Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn - Beta Phase 3 Impression: Phase 4 August

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It's worth mentioning that the PS4 version is apparently coming right alongside the DX11 PC upgrade, and there are supposedly no cut-backs for the PS4 version.

So the PS4 version of the game will look and run better than the current PC version does.

Wasn't there something about the most popular mods (can't think of the actual word) being made available for the console version(s)?
 
That's because it takes into account distance, so the closer you are the faster the target will get it's heal. I think is a interesting idea that will force some dynamic positioning in battles. Although given the current lag is clear that is a problem.

Hmm although interesting probably not a good idea, that's a pretty big change for people who are used to other MMO's and could be quite frustrating if they don't understand how it works.

As you say though latency and lag are just going to make it more cumbersome than it should be also.

All welcome changes. The fact that they can add new features like this, at fairly short notice, really bodes well.

It's probably been in the works a lot longer than you would think, the team are working on multiple phases at once, although being on the last phase things should progress a lot faster now, their team is massive.
 
That's because it takes into account distance, so the closer you are the faster the target will get it's heal. I think is a interesting idea that will force some dynamic positioning in battles. Although given the current lag is clear that is a problem.

What you are taking about has no effect on the order in which things happen. You can still take distance into account but do it before the animation begins. As I said, every other MMO had the certain order of operations for events occurring for a reason which the designers of this game decided to ignore despite the wealth of prior experience in MMO design.
 
"This game is too much like WoW it's sucks."
"This game plays like every other tab-target MMO and it sucks."
"Do something creative, SE!"

>SE does something in ARR kinda different that is perfectly fine once you know how it works

"Why is this different from how WoW works? This sucks!"
"Why is this different from how FFXI works? This sucks!"
"This isn't how this works in this other MMO so it's terrible."
"I don't know how this works but it doesn't work like I expected so it's bad!"

(note: not talking about or trying to excuse that bad WYSINWYG lag, that's a problem not a feature)
 
I've seen people play XI for years on PS2 with "poor image quality" and "inferior controls" I've played on PC, hooked to my TV, so yes, I still think sitting at a desk sucks. If you like PC then enjoy it on PC. No need to be an elitist.

When I had a PS2 and a PC, and chose to play FFXI on PC. Now I have a PS3 and a PC and I choose to play ARR on PC.

So making a choice based on performance makes me an elitist? And why is that? I just happen to have all platforms (except 360 since I sold it) and I will just play the games wherever they play the best.

Hate to say it, but you sound a bit ridiculous calling someone that makes such a choice, elitist.
 
"This game is too much like WoW it's sucks."
"This game plays like every other tab-target MMO and it sucks."
"Do something creative, SE!"

>SE does something in ARR kinda different that is perfectly fine once you know how it works

"Why is this different from how WoW works? This sucks!"
"Why is this different from how FFXI works? This sucks!"
"This isn't how this works in this other MMO so it's terrible."
"I don't know how this works but it doesn't work like I expected so it's bad!"

(note: not talking about or trying to excuse that bad WYSINWYG lag, that's a problem not a feature)

Heh, I won't deny it, we gamers really do have a bad habit of sending mixed signals, VERY mixed signals. XD
 
My poor sensitive Mi'qote nose! D:

It's not too late to change to the winning team :D

I like you.

I'd like you more if we were on the same server ;x

Well now we know who's getting the cupboard under the stairs

Little do you know the cupboard leads to an upside-down version of the FC house, so basically I'll have it all to myself.

king-homer-laughing-smiley-emoticon.gif


I think it would be more fun if we had a big cookout at the FC beach house and roasted all the Lalafells on spits and ate them with a light butter sauce.

I think Mi'qotes would fit the bill more since they're felines and thus more related to dogs which are a delicacy in some countries.
 
What you are taking about has no effect on the order in which things happen. You can still take distance into account but do it before the animation begins. As I said, every other MMO had the certain order of operations for events occurring for a reason which the designers of this game decided to ignore despite the wealth of prior experience in MMO design.

