Often times I find people talking about the "seamless world", one which zoning does not exist. Of course, this became something people often fantasized about over the years of FFXI where zoning was very prevalent. It's also something that other MMORPG players experience, while maybe not quite as often. But it seems people are always wanting a more seamless world with less zoning. Well, I'm going to say something that might sound completely crazy but... Zoning might actually be good! That's right, zoning might actually be a good idea, and here's why.
People have really underestimated the importance of zoning. To Square Enix, it was just a way to build the game easier, to us, it has just been a frustration, but quite honestly it's one of the best game designs I've ever seen. Why is that? Because when you zone you go from one area to another. You "traverse" across the lands. Think of it as a time skip. Imagine if while watching a movie, instead of there being parts of the movie where it skips from one scene in one place to another scene in another place, everything took place in one area and the camera never left one scene. Well, this is a bit extreme and exaggerated on my part, I know I know, but it's the same principle when all is said and done honestly.
Zoning actually helps "immerse" us in our online Journey. There are some MMORPG's of which I've played that didn't have zoning, one notable one being Aion. I'm not here to bash Aion today (as much as I would like to) but one of the biggest flaws is that you could pretty much go from a scorching hot barren desert, to a swampland, to a jungle, to a forest, to a mountain range, all in just jogging for about 20 minutes at a moderate pace. It felt extremely unrealistic and made you feel like you were in some kind of gigantic play box or fake world.
This is not the kind of feeling that gives you that "enormous" feel some where like Vana Diel does. In Vana Diel, when you go from the mountains to the desert, you happen upon what looks to be a mountain pass, you zone into it and the screen goes black, moments later you appear on the other end in the desert. Some times you can see far off details at the other end that look like they are a natural part of the environment. It really gives the game a feeling and a sense of immersion that when you go from one area to another you're actually traversing across a large area to get there and makes the world feel much bigger than it actually is as well. And you know us MMORPG gamers, we can never have a big enough world! (Just not enough transportation and quick enough)
So in closing, I hope while Square Enix keeps talking about a "seamless world" for once, in the millions of times they've inconvenienced players to retain the "feel" of something they do it in the right area (no pun intended) and give us at least some zoning to make the world feel vast, expansive, and realistic so we can truly be immersed in Eorzea!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
To Zone or Not To Zone.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Transcendence.
Well the time has finally come, it's getting quite close to the official release date and I figure now is the perfect time to do what I have been planning to do all along. That's right, I'm going to start my own FFXIV community. One which is much different than the others, or at least the others I've seen trying to recruit thus far. I'm sure I won't be the first nor the last with the ideas and mindset I currently have.
Transcendence is going to be a community of a very different caliber. You see, I'm not making this community to force a bunch of rules onto you, I'm not making it to make you jump through hoops just to join, I'm not making it over complicated, and most importantly I'm not going to try to make it some place where we all try to rush through the game as fast as possible, racing to the end to see who can get what end game armor the quickest and who can defeat which boss first.
I'm making a community for the rest of us. A community where you can have fun and adventure. One where you can build and develop friendships, one where you can find out new information, strategies, tips and so forth to become more proficient at your own pace. Some where that you can get help for the most menial tasks and your level doesn't matter. A place where exploration, adventure and character development will reign supreme.
But most importantly, I want to make a community that will last. It's part of why I'm calling it "Transcendence". I want a community full of mature and like minded individuals. One that escapes needless drama, pointless arguments and immature activity of any sort. I myself have been playing MMORPG's for many many years and I am indeed getting older now. I'm not one who will discriminate some one based on their age, but I really have gotten sick of the "high school drama" feeling that most MMORPG's (especially FFXI) force upon people.
I want a community where we can act like adults, and have fun together as adults. Where we can enjoy a amazing adventure together, grow together, build friendships together and surpass the immaturity, stupidity and drama that a lot of communities face. I read all these different communities trying to recruit early for FFXIV and they make me laugh. All these complicated rule systems when we don't even fully know how the game or it's systems will work, all these long applications, all these confusing websites, it makes me sick.
