Good morning, afternoon, and evening. We've got more Connect!On for you today. They cover some speculations based on an interview they had with the developers. Oddly, the interview was not actually printed in the magazine, but the speculation is all here, and they mention the answers they got.
Also, the questions posted to the readers and the readers' answers were really on fire this month! Get yourself a cup of coffee and enjoy this translation through FFXIV CORE.
FFXIV Battles and Classes
With the alpha test just around the corner, the countdown to the beginning of FFXIV’s service start feels like it’s finally begun. Our readers and we thought about what the March information means, and we also made some speculation based on information we got from a special interview with the developers.
Connect!On Staff Predictions
HP recovery while weapon is sheathed
Talu: It’s pretty much common knowledge by now that you can sheathe and unsheathe your weapon whenever you want.
Mainai: Yes, even in towns.
Talu: In our interview, we were told that “something” recovers while the weapon is sheathed. I’m pretty sure it’s HP.
Mainai: It’d be convenient to be able to recover HP on-the-move, but we were also told that you will be completely defenceless while your weapon is sheathed, so sometimes it may be better to keep your weapon out in case you’re suddenly attacked.
Talu: So, sheathed lets you recover but makes you weak to ambushes, but to protect yourself from being ambushed you’d need to forego recovery and keep your weapon out. Looks like you’ll have to stay on your toes.
Mainai: The developers also told us that enemies sheathe and unsheathe, too. This means we’ll be able to launch pre-emptive attacks!
Talu: The developers also talked about parties and said there was no real set frame for the number of players in one. There are many ways to enjoy parties be it with six people, more people, or even less people.
Mainai: If that’s the case, do you think skill-up parties, which will be like levelling parties in FFXI, would be more efficient with a large number of people?
Talu: Not necessarily, and the more people that are in a party, the less chance of you getting loot from the monster.
Mainai: I, personally, really want to play solo. (He laughs)
Talu: They said that there are plans for solo content and that you’ll be able to solo through the game.
Mainai: Even so, since monsters are in parties now, too, it’ll probably be really hard to solo.
Talu: What do you think party vs. party battles will be like?
Mainai: The majority of enemies’ and allies’ moves alike will most likely have the ranges and positions from which they are most effective, so I can imagine situations where enemy A begins his attack, while enemy B begins getting taking some distance and moving around the side…
Talu: Which means enemy B is probably getting into position for an area-of-effect attack. So now we have two choices, get into position before he does or move out of the area of his attack.
Mainai: Right. In other words, instead of focusing solely on the enemy currently attacking, you’ll also need to be aware of your surroundings. It reminds me of how, in first-person shooters, it’s easy for an enemy to take their time aiming and pick you off while you’re focused on a single enemy.
Talu: It may even be a good idea to have someone monitor the enemy’s movements from outside of battle.
Individuality is in the switch
Mainai: In FFXI, it was all about sub-jobs、but FFXIV will be different. It will be interesting to see how they put the jobs together.
Talu: The development staff said that you’ll be able to customize your character by switching certain “factors.” They didn’t say what these factors were, but it’s only natural to think that it’s abilities, magic, or something along those lines.
Mainai: For example, if you levelled your lancer enough to learn the “Invigorate” move to trade some HP for TP, you could use it on another job, like conjurer, by setting it in the action menu.
Talu: I agree it’s probably along those lines. It would be interesting to see what kind of combinations you could put together with abilities from different jobs.
Mainai: The possibilities are endless.
Talu: The number of abilities you can set in the action menu at once are probably limited, so the players will have to choose wisely.
Front-line fighters are made of tougher stuff
Mainai: A lot of the classes revealed have been front-line fighters.
Talu: The developers mentioned that the melee classes were built “tough.”
Mainai: This “tough” probably means that they can take a decent amount of damage before dying, so I think it’d be safe to say that any melee class can tank to a certain extent.
Talu: Right. Each class has a distance from the enemy at which they fight best, and each has a defense rating that is adjusted accordingly. The developers say they’re aiming to make the closest range fighters have the highest defense, and make fighters whose place is farthest from the battle take more damage from hits.
Mainai: This means that all of the melee fighters will probably have to keep the enemy engaged, and the back lines will be there to support that.
Talu: I think that will be how the battles go down, and stalling tactics, like putting additional enemies to sleep, probably won’t work as well in this game as they did in FFXI.
