What we know

[cooltirta]

ummmm....
am I able to play Final Fantasy XIV Online In Indonesia??
because I live In Indonesia

[1DownShroom]

r they going to be selling this online?

PS: Ive only played FFX, Im probably going to make my guy like Auron.

[Andromeda]

I believe that FFXI is on Direct 2 Drive if I remember right. So my guess would be that it is quite likely that the PC version would be available for digital download. If it is available immediately is unknown as they have said nothing about if they will be doing digital download or not.

[Merlin]

The thing that keeps coming to mind more than anything else is damn, this game is going to be awesome if you're a RMT! These changes seemed tailor-made to make the whole process of gil selling even easier. Of course, the best way to stop gil selling is for people to stop buying gil. The next best thing would be to implement changes that make gil selling such a pain in the ass, it's basically useless. For example: make it impossible to transfer large sums of money. The number should be pathetically low. ZOMG now I can't transfer money between my mulez! Well that should be changed as well. I always thought it was incredibly retarded that I could only transfer 8 items at a time between my OWN characters. On characters shared under the same account, there should be no cap. You can transfer as much money and items at a time that you want. But that is where it ends.

Now, onto repairing. This could be good and bad. I'm all for the idea of repairing items, etc... but how exactly would that work? I don't want to have to buy a new weapon every time it gets weak. That is stupid. So let's say that crafters can take your weapon, repair it, and give it back to you. Wait... what if they take your weapon and run off with it? What if the repair breaks your weapon? Hell, what if there is nobody around to repair your weapon? I can see it now.. towns full of people shouting for repairs. "OMG! I'm late for my endgame mission b/c I can't find someone to repair my gear!" "WTF? It took us 30 min to get to this dungeon and all your gear is about to break!!!" etc. This could either be an awesome addition, or a horrible ****up. If this is created by the same people who made FFXI, I'm leaning towards horrible ****up. By the time I left FFXI, it was no longer even recognizable compared to the original. The jobs had become completely imbalanced, level-sync made it possible for n00bs to get to 75 with ease and hoards of 75s to have garbage stats. The only way to make money was to do endgame and the RMT "preventers" actively helped them.

I can tell you one thing for sure, if FFXIV is anything like that... I'll drop it in a heartbeat. I'll give it a chance, but I have my reservations so far.

[Andromeda]

The game is going through alpha testing right now. I don't know if they have the repair feature in yet or not since there's been no further reports about it. But I'd imagine that after the testing if they found it to be more of a problem than an useful feature then they will end up dropping it. I don't expect all of the original features outline or called out in presentations that they have made or interviews to make into the final version of the game and quite possibly some significantly changed from their original vision. We still have a long time before the final game so it is anyone's guess.

They did talk about a possible open beta for a few weeks prior to the final release of the game. So you might be able to get a free peak at the game to find out if you are even interested before purchasing.

[Merlin]

Damn I thought they had already started beta testing. They had that sign-up ages ago. I haven't looked at their site in a while. In any case, some of those features won't be tested that great until all the douche bags start using them incorrectly. Also, as I have already eluded to, SE doesn't give a rats ass what we or even JPN players think about anything but their narrow view of how things should be. Of course, Blizzard did the same thing with WoW so I can't say much on that. I'm still looking forward to the game, but I have some serious doubts with some things. I guess I'll just have to wait for more info.

[Andromeda]

The alpha testing is apparently taking longer due to some server issues that they were having with the tests. They were not to clear on the problem and my memory isn't perfect, but I think that they said they had more people logging in at the specific time ranges than originally planned or something. So there were lines of people waiting. Guess all of the testers are very eager.

I think there is certainly an amount of "we know best" with a company when dealing with feedback from fans. But I'd also like to think that they want to have a successful game that draws in more players than FFXI, so I'd think that they try to listen to the feedback back to some extent.

From what they said the Japanese testers had the least feedback and were generally polite and non-critical, which sounds like the status quo for how things often work in Japan. There was a significantly higher amount of feedback from the US and Europe groups. Which also shouldn't be too surprising, at least for the US we tend to be very open about saying anything we don't like regardless of hurting someone's feelings, even more so when you have the internet to be your filter.

Learning about the differences in culture and people in Japan versus US has become a highly fascinating thing for me lately.

[Merlin]

I know there is no way to know this yet, but seriously, there better not be a freaking queue "feature". I'm only able to play a few hours at specific times and if I have to sit in some damn queue for 2 hours to get to play, they can count me out. I see no reason to spend ~$15 a month waiting to play a game only to get on and get randomly disconnected and have to wait another 2 hours. {Thanks for the offer, but I'll have to pass}

[Andromeda]

I some how doubt that'll end up happening. They'll have plenty of servers like they did last time. They are probably just running on some really small servers right now for the alpha testing. I guess it all depends on how many people jump on the wagon to see if the game is to their liking or not. Though considering that I think that FFXIV is getting a worldwide release, there is going to be a lot of people crowding out the newbie zones. I think that will probably be more of a concern than waiting in line to enter the game.