The thing is, cure result happens when the "cure" (the light that flies) arrives to the player. The fact the server does the calculations after the animation or before is irrelevant, this is how it works.

Hmm although interesting probably not a good idea, that's a pretty big change for people who are used to other MMO's and could be quite frustrating if they don't understand how it works.

As you say though latency and lag are just going to make it more cumbersome than it should be also.

If we go by how the game is built (clearly leading the players to understand the different mechanics from MMO and the game itself) I'm sure at some point there will be content designed to make players learn this. Is not a good thing that beacuse you have some pre-existing knowledge in the genre you should know how to play perfectly, given that is one of thew few unique things in the combat system I'd say is a welcome addition.

As I said, is not something that works well under lag, so let's hope lag is fixed.
 
Just the main threads. When we get organized on the site, I'll post the majority of the news/updates/events there.



I agree. I loved our group in phase 3 and hope that the majority of those players will be joining us at launch. We talked about this during phase 3, but FC housing is going to be our first major goal. We are definitely going to make a big push for it and hopefully be one of the first FCs on the server to achieve this goal.

I'm definitely in. I didn't participate in GAF stuff during the previous beta phases because I didn't want to play much. Phase 4, I'll be on everyday playing hardcore.

I have maybe 20 friends that will be joining me on Ultros. Most of them don't post on GAF. I'm not sure how many would want to join a LS or FC, but what are the limitations of allowing non-GAF people? I know non-GAFers are allowed, but would all 20 be able to get in or is there some sort of limit?

Ahh, Tanaka. Not the best of developers ever to work for Square, but I still tend to feel bad for the guy. I think XIV would've ended up with a lot of the same problems XI had, even if he'd been given ample time to polish the game up before release. Regardless, I still tend to think he was put in an, untenable position, with management rushing the launch of the game.

Maybe not though, blaming management isn't always fair, I suppose.

I also kind of assumed that Tanaka was held at gun point by management. Having loved FFXI, I just couldn't understand how things were so bad with 1.0. I figured it had to be management telling him what to do and really tying his hands.

For those adamant about playing FFXIV on a console, are most holding out until an eventual PS4 release, or are most going to buy the PS3 version?

I'll start on PC, but I plan to take a look at the PS4 version once it's available.

I've seen people play XI for years on PS2 with "poor image quality" and "inferior controls" I've played on PC, hooked to my TV, so yes, I still think sitting at a desk sucks. If you like PC then enjoy it on PC. No need to be an elitist.

Just a bit of forewarning... don't bother arguing with Khrno. He's pretty much the only person in here who I think acts like an elitist (surprisingly!), and I've called him out on it before. He's very much anti-console for this game.
 
I think Mi'qotes would fit the bill more since they're felines and thus more related to dogs which are a delicacy in some countries.

Like most predatory animals which are high on the food chain, cats are mostly lean meat and pretty tough. Miqo'tes are descended from hunters and tender juicy Lalafells would be little different from the small mammals they hunted in their native land.
 
For those adamant about playing FFXIV on a console, are most holding out until an eventual PS4 release, or are most going to buy the PS3 version?

I'll just get the PS4 and play it alongside with the PC version, although Im a little worried about the load times between zones.
In the last beta, I played with a friend who was on PS3, and he was incredibly slow zoning betwee areas compared to me (and I was using an old HDD that was never formatted, so it was already slow, now I just got a SSD)

I also kind of assumed that Tanaka was held at gun point by management. Having loved FFXI, I just couldn't understand how things were so bad with 1.0. I figured it had to be management telling him what to do and really tying his hands.

I remember when 1.0 launched there was a lot of people saying that the game sucked besause it was outsourced to a chinese developer or something like that...
 
