Comments on why Final Fantasy XIV for now isn't going to appear on the 360:
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/closed-xbox-live-blocked-ffxiv
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/closed-xbox-live-blocked-ffxiv
Comments on why Final Fantasy XIV for now isn't going to appear on the 360:
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/closed-xbox-live-blocked-ffxiv
PC version hitting European shelves on September 22nd; PS3 SKU arriving March 2011
Square Enix has announced that the PC Collector’s Edition version of MMO Final Fantasy XIV will be released in Europe on September 22nd. The standard SKU will hit retail on September 30th.
The PS3 version of the game will not be released until March 2011, with pricing to be announced at a later date.
It needs much more than that IMO. In between executing emotes, which requires user input, the characters look like robots. They need to adopt some natural auto-expression so they look like people even when no-one's executing an emote. Things like head's turning to view someone dancing, rubbing of chins or brushing back hair, little lip movements, etc. Without these little touches constantly going on, the realistic placement means everything looks dead creepy, like the Dollhouse, or some other mind-controlled people den (which I suppose they are...). Until I can go into a friend's apartment and sit down and look like someone in a friend's apartment, instead of sitting down in a very scary job interview, it won't be a comfortable experience for me.
They may well have updated it a lot since I tried it in the early days. I've tried a couple of times since then and it's always crashed out or failed to connect, hence a lack of enthusiasm.
It needs much more than that IMO. In between executing emotes, which requires user input, the characters look like robots. They need to adopt some natural auto-expression so they look like people even when no-one's executing an emote. Things like head's turning to view someone dancing, rubbing of chins or brushing back hair, little lip movements, etc. Without these little touches constantly going on, the realistic placement means everything looks dead creepy, like the Dollhouse, or some other mind-controlled people den (which I suppose they are...). Until I can go into a friend's apartment and sit down and look like someone in a friend's apartment, instead of sitting down in a very scary job interview, it won't be a comfortable experience for me.
From the FFXIV Beta Tester's Site:
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, it’s 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
We’ve 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 we’ve 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. We’ve 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 it’s 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 I’ve pointed out, so we hope you will get a good feel for them, too.
Here’s to seeing the same great level of feedback and support during phase 3!
FINAL FANTASY XIV Director
Nobuaki Komoto
The PlayStation 3 version of MMO Final Fantasy XIV was delayed due to “memory” issues, producer Hiromichi Tanaka told VG247.
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“On the PC, they have enormous memory. For PS3, there’s a restriction.“They are adjusting the memory size and customising it; it took longer then we were expecting. But we’re really working hard to bring it out as soon as possible.”
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The PS3 version lands in March 2011. Tanaka told us a 360 version was still being talked about with Microsoft.
In the first Final Fantasy XIV MMO Log, I wondered what my motivation for playing the game was. This week I decided to make my own quest.
Kotaku's MMO reviews are a multi-part process. Rather than deliver day one reviews based on beta gameplay, we play the game for four weeks before issuing our final verdict. Once a week we deliver a log detailing when and how we played the game. We believe this gives readers a frame of reference for the final review. Since MMO titles support many different types of play, readers can compare our experiences to theirs to determine what the review means to them.
Without further ado, here's part two.
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