist, summoner, and scholar?

A9: [In-game footage was shown]



Q10: Just like how arcanist has summoner and scholar with differing roles, I’m sure in the future there will be other classes that have different branching roles. What kind of jobs are you planning to add to classes?

A10: Of course we have plans. It's probably a bit early to talk about this, but we are of course thinking about plans for how to continue development with the expansion we are referring to as 3.0 and other patches.



Q11: Will there be any additional payment methods other than credit card and Square Enix Crysta?

A11: Yes, we are planning to introduce "game time cards" which can be purchased at your nearest electronic store or convenience store. Players will be able to purchase game time for 30 days, 60 days, and also be able to choose from a variety of designs. These designs will be available in other countries as well so please stay tuned!

(Please note that these details may vary from region to region.)



Q12: Are you planning to have a world transfer service?

A12: As this is a game with world barriers, we will be preparing this service so you can move to the same world as old friends as well as new people you meet and become friends with through the Duty Finder. We plan on starting this fee-based service that will allow you to transfer to the world of your choice around 2-3 weeks after launch. Once we have finalized the details we will be sure to let you know.



Q13: When will the smart phone application be released?

A13: We are currently planning to release the application a week after launch. Please note that the application can be used free of charge.

The application will initially be released for iOS and is named “Libra Eorzea.” Players will be able to view their character information, stats of items, quests, instanced dungeons, etc.

Also, the application will be linked with the database that will be placed on the Lodestone.



Q14: In the Player Feedback Status List you mentioned "it's thought that players would wait until the last minute to repair gear. Doing this would cause a lot of stress worrying about gear damage while playing content when your gear is nearly broken, so we've made it so that regardless of when you repair your gear the cost does not change.” However, this is a strange reason to do this. Please go into more details about the thought process behind this.

A14: As you've said, it shouldn't be a flat rate. Sorry about that. We missed this edit. In Beta Test phase 4, the repair cost will change depending on the amount of durability remaining instead of a flat rate. By the way, when retrying primal battles and such, gear durability will be reduced quite a bit, so we will be easing up on the penalties when the entire party wipes.



Q15: Will we ever be able to transfer item/gil between characters on the same account and World?

A15: We currently have no plans to implement this feature do to various reason such as preventing RMT from abusing the feature.



Q16: What features will we be able to change in the barber shop?

A16: You will be able to change your character’s hairstyle, hair color, eye color, face paint, color of the face paint, and beard.

We currently plan to release the barber shop feature in patch 2.1 (initial patch), so please don't stress too much when creating your character!



Q17: When will be able to obtain the new “heat resistant” gear?

A17: The new “heat resistant” gear will be available during one of the seasonal events called the “Moonfire Faire.” The seasonal event should be introduced around a week after launch. Please note that the heat resistant gear will be swimsuits!



Q18: Will the primal battles be the same as what they were in 1.0?

A18: There are slight changes (some of the elements are moved around, introduced a variety of visual notifications, etc.) made to the primal battles. Even the 1.0 players will be surprised of the changes. Please stay tuned!



Q19: Please tell us what kind of bosses and mechanics are waiting for us in the Great Labyrinth of Bahamut and the Crystal Tower. Will primal equipment be necessary?

A19: As there are most likely newcomers watching, let me explain simply to start off. The Great Labyrinth of Bahamut will be the hardest content at the start of ARR for a while. It will contain a lot of things such as what happened after the Seventh Umbral event. While I can’t really say too much about the mechanics, there will bosses that can only be defeated by performing certain actions and that have different phases. Without having a party that can deal the proper amount of damage, you won’t be able to move past certain phases. Additionally, there will be shared damage type of attacks that you will need to have 4 people get hit by, as well as have a certain character act as a channeler for the damage. There will be a lot of different elements present.

The Crystal Tower is content that can be undertaken by a 24 person party. I don’t think that difficulty is really that hard, and we’ve adjusted it so it’s something that can be enjoyed by everyone.



Q20: Will we ever be able to send tells from within an instanced area?

A20: While the feature can be implemented, it’s currently masked. It’s currently masked because we would like to prevent players from harassing each other just because they know they would never party together in the future. We will continue to monitor the situation carefully as we move forward.



Q21: Will we be able to fight the primal “Good King Moggle Mog XII” in ARR?

A21: “Good King Moggle Mog XII” will be introduced in patch 2.1. Oh, on a side note, we plan to implement “extreme” versions of all the primals!



Q22: We’ve already seen chocobos and magitek armor mounts, but will you be adding even more?

A22: [Video introduces the unicorn mount.]



Q23: You previously mentioned that you might restrict the number of times we are able to roll a NEED on loot. Have you decided if any restrictions will be in place?