I get that. I actually don't dislike the game, but I can see right through how shallow it is and nothing has led me to believe that it's going to change. The conflict is that I know exactly what I need to hear to be sold on the game, and a single paragraph could accomplish that. So I just keep hoping to hear it.

It might just be that I'm expecting this game to be something that no one else wants it to be, but this:



...does not sound like a realized world to me at all.

It sounds like what I'd expect from a F2P model. It feels like they took the cheapest route on just about every design decision in the game, frankly. Progression happens on this straight hierarchical path. That's clear, and it makes sure that no one is going off to the side and improving their character so that the content becomes easier and that everyone is on a level playing field. That sounds nice, but what's the cost? What's the point of progressing if it isn't relative to anything? It seems like everyone is going to be on the exact same path, and while that sounds appealing from the developers' standpoint, it's going to make things get pretty boring pretty fast for the people paying subscriptions.

With this type of model, where instances are added to the top of a clear hierarchy, I feel like I should just be able to buy the newest instance if I want to. What exactly am I paying a subscription for? Chocobo racing? The core game is on a straight line, and you can't do anything meaningful off of it. It's a constantly progressing single player Final Fantasy game with online matchmaking from where I'm standing. That's not the worst thing, but it is disappointing for me.

Their philosophy and the "cheapest route" feeling permeates deeper than progression, too. The stats are incredibly shallow and the classes are way too stale and similar. They've done this to make sure that there's balance and no class is left out. The goal is good, but anyone could accomplish it that way and there's a reason why they don't.


It just has a complete lack of depth in almost every area, but at the same time Yoshi-P has addressed this and keeps talking like he understands the complaints and that we just don't 'get it' yet and that it's going to change at higher levels. So I'm still paying attention...

I certainly don't think its fair to say this is a F2P effort. No doubt, the game is rough in some areas and some of the ideas aren't totally refined. However, this *is* a beta and we've only seen content up to level ~22 + a couple of level 30 dungeons. Considering how quickly the early levels are intended to be consumed, I'd be surprised if we've seen even 40% of the content that will make up the final game. Not to mention they're already preparing major patches that will be packed with new gameplay features lke housing, RvR, and add on support. Yes, there will be a linear progression path for high end gear -- thats how WoW and just about every other MMO works these days. You collect gear from one raid so that you can move on and challenge the next.

Honestly, I don't expect this game to be anywhere near as good as WoW at release. Blizzard has had 10 years to refine and perfect that game. I've enjoyed ARR but more than that I see huge potential in FFXIV. Consider that Yoshida and his team have, essentially, rebuilt an MMO in 2 years while still supporting the original 1.0 with fairly regular and significant content updates. That shows incredible commitment to quality, so I'm more than happy to hand over my subscription dollars and see how this thing shapes up.
 
Like most predatory animals which are high on the food chain, cats are mostly lean meat and pretty tough. Miqo'tes are descended from hunters and tender juicy Lalafells would be little different from the small mammals they hunted in their native land.

You misunderstand a Lalafell's small build as a burden when in fact it is a factor in their incredible agility, and can thus more than easily outpace a feline.
 
The thing is, cure result happens when the "cure" (the light that flies) arrives to the player. The fact the server does the calculations after the animation or before is irrelevant, this is how it works.



If we go by how the game is built (clearly leading the players to understand the different mechanics from MMO and the game itself) I'm sure at some point there will be content designed to make players learn this. Is not a good thing that beacuse you have some pre-existing knowledge in the genre you should know how to play perfectly, given that is one of thew few unique things in the combat system I'd say is a welcome addition.

As I said, is not something that works well under lag, so let's hope lag is fixed.

What? Delayed-input combat is a welcome edition?

I think your giving them way too much credit, that you believe the delays were purposely implemented in the combat system. SWTOR had a similar problem with it's combat system, in which the animation took priority over the actual ability going off. The result being, that your toon had to complete their complex animations before the ability actually activated. What it resulted in, is sluggish, annoying combat which turned off a lot of people.

