SQUARE ENIX today host The 68th FINAL FANTASY XIV letter from the producer live broadcast, focusing on the future of the game.
Producer and director Naoki Yoshida revealed that today’s broadcast is not about Update 6.1, the next major content patch for the game.More details about it will be shared on the next live stream on March 4th.
Mr. Yoshida reiterated that he would not leave the FINAL FANTASY XIV development team unless the CEO of Square Enix orders (and fights such an order) to resign or die.
The next goal is 7.0, the next extension. Its future concept is “progress as a” solo “and” multiplayer “RPG experience.”
Another goal leading to 7.0 is the first graphical update of the game, or at least its preparation and development. This does not necessarily mean that PS4 will no longer be supported.
The first concept is to create a “better RPG alone or with friends”. Although FINAL FANTASY XIV falls into the MMORPG category, developers want to go beyond the solo-friendly nature of FFXI these days to reach players who have played all games in the series except XI and XIV.
Some people don’t want to play with others, but that’s one of the main reasons why many players hesitate to try FFXIV.
For the next 10 years, Yoshida wants to break away from the strict MMORPG formula and turn the game into an RPG that can be played alone or with friends, depending on each player’s wishes.
This includes major updates to the trust system. All Main Quest dungeons and 4 payer trials get trust compatibility between patches 6.1 and 6.5.
Specifically, patch 6.1 makes A Realm Reborn (2.0) compatible with Trust systems. Further improvements in dungeons and trials for low-level main scenarios.
The eight-person trial is not currently updated, but will be considered in Update 7.0 and later. Also, the normal matching system is not deleted. Players can play together as they do today.
Trust party members may not be descendants, especially in low-level dungeons, but are probably other members of the Adventurer’s Guild or other characters who have Echo. At some important point in the story, the script may be modified to allow certain NPCs to participate.
The team also wants to make visual changes to areas that may have been in a hurry during the creation of 2.0. They will be announced.
Camp Westwind, the first eight-player battle, turns into a one-player quest-instantiated battle. Praetorium and Castrum Meridianum will be a dungeon for 4 people. The Ultima Weapon battle has also been changed to a 4-player battle, and the next fight will be a single-player instance quest.
Next, Mr. Yoshida talked about graphic updates, but Square Enix plans to keep FINAL FANTASY XIV for more than 10 years, so we are preparing for long-term service.
The game contains so many assets that changing everything at once can be problematic and time consuming. So this is the “first” graphical update, and more may be made after that.
Ready for the next expansion (7.0), the development team plans to improve the overall aesthetic appeal of the screen for multiplayer environments. This means that we are not aiming for the quality of single player games like the Horizon Forbiddenwest. It is impossible to render 300 player characters on the screen at the same time with that quality.
Animation and lighting system updates are also planned. This means that the minimum system requirements will change in 7.0, but Square Enix will try to accommodate the widest possible hardware specifications.
As before 7.0, the PS4 version has been optimized and configuration options have been implemented so players can decide whether to prioritize frame rate or visual quality. The console is supported up to at least 7.0.
A prototype of the character is on display, and Mr. Yoshida No The direction the team is aiming for. Photorealism is not a goal.
The test has been running for about a month and the final result looks good, but here are some examples.
The first compares the currently playable character with the shaded version of the high resolution texture. The team is aiming for something even better, but this is what they can show for now.
Interestingly, Mr. Yoshida said Larafel was the most challenging.
More information may probably come in the next fanfest. Below are the main features and goals of the graphics update.
The important thing is to keep the overall appearance of your character as unchanged as possible.
Not all gears are converted in 7.0. All new gear comes with new qualities, giving high priority to popular glamor, while the rest will appear later in the 7.x series of patches.
NPC conversions are also done in stages. Of course, NPCs made with elements common to playable characters will get updates at the same time.
Then you can see your environment tested by simply adding a light without touching the texture or material.
Next, let’s take a look at Titania, which has improved shadow resolution. More lights have also been added and their colors have been fine-tuned.
This is just an example to show the point, as the team tries to maintain the overall mood of the scene.
The next example is a metal surface improvement. This is also an example and is not the designer’s choice.
Another example shows an environment with more objects. This can be achieved with more memory resources. This makes the environment more livable and more immersive.
We also see that the leaves have improved, thanks to the higher resolution. This applies to the entire FINAL FANTASY XIV world as it also improves variety and replaces the entire grass generation system.
The following is an overview of what can be expected to improve the environment. Other effects such as ambient occlusion and fog have been tested.
Regular updates will continue to be provided on an appropriate schedule. The main scenario will be updated between 6.1 (which may be tentatively provided in April) and 6.5.
There will also be a side quest series focusing on the Hildi brand’s further adventures and Tatars.
Below, we’ll look at what you can expect from Update 6.1 and its subpatches. Interestingly, the team is considering another wording for the Beast Tribe quest.
The glamor system will also be expanded.
We also found that the team plans to implement data center move in Update 6.18.
This is a list of 6.2 including the previously announced Island Sanctuary.
Then update 6.3 with the new Deep Dungeon.
We will also look at the preliminary plans for 6.4 and 6.5.
The development team does not yet know when Blue Mage will be updated, but will announce it as soon as it is decided. The fact that something isn’t on the list above doesn’t mean it won’t come. It may contain all the elements that players are accustomed to receiving in regular updates.
They are also already planning the next tribe following Alca Sodara, but are not yet ready to announce. Gold saucer updates are planned, but it’s still unclear if 6.4 and 6.5 will be included.
The major patches are also slightly apart. Previously it happened every 3.5 months, but now it happens every 4 months. These two weeks will be added for implementation and tweaking. Summer vacation and year-end and New Year holidays will be added for one week.
Below is a comparison of the contents of the 3.3 series and 5.3 series created by the development team. This certainly explains the increase in development time.
Of course, the team has grown thanks to the support of monthly subscriptions, but more time is needed due to the need for training for new employees.
FINAL FANTASY XIV Currently available for PlayStation 4, PS5, and PC. Upgrades to PS5 are provided free of charge to those who own the PS4 version. The Endwalker expansion It was just released a few months ago and you can read recent reviews.
recently The game was so successful that Square Enix had to stop selling it. To alleviate server congestion. Fortunately, Recently restarted after server conditions improved..
