A Little Update

Well, I'm really terrible at keeping up on a blog, probably due to my hideous lack of time sense. So let's have a run down of what video game related stuff I've been doing as of late.

Tried Dawntide, liked a lot of what they wanted to do, but there were so few people in the game after a while because of how long it's taking them to make everything work right. There's some ambitious stuff in there, so I'm not surprised that it's taking a while, but any game gets boring without people, no matter how good it is. I'll look in on it again every few months to see if it's worth going back to, since it's really the only MMO that's sparked my Lovely's interest in a while.

As Dawntide was panning out for us, I ended up going back to EQ2 for a bit with my fiance, but in the end it wasn't really holding our attention well due to being stuck with one big game of catching up to do raid content and having trouble finding an RP guild we liked that fit both our characters. Plus, I ended up having a horrible falling out with someone who has basically had this pattern of drawing me into really engaging RP, with great ideas...and then just tossing me aside when someone new comes along and catches her attention; it happened in multiple ways, across multiple games, and I really felt like I was being taken for granite. Unfortunately, the way things went down lead me to really not feeling all that enthused about EQ2 anymore.

My Lovely hasn't been up for much video gaming as of late, so after Dawntide sort of faded out from us, we stopped being able to do much together - she doesn't have all the subscription based games that my fiance and I do, and hasn't had the time/money to get them without being sure she'll like them. Totally understandable to me, since I myself won't play a game I can't beta test or trial first.

So the fiance and I had a brief stint in City of Heroes/Villains. I love the Architect system, and wish more games would do something like it, especially the upcoming White Wolf OWoD MMO and SW: TOR. Even with the nifty options and additions they've made, both of us have had a really hard time getting back into it. I'm debating on whether or not I'm going to reactivate my account, since it lapsed with how weird my CA payouts have been due to the holidays.

Earlier this month, a friend of mine gave me a Buddy Pass for FFXIV, which was part of the Collector's Edition special. Basically, it lets the friend of the CE purchaser try the game for a month, then gives them the option to just flat out subscribe to it - no paying for a digital download or retail copy of the game. Being rather poor while waiting on my disability case, I called it a win. Plus, as I mentioned earlier, SE's made the game subscription free for now due to disliking how the game turned out; eventually it will be subscription based again, but SE refuses to make it so until it's as shiny as all the other recent and good FF titles.

On top of that, I've got a VIP pass to the Rift: Planes of Telara beta. It's still a largely closed beta, so I can't exactly say much about it, but so far I've really liked what I'm seeing. There are still some glitches and bugs, and some things that are missing, but it's the start of closed betas so I'm not all that concerned yet. Plus, I trust Scott Hartsman after watching him save the EverQuest: Shadows of Luclin release fiasco. >.>

I've realised that there are a lot of little, almost silly things that I end up liking in games. In FFXIV, it's the realistic animations (you actually stop running the way you would in RL), the fact that all the clothing items are visible AND resize properly, and the lighting dynamics - when I walk into a building, it's darker and slowly lightens up as the character's eyes adjust while there is a very bright almost blinding light as I step out of a building during the day, that goes away as the character's eyes adjust. They're little, non-mechanical things that are just super awesome in my book. Rift has a few too, but I can't exactly say much about them yet...

In mid-January, I'll be starting college again, this time in a specific game art and design course. As much as I think a flat Animation degree would give me more options, it also requires a lot of hand drawing...which I can't do easily because of the rheumatoid arthritis. With this course, everything is done in 3dsMAX or a graphics editing program like Photoshop. Good thing is that most of my credits are going to transfer once I take care of a bill with AIO, and there's like 60 credits lying around from it.

Best of all, I don't have to pay a damn thing right yet. I got all but 400.00 in grants, and then financed through the college itself for about the same rate as what a student loan would be. Plus, Westwood's student store has the option to "bill student account", which takes the money from that pool instead of having to pay it then get reimbursed. Definitely picking up a copy of Windows 7 since it's like 30.00 for students! I know that they'll have a version of 3dsMAX up, but I'm not sure if they'll have the entire Adobe Master Suite, or just the Creative Suite.