A23: After discussing the matter internally, we have decided not to implement any restrictions on the looting system.



Q24: The starting stats are different for each race, but will these variations only be marginal when reaching level 50 or will differences arise?

A24: It will be marginal.



Q25: When will the job-specific armor for the companions be implemented?

A25: They will be available at launch.



Q26: If you make it possible to transfer items between characters on the same account, and you can transfer relics or other Unique/Untradable items, would it be possible to equip them on the character you transfer the items to?

A26: No, if it’s for the above stated items, you wouldn’t be able to equip them unless they were acquired on that character.



Q27: Can you show us any images of the furniture that we can place within our houses?

A27: [Artwork shown]



Q28: I’ve heard that there is going to be a darklight armor for white mages. Is this true?

A28: Yes, it is true!



Q29: What’s the status of the marriage system?

A29: We’d like to implement this as soon as possible in a way you can invite a lot of people.



Q30: Is there any new information on the “rare weapon apperance” system?

A30: After discussing the matter internally, we came to a conclusion that we are not ready to implement the system because of the various unique-looking weapons we have in the game. The basic idea behind the system is that players will be able to change the appearance of their weapon to something unique. It’s strictly a visual thing and it won’t have any impact on the stats.



Q31: In addition to primal battles, will you also be implementing hard-mode for instanced dungeons?

A31: Yes, we will.



Q32: There are a number of primal battles in ARR, but will there be a Morbol’s Wrath kind of primal battle?

A32: Well, we’ve implemented a high level morbol FATE, so please try and find it!



Q33: Show us the Ul'dah and Gridania housing areas!

A33: We should be able to show you next Letter from the Producer LIVE.



Q34: Are there any surprise announcements you are hiding and planning to mention right before launch?

A34: I’m pretty sure we said quite a lot today...



Q35: Will the Free Company housing be in the area of the Grand Company we belong to?

A35: There are no real restrictions on this, so you can build your house in the location of your choice.



Q36: What's the status of the treasure map idea?

A36: Being able to play this content is not very far away. We are planning on fleshing out the system for a beastmen tribe related to treasure maps.



Q37: Will housing areas be implemented in Coerthas and Ishgard in the future?

A37: After implementing the housing area in the initial three regions, we will add housing areas to other regions if we receive enough requests!



Q38: Will you be able to have your minions run loose in your house or set them up as furniture?

A38: I think it would be possible, so I will let the lead know.



Q39: When we change our grand company, we are unable to equip any of our previous grand company gear. Could you let us convert our previous gear into seals?

A39: We would like our players to choose their grand company based on their play styles. This also means that we assume players may go back to their original grand company at some point. Therefore, we currently have no plans to implement a trade-in feature.



Q40: When randomly choosing content through the Duty Finder you said that the rewards will become significantly better, but exactly what kind of rewards get better?

A40: The percentage of tokens you can obtain will increase. We’ve decided to implement this once we add a bit more level 50 dungeons.



Q41: I heard that you can reallocate your attribute points, but will this be something you can do easily multiple times?

A41: It won’t be something you can do so easily. For example, it’s not like you will be able to allocate them so today you can challenge the Great Labyrinth of Bahamut as scholar, and tomorrow allocate them so you can go as summoner.



Q42: Could you show us some in-game footage of PvP?

A42: [In-game footage of the PvP area shown]



Q43: Could you provide us more information on when we will be able to develop add-ons and when official add-ons will be released?

A43: We just started working on an environment that players can use to create add-ons. Therefore, we should be able to provide an update around 8 months after launch.



Q44: When coming back for ARR, I heard there would be a Welcome Back Campaign, but could you tell us the time period and other details for this?

A44: Those of you who played FFXIV 1.0 will be able to play ARR free until September 9, 2013.



Q45: Are there any plans to implement an item that can be used to change the appearance of our characters?

A45: Before I answer that question, let me tell you about a discussion that happened during one of the shareholder meetings. One of the shareholders asked me “Are there any rewards for playing the game for a long period?”

The following was my answer to their question:
The feature you are referring to is called the veteran reward system. Players will receive rewards based on the accumulated subscription period. While there are many subscription plans in ARR, players will receive rewards for every 30 days of subscription.

Reward for subscribing 30 days:
- Wind-up Cursor (minion)
- Phial of Fantasia (Used to change the appearance of your character)

Reward for subscribing 60 days:
- Cascadier Uniform Voucher (Grants black “heat resistant gear”)
- A Black Chocobo Chick (minion)

Rewards for subscribing 90 days:
- Beady Eye (Ahriman minion)
- Voidsent Resonator (Ahriman mount)

Furthermore, the unique feature about the system is that players will receive the reward immediately upon subscribing for more than 30 days. For example, if a player subscribes for 90 days, they will immediately receive the reward for subscribing 30 days, 60 days, and 90 days.

