XIV Information Thread, From Someone Not In The Be

I agree, there are some issues that should be fixed, but they could be compiling a totally new build with things that can't simply be patched in, what issues that remain when Open beta is released (Between sept.1 and Sept.7) any issues that remain that don't get the "Working on it" flag, are likely going to wind up in retail, that's when the panic lights can go off.

The Major issues I've seen right now are:

No Mana Regeneration

Targeting Issues

Terrible UI

Group Mechanics

Enmity issues (Likely being fixed by the next beta patch)

Things like Content and Pacing(Progression rate) are of no concern at this stage, even if the game went retail with the pacing issues right now (Which likely only stem from a need to test a broader range of stuff like class balance) these are things that are fairly simple to fix, and every MMO has had issues in their first year, if not longer in those departments.


What Square needs right now, is more testers complaining about consequential stuff, and not spamming "WUR JUMP AT?!" threads.

And less people bitching about the goddamn mouse cursor not looking like something from an FPS. IT ISN'T A GODDAMN FPS! >:O

Yes, it makes me very angry.
There was an ENTIRE thread created about it.







Seriously.

@Bart:
GOD YES they need to fix that. Or at least implement key bindings. I realize its a beta, but damn, that's something extremely basic to have these days. Having the camera limited to those keys drives me absolutely up the wall.

From what I hear, that's just how the Japanese play using Keyboards. It's wierd, but Control issues I (and any real gamer) can work around. I still think FFXI has one of the best control setups avaialable in MORPGs. Being able to Explore and run around with just 1 hand is pretty sweet (NumPad(Index-Pinky)Arrowkeys(Thumb).

Their Layered UI for both FFXI and FFXIV shows a total disregard for the platform the game is on though. More than Graphics or modding ability, what defines a platform is the interface, and not optimizing the interface for the platform is a grave mistake.

FFXI has a little bit of the Benefit of the Doubt being a PS2 developed game ported to the PC. FFXIV doesn't have the luxury of that excuse.


The mouse needs to be optimized for Targetting NPC's and Monsters more than anything. I hate to say it, but I wish they'd just rip off the features in that regard from World of Warcraft, assuming they also fix the terrible input lag.


The Japanese developers don't have proper experience with the Western style of PC gaming play, and they're going to need a lot of specific input in how to fix the issue.

I'd prefer a base of FFXI's control setup, during Exploration and idle wandering time, one can kick back and play one-handed. In combat, especially with the prospect of Group V Group battle, the Mouse Targetting and Keyboard Movement/Action commands will be more optimal than tabbing 100,000 over ***.

I'd say, for a good thought on what I'm thinking of, Dragon Age's control setup is a good analogy. It's possible to perform actions, adjust the Camera and select targets in an intuitive manner.


As a general rule of thumb, Every button press over 1 to perform an action is a failure on the designers part. Or more accurate and less harshly, a good control and interface means less clicks to your destination. Hopefully someone can pass that on to the developers.

^^ It looks neat. Here's another shot with it.



Apparently an English speaker has made their own working model viewer. Let's hope they'll be generous enough to release it for everyone when it's finished.

can you move the camera with the mouse?

Also, I need that weapon!

I don't why they dont borrow some stuff from ff13 battle system. Honestly the Stamina bar is the same thing than what 13 has but way more HELP I AM TRAPPED IN 2006 PLEASE SEND A TIME MACHINE. Just let us line up 3 attacks. It will speed up the pace of the game and make some cool looking combos. Right now its pretty much Spam wtv Enter or Joypad key to enter in the next attack. Also current WS animation look garbage

Gunblades? Really?

Gunblades are the best things that could possibly be added to this game.

L1

I will laugh and laugh at any player with a gunblade I see in game.

Sorry man, gonna have to disagree with you there.



Fast forward to 6:30

Exactly!
Better than Great Katana!

Seen it before, didn't find it funny. VIII gets way more of a bad rep than it deserves.

Why did they ever translate it as "great katana" anyway? A katana's a katana. It's a two-handed weapon.

Hell, they even correctly called it a "tachi" in all the weapon skills.

I always thought that was weird. I always thought Ninja Katana should have been called Ninja Blades or something like that.

I guess they decided to go with the sword, great sword theme though.

Daikatana




Also, what's wrong with a Gunblade? It was the first creative weapon to come out of any source in a very long time. The concept may be confusing to feeble minds, but no one bitched when Mason had a sledgehammer with magnets in the head that lowered the resistance of everything around it, letting his sledgehammer swing through buildings like a knife through butter.

Yeah, it's an awesome sword design. (The one above, anyway.) It'd just be even more awesome without the impossible-to-function gun hilariously grafted onto it.

Magic is impossible too :o

I think the point is, that it's fantasy. And a Gunblade looks badass.

Someday we'll remember this and laugh, and laugh, and laugh.

Are you saying my enormous bladed butter knife isn't historically accurate?!

too small.

Butter knives are serious business.

Yes sir!

The Buster sword is unrealistic too lol

I rather have magic and impossible physics than a silly attempt to graft two mutually exclusive cool weapons together in a questionable and dubious manner.

Sorry, gunblade will never fly in my books of accepted weaponry.

You have to think of it differently. It's not technically impossible, you just can't think of it literally as a revolver super-glued onto a sword.



Let's say, for instance, you have a regular sword. It has a narrow, hollow tube inside, not unlike a gun barrel. At the gun end, you have a typical hammer system, but instead of bullets and gunpowder, you use some sort of self-renewing propulsion system with just a steel weight or something inside.

If you were to propel this weight at the right time while swinging said weapon, the centripetal force would cause your weapon to move at a faster velocity.

Makes sense, no? It's a less complicated version of a Gauss weapon, in melee form.

What about a bow-blade? Or a toaster-spear!

I get what you mean but the form in which its presented leaves almost too much to the imagination. It's wonderful to get creative and make nifty things, but at least make your final product believable in it's function.

Yeah well, you suck.