Then lately I see these new RP guilds popping up. I've never been against RP but in my opinion they just take it too far. They try to become their own little act within the game and they are already creating back stories to stories that have yet to even be released. Not that I'm against them mind you, usually RPers are quite peaceful people who I've never had a problem with.
But isn't there a community for the rest of us? One where we can join and just enjoy ourselves? One that is more than simply a social community however. We will indeed grow, we will learn new things, and we will strive to be as good as we can be, but all at our own pace and on our own time. There is no "requirements" other than your attitude.
I was originally going to create this community simply for FFXI veterans (and if you are one I urge you to apply!) however, I've learned over the years that personalities aren't limited to a single video game, no matter how much bias I may or may not have. I've found great people from every walk of life, and I would not want to deny them the opportunity to be in a good group of folks who think like they do.
So if you want a community of mature, like minded individuals who aren't going to bullshit around about one thing or another, but just grow together and enjoy the adventure, then please consider giving Transcendence a try. It's most definitely not for everyone and if you're just trying to get as much as you can, as far as you can, as quick as you can we aren't for you. But if you want to truly develop in the best way possible with a solid group of people, then give us a check out.
Transcendence FFXIV, A little community with a lot of common sense.
Be sure and read the "Rules and Guidelines" as well as "What is Transcendence".
If you would like to join the community, fill out the really short and super basic application. There's no need to apply to post on the forums which will follow the same mentality as the community. This is also where, from this point forward, I will post all the new media information, articles, and findings regarding FFXIV.
It's time to Transcend.
Well as you may have noticed by now, I have not added very much information to my blog lately. However... That doesn't mean I haven't been working hard on FFXIV related projects and information.
Awhile back I began wondering exactly what my blog was for. I've been very in tune to the development of FFXIV since before it was even officially announced. My love of FFXI drove this and my desire and passion for new adventure fueled it. I wanted to make sure I made a difference in the FFXIV community in whichever way I possibly could, so I decided to start my blog.
It was originally going to be articles and information however, I miss calculated just how much information there was out there. It became quite a good site for a compilation of FFXIV information from all around the internet, so people knew they weren't missing one bit from any site. However as the development kept going forward further and further it became harder and harder to add all of this information from every corner of the internet.
But the craziest thing? I still plan to do this. Just in a slightly different way. I want my blog to become what a blog truly is made for, personal opinions and articles by the author. However, I am not going to stop giving people all the latest information... In fact, I'm going to make it even better. How so you ask? With Transcendence.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
The Active Time Battle System.
As of now, we know so much yet so little about the dynamics and gameplay of FFXIV. From the get go the developers have explained that they wanted a more active and user initiated battle system where the players become more involved in each individual action they preform instead of just engaging and auto-attacking. However, not everyone seems to be liking this system and there seems to be a bit of discontent by the alpha testers with it. Square Enix has said in a recent interview that they will be revising and perfecting much of the battle system itself when they transition from Alpha testing to Beta testing. However, one thing is clear, it will be a much more interactive and completely new system than most people are use to with other MMORPG's. Elmer over at Zam wrote up a full article about it so be sure to check it out.
Official FFXIV website updated.
As of may 19th The official FFXIV website has been updated once more with new information! This time we get an official look at the now well known map of Eorzea. We also get a huge load of information all about Limsa Lominsa and the guilds, landmarks, and details about the city itself and more. Luckily enough, we also finally get a bit of information on the other two cities, Ul'Dah and Gridania. So be sure to head strait over to the official FFXIV website to check out all the new information and pictures!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Alpha Vs. Beta (Screen Shots!)
Some new screen shots have come forth showing the DRASTIC difference in the Alpha version of the game and the Beta version. As anyone by now should know the Alpha version is a very basic version that is unpolished in every way from the beta version, which is itself a unpolished version from the final product that will be released and sold. From game mechanics, to latency issues, to glitches and bugs, and most importantly the graphics! Below, I will be posting some screen shots that have been released that show the drastic difference between the graphics in Alpha and Beta alone. It's amazing to think this is just the difference between Alpha and Beta and that the final product will be even slightly more tweaked than Beta!