Mainai: I wonder if it would be impossible to pick off enemy parties one at a time by pulling the stragglers from the party. (He laughs)
Talu: Apparently it IS impossible. (He laughs) They said that once you attack on of the enemy party members, they will all come after you, no matter how far they are from the enemy you attacked.
Mainai: The developers also said that there are more ways to build up TP than hitting the enemy.
Talu: Right; in FFXIV, TP can be earned through casting spells, as well. The mage classes will be able to earn TP now, as well.
Mainai: Which means mage classes will also be able to use something like weapon skills!
Talu: Also, the polarities created with the balance of the elements—star polarity and spirit polarity—seem to be interrelated.
Mainai: These polarities are not elements themselves, but instead but statuses. It seems like these may have some special qualities.
Disciples of hand and land
Mainai: How do you think the crafting and gathering skills, such as miners and blacksmiths, will work in battle?
Talu: The developers said their strength in battle will be limited, but that it IS possible to make a “fighting miner” depending on how you make it.
Mainai: How so?
Talu: If you “switch” in the abilities that help out in battle, they’ll be effective in battle to a certain extent.
Mainai: I doubt these classes will learn a lot of abilities that are useful in battle.
Talu: I predict that players will need to level mage or fighter classes and switch in their abilities in order to be effective in battle.
Special Question: What did you think of the opening movie and alpha pictures?
We got a lot of responses saying that, from the improved quality of the pictures, it feels like the game is closer to completion.
Top Results: Beauty and Fun
The two top results showed that people were amazed by the quality of the graphics and are really expecting a lot out of the gameplay.
(TL’s note: In FFXI, when you put on your “looking for party” status, you could also enter a comment that would appear when people checked your name through the search. You could say you were looking for experience parties, what areas you could and couldn’t go to, and other things you wanted in a party. For example: ((Mithra)) ((Party)) ((Can I have it?)) –Manly)
There were a lot of search comments filled with sadness. I wonder if the immobile worms would even be invited to a party…
Question 3: What magic/abilities do you want to use?
A lot of people said they wanted to try out the conjurer abilities that affect casting.
Also, the questions posted to the readers and the readers' answers were really on fire this month! Get yourself a cup of coffee and enjoy this translation through FFXIV CORE.
FFXIV Battles and Classes
With the alpha test just around the corner, the countdown to the beginning of FFXIV’s service start feels like it’s finally begun. Our readers and we thought about what the March information means, and we also made some speculation based on information we got from a special interview with the developers.
Connect!On Staff Predictions
HP recovery while weapon is sheathed
Talu: It’s pretty much common knowledge by now that you can sheathe and unsheathe your weapon whenever you want.
Mainai: Yes, even in towns.
Talu: In our interview, we were told that “something” recovers while the weapon is sheathed. I’m pretty sure it’s HP.
Mainai: It’d be convenient to be able to recover HP on-the-move, but we were also told that you will be completely defenceless while your weapon is sheathed, so sometimes it may be better to keep your weapon out in case you’re suddenly attacked.
Talu: So, sheathed lets you recover but makes you weak to ambushes, but to protect yourself from being ambushed you’d need to forego recovery and keep your weapon out. Looks like you’ll have to stay on your toes.
Mainai: The developers also told us that enemies sheathe and unsheathe, too. This means we’ll be able to launch pre-emptive attacks!
Talu: The developers also talked about parties and said there was no real set frame for the number of players in one. There are many ways to enjoy parties be it with six people, more people, or even less people.
Mainai: If that’s the case, do you think skill-up parties, which will be like levelling parties in FFXI, would be more efficient with a large number of people?
Talu: Not necessarily, and the more people that are in a party, the less chance of you getting loot from the monster.
Mainai: I, personally, really want to play solo. (He laughs)
Talu: They said that there are plans for solo content and that you’ll be able to solo through the game.
Mainai: Even so, since monsters are in parties now, too, it’ll probably be really hard to solo.
Talu: What do you think party vs. party battles will be like?
Mainai: The majority of enemies’ and allies’ moves alike will most likely have the ranges and positions from which they are most effective, so I can imagine situations where enemy A begins his attack, while enemy B begins getting taking some distance and moving around the side…
Talu: Which means enemy B is probably getting into position for an area-of-effect attack. So now we have two choices, get into position before he does or move out of the area of his attack.