Please note that we will continue to implement additional rewards (120 days, 180 days, etc.) via future patches.
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 Fenrir.Viskral
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By Fenrir.Viskral 2013-08-08 10:56:17
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What about the codes for phase 4? I was in phase 3 myself on ps3. Will I be getting another code when the time comes or is there something else I need to do to get this code?
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By Bahamut.Mizuharu 2013-08-08 15:43:54
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Fenrir.Viskral said: »
What about the codes for phase 4? I was in phase 3 myself on ps3. Will I be getting another code when the time comes or is there something else I need to do to get this code?

If it's anything like the PC beta testers, you'll automatically be able to play because you participated in a previous phase.
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By Quetzalcoatl.Nycon 2013-08-08 16:23:19
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Getting pretty excited for this game. Gave up 11 last Oct and haven't played an MMO since.
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By Fenrir.Viskral 2013-08-08 16:44:17
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Bahamut.Mizuharu said: »
Fenrir.Viskral said: »
What about the codes for phase 4? I was in phase 3 myself on ps3. Will I be getting another code when the time comes or is there something else I need to do to get this code?

If it's anything like the PC beta testers, you'll automatically be able to play because you participated in a previous phase.

I have also seen that some ps3 players have put their early access codes on the SE account site and it comes up as PC. Have they jumped the gun or was I supposed to of entered my code by now?

I thought the option to enter this code wasn't active yet.
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By Bahamut.Mizuharu 2013-08-08 18:32:56
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Fenrir.Viskral said: »
Bahamut.Mizuharu said: »
Fenrir.Viskral said: »
What about the codes for phase 4? I was in phase 3 myself on ps3. Will I be getting another code when the time comes or is there something else I need to do to get this code?

If it's anything like the PC beta testers, you'll automatically be able to play because you participated in a previous phase.

I have also seen that some ps3 players have put their early access codes on the SE account site and it comes up as PC. Have they jumped the gun or was I supposed to of entered my code by now?

I thought the option to enter this code wasn't active yet.

Early access codes are to be used WHEN Square-Enix tells you to. There is a website printed on the receipt. Go there and give them your email address. Then, they will email you when early access codes can be redeemed. As for your friends trying to get early access on PS3, I think they're screwed.

But it is kinda their fault for automatically trying to register them without reading the instructions on the receipt... Which then give you instructions on a website.

EDIT: They just made a post about this problem on the beta forums.
Quote:
Greetings,

The pre-order codes that are being distributed for North America and Europe include instructions that they will be redeemed via a special website:
NA: http://preorder.na.finalfantasyxiv.com
EU: http://preorder.eu.finalfantasyxiv.com

This special site is not yet live for users to redeem the codes received from their retailer.
Once the code redemption for this site is live, scheduled for August 20, 2013, you will be able to enter the code you received that looks like: ABCDEF-###-ABCDEF-###

That will then give you all the instructions required to register your early access code.

In short, hang tight guys and don't panic!
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By Fenrir.Viskral 2013-08-08 22:05:24
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I'm good then. I went to the website and put in my e-mail soon as I got my code a month ago. I was just making sure I didn't miss anything. Thanks for clearing that up.
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By Balias 2013-08-08 23:17:50
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Any word on when PC Beta testers will be able to download the final version of the game?
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By Bahamut.Mizuharu 2013-08-09 00:24:53
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Balias said: »
Any word on when PC Beta testers will be able to download the final version of the game?

Beta testers don't get to download the final version of the game for free. Only 1.0 owners can. Unless you meant when beta testers can download phase4 game data...? (I don't think you do, but just throwing that out there. :x)
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By Balias 2013-08-09 03:40:44
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My bad, should have mentioned I am a 1.0 owner with legacy status, so I'm eligible to download the game when it's available.
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By Kalila 2013-08-10 00:05:59
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Final Fantasy XIV: Letter From The Producer Live VIII 08/08/2013
by aqueliaAug 08, 2013

My summary and thoughts below as well as Q&A Official translations. Will be updating later with media items. PS: official Q&A Thread getting hammered but I managed to grab all the available questions, will continue trying to grab the others as well.

