Regarding Phase 3 of Beta Testing
First off, I would like to thank all testers for participating in phase 2 of the FINAL FANTASY XIV Beta Test!
The development team sincerely appreciates all of the feedback, positive and negative, as well as all the words of encouragement from testers across the world. We endeavor ever forward with all of your voices in mind.
We are also excited about entering the third phase of beta testing! We intend to have the new content first checked by testers who participated in phase 2, and then increase the number of testers as time goes on. We are continuing to address the server load issues that many testers have brought to our attention. The official launch will be built upon a solid foundation of ongoing stress tests.
Following is a selection of what is in store for the third phase of beta testing.
Improvements to the battle system
We overhauled the user interface and basic system for Beta 1. We will, however, continue making changes to eke the greatest possible enjoyment out of the system. Rather than explaining every detail, its probably better for you to experience it for yourself. Enjoy!
Adjustments to character growth
We relayed in a previous announcement our plan to increase the merits of participating in levequests, particularly while in a party. Beginning with this phase, the amount of skill points that characters gain through levequests will be far greater than what they would gain attacking monsters on the field. Further adjustments will be made based on your feedback during Beta 3.
Improvements to mouse controls
Weve received plenty of feedback on mouse controls from testers who are seasoned PC gamers. Because we tried to ensure our control scheme worked across every type of device, we simply ended up providing a level of mouse control unsatisfactory to those testers. But we are happy to announce that weve made some major improvements to the movement and camera controls. Try them out and let us know what you think.
Implementation of new Disciples of the Hand and Disciples of the Land classes
Now that we have ready for use all of the announced classes, we are one step closer to fulfilling all the items we promised to provide. Weve reinstated local levequests with this phase, and with that, we hope to see an increased number of Disciples of the Hand. Some testers reported that there were not enough Disciples of the Hand testers to repair their items during Beta 2. We will keep an eye on this aspect during Beta 3 and make the proper adjustments according to your feedback.
Implementation of linkshells
Linkshells (also known in FINAL FANTASY XIV as companies and similar to guilds found in other online games) will be implemented in Beta 3. Most FINAL FANTASY XI players will already be familiar with how linkshells work. Please test them out by inviting your friends and be sure to let us know what you think.
Implementation of player macros and the auto-translate function
With macros, players will be able to execute multiple actions with one command, and automatically set their actions and equipment when changing classes. We understand the system still requires some tweaks, but we decided to implement the system in Beta 3 because its such an essential feature for testers to fully enjoy their experience.
These above are the major additions and adjustments for this version update. There are plenty more other than what Ive pointed out, so we hope you will get a good feel for them, too.
Heres to seeing the same great level of feedback and support during phase 3!
FINAL FANTASY XIV Director
Nobuaki Komoto