Mainai: Right. In other words, instead of focusing solely on the enemy currently attacking, you’ll also need to be aware of your surroundings. It reminds me of how, in first-person shooters, it’s easy for an enemy to take their time aiming and pick you off while you’re focused on a single enemy.
Talu: It may even be a good idea to have someone monitor the enemy’s movements from outside of battle.
Individuality is in the switch
Mainai: In FFXI, it was all about sub-jobs、but FFXIV will be different. It will be interesting to see how they put the jobs together.
Talu: The development staff said that you’ll be able to customize your character by switching certain “factors.” They didn’t say what these factors were, but it’s only natural to think that it’s abilities, magic, or something along those lines.
Mainai: For example, if you levelled your lancer enough to learn the “Invigorate” move to trade some HP for TP, you could use it on another job, like conjurer, by setting it in the action menu.
Talu: I agree it’s probably along those lines. It would be interesting to see what kind of combinations you could put together with abilities from different jobs.
Mainai: The possibilities are endless.
Talu: The number of abilities you can set in the action menu at once are probably limited, so the players will have to choose wisely.
Front-line fighters are made of tougher stuff
Mainai: A lot of the classes revealed have been front-line fighters.
Talu: The developers mentioned that the melee classes were built “tough.”
Mainai: This “tough” probably means that they can take a decent amount of damage before dying, so I think it’d be safe to say that any melee class can tank to a certain extent.
Talu: Right. Each class has a distance from the enemy at which they fight best, and each has a defense rating that is adjusted accordingly. The developers say they’re aiming to make the closest range fighters have the highest defense, and make fighters whose place is farthest from the battle take more damage from hits.
Mainai: This means that all of the melee fighters will probably have to keep the enemy engaged, and the back lines will be there to support that.
Talu: I think that will be how the battles go down, and stalling tactics, like putting additional enemies to sleep, probably won’t work as well in this game as they did in FFXI.
Mainai: I wonder if it would be impossible to pick off enemy parties one at a time by pulling the stragglers from the party. (He laughs)
Talu: Apparently it IS impossible. (He laughs) They said that once you attack on of the enemy party members, they will all come after you, no matter how far they are from the enemy you attacked.
Mainai: The developers also said that there are more ways to build up TP than hitting the enemy.
Talu: Right; in FFXIV, TP can be earned through casting spells, as well. The mage classes will be able to earn TP now, as well.
Mainai: Which means mage classes will also be able to use something like weapon skills!
Talu: Also, the polarities created with the balance of the elements—star polarity and spirit polarity—seem to be interrelated.
Mainai: These polarities are not elements themselves, but instead but statuses. It seems like these may have some special qualities.
Disciples of hand and land
Mainai: How do you think the crafting and gathering skills, such as miners and blacksmiths, will work in battle?
Talu: The developers said their strength in battle will be limited, but that it IS possible to make a “fighting miner” depending on how you make it.
Mainai: How so?
Talu: If you “switch” in the abilities that help out in battle, they’ll be effective in battle to a certain extent.
Mainai: I doubt these classes will learn a lot of abilities that are useful in battle.
Talu: I predict that players will need to level mage or fighter classes and switch in their abilities in order to be effective in battle.
Special Question: What did you think of the opening movie and alpha pictures?
We got a lot of responses saying that, from the improved quality of the pictures, it feels like the game is closer to completion.
- It feels like the day we’ll get to play FFXIV is getting ever closer! –Blue
- I was more impressed by the beauty of the graphics of the opening movie than the appearing characters and their classes. –Hanafusa
- Looks like the game’s development is coming along nicely! –Satoru
- I’m so excited! –Massome
Top Results: Beauty and Fun
The two top results showed that people were amazed by the quality of the graphics and are really expecting a lot out of the gameplay.
- Fun. The FFXIII quality graphics give me the same feeling of excitement I felt when I started playing FFXI! –Ein-Sof-Oul
- Effort. It’s going to take a lot of effort to get through all the content and raise all the characters!
- Thought. I’m having daydreams about how the characters are going to move! –Tacos
- Giant. I was blown away by the scene with the Garlean Empire’s airship! –Gocchan
- SURPRISE. –Mr. O
- Journey. I don’t want it to end! –Hathha
- LOVE. My feelings for Miqo’te will never change!