I will be posting my comments and thoughts here throughout the stream! Will need to reload to see any updates
  • PS3 menu system is in! Hopefully we will see it during Phase 4, I prefer that more than the icons menu

  • Fishing is in!
    - Just for fun as mentioned before does not effect economy, lots of bait options, more improved “Log” system.
    - Currently showing all the different fishing activities such as records, achievements etc.
    - Looks fun! /fishing addict
    - Nice to note, they finally also added in the ‘maps’ view directly into the Log! ^^
    - I really like the fishing RSE he’s wearing! It’s a very YoshiP style outfit… lol
    - YoshiP is obsessed with Lalafell, me likey /approves yes yes go fish up that Lalafell to your hearts content /nods nod
    - The Fishing system is designed to combat fish botting, they will have a bot catching tool in game

  • When is Phase 4 and Early Acess starting? Yes YoshiP, this IS the main dish, stop hedging lol


    OPEN BETA/Phase 4: August 17-19 2013


    Those who have been beta testing since Phase 4 can start 08/16/2013

    EARLY ACCESS: August 24-26 2013


    - Awwwwwww dangit only 3 days we won’t get a lot done lol, he said 1 week in game before! Oh well, we sorta knew it would be changed anyways
    - in a way this is quite a relief, 1) gives them more time to finesse the game, 2) Although excited to start early, was rather worried that it’s unbalanced to give players 2 weeks head start time, this way we get a total of 1 week ‘prep’ time before launch

  • Phase 4 Beta will be capped at level 20, only content up to level 20
    - Phase 4 will function exactly like the official version, but with the level cap in place. Totally going to get Arcanist this head start oh yeahhh
    - All game data will definitely be carried over to early start and retail, but if we discover a critical bug (like gil dupe etc) we’ll wipe

  • YoshiP has two request for testing:
    - please stress test the housing area! Everything is changeable within the housing area and we really need extensive stress testing in these instances. Please climb the roofs! lol… primarily try to concentrate on Limsa Lominsa as it will be available. You can’t go inside the houses (hmm? need to double check this) but you will be able to swarm the area /imagines awesome taru army)
    - please test the pvp system for us! Coliseum will be in Phase 4. Just hit each other (no problem yoshiP! /smacks person next to her) Just fight each other and stress test as well as system check pvp for us please! Not all PVP abilities and actions are in yet, example if you get slept… uh Run? XD all the gear and actions we showed before will be in for Launch

  • Oh YoshiP stop hedging and answer that “Arcanist in Phase 4?” question NAO! /taps foot stop trying to make Morbol dance…

  • Oh hello, here we go! Arcanist demo video maybe? (I will be posting snapshot videos later btw ^^)

  • Oooohhhh this is Coerthas I bet, the snowy area looks good!!!

  • Arcanist Demo: wearing the Bliaud armor set, busily scribbling away at a book, and Carby is summoned
    - blue carby is a magic, back line user, so ranged
    - Arcanist itself is a DPS class but they do get a healing spell
    - Arcanist will get an ability to sacrifice your HP to heal the pet
    - just like with Chocobo buddy, pet will also have their own commands but more in depth.
    - well this is interesting, ground targeting to show the pet where to go hmm
    - there’s obviously the usual pet commands such as defensive (reacts to player being hit/agro), passive (does nothing at all)
    - the example they use is BLM sleeps a mob, you do not wish for it to attack (my question then is… are we able to specify specific mobs not to attack? O.o if that’s the case OMG awesome)
    - there’s also offensive, where the pet fights freely
    - they are mentioning the FF12 gambit system hmmm don’t get our hopes up YoshiP chin ><
    - ok so this was expect but the arcanist itself does not have high DPS, (duh), they will get self skill such as ruin and bio. Bio is instant cast
    - the arcanist he’s playing with is level 50 btw, and he’s fighting mobs in the 40 range
    - Arcanist has access to a number of DoTs (which plays into DoTs being rockin in this game and stack able like the other classes)
    - oh this is interesting, sort of reminds me of the WoW DK ability, arcanist will get an ability to spread up to 3 debuffs on mobs surrounding the primary target (very very cool!)
    - the idea behind arcanist is to keep up debuff while Carby is dpsing
    - Carby is not earned right off, the player will begin arcanist with Bio and Ruin as low level spells
    - Carby will be released later down the line for the player (I assume it will obviously be part of the class quests)
    - Gold carbuncle is up (yes yes I know, its supposed to be gem named but I don’t remember right now lol)
    - ok I’m pretty sure someone else just randomly appeared in the background of his stream, is he on some kind of test server?
    - Gold carby is a tank type … and they switched to Summoner because of ‘secret stuff” oh you!

