Greetings, everyone!
We're pleased to present the full digest from the Letter from the Producer LIVE Part XXVI! If you missed the live stream, or if you just want to watch it again (and again), check it out below!
The 26th installment of the Letter from the Producer LIVE was a Christmas special broadcast straight from the Eorzea Café in Akihabara, Tokyo.
0:04:48
Reflection on the Current State of the Game Spanning Patch 3.0 to 3.15
With the release of FFXIV’s first expansion, Heavensward, and the subsequent patches leading up to the latest Patch 3.15, we’ve added various new content and received a lot of feedback from across the globe.
The development team is aware of balance issues that have arisen in recent patches, and we're planning to make adjustments in Patch 3.2, so I'd like to explain how we plan to accomplish this.
0:05:56
State of the Game: Alexander: Gordias (Savage)
Alexander: Gordias was the first of a new series of raid dungeons following the Binding Coil of Bahamut. At present, the Savage version of this encounter is the greatest challenge available in FFXIV, with rewards meant to be top of the current item level hierarchy. I'd to start by discussing the Savage difficulty and its place in that hierarchy.
Every time I spoke with players at public events around the world who challenged the Binding Coil of Bahamut, I would hear requests for us to make something more difficult or that they wanted to challenge something even harder. Instead of simply releasing only a hard raid, we released a normal version of Alexander: Gordias alongside the Savage version, so that it could be seen as an especially difficult challenge in comparison. However, the level of difficultly was too high, with DPS checks that are much too strict. Especially for those players who are challenging the final two areas, there are many who are unable to clear them due to the severity of the DPS check despite understanding the mechanics, even after increasing their item level. This is a major point we are reflecting on.
We intended this raid to be the answer for those players who desired even harder content. However, we've found that in many cases that, while players want to attempt clearing Savage, they have trouble finding likeminded players to form parties with. Some players have gone so far as to change Worlds in hopes of finding a group. Taking all this into consideration, we feel the difficulty of Savage is too high.
For players who are unable to clear, it’s nearly the same as if we didn’t add the more challenging encounter they asked for. Under normal circumstances, players would be able to hone their skills, clear the raid, and obtain equipment with a higher item level. This is currently not the case, and it has also put a strain on other content in the game.
We’ve considered various solutions to this problem. For instance, we thought about keeping Savage the same difficulty and creating a Raid Finder system which would allow you to find parties without having to World transfer. However, this feature wouldn’t necessarily affect the number of players that are able to clear Savage. We also considered adding a third difficulty level, but there were concerns that there isn't enough time to properly balance three levels of difficulty for each patch. With that said, Alexander: Midas (Savage) coming in Patch 3.2 will not be as difficult as Alexander: Gordias (Savage). Our goal is to create an encounter whose difficulty is somewhere between the Second Coil of Bahamut and the Final Coil of Bahamut. Hearing this may make you think that it's simply going to be easy, but this is still going to be the hard mode of the raid. Think of it more as us fine tuning the hard mode difficulty.
There are three different ways to obtain equipment in FFXIV.
- Obtaining items via difficult raids
- Obtaining items through tokens that have weekly limitations
- Obtaining items by spending a long period of time
We’ve structured this so that by undertaking any of the above three paths it will result in the same item level; however, we feel that the item level of the rewards for Alexander: Gordias (Savage) was too low for the extreme difficulty. Had the item level of the equipment obtained in The Burden of the Father (Savage) been 215, I think it would have been possible to upgrade tomestone weapons to 210 with the token item from Void Ark and make the Anima weapons 210 right away.
As a result of the difficulty being set to too high, the number of players who possess a weapon from The Burden of the Father was far lower than we expected, and in order to maintain the value of these items for players that were able to beat this difficult raid, the content that came afterwards suffered.
In conclusion, we would like to increase the value of the rewards for clearing Alexander in its entirety when implemented in future patches.
Naturally, we will still have a normal difficulty mode for Alexander: Midas. As we made adjustments in the future, we'll focus on reducing the severity of the DPS checks. The raiders who aim to clear content as quickly as possible will still go through a trial and error process moving forward and adopt various strategies, but by lowering the DPS checks, once strategic information is shared it will be possible for others to take on the challenge. We’re striving to make it possible to clear this content while having fun, and we’d like to set the difficulty just right so once you are finally able to beat it you can say it was a piece of cake.
0:14:06
State of the Game: Exploratory Missions
In Patch 3.1 we implemented exploratory missions, which was a type of content that did not exist in FFXIV. Up until now there has been a lot of content with set rules, but the idea behind exploratory missions was to create a space where players could create their own rules. Since its implementation we’ve received a lot of feedback, particularly requests for a system allowing Disciples of the Land and Disciples of War and Magic to queue separately. We originally set the timer for exploratory missions to 90 minutes, hoping that players would discuss how to segment the time. In the end, however, 90 minutes was a bit too long, and it's rather difficult to leave in the middle of a mission.
Looking at all the feedback we've received, we feel the biggest problem here is an overall lack of system-based rules. At the very least, we'd like players to enter and take part in activities with rules and objectives that change every time, but don't necessarily require a lot of communication to complete and receive rewards. Otherwise it will devolve into simple item farming which isn't very fun.
