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View Full Version : Final Fantasy XIV (PC, PS3) [Preview]


skoreanime
August 19th, 2009, 12:00
Reserving this title! MMOs clearly aren't the mainstream on the board, but someones gotta do it :innocent:

A little teaser to start off. Video from Gamescon.

I highly suggest the HD versions. You can see a lot more detail and a lot less artifacting that way. For an MMO, it looks stunning so far.

-q7rn3mB5V4

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NOTE: The videos released so far are ALPHA stage. Meaning development is still in full gear.



http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y49/skoreanime/c20090820_ff14_04_cs1w1_640x360.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y49/skoreanime/c20090820_ff14_10_cs1w1_640x360.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y49/skoreanime/c20090820_ff14_15_cs1w1_368x640.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y49/skoreanime/c20090820_ff14_17_cs1w1_358x640.jpg


http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y49/skoreanime/c20090820_ff14_18_cs1w1_304x640.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y49/skoreanime/c20090820_ff14_19_cs1w1_640x608.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y49/skoreanime/c20090820_ff14_20_cs1w1_640x525.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y49/skoreanime/c20090820_ff14_22_cs1w1_640x583.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y49/skoreanime/c20090820_ff14_23_cs1w1_463x640.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y49/skoreanime/c20090820_ff14_21_cs1w1_390x640.jpg


Quotes from FFXIVs producer:

In Final Fantasy XI, the player would select the attack command and enter an Auto-Attack mode. To spice up the flow of battle, Final Fantasy XIV will require players to select commands each time they attack, and the combination of commands they choose will determine the technique they use. This will put all new emphasis on strategy and keep players engaged in battle.

Action Commands, as Tanaka calls them, are lined up along the bottom of the screen as icons. Those who are grumbling about a passing resemblance to World of Warcraft will be happy to know the layout is tentative and certainly subject to change. The current setup has players selecting an ability from the from the bottom which then appears as a command in your gauge. There are two gauges - one for the left hand and one for the right hand. For example, the character that Tanaka was controlling had a shield in his left hand, so the left-handed gauge had shield commands registered to it.
To activate an ability, the player needs to store up their "Action Gauge." The strength and accuracy of a technique can be further increased by storing up the "Power Gauge." The "TP Gauge" also makes a return, which when full will alter the effects of your technique in a variety of ways. The gauges will increase when the player attacks or is attacked by an enemy. During this explanation, Tanaka unleashes Red Lotus Blade with a grin, much to the delight of the interviewer, who immediately recognizes the sword technique.

Magic will be used the same way - through Action Commands - but will only be available if you are equipped with a weapon that allows their use. Swords give sword-based abilities and staves will give magic-based abilities. Also, there are skills that cannot be used until you have acquired enough skill in a particular weapon.

How will the story be told? Powerful story is an essential part of the FF-series, and as far as the producers have said it will be important in XIV as well.

Yes the story is defiantly very important for FF14. We will have high quality cutscenes with voiceovers and fx, please look forward to it.

There will also be voiceovers on mostly every character/npc in the game.

When is the beta? Any more info?

We dont have any specific time at the moment. But this current version here at Gamescom is an alpha version. And before we start the beta we're going to have another version, a developer version, this time we're concentrating on guild leaves, next time we're going to be concentrating on something else. When it's ready we'll start the beta version. And of course since we're going to launch the game in 2010 it should before that... so. The beta is not going to be in the far future *laughs* We want to do it as soon as possible.

(Also, a different interview has quoted Tanaka saying there will be an open beta.)



- At present how much of the game is complete?

Tanaka: The game is only around 40-50% complete at this stage, and the alpha here pretty much has everything removed that isn't essential to displaying the Guildleave system. The focus here at GamesCom was to show the Guildleave and how it works as well as how it delivers quests to the player. The initial quests shown here are fairly easy taking only around 15 minutes but this isn't how it will always be. There will be quests with different levels of difficulty and time requirements. On top of this, there will also be monster all over trying to get in the way of your missions!

- Was the main focus so far in development on combat then?

Tanaka: Currently the most advanced part of the game is certainly the graphics and there are many changes that will happen before the release date. I know that showing off an incomplete game can draw criticism from disappointed players, but I hope that it can also get praise for how far along FFXIV has come. We plan to show off portions of the game as we continue to develop it.

- Will Japan have its chance to play a demo as well?

Tanaka: There may be a playable version that users sign up to try out in Japan sort of like a giant focus group. Players will be added gradually, and once the game is more polished and we have a solid base for the users then we will initiate the open Beta.

Tanaka: The fruits of our labor are finally coming to bear, and the development team is working hard to get the game ready. We're planning to let everyone get a try at a playable version like we have done here in Germany, so please look forward to it in the not so far future.

