Naoki Yoshida (producer and director of FFXIV: ARR) returned today to the adjustment of the fights of ARR. Its subjects being very long, I will summarize the main points. His message first recalled the guidelines mentioned in previous beta and which are still relevant today.
Première partie
- The team does not focus on low level and common monsters and prefers to focus on FATEs, dungeons, bosses, in short everything that is appealing to the challenge.
Hazard: Rats very reckless
- Because FFXIV is also released on console, they know they are reaching a wider audience, even gamers who have never tried an MMO before. From this perspective, three things seemed important to them:
- Team play should not be necessary to progress to level 15.
- New players shouldn't feel lost and overwhelmed.
- The game should be fun for a long time.
- For Yoshi, the game must be intuitive. He doesn't want gamers to be left with complicated features. To respect this goal, he set two rules for his team:
- Untargeted skills should be avoided whenever possible.
- Low-level monsters should not be a barrier to the enjoyment of the game.
The way you play an MMO differs from a classic game: you can stay there for months or even years. With this in mind, the team does not want the player to face unjustified obstacles.
The profile of the player differs from that of a few years ago; it is younger but the average age bracket remains higher than on other types of game. This is due among other things to the subscription. Yoshi is aware that we all have a life outside of our MMO and that when you connect to it, you go there for fun. We don't want to do the same thing all the time, spend hours there. With these elements coupled with those of the MMORPG world, three points seem important to them:
- Team play must be at the heart of the system: for Yoshi this is what makes an MMORPG so charming. To adapt players to group play, this only occurs at level 15 so that everyone gets to know the gameplay first and does not worry too early about playing together.
- The game must be rich, varied, interesting: the content must be entertaining. Of course, it will not be able to satisfy everyone, but its producer wants it to please as many people as possible.
- Too many skills with no targets or area of effect can make the game boring.
Clashes that are meant to be challenging, like dungeons, tend to lack balance.
Dungeon: Copperbee Mines
Second part
- Global refresh (GCD): it was preferred to facilitate gameplay. Yoshi notices however that this system annoys the most experienced who see it as an unnecessary slowdown. He invites us to keep in mind that the more we progress, the more we will have a varied gameplay. Therefore these 2,5s should ultimately no longer be very annoying.
- PvP : There will be a difference in the possible actions in PvE and PvP. You will therefore have special PvP skills that will be unlocked for this game mode.
The last news
- Combat effects: players complained about a lack of visibility. The team will modify the visual effects according to the feedback of the players: the flashy effects, the scale, the number of particles will be adjusted. They will add an effects display configuration on PS3.
Where am I ? Turn down the light!
- Animation : a recurring problem annoys: a sliding effect when using a combat technique. They continue to work on this problem.
- Sound effects : it's cacophony! The shrill sounds tend to muffle the lower ones. Adjustments will be made and it will of course be possible to make more after the game is released.
You now know everything about the producer's vision for the combat system! There is still work to be done for his team and player feedback is welcome. However, everyone must keep in mind the guidelines of the game. FFXIV is intended to be a game where group spirit takes precedence over individuality. After all, an MMORPG is an adventure to be had with friends, right?