  • Summoner
    - Ifrit Egi looks good!
    - Summoner is pure DPS class, Ifrit and Garuda egis are attacker type, Titan Egi is tank type
    - Ground targeting to cast certain spells
    - Summoner, like Arcanist will be using a lot of DoTs, on top of the usual Bio, Miasma, etc. they also get aoe ground spell which will inflect DoTs damage boost. (love this, Summoner will need to pay attention to mob group positioning to maximize their dps)
    - will be able to change summons in battle (need to check this hmmm) looks like he just activates the macro to bring them out
    - additional Egis will be released when game level cap is increased (we already know they’re planning for expansion and level cap increases but did not want to add it during Launch to allow everyone else to catch up, this is exciting news but not unexpected)

  • Scholar
    - Full time healer
    - one fairie will heal, the other will cast buffs
    - to avoid cheesing (hehehe my word!) you won’t be able to switch back and forth to avoid pet dying since the casting takes a long time (dangit! I was already planning on switching my pets back and forth lol going to assume this is the same for all the pet class under Arcanist for now)
    - Scholars are also party buffers which will differentiate them from WHM
    - Scholar will also have ability to regain MP (sigh)
    - Healing/Buff based on ground targeting, for aoe spells
    - It’s obviously very different from WHM
    - Game is balanced for 1 WHM and 1 SCH for 8 man content (yay thanks YoshiP! Was pretty sure it’d be balanced right off)
    - Scholar will get a raise type spell

  • Payment methods
    - aside from Crysta and credit card, there will be a number of other options such as game time cards
    - this will be available in convenience stores and game shops
    - can buy game time for 30 days and 60 days
    - the designs on the cards look awesome!

  • Account services: Paid Server Transfer
    - welcome to the new world order Square Enix /nods
    - can move up to 8 characters to the destination world (ok will post with further details when it’s available)
    - will be added within a month from Live or so (2-3 weeks?)

  • Smartphone App
    - is coming!
    - is called Libra Eorzea (that’s really nifty, looks like a library Icon)
    - It actually looks like the same design as mozk-tabetai! Oh man! (will link this later, one of my Fav JP ffxiv databases)
    - You can login to check on character data, compare gear
    - Awesome, it will be a Square Enix supported FFXIV Database so we
    - Can select a gear, look at stats, see how many materia slots, what kind of materia needed etc, where to buy from NPC, which quest rewards this items
    - QUEST DETAILS! Ok YoshiP you win the internetz, an official ffxivdb/mozk-tabetai! /approves
    - apparently this app was pretty spendy to develop lol…. and yet your players were making this in one man teams! :P

  • Repair Updates and Changes
    - in beta so far, repairing when completely broken is more cost efficient than keeping up with repair, this has been fixed
    - sorry for the oversight!
    - additional feedback list will be released (or has been? I may repost this if its available for public viewing was scared of NDA onis)

  • Duty Finder changes
    - retry feature will be in! Thank god! lol if we find a good party we should definitely be able to retry and redo things in the same group like in WoW
    - when in duty finder group, if we end up being from the same server can we transfer items? They’re looking into this, do not want RMT to abuse

  • In game cosmetic changes and seasonal items
    - patch 2.1 will add the barber, this will be after launch
    - don’t worry about cosmetic changes to character being permanent since you can change at Barber
    - seasonal events will be added for costumes and seasonal gear
    - hahahahahhaha he’s rifling around his papers… here we go the good stuff is coming!!
    - omg… LMAOL SNOW MAN SUIT FOR WINTER /dies laffing I will always regret not getting the reindeer outfit ; ;
    - and oh my… Maid outfit.. oh YoshiP… you and your knee soken team…..

  • The stream is now taking a break and playing a promo video ^^

  • Corrections from Part 1
    - Scholar primary stat is MND up till level 50
    - Summoner primary stat is INT up till level 50
    - post level 50, they’d like us to decide (<,< >.> wut)
    - yes SCH will have raise but WHM will be able to spam heal so it’ll be good to have both styles of healing (again back to tank and raid healing, get used to it!)
    - using ground targeting, you can move the fighting away from you
    - in this case, using ground targeting for fairies will make it so you can place them next to the party members which will be better for the buffing and healing (makes sense ^^)

  • Special Guest
    - Oooo they point to the extra seat… and who… what the heck… who is this? WHERE IS MY WADA!
    - voice actress for Kan-e-senna and Garuda – Tanaka Rie san
    - she’s definitely…. a fascinating personality lol……
    - YoshiP is enamoured or something lol is he blushing???
    - her hair is phenomenal
    - she’s going through the questions and picking some out

