Dev Tracker - Discussion

I really thought them adding new zones would allow them to lower the time gate or allow people to farm zones individually by locking each zone with specific timers to each one. Wishful thinking...

Having the time-gating remain is logical, in the sense that SE wants players to continue having something to grind.

Despite being strong solo, Blue Mage is getting left behind by other damage dealing jobs in group content. Any plans to update Blue Mage's damage capabilities?

Akihiko Matsui: Our design philosophy is to balance jobs so those which are capable of doing a wide variety of things, such as blue mage, are not also stronger at roles which other jobs are focused on in their playstyle.

Has your development team discovered any ways to reduce server lag and congestion during high-population events, such as Dynamis Divergence zones?

Akihiko Matsui: At the moment, it's very difficult for us to make any more adjustments in that direction. We unfortunately cannot remedy issues with model rendering unless we were to adjust config settings.

Yoji Fujito: There will always be some amount of lag when it comes to content with a large number of players. We try to design new content (not updated or revamped content) to minimize lag-related issues, As the underlying systems are all premised on PS2 specifications, it isn't feasible for us to make adjustments to those systems (for example, revising the model rendering system itself or changing the way data its sent to and received from the server.)

Is the team still working with development tools from the PS2 version of FFXI? The reason I ask this is that in a Famitsu interview from a couple of years ago, this was listed as a reason why FFXI could not be ported to newer consoles such as the PS4. Is there any discussion on bringing FFXI to newer consoles at this stage?

Akihiko Matsui: The current development environment is not the same as it was at the time [of that particular interview], and we are regularly updating our processes to continue to provide FINAL FANTASY XI content to our players.

Any plans for a standalone game so players that aren't comfortable with MMO content can still enjoy the story?

Akihiko Matsui: Although there are currently no plans for this, if we were to do so, I don't feel it would be feasible to simply take Final Fantasy XI as it is and create a standalone version. We could create a much better offline version of the game if we used game design philosophies that are focused on an offline experience.

Yoji Fujito: We are aware that there is a modicum of interest in this kind of experience. There is nothing currently in the pipeline for this, but if were to do so, we would be unable to use many of our MMO-centric designs, so any product would likely deviate quite a bit from what most players are envisioning.

Is the Mobile version of FFXI still in development with NEXON? Can you share any information on the project, such as release date or pre-registration?

As this is a joint project with NEXON, we are unable to provide an answer to this question at present.

Do you have anything else you'd like to add for the Final Fantasy XI community?
Yoji Fujito: First of all, I would like to thank you all very much for continuing your adventures in Vana’diel. Since our launch in Japan in 2002 and expansion of service to North America in 2003, we have seen many people visit Vana’diel throughout the years. Thanks to you all, we will soon be heading into our 19th year of operation this May.

Operating for such a long time has only been possible because our players continue to explore Vana’diel and defend it from peril time and time again. Even if only for a few minutes, the fact that you have stepped foot in Vana’diel adds color and depth to this world and thus preserves its form. Our development team merely prepare the foundation for that adventure—it is our players who truly make up the heart and soul of this world. On the road to this next milestone, we would like to extend our gratitude in saying one thing ahead of May 16th – happy 18th anniversary! We hope that each and every one of you visit Vana’diel and continue to assist those within it. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Akihiko Matsui: Final Fantasy XI is going to be celebrating its 18th anniversary very soon, and I want to thank everyone for your support. I’m quite surprised to see all the excitement coming out of the North American community over the last couple of years. We hope that with the help of the North American Community team we can establish an even closer relationship with our players and strengthen the communication between the development and operations team and you, the players. Your continued support is greatly appreciated by the entire team!

Thank you for your time.

Has your development team discovered any ways to reduce server lag and congestion during high-population events, such as Dynamis Divergence zones?


... unless we were to adjust config settings.

( they could .... but they won't )

Was the interviewer starting to sweeten the pill or does he really thinks that WotG is the favourite story for the majority of players?

I dunno, can't speak for everyone but I personally rank it bottom among the storylines of FFXI °-°

Too much cheap narrative tools abused, too much anime stereotypes, too much time to see the end of it (and the feeling that some parts were made on the way and not planned since the beginning).
Last but not least the fact that the three city stories barely intertwined with the main expansion plotline, as if they were completely independent stories written by different people who weren't talking to each other.
Oh! Surprise! It's exactely what happened, they were written by different people :-P

I mean, there are several parts I loved of course but overall it's my least favourite.

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Generally I think most people who dislike WotG are not really interested in good storyline, but in fast pushover storyline to go back into dailies and endgame faster.

I dont remember Bastok and Windurst part much, but Sandoria is definitely connected to main plotline.

If we're speaking about "cutscene direction quality" of course WotG is aeons ahead of the past.

Was the interviewer starting to sweeten the pill or does he really thinks that WotG is the favourite story for the majority of players?

I was of course talking exclusively about the script though, not visual quality.

Of course it made things worse but it's certainly not my main concern.
It was more about silly anime stereotypes and bad narrative tools (multiverse cheap stuff, time/dimension travel, debateable retcons and most of all the "you're not the original universe!" thing, which in a different form kinda got replicated recently in FFXIV, not a surprise I didn't like it there either lol).
For me it was very bad writing.

I think a lot of endgamers

Maybe its a matter of your experience then. I havent watched many anime (none with multiverse or time travel plot), so I haven't catch those things you are talking about.

There have been thousands of years of fiction and hundreds of years of well-documented fiction; there is a very little that is actually genuinely new, and how original something will feel to a consumer depends almost entirely on how much of that type of story you've happened to experience before

Conversely, something doesn't need to feel wholly original for the writing to be fine (or even excellent), and vice versa.

Yeah I guess it's about personal experience maybe.
For me it was the nth time I saw the same narrative tools abused and I found it all but creative.
If didn't read/watch all I did before, probably I would've had a different opinion who knows.

Most of the time I'm veeeeery skeptic when writers start to throw time travel paradoxes and multiverse thing inside their script.
I've seen it veeeery rarely used in a way that felt original, cool, epic and not a cheap tool to cover for your lackings as a writer.

Not that I want to disagree with you, but how is being an endgamer or not relevant if we're talking about the quality of a script? Of a plotline?

We weren't talking about "best expansion" but "best story", yo.

If you find Lilisette irritating then idk how you could like WotG. The story is centered around her. She is the main protagonist and antagonist. She is the main source of emotional attachment to the story. So if you didn't like her, then I think it might be the reason you didn't like WotG.