@ruantec
August 19th, 2009, 12:18
mmm Final Fantasy XIII isnīt even out and they are already developing XIV??? WTF is going on with square enix???

Thanakil
August 19th, 2009, 12:24
Hmm, can't tell much from the video, but :
- It looks like you can see quite far in the distance, which is a good thing to have in a MMO.
- Sadly, it looks like things "pop out" very close to the character. That's not really the kind of thing that'll get better through beta/retail (or only a little). The price to pay to have good looking vegetation. (Should be nice once I get a new PC, the current one won't like this game very much)
- The combat looks really slow. Right now most MMOs try to get away from that and to make things more dynamic. But maybe it'll just be like WoW was : Slow-paced at low-levels and fast-paced at high-level, to give players some time to accommodate themselves to their characters. (If it is, great, if it's not... Damn)

Silenus
August 19th, 2009, 14:29
Not my style.
Never liked MMOs.

Noja87
August 19th, 2009, 14:36
so far it looks like a regular MMO.

Strike105X
August 19th, 2009, 14:46
Looks regular but anyway i'm staying away from it i learned my lesson with lineage 2...

@ruantec
August 19th, 2009, 14:49
First i hate MMOīs and second the game looks terrible. about the fighting style i donīt even bother to comment :p

Noja87
August 19th, 2009, 15:03
agree with @ruan. Fighting looks generic. Im more interested in other new MMOs that are really trying to make a difference like this one

y-y20gIDHlE


Waaaay more exciting :D

Demi Fiend
August 19th, 2009, 15:07
I just wanna know something... The PS3 version will be playable through a controller or keyboard ? Second, people that hates MMO shouldn't really bother to post, since it's obvious they will say something like, "I hate mmos, this game sucks and bla bla".

Noja87
August 19th, 2009, 15:07
both like the last one i think.

@ruantec
August 19th, 2009, 15:15
I just wanna know something... The PS3 version will be playable through a controller or keyboard ? Second, people that hates MMO shouldn't really bother to post, since it's obvious they will say something like, "I hate mmos, this game sucks and bla bla".

Hey donīt take it that personal :thumb: i just donīt like MMOīs that doesnīt mean they are bad ;)

Demi Fiend
August 19th, 2009, 15:18
No I'm not ruantec, relax. It's just that for the thread's sake it'd be best to read comments from experienced MMO players, for a better judgment of the game ;)

Noja87
August 19th, 2009, 15:49
a bunch of new gameplay videos

http://www.gametrailers.com/game/final-fantasy-xiv-online/11432

Demi Fiend
August 19th, 2009, 15:59
Ok. I have some experience with mmos. So far I haven't seen anything impressive besides the debut movie. That opening looks awesome. I really want to see the battles. The first movie doesn't show too much about it.

Xblade
August 19th, 2009, 19:04
mmm Final Fantasy XIII isnīt even out and they are already developing XIV??? WTF is going on with square enix???

Actually, they usually develop to main titles at the same time..........take Final Fantasy VII and IX for example.

Phil
August 19th, 2009, 19:22
Don't you mean VII and VIII?

Xblade
August 19th, 2009, 19:47
Don't you mean VII and VIII?

No I meant VIII and IX. >_>

masta.g.86
August 19th, 2009, 21:14
Ok. I have some experience with mmos. So far I haven't seen anything impressive besides the debut movie. That opening looks awesome. I really want to see the battles. The first movie doesn't show too much about it.

SE seems to do that on purpose. They drum up the hype so everyone rushes out to buy their latest turd. It took forever to get a video of XIII featuring actual battle sequences instead of the stupid FMVs.

Anyway, XIV looks mediocre at best. It'll likely be sub par as MMOs go when released.

Xblade
August 19th, 2009, 21:17
Anyway, XIV looks mediocre at best. It'll likely be sub par as MMOs go when released.

They should of just adopted a modified version of XII's battle system and it would of been awesome. :/

Phil
August 19th, 2009, 21:33
Whats all this Speculation? The final product could change for the better

Demi Fiend
August 19th, 2009, 23:21
I'll wait before making any concrete judgments.

Exodus
August 20th, 2009, 00:01
They can make two games at once since they're different teams.

skoreanime
August 20th, 2009, 00:50
oO

My thread has been soiled!

/brings out the giant fan and starts whack-a-mole'ing people

Squall-Leonhart
August 20th, 2009, 00:51
this game is not worthy of its number.

Exodus
August 20th, 2009, 01:31
I don't think it has anything to do with worthiness. It's just out of place, and an obvious use of a misleading marketing strategy.