In regards to this, when making adjustments to the excessof item level 210 items, we received a lot of feedback such as requests for missions to explore the many caverns in the area, and based on this feedback we would like to establish clear rules and objectives as well as create a system that allows you to group up with players with similar objectives inthe next portion of exploratory mission content.
I previously mentioned that there would be changes to the materia system in Patch 3.2; however, since it will be possible to meld materia into rewards obtained through raids, we anticipated that there would be an increase in demand for each type of materia, so we thought it would be a good idea to have an influx of items that could be converted into materia. However, the number of item level 210 items in circulation was extremely high, and due to concerns that the motivation of players who completed Alexander: Gordias (Savage) would taper off, we decided to limit the number of item level 210 items becoming available.
The development team had been having deep discussions about the item level of rewards for exploratory missions, and they ultimately set it to 210 so players would have fun; however, just as everyone has mentioned in feedback, item level 205 would have been more appropriate. Had it been item level 205, I think we could have created a flow where you could procure equipment from Diadem in order to gear up for the raid. Using this lesson we will be striving to feature more of the exploration element for future exploratory mission content including proper balancing.
With Patch 3.2, the demand for materia will increase without a doubt, so we’ll be adjusting the content length from 45 minutes to 60 minutes, and to coincide with this change we will be making further adjustments to the amount of items in circulation as well as reducing the number of currents that need to be unlocked.
0:20:53
State of the Game: Anima Weapons
As the quest for Anima weapons is content that takes a long period of time to complete, I understand that there are pros and cons. However, there have been requests asking for challenging elements and new content specifically for Anima weapons, so I would like to reiterate the concept behind these weapons once more.
Just as I mentioned previously, there are three ways to obtain equipment in FFXIV.
- Obtaining items via difficult raids
- Obtaining items through tokens that have weekly limitations
- Obtaining items by spending a long period of time
Anima weapons fall into the third path above.
In order to create an Anima weapon there is no need to get involved with high difficulty content that does not have an Echo bonus. While players with confidence in their skills would be able to get through this quickly, players who are unable to clear this content would not be able to create their weapons.
In regards to the feedback asking for challenging content similar to the Dhorme Chimera and Hydra battles for the relics of 2.0, I still feel that there would be those that are unable to clear such content. When creating the system for Zodiac weapons and Anima weapons, we were verifying data such as how many people possessed relics and found that there were many players who weren’t able to obtain a relic in order to move on to subsequent content.
Currently, due to the difficulty of Savage, other content was affected and the upgrade item for Esoteric weapons is still difficult to obtain. This created a situation where obtaining an item level 210 weapon could only be done through the Anima weapon path for some, which made people feel that they had to do it. We will be fixing this issue in patch 3.2.
While there have been comments mentioning that it would have been better to start these quests in Patch 3.1, the reason the item levels of the Anima weapons were set to 170/200/210 was so that players just starting would be able to prioritize their use of Allagan tomestones of Esoterics for armor.
Additionally, we had been receiving a lot of feedback when everyone was creating Zodiac weapons, so this time around for the phase where you collect items through FATEs, we made it so you could acquire the items on jobs that you were leveling, and made adjustments so the process for increasing your item level from 200 to 210 could fit your play style. Had we made the item level of the weapons from The Burden of the Father (Savage) 215, we could have possibly reduced the time it takes make an item level 210 Anima weapon.
In regards to everyone’s concerns about the lifespan of Anima weapons, we will be making adjustments in Patch 3.2, and there will be updates to Anima weapons in Patch 3.25 and Patch 3.3.
Q&A
A: We would need to readjust the settings to when we first introduced the Zodiac weapon quest “Trials Of The Braves,” and address the issue where FATEs didn’t occur. Additionally, there are allied beast tribe quests which involve two FATEs. When it was first implemented, when two FATEs occurred simultaneously, an issue arose where you could only complete one of them. To address this issue, we made it so that the second FATE will occur by completing the first one. We’re currently making adjustments to increase the frequency of the FATEs.0:29:26
Q: Items required for the Anima weapon quest “Coming Into Its Own” can be obtained from allied beast tribe quests. However, it takes a lot of time to complete if the quest requires certain FATEs. Could you please increase the frequency in which these FATEs occur?
A: We’re working to address this issue.0:31:25
Q: There are instances where you accept the wrong quest when progressing through the Anima quest line with multiple jobs. Would it be possible to make it so that you cannot retake the quest with the same job?
A: The problem with changing the items needed for Anima weapons into key items is that key items vary by player depending on which quest they are currently undertaking; they could get mixed up with those items that are being used for quests. It will be difficult to make these into key items, but we're looking into making them unsellable. We're also considering changing some of the item icons, but we're concerned about confusing players who've already become familiar with the current ones.0:32:04
Q: A lot of items are needed to proceed through the Anima weapon quest, and since they are regular items, I feel like I am going to accidentally sell them. Would it be possible to change these items into key items?