FFXIV isn't that much different, at the moment. While the delayed damage and AE problem keep getting mentioned, I don't see a lot of talk on the delay in combat actions the game has. The "instant" abilities are typically not instant at all. Most need 0.5-1 second before they activate. Whether they prioritize animations, like SWTOR did, I'm not sure. I just know that abilities they clearly have labeled as "instant' are not.

Here's a gif from Mardoc on the beta forums.
d2OrF9G.gif

He tries to activate 4-5 instant abilities that are not on the global cooldown, but the game has a delay between each action.
 
I'll just get the PS4 and play it alongside with the PC version, although Im a little worried about the load times between zones.
In the last beta, I played with a friend who was on PS3, and he was incredibly slow zoning betwee areas compared to me (and I was using an old HDD that was never formatted, so it was already slow, now I just got a SSD)



I remember when 1.0 launched there was a lot of people saying that the game sucked besause it was outsourced to a chinese developer or something like that...

And Cataclysm was coming out that fall so management told them to rush it so they could compete
 
d2OrF9G.gif

He tries to activate 4-5 instant abilities that are not on the global cooldown, but the game has a delay between each action.
The need to wait for the animation to be over before being able to do another action with an animation seems perfectly fine to me. Now calling them instant is probably wrong, they probably should put two things for each skill : the cast time, and the animation/action time.
 
Whether they prioritize animations, like SWTOR did, I'm not sure.
They do. Marduc's bug report has been classified as "working as intended". Effects take place when the animation is complete, and it's true for all skills, instant or not. There's also some sort of 'animation cooldown' going on. It's a separate issue from the actual server > client delay but it adds up and make the game much less responsive than it should be. Whether combat feels 'annoying and sluggish' because the animation delay, server > client delay or a combination of both is up in the air as far as I'm concerned.
 
FFXIV isn't that much different, at the moment. While the delayed damage and AE problem keep getting mentioned, I don't see a lot of talk on the delay in combat actions the game has. The "instant" abilities are typically not instant at all. Most need 0.5-1 second before they activate. Whether they prioritize animations, like SWTOR did, I'm not sure. I just know that abilities they clearly have labeled as "instant' are not.

Here's a gif from Mardoc on the beta forums.
http://i.imgur.com/d2OrF9G.gif
He tries to activate 4-5 instant abilities that are not on the global cooldown, but the game has a delay between each action.

Yeah, this is something that did bother me during the beta. Trying to use instant buffs during cooldowns wasn't as instant as I expected and as you say it must have to do with animations, since using them from an idle stance do trigger instantly, but they won't right after a weaponskill/spell is used.

They do. Marduc's bug report has been classified as "working as intended". Effects take place when the animation is complete, and it's true for all skills, instant or not. It's a separate issue from the actual server > client delay but it adds up and make the game much less responsive than it should be. Whether combat feels 'annoying and sluggish' because the animation delay, server > client delay or a combination of both is up in the air as far as I'm concerned.

Yeah definitively, since I didn't experience any of the aoe lag, so this is indeed a game "feature".
 
What? Delayed-input combat is a welcome edition?

I think your giving them way too much credit, that you believe the delays were purposely implemented in the combat system. SWTOR had a similar problem with it's combat system, in which the animation took priority over the actual ability going off. The result being, that your toon had to complete their complex animations before the ability actually activated. What it resulted in, is sluggish, annoying combat which turned off a lot of people.

FFXIV isn't that much different, at the moment. While the delayed damage and AE problem keep getting mentioned, I don't see a lot of talk on the delay in combat actions the game has. The "instant" abilities are typically not instant at all. Most need 0.5-1 second before they activate. Whether they prioritize animations, like SWTOR did, I'm not sure. I just know that abilities they clearly have labeled as "instant' are not.