  • Crystal Tower and Bahamut bosses
    - there will be hard mode after launch
    - Bahamut Labyrinth explains what happens tot he Version 1.0 players that Louisoix teleported away
    - We will continue to modify the difficulty level and enhance battles with each patch
    - can’t talk about types of mobs or bosses yet
    - battle mechanics wise, should probably not stand in one spot, have to split up and fight based on each encounter
    - there will be places where you start the dungeon as 8 but mid way through, split up into two groups
    - theres also an encounter where you have to deal a set amount of dps in a set amount of time
    - need good gear to challenge these (in a way new players should probably work on primal gear sets before doing these)
    - Crystal Tower is 24 man raid content
    - the content is a bit hard but we also want to open it to Duty Finder and pick up a group
    - for this reason its moved back to patch 2.1 scheduled for after launch
    - this will give players time to get good gear in preparation for Crystal Tower around 3-4 months (this is great! Will let us finish relics, complete our primal weapon sets etc)

  • How will the primal encounters change from Version 1.0?
    - Ifrit’s ability ranges will be changed and players already saw some of it in Beta
    - Garuda was pretty hard in 1.0, wonder what it’s like in 2.0!
    - paying attention to the primal map will be critical

  • Can we send tells during Raid?
    - Currently still cannot because they want to regulate player interactions (this is my interpretation >.> I mean this is REALLY what it sounds like to me and completely disagree with this decision, just let your players do whatever they want!)
    - we will expand the duty finder later
    - we will release the /tell feature later maybe (sighhhh I’m sure you guys have your reasons but none of it make any sense what so ever)

  • Moogle will be 2.1?
    - moogles are not really a primal, it was created for 1.0 content
    - OMG she has moogle nail art /loves lol
    - moogle battle is prepared there will be 3 different difficulty, easy, hard and extreme! (awesomeee)

  • UNICORN MOUNT!!
    - oh my goodness… Unicorn Mount… and it looks pretty /wants ; ; very welld one animations too
    - side saddle is pretty awesome ^^
    - gender and race will change the sitting animation, nice again!
    - Tanaka Rie is totally freaking out at the unicorn, its kind of cute lol
    - apparently this is part of the Conjurer class quest…. hmmmmm so what do the other classes get?????

  • Loot system
    - adjustments have been made to end game content in regards to drop rate, clear rate and gear to role ratio balancing
    - there will be no restrictions at launch (this is referencing that original idea that you can only need a certain amount of time in a week/day etc which was mentioned by YoshiP last year)
    - they want to continue encouraging Legacy players who do dungeons etc and have been passing gear to new players (awww yay community ^^)

  • Tanaka Rie-san is now asking her own question: racial stat differences, will this be a big deal at 50?
    - its small and nothing to worry about

  • What about shared retainers or shared items between retainers?
    - this will not be done
    - ability to transfer relics between characters seem a bit broken etc. and system can be abused

  • Equipment for Buddies?
    - will be ready for launch
    - high level FATEs may have this, dungeon or boss clears as well

  • Primal furniture??
    - they are showing something that looks like Leviathan… fountain?
    - and now they’re showing Garuda sofa lol… hahaha
    - ohhh the bed designs are awesome, it’s like a bookshelve/nook with a bed built in, APPROVE!
    - Free Company also has their own furniture series design

  • Free Companies
    - (We heard some of this a while back so it’s nice to get details on it woot!)
    - FC earn points by completing quests and buying ether wheels
    - players will egt an affect for some time
    - they are now showing moogle, tonberry mandy, chocobo chick items for the housing (which I assume is the source of the FC wide buff? ok this sounds a bit off… will confirm later so don’t take this as fact lol)
    - oo the Ahriman clock thing is pretty awesome
    - Tanaka Rie san exclaiming at each screenshot is pretty amusing lol she’s so excitable
    - Morbol series bookshelves…. chandelier HAHAHAHA

  • LIVE Demo of PVP? and random chatter
    - they’re trying to set this up so they’re just chatting now
    - Tanaka Rie rocks, trying to get them to show us more Darklight pieces, YoshiP said no :p
    - Excalibur system… what the heck is that? whatever it is, it’s not the real name but they did specifically mention the word Excalibur so >.> I need to look this up hmm
    - There’s apparently lots of graphic work put into it… ahhh it’s the FF legendary weapon system? fascinating

  • Marriage system – will add in after launch some time (this is not priority! XD)

  • Grand Company Specific Gears
    - as a version 1.0 player, changing grand company in 2.0 makes previous gc seal gear earned obsolete since you cannot equip it
    - apparently its part of the role play element where you have to make a choice hmmm
    - will provide more detail on this later

  • PVP gears (and vanity slots?)
    - some kind of awesome looking helm
    - cool looking lance weapon?
    - a bird themed staff
    - wait is that a legatus themed 2H staff?
    - aww cold weather gear like coat and junk… ok this cant be PVP gear lol
    - dutch maid outfit
    - a… ferry man outfit? O.o
    - ok some ff4 looking pvp gears?
    - a musketeer pompadour style hat/outfit set
    - warrior of light looking outfit as well