I hope everyone is as excited as I am for this beautiful world we will soon explore!
Map of Eorzea and Latest Info from Famitsu.
The latest issue of Famitsu has come out with all new information on FFXIV, including one very exciting map of Eorzea. The developers have spoken in recent times of how the land of Eorzea is simply the first stage we will see in the mighty production of Hydaelyn (Eorzea is simply a region in Hydaelyn, the world which FFXIV takes place in).
In the map we see the city of Limsa Lominsa (Where all the alpha tests have taken place) in the south west corner, it appears to be an island with a waterway disconnecting it from the main continent. In the southern lands in the middle of the map we see Ul'Dah and in the upper right hand corner to the north east, we see Gridania. To the west of Gridania seems to be the city of Ishgard, which is thought to be the "Hub" city (think Jeuno/Whitegate FFXIers) for FFXIV. And if you look to the far north east corner you see the Garlean Empire, quite ominous looking don't you think? I wonder what adventures will await us in that far off land. Also, if you look at the very bottom left corner of the picture you will see the flags for each kingdom. From left to right they are: Ul'Dah, Limsa Lominsa, Gridania, Ishgard.
Read the full article's on Zam and FFXIVcore!
Famitsu Interview with Tanaka & Komoto.
A new interview has appeared in Famitsu with Hiromichi Tanaka and Nobuaki Komoto discussing the Alpha and Beta stages of FFXIV. A lot of interesting new information regarding their plans as well as what's been going on so far in the tests. Be sure and read the full interview and writeup by Elmer on Zam.
A Closer Look at Limsa Lominsa
Recently Elmer over at Zam did a writeup taking a closer look at Limsa Lominsa. As he explains a lot of Japanese magazines and media sources have been able to sink their teeth deep into some of the great details of the FFXIV Alpha being conducted so far. While so very little is known yet, we are finally able to take some in depth looks and tours around Limsa Lominsa. We get to visit some of the shopping guilds as well where you can see different armor for purchase as well as some novelty gear such as masks, glasses and "Fluff" items. It's nice to see we will be getting some fun aesthetic gear to play around in.
Click here for the full article and more information!
Saturday, April 17, 2010
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.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
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.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
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.
"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.
Friday, April 2, 2010
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.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
The Highlander, and a new hope for more Races!
As I was scrolling through all the new information just added to the official Japanese FFXIV website I came across something quite interesting... Quite interesting indeed. Something that could be easily overlooked with all the excitement of new pictures, information and discussions... Do you see it yet? As of now, we have the five races of Eorzea, three of which have male and female counterparts, two of which are gender specific for each gender, as well as two tribes within each race... But what's this? Something is off balance, something is not right... The Highlander? Why is there only a picture of a Male and why does it say only Male Mercenaries of that tribe are seen around anymore?
What this does, is throw off the balance of a equal amount of playable characters for both Males and Females, essentially giving males one more option than females. Now now ladies, there's no need to panic. I highly doubt in modern society a company like Square Enix would dare to do something so taboo. What does that mean? Well it means more or less we're going to be seeing something to return the balance of playable options for both males and females. Most likely a all female tribe. But where will it fit in...? Perhaps a new race...? And why would they keep this from us at this point if there was only one more tribe of all females to be added...? Why would they risk the bad publicity and panic of their being more options for males...?
Once you ask these questions it seems obvious... Square Enix is teasing us, they have more up their sleeves than meets the eyes, and they did this to make us think... More than likely there will not only be a tribe of all women (like the highlander is to all men) announced before release, but we will most likely see other tribes and perhaps new races announced with it. For those of us still hopeful of Square Enix adding Male Miqo'Te this comes as great news and gives us new hope.
If you think about it logically, if I was Square Enix personally, I wouldn't want to announce something coveted and wished for as Male Miqo'Te till the very end. Why is this you ask? Because, If they announced to early on it would lose it's sense of hype, however if they announce it at a date closer to release where it comes as a BIG SURPRISE and something that a lot of people have wanted for a long time, it will influence a lot more people and make it easier for them to make the purchase of FFXIV. It's all about marketing my friends!