Noja87
August 20th, 2009, 01:32
looks worlds better than FF8...

ZING!

Squall-Leonhart
August 20th, 2009, 01:57
the CGI effects haven't gotten that much better :P

skoreanime
August 20th, 2009, 02:15
agree with @ruan. Fighting looks generic. Im more interested in other new MMOs that are really trying to make a difference like this one

y-y20gIDHlE


Waaaay more exciting :D

I've actually viewed and analyzed that one many, many times with some MMO buds.

It looks nice. Then you have to realize it's by NCsoft. They can make absolutely stunning looking MMOs, but fail to deliver to most MMO players. The fights look interesting, but from what I can tell, it's just making use of flashy animations combined with some kind of combo system many other up and coming MMOs are using.

And notice how the entire video is just about combat. A successful MMO is about utilizing different things and bringing them together. I'm still reserved about it of course, but I have a inkling other usual things to find in a MMO, like crafting, will be lacking in that game.

Exodus
August 20th, 2009, 02:21
Haha. NCSoft... I still don't understand why they've become so successful.
Korea still cannot make good MMOs. It is really that simple.

skoreanime
August 20th, 2009, 02:39
Their latest one, Aion, isn't too too bad. Compared to their other ones. It was definitely influenced by more Western MMOs.

But it sill has the...cheap feel to it. It's a nice refreshment from WoW (I've been playing all the betas for Aion so far), but I can't see myself playing it on release. The combat is Aion looks about the same with the combat in Blade&Soul. Flashy, but when you actually experience it, you realize it just looks cool, but actually playing it leaves much to be desired.

Xblade
August 20th, 2009, 02:48
Haha. NCSoft... I still don't understand why they've become so successful.
Korea still cannot make good MMOs. It is really that simple.

Normal hit/miss mmos suck badly :D. Its like turn based gone retarded.


For mmos you should either be all the way TB or all the way action.

Thanakil
August 20th, 2009, 07:08
It looks nice. Then you have to realize it's by NCsoft. They can make absolutely stunning looking MMOs, but fail to deliver to most MMO players. The fights look interesting, but from what I can tell, it's just making use of flashy animations combined with some kind of combo system many other up and coming MMOs are using.

And notice how the entire video is just about combat. A successful MMO is about utilizing different things and bringing them together. I'm still reserved about it of course, but I have a inkling other usual things to find in a MMO, like crafting, will be lacking in that game.
That was exactly what I wanted to say about it =/. Mainly the first part.

(But I don't see Aion as being a refreshment over anything, really. It feels like it tries to inspire itself from Western MMOs but miss all of the important things and only go for the superficial ones.)

skoreanime
August 20th, 2009, 07:15
Well, by refrehsment I really meant story and setting :p

But no, even though I don't think the games that bad, I won't be playing it. Just going to catch up on other console RPGs while I wait for FFXIV to hit beta/release :p

Radix865
August 20th, 2009, 12:38
mmm Final Fantasy XIII isnīt even out and they are already developing XIV??? WTF is going on with square enix???

They have multiple teams... The team that did FFVII din't make FFVIII, which is obvious if you look at the games:lol: And I believe the same goes here... The team that is making FFXIII isn't most likely involved in this project.

But other than that... F**k you square!!!:mad: And while I'm at it F**k you Bioware and the new KOTOR!!!:mad: Making MMO's when you could be making good games!:angry:

Noja87
August 20th, 2009, 13:07
Check out what just debuted ^^

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I was going to get the first one but i read the sequel was coming so i hold it =o

So many new MMOs coming. Lot of them look promising. Hope they dont end up sucking like 95% them usually do.

buffbiff21
August 20th, 2009, 14:41
Second, people that hates MMO shouldn't really bother to post, since it's obvious they will say something like, "I hate mmos, this game sucks and bla bla".
Or, the people that recognize Final Fantasy as a console RPG franchise will comment on how Squeenix has gone nowhere but downhill the last decade.

...and how MMOs suck.

Demi Fiend
August 20th, 2009, 15:00
That's kinda offtopic, but Ok. You guys could create a separated thread to express your hate for mmos ;)

And yeah, I prefer the old Final Fantasy games over the new ones. But I realized that's a diference between generations.

Exodus
August 20th, 2009, 21:03
Generations... of gamers?

Phil
August 20th, 2009, 21:19
Yep. the first generation loves FF 1-6, the second generation loves 7-9, the third loves 10-XIII, and the KIDS love the sequels and spinoffs

Radix865
August 20th, 2009, 21:26
In my case its just that MMO's are usually boring after a while and they cost a lot of money and time to play, of course there are mmo's like guild wars but still most of them just suck you dry... And if you buy one and it sucks you wasted like 100 bucks(=the game+expansion(s)+game time) for nothing and you can't really even resell them... And games like Fina Fantasy its the story that counts on my part and I can't see that happening in MMO.

