FFXIVstuff, aka monster hunter XIV Options

[Alisha]

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/08/04/final-fa...new-job-system/

The latest edition of Famitsu Wave recently hit newsstands in Japan, bringing with it a DVD which contains an 8-minute exposé on Square Enix's second stab at the MMO genre, Final Fantasy XIV. The whole video is posted after the break. Fret not -- it sports convenient English subtitles.

Here's some of the more titillating excerpts: The game features a reinvented character progression system which does not include experience points or leveling up. The job system from XI will make an appearance, but in a heavily altered form -- an interview with the game's director, Nobuaki Komoto, revealed that the game will place a focus on the weapons players use, explaining that your armaments will determine "the way you play" and "the way you grow." Sounds reminiscent of Final Fantasy IX. (That's a very good thing.)

In addition, FFXIV producer Hiromichi Tanaka explained that the game takes place in a new region with a more "modern" feel to it -- the mysterious Eorzea which was mentioned in the trailer. The new world features familiar races (albeit with new names), and plays host to a "deep story," which is told through cut-scenes and quests. For more FFXIV info than you can possibly handle, check the video after the jump.


sounds similar to monster hunter no?

Race Scans

Someone translated the text on BG Forums regarding the characters:

"When you make your character, aside from choosing the race, you will also be able to customize their appearance. Head, skin color, hair type etc, there will be multiple factors. Just how exact we will be able to customize their appearance is still unknown, but we mean it in a good way when we say that it seems like it will become a worry to many players."

[Alisha]

obviously we need to know more but i don't like the idea of changing jobs midfight to heal yourself. i think the idea is to be solo friendly and for those times when you are making a party and you cant find a healer or tank or refresh whore. but i think there has to be better ways to tackle those problems.

[Crushinator]

obviously we need to know more but i don't like the idea of changing jobs midfight to heal yourself. i think the idea is to be solo friendly and for those times when you are making a party and you cant find a healer or tank or refresh whore. but i think there has to be better ways to tackle those problems.

I sincerely doubt that switching your weapon/job to a healer to cure yourself mid battle will be the most efficientj/intended way to play the game. If anything, the ability to change on the fly will keep you from having the problem of finding a healer/tank/whatever-role, because any player can potentially fill the spot. You don't need to say "ok we need a pld and a whm and a brd and then 3 other mooks to hurt things" you can just say "hey lets get 6 friends and have fun."

[HC82]

You don't need to say "ok we need a pld and a whm and a brd and then 3 other mooks to hurt things" you can just say "hey lets get 6 friends and have fun."

That was the biggest turn off for me when it comes to MMOs. I hate forming PTs. I don't like waiting or being unable to do things because someone had to go and now we need a tank etc... The dynamics are obviously that it creates party diversity and can make for more unique encounters, but there needs to be a balance. That's partly why WoW was a success in that way for casual gamers. Although, WoW is really just very user friendly as you level up and becomes strict on the raiding level, which I don't have the time to devout too.

It's important for MMOs to understand the benefits of how they do things, and why it does or doesn't work, but also think outside the box and carve their own path. Too many MMOs follow a strict path or 'mantra' of MMO gaming guidelines. I think they just need to let go at times and focus on "what's fun as all shit and will last a long time with players?"

PSO, being in all honestly a rigid action rpg with only 4 stages had me playing again and again. It didn't have miles of digital landscape, realistic worlds, and all these immersive aspects, yet I'v clocked more into that then most MMOs.

What does that mean exactly? That means that the main focus is "FUN!!!" The MMORPG aspects of immersion of huge worlds can easily dwarf a game like PSO (and it does dwarf it), yet if a small-ass-4-stages-game can have me playing for 400+ hours, than a huge-massive world should have me playing longer (obviously it will), but also having waaaaay more fun.

WoW has some of those elements which make it easier to get into and has you generally exploring each area fully, due to the nature of the quest system. FFXIV understands that these elements are important to a MMOs success, but originality must still prevail.