Famitsu talks about "Skillchain" type system.

A new article from Famitsu has been released, showing more FFXIV screen shots and information, particularly about a new "Skillchain" like system. If you played FFXI back in the old days you know what skillchains are and how fun they could be. It looks like the devs are bringing back a similar system in FFXIV to be used in party and group dynamics. You can read the full article here via google translate. Note the translation isn't perfect but it's the best I can come up with for right now. Also, it appears "Batorurejimen" is the new Japanese word for this type of skillchain system in FFXIV.

Famitsu Beta Schedule Information.

I just came across a article on a blog with newly released information from Famitsu, it discusses the "semi-planned" Alpha and Beta schedule for FFXIV from the developers mouths themselves. They talk about what kind of schedule they're shooting for so far for the Alpha and Beta tests, what their current plans on for the phases, as well as information that PS3 owners will be happy to hear. Below I'll post the article itself, but check it out as well as the new screen shots here.

Coinciding with the start of the Final Fantasy XIV alpha test, Famitsu.com was given a chance to quiz the development staff on a variety of game issues. Here's a summary of the Q&A.

The staff first shared a rough schedule for the game's alpha and beta programs.

The alpha test will take place in just one world. The world is named "Shadowlord." They'll be conducting tests three days a week, with each session lasting about four hours. These tests will be conducted in Japan, North America and Europe, each region separate from one-another.

Once they've gotten the basic functionality of the game stable and conducted tests on server load and so-forth, the'll move into phase one of the beta test. Phase 1 of the beta will use the same version of the game as the alpha, but will have multiple worlds running in parallel. There will be some adjustments made in the switch from alpha to phase 1 beta that will require them to do a data wipe.

After they've adjusted the game to fix problems and reflect the opinion of test players, they'll move to beta phase 2. From here, the game will run 24 hours. The content of the game used in this beta will have changed considerably and will be closer to that of the final game. The PS3 version of the beta test will begin here.

Phase 2 will gradually expand with additional worlds as the staff runs load tests on having hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections.

The final service-in for the game will come following a few weeks of open beta testing.

The current alpha test version of the game limits play to just the Limsa Lominsa city-state and its surroundings. This will be the case throughout the alpha and beta tests. You won't be able to access the rest of the world until the final version. Limsa Lominsa and its surroundings account for less than 1/5 of the final version's full world, according to the staff.

Other topics addressed in the Q&A:

Character Names

FFXIV lets you input both first and last names for your character. The reason for this is that each world will allows multiple players to have the same family name or same first name -- although two players can't have the same pairing of first and last names, of course. This will give players a chance to more easily play using the name of their choice. When using chat, there's a system in place that will make it so that you won't have to input the full name.
Different Starting Points

What kind of differences can you expect when starting in a different country?

Each country will have a different story. Additionally, each city will have different facilities and unique atmosphere.

Enemies

There will be combat-loving monsters who attack you. Additionally, there will be powerful enemies unrelated to the scenario for players to go after. None of this is in the alpha.

More Alpha Information from Famitsu.

Famitsu Magazine has released some more information regarding FFXIV and the Alpha test. Currently for this exact information I cannot find a translation so I'll simply link you to the google translation. Keep in mind that "Girudorivu" refers to Guildleve, " β " refers to Beta and " α " refers to Alpha. They more or less go over the different points about how you start your character out in the Alpha test. They explain about the opening movie and how right after it there's a tutorial type of fight to let you get accumulated to the battle system. They also mention that Limsa Lominsa and it's surrounding areas will be the only starting area during the Alpha and possibly Beta tests. They also explain how while you can recover HP for resting or being in passive mode, recovering MP is done a bit differently by clicking on certain crystals. Speculation is that this is Square Enix's way to keep people from "Camping" so much and to actually move around and explore more.

They continue to go on and explain about how there will be a certain type of "Merit" system from the get go, which will allow you to accumulate points to be spent on different attributes and abilities. This is part of how your character will grow and be customizable in FFXIV. They also explain how it might be possible through this system to allow certain abilities and spells from one discipline to be used on others. Personally, I would think these would be only minor spells, traits, and abilities, much like how FFXI's subjob system works.

That's all I can come up with for now in my sleep deprived state. Be sure and click on the google translation to get all the cool new screen shots as well as the official article.

Famitsu Hands On Alpha Test!

In the latest issue of Famitsu magazine they were lucky enough to actually get to test the newly released Alpha version of FFXIV, and Square Enix was kind enough to let them publish all of their findings! This is the most insight we have gotten to FFXIV so far and we find out a whole bunch of new information and details. There's way too much to list here, so check out the full artical Here On Zam and Here On FFXIVcore to find out all the exciting new screenshots, facts, and details about FFXIV!

FFXIV Devs talk about plans for Alpha & Beta.