[darknesse]

The mass amounts of people is really just something you'll have to deal with. To fix this, either buy the game immediately on release, rush home, and use your skill to get ahead of 99% of players. That is the only way i can see you avoiding that problem, apart from joining late.

Also, I can imagine for the first week or so, ffxiv will run slower than perfect, while SE get themselves used to the audience they attract at the time. I also believe that they will improve their servers in relation to how many people pre-order the game, but even this will have its limitations. Im sure SE are smart enough to handle this.

Cant wait . I've heard a release date of September? I hope they at least take their time finishing this game up. Im happy to start in december if need be

[ultimatekupo]

im irritated that the jobs are limited. I don't like the idea of weapons replacing them. I have a feeling that they will eventually add the jobs. FFXI went through many changes as well. I do however like that there is more personalization options in character creation. The only thing that I didn't like about ffxi is the lack of personality in the characters. Taking away jobs, will only minimize it more. Im worried that people will have to switch to FFXIV because people will stop playing FFXI. -_- I really don't like the idea of FFXIV .. its basically the same game... But worse. I guess I will have to try it.

[darknesse]

For that reason, ive abandonned the idea of starting to play FFXI, and just skipping ahead to XIV.

[TLO]

Platform:
Windows

Street Date:
September 30, 2010 - Final Fantasy XIV
September 22, 2010 - Final Fantasy XIV Collector's Edition

Price:
$49.99 SRP Final Fantasy XIV
$79.99 SRP Final Fantasy XIV Collector's Edition

Subscription:
$12.99/ 30 days*

Languages:
English, French, German, Japanese

Genre:
MMORPG

Age Ratings:
ESRB: Teen

The Final Fantasy XIV Playstation 3 system version will be available early March 2011, with pricing to be announced at a later time.

*Access to Eorzea is subject to certain license agreements and, after the 30-day gameplay period, recurring subscription fees. All new game packages come with a period of free gameplay, one playable character and one non-playable retainer character (a non-playable character that provides free item storage and in-game merchant services). After the free gameplay period, the regular 30-day subscription fee will be $12.99. Each additional playable character will be $3.00 per period, with a maximum of 8 characters per account. Each additional retainer character will cost $1.00 per period.

Beta Test System Requirements

This game may not run acceptably on PC's that fail to meet the following minimum requirements. Even if your PC meets these requirements, compatibility issues with certain hardware, software and driver combinations may prevent the game from running acceptably.

Operating System:
Windows XP SP3**
Windows Vista 32bit / 64bit SP2***
Windows 7 32bit / 64bit***

CPU:
Intel Core 2 Duo (2.0GHz)
AMD Anthlon X2 (2.0GHZ)

RAM:
Windows XP: 1.5GB or higher
Windows Vista / Windows 7: 2GB or higher

HDD/SDD Space:
Installation: 15GB or more
Download: Space on the hard drive where My Documents is located should be 6GB or more****

Graphics Card:
NVIDIA GeForce 9600 series or higher with VRAM 512MB or more
ATI Radeon HD 2900 series or higher with VRAM 512MB or more

Sound Card:
DirectSound compatible sound card (DirectX 9.0c or higher)

Internet Connection:
Broadband internet connection or higher

Screen Resolution:
1280 x 720 or higher, 32bit or higher

DirectX:
DirectX 9.0x or higher

Others:
Mouse, Keyboard, Gamepad*****

** If using Windows XP, the executable files, instillation and version updates should be set to Administrator settings.
*** 64but OS will run in WOW64 (Windows on Windows 64) mode.
**** The file system in the drive containing the My Documents folder will need to be set to NTFS settings.
***** A Gamepad is not required

[Andromeda]

I was able to confirm the March 2011 release date for the PS3 version of the game. I find that to be very disappointing that the PS3 and PC versions are not coming out at the same time. Though considering I don't know when the PS3 beta testing is coming I was getting a little concerned how it was going to work out with such a short window despite what they were saying about having a longer beta period. So I guess I'll have to wait until next year to be able to play the game.

I'd like to know what a retainer is though, because that is a $1 while additional characters are $3 per. I'm guessing that a retainer is something like a mule and that SE realizes that most people keep one main and just have storage problems and want bazaars in multiple towns. So they have extra characters not used for actual play. So I thinking that retainers are their solution to giving you the storage and non-main for the same thing. I'd bet that what they can do is going to be limited, but hopefully if it is what I'm saying the retainers will be linked to your main character so you don't have to do a lot of trading. You can just grab out from what you need and they just have a shared money pool or something.

[Merlin]

WTF... If I would have saw that, I wouldn't have pre-ordered the PS3 version. They are kinda screwing the pooch on this one. Let's face it, most people probably don't have a good enough PC to play this game at a decent frame rate, etc... so by default I can see quite a bit more people buying the PS3 version. But it won't come out until a year from now? Wow.