Here's a gif from Mardoc on the beta forums.
d2OrF9G.gif

He tries to activate 4-5 instant abilities that are not on the global cooldown, but the game has a delay between each action.

I'm not even given them any credit, they said so: Working as Intended.

I like the idea, particularly in the case of cures, I'm rather indiferent in most other cases at least for now, since we don't know how it will play it high end content.
 
You misunderstand a Lalafell's small build as a burden when in fact it is a factor in their incredible agility, and can thus more than easily outpace a feline.

Those chubby little legs would probably have trouble outpacing a field mouse, but they are welcome to try and flee from a skilled Miqo'te Hunter. They'll just be presenting a larger target for the most skilled archers in Eorzea to shoot.
 
Those chubby little legs would probably have trouble outpacing a field mouse, but they are welcome to try and flee from a skilled Miqo'te Hunter. They'll just be presenting a larger target for the most skilled archers in Eorzea to shoot.

"The short, rotund builds of the Lalafell belie an incredible agility, and their seemingly feeble legs are capable of carrying them long distances over any terrain. Many among them are also known for possessing highly developed and cunning intellects."

http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Lalafell

I'd say the Elezen have the cornerstone when it comes to masterful archery. Also, considering the Miqo'te tend to keep to themselves, while Lalafell are possibly the most social of races, I'd think they'd have more tricks up their sleeves when it comes to archery after rubbing elbows with the Elezen.
 
"The short, rotund builds of the Lalafell belie an incredible agility, and their seemingly feeble legs are capable of carrying them long distances over any terrain. Many among them are also known for possessing highly developed and cunning intellects."

http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Lalafell

I'd say the Elezen have the cornerstone when it comes to masterful archery. Also, considering the Miqo'te tend to keep to themselves, while Lalafell are possibly the most social of races, I'd think they'd have more tricks up their sleeves when it comes to archery after rubbing elbows with the Elezen.
The peiste argument still stands.
 
I don't recall seeing many Lalafell Brass Blades (besides Papashan) so go take care of my Peiste pests, commoners, while the Lalafell continue running Ul'dah.

I notice a lot of adventurers avoid that quest. I think they realize that the more Lalafells the piestes eat, the sooner the revolution that overthrows the Sultana will come.
 
No. NEVER. She will remain there forever.

Sultana for 2016 Prez.

I notice a lot of adventurers avoid that quest. I think they realize that the more Lalafells the piestes eat, the sooner the revolution that overthrows the Sultana will come.

I will be sure to do this levequest and pick up everyone else's slack as soon as I can and then repeat it until lvl cap to exterminate these vile creatures.
 
I will do my part as well. That is... assuming I don't get eaten in the process. :( Surely some brave adventurer will come help me if I get in trouble.

You must not show fear, fellow Lalafell. These creatures are sustained by it. Fear not and the power to vanquish them shall come to thee.
 
Just a bit of forewarning... don't bother arguing with Khrno. He's pretty much the only person in here who I think acts like an elitist (surprisingly!), and I've called him out on it before. He's very much anti-console for this game.

Hey now. Knowing that playing the game without a keyboard and mouse will always be inferior doesn't make you an elitist. It makes you honest. Choosing to play the inferior way for comfort is fine, but I would hope that all end game free companies will screen people out that do so.

On a scale of 1-10, how serious am I?
 
Hey now. Knowing that playing the game without a keyboard and mouse will always be inferior doesn't make you an elitist. It makes you honest. Choosing to play the inferior way for comfort is fine, but I would hope that all end game free companies will screen people out that do so.

On a scale of 1-10, how serious am I?

Video games are srs bsns, we won't tolerate anyone who cannot reach level cap in the first week of release and meet our 500 mil a week gil quota for each member. You must clear your schedule in order to be able to raid 5 times a day with no days off. Any and all valuable loot you find will be given to members via a ranked pyramid system. Those at the top will always get priority. Failure to comply with any of these SACRED guild rules will be subject to a ticket submitted to SE customer service to immediately have your account banned.
 