Not going to ditch out on my copy of Poser any time soon though, as I don't think I have any classes that will use the 3dsMAX till later in the academic year, if at all before the summer. We'll see though.

For now though, I'm basically playing the Rift beta while the fiance's at work or asleep, whenever there's a window open for it and then playing FFXIV when he's home, since he got a Buddy Pass too. Kinda wish I could get one for my Lovely, but it's not really her style of game and she doesn't really have the time for it right now. =/

Holy Cow

So for my birthday, my friend Seth gave me a buddy key for Final Fantasy XIV; for those who don't know, the buddy key gives 30 days free to the person and they don't have to buy the game themselves - they just have to subscribe to the game.

Well, since launch, everyone's been getting time for free because the game was not as shiny as it should of been. Square-Enix just took that a step further, and continues to do something that's just unheard of in the subscription based MMO world: giving more months of free time. We all figure it's going to be at least one more month but it may be more than that.

On top of being so liberal with money (which is what that is), they have changed up the team, bringing some big names from FFXIVFFIX, FFX, and FFXI to the board. Here's the e-mail they s

Thank you for your continued interest in and support of FINAL FANTASY XIV.

While more than two months have passed since the official launch of FINAL FANTASY XIV service, we deeply regret that the game has yet to achieve the level of enjoyability that FINAL FANTASY fans have come to expect from the franchise, and for this we offer our sincerest of apologies.

After thorough deliberation on how to meet those expectations, it was decided that the most viable step was to approach improvements under new leadership and with a restructured team.

To realize this vision, and in doing so, provide our customers with a better game experience, we have assembled our company’s top talent and resources. Taking over the role of producer and director is Naoki Yoshida, a passionate individual for whom customer satisfaction has always taken top priority. Not only is he one of our Group’s most accomplished and experienced members, Naoki Yoshida is also a charismatic leader possessing the skill to bring together and effectively helm a team which encompasses a wide range of responsibilities. We also welcome several new leaders handpicked from other projects to work with the existing talent on FINAL FANTASY XIV.

We realize time is of the essence and are fully determined to provide our customers with quality service. It is because of this that we ask our customers to be patient until we are able to confidently present them with a concrete plan outlining FINAL FANTASY XIV’s new direction. The free trial period will be extended until that time.

Regarding the PlayStation 3, it is not our wish to release a simple conversion of the Windows version in its current state, but rather an update that includes all the improvements we have planned. For that reason, we have made the difficult decision to delay the release of the PlayStation 3 version beyond the originally announced date of March 2011.

The FINAL FANTASY XIV team is working hard to bring our customers an unparalleled adventure, and we ask for your continued understanding and support as we march ever diligently towards that goal.

President and CEO, Yoichi Wada
The development and management teams would like to make an announcement regarding personnel changes.

[Organizational Changes to the Development Team]
To improve the service of FINAL FANTASY XIV, Square Enix has made the following changes to the development team:

Managerial Changes

Producer/Director
Naoki Yoshida

Section Leader Changes

Assistant Director
Shintaro Tamai (FINAL FANTASY X, Front Mission 5: Scars of the War)

Lead Game Designer
Nobuaki Komoto (FINAL FANTASY IX, FINAL FANTASY XI)

Lead Combat System Designer
Akihiko Matsui (FINAL FANTASY XI)

Technical Advisor
Yoshihisa Hashimoto (Next Generation Game Engine Development)

Lead Programmer
Hideyuki Kasuga (FINAL FANTASY XI, DIRGE OF CERBERUS -FINAL FANTASY VII-)

Senior Concept Artist
Akihiko Yoshida (FINAL FANTASY XII, Vagrant Story)

Lead Artist
Hiroshi Takai (FINAL FANTASY XI, THE LAST REMNANT)

Lead UI Designer/Lead Web Designer
Hiroshi Minagawa (FINAL FANTASY XII, Vagrant Story)

These members will make up the development team’s new core—a core dedicated to ensuring we achieve a level of enjoyability that will more than satisfy our customers. Under a schedule of more frequent version updates, the new leaders and their respective sections will strive for continued improvements to FINAL FANTASY XIV service operation and development.