Enough data given why I don't like MMO's and not be called a simple MMO hater... And btw, I have WOW and I have played it and most likely would play it without this crappy ping-monster connection of mine...

And just as side note because I mentioned it earlier, KOTOR MMO... You get million jedis waving their lightdildos around, woohoo...

Demi Fiend
August 20th, 2009, 21:38
Yep. the first generation loves FF 1-6, the second generation loves 7-9, the third loves 10-XIII, and the KIDS love the sequels and spinoffs

Yay, that's exactly what I meant. Thanks Phil.

Phil
August 20th, 2009, 21:40
NNo problem mate. Not to derail the thread or anything, im still waiting on those women you promised me a few months ago

Demi Fiend
August 20th, 2009, 21:45
NNo problem mate. Not to derail the thread or anything, im still waiting on those women you promised me a few months ago

LOL ! Ok ! I'll hook you up with a nice one ! :lol:

Phil
August 20th, 2009, 21:48
Im waiting you rambunctious rouge!

Make sure shes as hot as a jalapeno!

Wait where were we?

Oh yeah!. FFXIV!!

Thanakil
August 20th, 2009, 21:49
And if you buy one and it sucks you wasted like 100 bucks(=the game+expansion(s)+game time) for nothing and you can't really even resell them...

You can, actually. It's not that hard and even an account with a low-level character can usually still fetch a decent price. (less than what you paid in general, but still decent)

It's also recommended to actually uses the 10-14 days trial that most MMOs offer tho.

Exodus
August 20th, 2009, 21:51
It's also recommended to actually uses the 10-14 days trial that most MMOs offer tho.
Agreed. That's usually long enough for me to get my fill.

Phil
August 20th, 2009, 21:52
Not if they pull a way and limit you to all hell

Thanakil
August 20th, 2009, 21:54
Not if they pull a way and limit you to all hell

I think most of the recent MMOs (or at least, the "good" ones) avoid limiting you too much, compared to before.

They usually still limit you when it comes to communication and trading, but that's a safety measure against spammers and gold traders. Otherwise it would be just too easy for them to create a buttload of trial accounts and use them to conduct their business. (So you'd end up being whispered every 4 minutes by them to know if you want to buy some golds.)

Exodus
August 20th, 2009, 22:47
Not if they pull a way and limit you to all hell

Also, even if they do limit, it's probably not stuff you could get to in 2 weeks. Unless you're one of those 24/7 gamers...

Demi Fiend
August 20th, 2009, 22:59
Hmm, I like to play mmos when I get kind tired of normal games. One month playing a mmo without any good reason, just to chat, screw around and have a couple laughs, gets me refreshed.

skoreanime
August 20th, 2009, 23:46
Well, since this is a brand, spanking new MMO, people really should take advantage of the closed and open beta stages, and not have to pay a cent.

Some new info has been posted across different sites... I'll edit the OP with some of the more interesting things that's been said today.

Demi Fiend
August 21st, 2009, 10:56
Hey Skore let me know when open beta is out. I'll try for sure.

Noja87
August 21st, 2009, 12:15
i hope i make it to the APB beta =\

gamefreak94
August 21st, 2009, 16:21
Looks regular but anyway i'm staying away from it i learned my lesson with lineage 2...

Oh no strike, MMOs are your friend, I'm sure you won't spend 23 hours a day playing it and turn into a couch-potato this time :innocent:

Exodus
August 21st, 2009, 16:29
It's all about self-control... Or in my case, just being bored with them after a couple hours.

Xblade
August 27th, 2009, 00:59
If its a great mmo(haha I wish) I might actually consider paying the monthly fee for it.


I'll get the ps3 version since my pc is crappy :p.

masta.g.86
August 27th, 2009, 01:26
-OR-

Wait for the reviews to come out advising you specifically to spend your money elsewhere.

skoreanime
August 27th, 2009, 01:35
OR

Try the beta and make you decision then :)

masta.g.86
August 27th, 2009, 01:39
I prefer to maintain my sanity.

I'll let you guys go ahead and play it and make a decision based on your responses. <- This is actually safer than listening to "professional" reviews.

Xblade
August 27th, 2009, 02:21
-OR-

Wait for the reviews to come out advising you specifically to spend your money elsewhere.

I always watch reviews from every credible source before i dish out 60$ for a game. :p

Exodus
August 27th, 2009, 12:05
I do that and wait until it's $20 usually.
A game would have to look very cool for me to break both those rules.