Recently, Dengeki magazine got to sit down with the developers and discuss the Alpha and Beta test phases that FFXIV will be undergoing. They got a good look at what the developers have in mind so far and give some great insight as to what you might can expect. There's also more new information regarding the game dynamics itself and how FFXIV will be evolving through the Alpha and Beta stages. Read the full article Here On Zam.

Active Mode, Passive Mode, and Party Dynamics.

In a recent article in Famitsu Magazine, Square Enix developers discuss the passive and active battle modes and how they will effect you in FFXIV. By now you most likely already know that in FFXIV there will be a "Active" stance and a "Passive" stance. One with your weapon sheathed and one with it drawn. What you might not know is that it's more than just being engaged or disengaged with a enemy, like how for example you can be in active or passive mode anywhere at any time. Each will have advantages and disadvantages that are quite obvious, but there are more details to this system than you might think.

We also get some more insight as to how the developers are creating the grouping systems in FFXIV and learn they want us to be able to have quite a bit of freedom. Whether you may want to adventure with many or adventure solo, they assure us that no time will be wasted or without reward.

Take a look at the full article Here On Zam to discover more.

Nvsion Magazine! Now with more FFXIV!

A new spring issue of the popular gaming magazine released by Nvidia's "Nvision" magazine has just hit the shelves and as you can see by the cover, they're giving FFXIV some much deserved publicity. They have a entire section of the magazine all about up and coming MMORPG's for this year, with the first 6 pages being completely dedicated to FFXIV, not to mention the front cover itself and the very back cover. I just picked up my copy, be sure and pick up yours as well! You can get them just about anywhere.

I'll give you guys a run down of what the magazine itself says in these 6 exciting pages of FFXIV goodness.

Quote, Nvision Magazine:

"And what did you do at work today, honey?"

"Oh, I just created a new world, designed a new planet and some critters to roam the hills and valleys, and outlined the designs for the players that are gonna run around and shoot 'em all."

"That's nice, dear--What are you going to do on the seventh day?"

Building the next generation of massively multiplayer online worlds actually requires years of dedication to concept, design, and execution. Big franchises and bigger teams are crafting the spaces online gamers willl inhabit for the next decade. That requires a talent and commitment level of a flavor that is unique to the games industry, and we're taking you inside the process to reveal what it takes to bring virtual universes to life.
What's clear about the next wave of MMO is that graphics are no longer and afterthought--developers are finally tapping into the full power of the GPU to bring cutting-edge visuals to the genre.


Few gaming franchises combine the longevity, critical approval, and fan adoration that defines the Final Fantasy series. This 14th iteration (not counting all the various off-shoots, side projects, and even animated films) moves the franchise online for the second time (The first time was 2002's Final Fantasy XI). But a brand new world--Hydaelyn--and a new setting on that world called Eorzea require a vast amount of new art concepts, design, and creation--all occurring under the watchful eye of art director Akihiko Yoshido-san. Nvision tapped Yoshida-san for exclusive insights into the process his team goes through to remain within the traditions of the franchise while developing fresh new locations for online gamers to explore.

"The Variety of playing styles available will be considerably greater than that of Final Fantasy XI," Yoshida-san says of the scope of content being created. Hydaelyn blends sci-fi and fantasy elements, as seen in the early images released, leading to a large variety of disparate style needing to be blended into a cohesive world vision. "To deliver the graphics necessary to bring the variety of gameplay to life, we are striving to produce sharp images that are contextually appropriate to the time, place, and situation. An example of this would be the visually stimulating or evocative landscapes," says Yoshida-san, adding, "To help fulfill the expectations that players have cine ti have of afinal fantasy world. One of the first things we take into account is a certain sense of reality. For example, we have paid a great deal of attention to the effects that the passage of time or changes in the weather have on how light is displayed."

Still, veterans of Final Fantasy XI will see some similarities in the character styles and professions, even though the specific races and classes will be new to the series. "The character creation from Final Fantasy XIV will be much more in-depth than that of previous titles of the series," says Yoshida-san, "Players will be able to generate avatars similar to thos in Final Fantasy XI if they choose to do so, but there will also be some new [player character] types." Want more specifics on the new characters? The devs are keeping that information tightly under wraps. though five distinctive races have been revealed so far.


Incredibly, Square-Enix released the single-player Final Fantasy XIII while working on this MMO off-shoot. The games share certain technology details such as the core engine and the tools used to build the worlds, bu the process, challenges, and ultimate requirements are significantly different. More surprising yet is the fact that the world of Hydaelyn revealed in the first release of FFXIV may actually be smaller than the locations crammed on to the Blu-ray disc shipping for FFXIII on PS3. "Since we are still in development a thorough comparison isn't possible, but at releast FFXIB will be about the same scale, if not slightly smaller, than FFXIII," says Yoshida-san.