[Extension of the Free Trial Period]
As stated above, the newly restructured team’s top priority is to bring about improvements to the game’s enjoyability, and therefore we have decided to extend the free trial period until we can provide a plan that outlines a level of enjoyment that will satisfy both us and our customers. When we are confident that we have reached that goal, we will notify our customers immediately.

[Future Version Updates]
At present, the development team is putting the finishing touches on the previously announced version update, which is still slated for release in mid-December. In addition, there is one more version update scheduled for release before year’s end. Details on the content and dates of these updates will be released in the near future.

[Delay of the PlayStation 3 Version Release]
Although the release date for the PlayStation 3 version of the game was previously announced as late March of 2011, we regret to inform that this date has been changed.

The PlayStation 3 release will be delayed until we are confident that the game has reached the level of enjoyability and service befitting the FINAL FANTASY name for users on all supported platforms. We offer our sincerest apologies to any fans anticipating the PlayStation 3 release, and humbly ask for your continued patience and understanding as both the development team and Square Enix as a whole strive towards making FINAL FANTASY XIV a truly enjoyable and unforgettable adventure.

[New Development Team Policy]
I would like to take this opportunity to greet all of you—those currently playing FINAL FANTASY XIV, those who have taken a respite from playing, and those awaiting the PlayStation 3 release—and offer a brief word by way of an introduction.

No doubt there are very few, if any, among you who have ever heard the name Naoki Yoshida. To be sure, I have never been in the fore on any of the titles I have worked on in the past. I am, however, honored and privileged to work alongside many talented and inspiring colleagues, and with their support have enjoyed making games for a number of years. I am aware that a great many people will think the responsibility of leading FINAL FANTASY XIV is far too large a task for someone so unknown. After all, even my very best may seem no more than a drop in the bucket when considering the sheer scope of FINAL FANTASY XIV. But working together with me are the very talented and very capable development and management teams, whose dedication and motivation are unwavering. I would like to ask you to please put to rest uncertainties that you may have.

Now, more than ever, myself, the development team, and Square Enix as a whole, are committed to furthering our efforts to provide a quality service.

Everything we do will be for our players and customers.

FINAL FANTASY XIV Producer/Director, Naoki Yoshida
First of all, I would like to apologize for our inability to fully satisfy our users with the initial release of FINAL FANTASY XIV. I take full responsibility for the game’s current situation, and have therefore made the decision to step down from my role as producer. A number of concerns that have been voiced by users, such as the design of the user interface, availability of tutorials and game content, and battle system functionality, represent key issues that must be addressed. While improvements are already well underway in many areas, we were unfortunately not able to incorporate player feedback as quickly as we would have liked. We are aware, however, that in many cases, addressing these issues will call for a reworking of game elements. As these changes are our first priority, they will be commanding our full attention and efforts. It is to that end that we have put a new organizational structure into place for the development team. Under this new system, FINAL FANTASY XIV will see changes and additions in line with the desires and expectations of players. Though no longer producer, I will be continuing to support the development team in other capacities, and personally hope that you will continue your adventures in the realm of Eorzea.

Hiromichi Tanaka

I cannot recall any other company in the MMO industry doing anything like this. I wonder if Star Wars: Galaxies would have survived longer if SOE had done this sort of thing, though the early release forced by LucasArts was a bit more daunting than FFXIV's current task, I think.

So far, I'm enjoying the game. It is a lot more polished than it was at launch, though still kinda lacking in quest based content. I love the class system and the whole linkshell idea (you can basically be in multiple guilds), and I love that any character can wear anything but the items favour specific classes more than others. And...I love the fact that you actually stop realistically rather than suddenly coming to full halt.

We'll see how it goes...