They posted a reason for why the spells no longer end with -ra, -aga, -ja, etc.

Greetings, everyone!

I was extremely lucky to catch the Localization Team's resident ahriman, Fernehalwes, in the brief 40 second period of free time he has while his work PC boots up.

He explained the following reasons that the team decided to go with the numerical numbering, versus the current Japanese style of -ga, -ra, etc.

First off, having a numbered spell makes it instantly recognizable and understandable. If you're a healer in the heat of battle and your party is dying, and you're looking over your cure spells and see "Curaja" - are you able to recognize what level that is? Is it before cura? After? Where does it fall next to curaga?

Secondly, there are a lot of new spells that are being introduced in FFXIV, that just would not make sense with suffixes like "ra" and "ja" added (Medica, for example). In a self-contained game, where you're sure "this is the full spell list" it's easy to branch out, and finalize the names in specific styles. But when it comes to the ever-evolving MMORPG, you never know when a new spell will be added after a level cap increase. What comes after "za"? Is it really possible that those will work with every spell name?

Thirdly, this is something that was done early on the previous FINAL FANTASY MMO, FFXI.

Hopefully the above makes it a bit clearer on the reasoning for the decision!

http://forum.square-enix.com/ARR-Te...e-EN-version?p=1076518&viewfull=1#post1076518

I kind of understand what they are saying even if I do prefer the other names. What I don't understand is though... Why is English the only language that is changed? Japanese and others still use the -ra, -aga, etc way of naming. Do they just think we are too stupid to figure out the names? lol

And I think the current numbering system kind of makes it more confusing because in previous FF games, II, III, IV, etc were all just more powerful versions of single target spells (generally). Now, they all provide different effects. I think it makes a lot more sense to name it (for example) Firaga for the AOE Fire spell. *shrug*
 
They posted a reason for why the spells no longer end with -ra, -aga, -ja, etc.



http://forum.square-enix.com/ARR-Te...e-EN-version?p=1076518&viewfull=1#post1076518

I kind of understand what they are saying even if I do prefer the other names. What I don't understand is though... Why is English the only language that is changed? Japanese and others still use the -ra, -aga, etc way of naming. Do they just think we are too stupid to figure out the names? lol

And I think the current numbering system kind of makes it more confusing because in previous FF games, II, III, IV, etc were all just more powerful versions of single target spells (generally). Now, they all provide different effects. I think it makes a lot more sense to name it (for example) Firaga for the AOE Fire spell. *shrug*

this.

Maybe for western market they are aiming for a lot of new users who are not familiar to FF series? I don't know..
 
this.

Maybe for western market they are aiming for a lot of new users who are not familiar to FF series? I don't know..

I suppose, but the game already has so much fan service making me think they are aiming for dedicated Final Fantasy fans to play for a long period, not so much people new to the series or people who know nothing about it. I dunno. I mean, it isn't a huge deal to me either way, but I do find the new numbering system for names a bit odd (since Fire II isn't more powerful than Fire I and is AOE, and then Fire III is back to single target) and maybe even more confusing for new players than the -ra, -aga, etc system. *shrug*

The fact that the Japanese version (and I think another version, too - German I think) still uses the -ra/-aga system kind of bugs me, though.

Really, they should just leave Fire the same, change Fire II (aoe) to Firaga, and then rename Fire III to Fire II (if they want to keep the number system intact). So you'd be able to recognize that an -aga spell is AOE (this would be the FFXI style of doing things) vs a new player asking "So.. why isn't Fire II more powerful than Fire I?"
 
Yup, it's only English.

Medira and Mediga seem like they fit fine with stuff like Baramnesra and Cursena. More than four tiers of a spell seems pretty redundant and out of place in game as well-designed and fluff-less as this; they might as well drop the whole MP scaling thing if they need that many tiers of a spell.
 
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