There's also a possibility that Square Enix could add a all-female tribe to the Hyur just as they did with the Highlanders. It would also make sense if you look at the names. We have Highlanders, Midlanders... But what about Lowlanders? Those could very well be the race of all-female-Hyur. Who's to say? There might be more tribes added for ALL races. Square Enix seems to want to give us a lot of options this time around, perhaps they will give the ladies a more bulky/amazonian tribe if they wish to be like that, and give the guys a more feminine tribe (like male miqo'te) if they want that option as well. And there's always the chance that Square Enix just might not have the information ready for us yet (as they've shown with how they add bits and pieces at a time, like the city-states and disciplines). Nothing is set in stone yet, so all we can do is wait.
Till we learn more, keep these thoughts in mind and remain hopeful!
(Screen Shot and Picture in this Article belongs to and all rights reserved to Square Enix Co, LTD.)
Official FFXIV website updated.
The official FFXIV site has been updated! Although right now it has only been updated in Japanese. In the next day(s) it will be updated on the North American and European sites, until then I'd like to direct your attention to The Official Japanese FFXIV website. Here you will see all new information as well as more pictures on the new races and tribes for FFXIV! Since it is only in Japanese right now I will give you some rough translations and a few of the new pictures. (Credit for Translations goes to Lumokai from FFXIVzam.com)(pictures are owned and all rights reserved by Square Enix Co, LTD.).
Midlander
Among the populous Hyuran, the majority is comprised of this great clan. They reside in various regions, and are enriched with a diverse livelihood. From a young age, Midlanders become accustomed to books. Because of this, they seem to have a deep, intellectual society.
Highlander
The highlanders dominate the remote, northern highlands. They are the strong, muscular, tribe of the Hyuran. After their city-state of Ala Mihgo fell to the Garlean Empire, with the exception of Male Mercenaries, it has become rare to see them in other cities.
Plainsfolk
The Plainsfolk gather and built villages from the materials of the plains, and have come to be called "The people of the Plains". Their earthly green, flaxen hair resembles vegetation. With their large ears, they can hear even the faintest footsteps of a mole.
Dunesfolk
Large, domesticated livestock are made to carry the homes that the dunesfolk migrate and live in. They live with the movement of the soil, and are called the "People of the Dunes" among the Lalafell. One of their unique features is that their eyes are enveloped by a protective clear film, which makes their eyes resemble a Crystal Ball. On their forehead, a jewel which represents their star of fate is affixed.
Forester
For hundreds of years, this Elezen tribe have inhabited the deep green forests. They are proud of their hawk-like eyesight, and excel in archery. Nowadays, those who have adapted to city life or those who live a nomadic life in the plains often return to the woodlands.
Shader
For hundreds of years, the Shaders have inhabited dark caves. Developing bat-like ears, they can sense the enemy's movement by the rustling of clothes. Because of this, many Shaders excel in hand-to-hand combat. Turning to thievery in order to sustain their cave-dwelling life, they are despised by the forester as turncoats.
Seawolf
Known as "Seawolves", this Roegadyn tribe is feared as marauding pirates from the northern seas. Nowadays, the number of Seawolves who fare the high seas are becoming numerous.
Lohengarde
Residing in the vicinity of volcanic craters, the Lohengarde are a tribe of Roegadyn who are faithful in the "Gates of Hell". They are called the "Gatekeepers of the Flame" . Not only are their bodies hard and tempered, their "fire-walking" asceticism allows them to nurture the qualities of magickal ingenuity.
Sun Seekers
One tribe of the Mi'qote call themselves "The people of the Sun". The followers of the Sun God Azema are numerous, and they are very active in the daytime. They have cold, piercing,, colorful, cat-like eyes.
Moon Keepers
The other tribe of the Mi'qote call themselves "The Wards of the Moon". They are the many followers of the Moon God Menefina, and many follow a nocturnal lifestyle. Many of the Moon Keepers apply vivid war paint onto their face.