  • (they’re jibba jabbaing right now so going to paste some official translations below)

  • Additional Housing details
    - does your GC affiliation lock down which city you can make housing in? Nopes!
    - Can we have housing in Ishgard and Coerthas? this is interesting, YoshiP asks if we’d like it if Behemoth attacks the housing area lol
    - can minions roam around the housing area? YoshiP likes this idea and will ask dev team

  • Can job quests be cleared solo?
    - if you the skills! (good answer :P

  • Duty Finder additional details
    - if signing up for ‘any/all’ content, will there be a loot bonus? not currently but may be implemented after launch when theres a lot more dungeons being added
    - token system will be implemented then and player can collect token to get gear (sounds similar to Justice point system to me!)
    - even if you cannot clear ifrit completely or all the time (hmm?) with tokens you will be able to get something close/similar in order to clear the content

  • YoshiP is trying to troubleshoot something on the demo system it looks like? Regardless its hilarious watching them trying to ‘cover’ for it

  • Status points – reapply (PLEASE??)
    - YoshiP is hedging because he thinks this is a hard question…
    - he does not want players to arbitrarily change stats on the fly
    - (OK even with the live translate and my basic understanding of spoken JP, his answers kind of make no sense, so I think he’s just distracted by the problems with the demo engine and a certain level of “no comment” lol)

  • Addons! (finally)
    - it’s ready to go, but they won’t release it right now since there’s still a lot of work to do for it
    - he expects around 6 months after launch
    - they want to provide the tools and foundation for creation of the add ons
    - these tools will be provided to users

  • YAY! Demo engine is up
    - appears to be an area in Limsa Lominsa, looks grey, maritime ahhh the Coliseum area!
    - I see a moogle here for mail delivery, boat dock apparently connected to Moraby Bay
    - a ranking board for PVP
    - loving the look and feel of this place, almost seems like pirate town! wooo
    - there are two teleport/aether on screen interesting, speak to npc to join battle
    - area is created in a crater caused by the Dalamud
    - 4×4, 8×8 arena available through finder, works the same way as regular finder where you can have a premade party signed up for additional members etc.
    - they stopped the stream, YoshiP and his secrets lol
    - that was really cool that they decided to show portions of the Coliseum on the spot like that, not a planned event at all YAY FOR TRUE LIVE!

  • Welcome Back Campaign! and Veteran Rewards
    - those who played FFXIV Version 1.0 can play FFXIV: ARR for Free until Sept 9th (Monday!)
    - you will recall this was mentioned a while back, instead of a ‘free trial’ we get the free play time for around 2 weeks
    - download client for free
    - veteran rewards program grants various bonuses depending on how long you have been a subscriber
    - this is coming from the marketing and PR team

  • Veteran 30 Days reward
    – Wind=up Cursor Minion (HAHAHA I was waiting for this) and Phial of Fantasia
    - now they’re showing the wind up cursor in game… and its… RIDICULOUS! I must bug Vivid with this… kind of reminds me of the constantly pointing Fairie in Dragon’s Crown
    - Phial of Fantasia is a character remake ticket

  • Veteran 60 Days reward
    - Black chocobo chick minion!! So cute lol they’re showing it now
    - Black swimsuit? Heck is that….

  • Veteran 90 Days Reward
    - Beady eye minion!! Ok… SUPER CUTE!!
    - Voidal Resonator Mount – ahriman mount oh yeah! Tarus on the eyes look… ridiculously awesome lol
    - ok… a tall Elvaan demo on an ahriman.. that poor mount looks like he’s about to wilt from the weight, see that Katsu, Lalafell rules /nods- there will be additional categories such as 120 days, 180 days
    - if you pay up front for these play times, you’ll get all the rewards at once
    - ok Ahriman mount is rather ridiculous lol
    - more rewards for longer pay time will be added with each patch, so look forward to it!

  • I think they’re finally wrapping up now? lol each Live Letter gets longer! /not complaining ^^ /yoshiPFangirls