I'm also not liking the pricing model. In FFXI each character was $1. Now they are $3 in FFXIV? Jeebus. That takes the fun out of creating another character to see what a different race is like. $3 might not seem like much of a difference to some, but it adds up over time. I was paying $2 extra a month for a mule and a character I used almost as regularly as my main. In fact she "was" my main until I switched. So now I'd be spending $17/mo for the same thing? Ouch?

[Andromeda]

Well we don't know what the retainer is at this point. So there could be some options there, I don't know. I would agree though that it seems a little strange to be charging so much for an extra character. But I'm guessing that they're figuring that most people won't be getting more than one character. Though there are households that people play on the same account with two different mains. I did it in college. We shared the same account and just had our own characters and played at different times on the PS2.

I searched out the FFXIV site to get an answer on what a retainer was, but they had nothing.

I hope that I can get into the PS3 beta so that I can get my FFXIV fix.

[Merlin]

Yeah I was looking over buying a graphics card, but new ones should be coming out around the beginning of October, so prices on current ones will drop. I'm really not fond of the idea of spending $300 on a video card though... especially since the only game I would be using it for is that. Well I take that back, I probably need it for Starcraft II and Diablo III. I still haven't decided. Both options suck at the moment.

[darknesse]

Is this the japanese release date, or worldwide? I cant see anything stated that its specific on the site, but i also cant read japanese :s

[Andromeda]

It was stated a long time ago that it was going to be a worldwide release. Also the date is posted on the NA site and I would imagine the other languages as well. So that would also help to confirm that the date is for the NA release. They are currently testing all regions at the same time in the alpha and eventual beta. So there is not going to be any delay between the releases apart from perhaps like a day or two which tends to happen in worldwide releases.

[darknesse]

I thought so, thanks.

Had my doubts because a mate of mine has been very negetive towards 14's release date, which is getting kinda annoying.

[chaosweapon]

Now Final Fantasy XIV has its own twitter page: FINAL FANTASY XIV (FF_XIV_EN) on Twitter

[Dynamo]

Lots of nice information about the pricing and spec's needed in order to play the game...

A little surprised they are going with the $ X per character again, but i am not one of making tons of alts anyway.... Though i guess it's cause 1 character can do everything (like in FF XI) which in most other MMO's they can't..

either way, looking forward to release date.

[chaosweapon]

I'd like to know what a retainer is though, because that is a $1 while additional characters are $3 per. I'm guessing that a retainer is something like a mule and that SE realizes that most people keep one main and just have storage problems and want bazaars in multiple towns. So they have extra characters not used for actual play. So I thinking that retainers are their solution to giving you the storage and non-main for the same thing. I'd bet that what they can do is going to be limited, but hopefully if it is what I'm saying the retainers will be linked to your main character so you don't have to do a lot of trading. You can just grab out from what you need and they just have a shared money pool or something.

A retainer has two functions. He/she can act as a sort of bank by storing some of your items, similar to the moogle in the mog house. You can also summon your retainer to the market ward and place some items on sale so that players will be able to buy your items while you're offline. You can also set your retainer to buy specific items. In other words he/she will act like a normal vendor.

[Dynamo]

*note the retainer is non-playable. It is there just for the use of buying/selling items (at a pre-set price) and storage nothing else.

[ultimatekupo]

because that is a $1 while additional characters are $3 per.

That is ridiculous. Especially since every time the month is up, if your credit card is below the balance they charge you a 12$ reactivation fee atm for those character ID things. So I really end up paying at least 24$ a month just to play.. and I rarely have the opportunity to play. Maybe 8 days out of 30 or less. Id they are adding any more additional charges I might not get to play.

[Merlin]

I fail to see how it is SquareEnix's fault if you go over the limit on your credit card or overdraft your bank account. Now if they tried charging $1299 instead of $12.99 then you'd have every right to be mad.

In any case, I'm still not fond of the basic fees. $3 for each additional character is fleecing the customers. They seem to have a knack for taking one step forward and three steps back. Come out with a "mule" character type so people can have a mule without making a totally new character... but we'll charge them the same price as a new character and jack up the price of a full character to 3 times as much. Then we'll throw out a statistic or two on how 95% of people who had multiple characters in FFXI only used them as mules, so only a handful of people will be affected by this "change". It's the same BS the cable companies, the cell phone companies, and soon the ISPs use to convince you that their price hikes are perfectly justified. Only the "bad" people are punished. So now you know... the rest of the story.

[Thanos]

Posted along a different thread but my PC meets all of those minimum requirements except the RAM. I have 1GB. I also have no problem playing beta at all. Even in the crowded areas. 1382 was my benchmark score and I have a friend that scored in the low 300s and another that scored in low 400s and they both can play beta with only a bit of lag. Where in Alpha it took them nearly an hour to get off the intro ship because it taxed their PCs so much, beta dropped that time to maybe 10min.