But that's not to suggest the game world will actually be small. Shortly after its release in Japan, it was revealed that enough content for an entire additional game ended up on the FFXIII cutting-room floor. These game worlds are always massive...and complicated. While Square-Enix is keeping many gameplay details under wraps, five races have been revealed (the Hyur, Lalafell, Miqo'te, Roegadyn, and Elezen) with character classes organized in four discipline types (Disciples of War, Magic, the Land, and the Hand). The races, classes, and disciplines require an intriguing blend of art assets to capture the vast scope of this world. "The world of FFXIV will have certain sci-fi elements such as out-of-place artifacts, perhaps best exemplified by airships," says Yoshida-san. "These elements will play a key role in distinguishing the cultures and civilizations of different nations, regions, and races, but they will not be extremely numerous," adds Yamamoto-san. "We are seeking to create a fantasy world with its core in classic sword-and-sorcery that players will never grow tired of visiting, no matter how much they play."

Veterans of FFXI may, come actual release, recognize certain elements of the class structure, but the developers are happy to point out that lessons learned from the development will be incorporated into a tighter, more focused online Final Fantasy experience. "It would be more accurate to say that we are attempting to achieve a development process that take full advantage of the know-how obtained from Final Gantasy XI while also improving on its shortcomings," says Yoshida-san. "Given the differences in the worlds, there will be no direct transplants from Final Fantasy XIII," he adds, "however, player can expect to see some of the classic monsters from the Final Fantasy series making an appearance, a number of which will be undergoing a makeover from FFXI."

Some of those enhancements will come courtesy of close working relationship between nvidia and the Square-Enix engineers and art department to optimize the vast environments and detailed characters for nvidia GPUs. And you heard it here first: Square Enix is also investigating options to incorporate 3D Vision support.

Like so many in-game details, further specifics on these relationships and what they may deliver to gamers in the year ahead and not being disclosed. Of course, given the evolving development process that MMOs undertake post-launch, many other high-end elements could find their way into the code and your game experience. "We are putting in place a system that will allow us to continually implement fresh, new designs while simultaneously taking precautions to ensure that there is no 'design inflation' early on," says Yoshida-san. "Allowances are also being made for future expansion of the game."

That, for fans of the Final Fantasy universe, is very, very good news. As if the single-player Final Fantasy XIII wasn't enough content, this super-stylized sci-fi epic with swords and sorcery elements will provide even cross-server gaming between locations to keep you entertained for years. And in that time, you'll get to wander some incredible locations, gaze in awe at mind-boggling structures, and craft details on your own character that place it undeniably in the Final Fantasy universe.

Life In Eorzea, Vol. 1

The first entry in Square Enix's FFXIV youtube channel showing us a close up video of Alpha game play has been released! In this video we get a tour of Limsa Lominsa, we get to see some crafting taking place, various emotes, even a chocobo! It's short but very sweet. Below I will post a translation to the video as well. (I did not do this translation myself and am unsure who to give credit to since I've seen it on various sites and blogs and I've not found a source for it)

Riekom: Hi, I’m Square Enix’s Riekom.
Julia: I’m Julia.
Aratam: I’m Aratam.
Riekom: Final Fantasy XIV’s alpha test is just around the corner!
Aratam: Oh, cool.
Riekom: Today we’re bringing you a quick look at Eorzea’s Limsa Lominsa.
Julia and Aratam are impressed.
Riekom: How about this view, huh?
Julia: It’s amazing. What a radiant sea!
Aratam: It definitely has a great, unique feel to it.
Julia: These must be shops.
Aratam: So many great-looking things are lined up. I’m having fun just window-shopping!
Riekom: I’m sure I’ll be spending a LOT of gil here.
Riekom: There’s even fish, and…

All three: Oh! CHOCOBO!

Riekom: There are many different kinds of people working in the city.

Aratam: Aw, she’s crying. I wonder if her boyfriend dumped her?
Riekom: Are you stupid or something? She’s slicing ONIONS.

Aratam: Such realistic movements!
Julia: We can even see the salt he’s putting in.

Riekom: I love cooking, so I feel right at home here.

All three: Oh! HAMBURGER STEAK!

Riekom: We’re also going to show you some character emotes.
Boys: Lalafell~

Creepy Mystery Voice: CUUUUUUTE…

Aratam: She’s dancing!
Riekom: The person controlling this Lalafell is a 30 year old guy.

Creepy Mystery Voice (Julia?): D’OH!

Riekom: This is just the first video, so we can’t show you very much. Sorry!
Riekom: From here on out, we’ll be showing you a lot of things from Eorzea through video, so look forward to it!

All three: See you next time!

New Alpha Screenshot Released.

A new close up look at gameplay and user interface (UI) has been released and gives us a even closer look inside the world of FFXIV. This is a official screen shot from Square Enix themselves! Read the full article and speculation here on FFXIVcore.