  • Additional announcements
    - August 21-25 YoshiP will be at Gamescom in Germany for a stage event, battle challenge and autograph session
    - (hmm this is cutting super close to launch YoshiP! /cracks whip)
    - The battle challenge is to fight TITAN! Niceee very very cool idea me likey
    - winners get a cool t-shirt with “I Beat Titan”
    -August 27th – Launch event in Shibuya Hikarie Hall B in Japan
    - Mini letter from the Producer LIVE
    - Demo booths (ahhh I want to go ; ; but I also want to play the game lol and I’m not in Japan so _-_)
    - I believe that this the event where only 200 invites will be sent out, I will look for that registration page and post here
    - August 30 to September 1st – Pax Prime – At the Red Lion in Seattle, AMERICA hahaha I love that they highlighted that
    - Ok I’m super jealous, both Varg and Kenny will probably get to meet YoshiP ;x maybe I should have accepted that ticket Kenny got me ><
    - Stage event, battle challenge and autograph session as well
    - and omg… Knee-high Soken will be there … Kenny, make sure you tackle him
    - Again, the battle challenge for the new events will be Titan
    - Ok Vargy! Your job is to transmit live footage of the event okiedokies -_-
    - YoshiP is complaining that he will not have any time to level up his launch character lol…
    - Foxclon is going to London and will be missing even early access and Beta Phase 4, they’re whining now puahahaha
    - Tanaka Rie rocks…. “well.. sorry but we’ll be having fun with the game teehee”
    - it really is too bad that they wont be able to login to launch and junk coz I’m pretty sure these two likes to drop in on players anonymously lol
    - all these events will be broadcasted apparently? I’ll definitely be keeping track of this! Even with the game going on hmm… wait.. hmmm /torn

  • They just referred to her as Tanaka-san …. that…. lol…. I preferred Rie-san

  • She just shoved her plushie moogles at YoshiP and his face is really red now oh my lol

  • YoshiP is rambling and asks “what was I saying” to which Tanaka Rie-san says “Who the heck knows???” jk XD

  • Collectors Edition
    -He’s showing off the CDs, box art, etc now, cannot wait to see my collectors edition ^^
    - ohhhhhhhhh the book is absolutely beautiful!!
    - all online purchases for Collectors Edition ran out but apparently some local stores still have copies (Japan onry obviously)

  • Last Comments from Yoshida-San
    - From the announcement of ARR during First Live Letter until now, we’ve been working our butts off
    - Phase 3 saw a lot of players logging on and playing continuously even though the beta itself only lasted 13 days
    - Thank you for all the support /bow
    - I’m sorry the Phase 3 will be wiped but play Phase 4 /nods
    - See you again at the next Live Letter and during Launch!!
    - No I’m not quitting!

  • SAYONARA!!

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By Kalila 2013-09-03 12:15:24
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07-25-2013 06:01 AM
[source]
Naoki Yoshida
Dev Team

Letter from the Producer, L

Hello again to all of you FFXIV fans out there. Yoshi-P here. It feels like just yesterday when I sent out my first Letter from the Producer on January 1, 2011. And now as I bring you my fiftieth letter, it is with great pleasure that I announce the official release of FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn!

Looking back at my first letter brought back many fond memories of my start here on the FFXIV team, and I couldn't help but notice how much I wrote. (My letters can still be a little long, but that's another story. ) It's already been two years and seven months since I took the reins as producer and director. As excited as I am that players the world over can finally enjoy the game, I only wish we could have delivered it to you sooner.

My first letter included the list of the improvements we had planned for Version 1.0. This list was a product of your valuable feedback in the inaugural players’ poll, and ended up accounting for 30% of our overall plans. The remaining 70% would be worked on in tandem with designs for A Realm Reborn.

Since the relaunch project was set in motion, we have received overwhelming support from countless players and FINAL FANTASY fans across the world. Combined with the efforts of the PR department and everyone on the development team, the game has evolved into something much bigger than we ever thought possible.





Seeing these advertisements in Shibuya, it reminds me of how far we've come since Version 1.0.









If someone proposed taking an existing MMORPG and continuing to operate and improve it, while at the same time planning to destroy the world and create an entirely new game from scratch to be released with the same title, anyone in their right mind would say it couldn't be done. Thanks to the support of our fans, however, we can confidently say we've accomplished the impossible.

Although this is only the first step to a new beginning, I'd like to thank you all on behalf of all of our staff. We sincerely hope you enjoy the game and will continue to stay with us as Eorzea continues to expand and evolve.

Today marks the beginning of official service for FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn. Our goal is to continue service for at least ten years-and of course aiming beyond that-with a host of updates and large-scale expansions along the way, never forgetting the dedication of our fans is what brought us this far. Furthermore, we will not let the game be held back by preconceived notions of what an MMORPG should be. Instead, we will challenge ourselves to innovate, providing our players with a game truly befitting the FINAL FANTASY title.

Again, the release is only our first step, and there's still so much we would like to do. With plenty of plans well underway, the story we're working on is sure to amaze you. Having achieved the impossible with the release of A Realm Reborn, we look forward to continue doing the impossible together with our fans, creating an online experience we can all be proud to be part of.



As always, everything we do will be for our players and customers.

And now it’s time for this hardcore gamer to have some fun! See you all in Eorzea!!!

August 27, 2013 FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn Producer and Director[br]
Naoki Yoshida