- I’m looking forward to this more than any other 2010 game. I can’t do anything to help, but I’m behind you guys 100%! –PEPSIMAN
- I’ve got high hopes for this game. Take your time and make a full, lush Eorzea! –Eijirou
- The more I hear about the game and the system, the more excited I get. I need release, fast! –hinaka
- Please make a playable male Miqo’te. I’m counting on you! –Yoru
- Show everyone the power of Japanese MMORPGs! –Mustang
- I’m excited that this game will be released within the year. –eikon
- I want to play as soon as possible. Do your best! –Gintoki
- Please put in a lot of contents I can enjoy with my friends! –Shinkirou
- I’ll be sure to play it all the way through, so good luck with development! –Papiro~
- Work hard, and don’t listen to the sandman! –Bravegazette
- Please make voice chat. –9690
(TL’s note: In FFXI, when you put on your “looking for party” status, you could also enter a comment that would appear when people checked your name through the search. You could say you were looking for experience parties, what areas you could and couldn’t go to, and other things you wanted in a party. For example: ((Mithra)) ((Party)) ((Can I have it?)) –Manly)
There were a lot of search comments filled with sadness. I wonder if the immobile worms would even be invited to a party…
- I’m a goblin. Would you like to level your skills with me on marauders? I’ve got lots of bombs! –Guard
- I’m a mandragora. Please invite me. Let’s work together to make those pesky adventurers pay >< –Elih
- I’m a slime… a lot of other monsters call me “That quiet guy.” I’m not mad or anything… just… please invite me ; ; –Taco
- I’m a worm. I can’t actually go anywhere, but… please invite me! Oh, I can burrow, though. –Yasutaka
- I’m a skeleton. I may look cold, but my heart is warm! –Torippi
Question 3: What magic/abilities do you want to use?
A lot of people said they wanted to try out the conjurer abilities that affect casting.
- Since the gladiator has a similar ability to FFXI’s “provoke,” he must be the tank. It’d be interesting if the same ability had different motions depending on the beast tribesmen they are used against! –Nari
- It’s not ability per se, but I’m really excited about switching between attack and defense with the pugilist. They’ll probably start as tanks when the battle begins, but as the enemies numbers decrease, they’ll switch to offensive stance and put an end to the battle!–Okuchan
- I’ll use roaming soul and gravity to slow the enemies’ movement and nuke them from a safe distance. –Uni
- I’m interested in the two abilities that strengthen the conjurer’s casting. –Takahashi Aya
- I want to one-shot enemies with profundity-boosted attack magic! –Alon
Question 4: What class do you want to play?
The most popular discipline of war was the gladiator, and magic was the conjurer. The most versatile classes seemed to get the most votes.- I like casting classes, so I’m torn between the thaumaturge and the conjurer. If I had to choose, I’d take the all-purpose conjurer. It looks cool, too, like the FFXI black mage. –Yasutaka
- I want to take out many monsters at a time with the marauder’s weapon skills. I’d have a party member draw the enemies in, and then, BAM! It’s like a dream! –Blue
- I want to see how many enemies’ attention I can get at the same time with gladiator. –Nari
- I want to try the technical battle stylings of the lancer. —Rhye
- I want to control not just attack magic, but also support and healing magic, so the conjurer is the class for me! –SINS
- Solo play with the pugilist! I’m going to lash out violently. UGAAAAH! –Purin
- I want to tank or heal, so either the gladiator or the conjurer. –Torippi
- Gotta go with the archer! (I’ll play pugilist when I’m running low on gil) –Punya
The number of people who want to raise their water attribute really stood out. We also asked what kind of seventh element they’d like to see if it existed.- I want to focus on water. It seems like the kindest of the elements. –Fujimori Yuto
- I plan on playing a healing class, so I want to focus on water, since it seems to have the strongest connection to healing. –Alon
- I want to focus on wind, because I think it will have some connection with speed. I want to run like the wind! –Purin
- Fire, without a doubt! I want to increase the strength of the gladiator’s red lotus weapon skill! –Nari
- I want to work on my little-sister attribute, and work my way into the hearts of Eorzea’s older brothers! –Yude (TL note: Japanese nerd inside joke based on the “moe” culture from romance manga, anime, and dating sims —Manly)
- I want to stink up the field, so I’m going to work on my body-odor element! –Uni
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