A: We'll be increasing the number of plots for existing housing areas in Patch 3.3. After we expand those areas, we'll add apartment-style housing in Ishgard areas afterwards, starting with one apartment-style building which will hold about 512 residences. We’re also planning to make chocobo stables available for use to residents of apartment-style housing. Gardening patches are still proving somewhat difficult, but we’re currently developing new “planter pots” that will allow gardening.0:33:32
Q: Auto-reclamation for housing starts this month, but can you tell us if there will be any future additions of plots?
As per demand, we are also looking into the prospect of increasing the number of indoor furnishings which can be placed in residences.
A: The new craft-able equipment in Patch 3.2 will be quite strong. We will also introduce accessories which can have advanced materia melds, so I think there will be demand for crafters from all jobs, especially from those racing to be the first to clear raid content.0:36:59
Q: Other than for glamouring purposes, the demand for crafted equipment has dropped. Do you have plans to develop craft-able equipment with stats high enough for raids in the future?
0:38:39
Patch 3.2 Content
0:38:48
Quest-related
The main scenario quest will be heading towards the climax of the Dragonsong War.
As for the new beast tribe daily quests, I’m sure many will recall the variety of interesting tasks for the Vanu Vanu daily quests. The lead writer for those quests will also be in charge of the Vath beast tribe quests this time.
0:40:06
Dungeons
Players will encounter the new instanced dungeon, “The Antitower,” early on in the main scenario quest. You'll understand the reason for this name once you go there. And in “The Lost City of Amdapor (Hard),” players will be able to find out what happened to the Lost City after they cast out the boss from the normal mode, Diablos.
0:41:27
Trials
At long last, we'll be starting a new series of primal battles, the Warring Triad. The first installment will be Containment Bay S1T7, and we'll be releasing the extreme version at the same time. Unlike previous trials, we’ve decided to eliminate the “Hard” naming convention. We made this change because we noticed for Leviathan in main scenario that it didn’t make sense for players to be encountering a “Hard” version of a primal that had no previous “Normal” version. However, the difficulty will be on par with the “Hard” primals we have seen thus far.
This battle will be very flashy, and there may be a mechanic where you can fall; the lead for this battle is the same person who was in charge of both Titan and Thordan’s Reign.
0:44:20
Alexander: Midas
Similar to Alexander: Gordias, there will be a “Normal” and “Savage” mode for Alexander: Midas. In 3.0, we first introduced the “Normal” mode, and later released the “Savage” mode; however, in Patch 3.2, these will be released at the same time, so you will be able to challenge “Savage” once you clear the “Normal” mode.
0:46:34
Wolves’ Den
Until now, we have been calling the next installment of the Wolves’ Den, “Wolves’ Den 2”; however, we decided to name this, “The Feast.” I’ll be going into more details about this during the next Letter LIVE, but here’s a simple breakdown. While the current Wolves’ Den is basically a death match, we wanted The Feast to be more like a sport, using something like a point system so that casual players can also enjoy it. By defeating their opponents, players can steal their points, and all are competing for the total amount of points.
There will be 5 variations:
- 8 vs 8 (Win/loss rating does not apply)
This is the most casual mode; we want players to have fun with it, so the win/loss rating will not be applied. In other words, the player’s skill rating will neither increase nor decrease in this mode. They will only be able to queue solo or with one other player.
- 4 vs 4 (Solo, Win/loss rate applies)
Players will only be able to queue this mode solo, and the win/loss rate will apply. Parties will be formed with players of the same rating, and the opposing team will be composed of players close to the rating of their own party.
- 4 vs 4 (Solo, Win/loss rate does not apply)
Players will only be able to queue up to this mode solo. The win/loss rate does not apply here, so they can use this to practice.
- 4 vs 4 (Light party, win/loss rate applies)
Players will only be able to queue this mode as a light party, and the win/loss rate applies. Aside from the solo rating, there will be a separate rating and ranking for static parties.
- 4 vs 4 (Light party, win/loss rate does not apply)
Players will only be able to queue this mode as a light party. The win/loss rate does not apply here, so they can use this to practice.
Furthermore, The Feast will use a “seasons” system. The first season will begin in Patch 3.25, and the duration will be about three and a half months long until Patch 3.35. Ratings will be updated on a daily basis, and ranking will be announced. The top players in the season will be awarded with exclusive rewards. Additionally, there are ranks. By accumulating a specific amount of rating points, there will be matches to increase ranks. Players will need to win 3 out of 5 matches in order to move onto the next rank. There are rewards for each rank, so players will be able to fight at a level that matches their skill. Ranking will stop once the season is over, and all the ratings will be reset when the next season begins.
The Feast will be implemented from Patch 3.2, but there is a pre-season match from Patch 3.2 to Patch 3.25. During this time we will make job and rating adjustments for PvP, and we will kick off the first season in Patch 3.25.
0:54:04
Orchestrion
We’ve kept you all waiting for quite some time now, but the jukebox-like system, the “Orchestrion,” will be implemented in Patch 3.2. This can be placed in the inn, house, and private chamber, and it will play music if you have the sheet music for it. Sheet music can be obtained through various duties and trials, achievements, and in-game shops. The logs of which sheets you’ve acquired are stored individually, so players can enjoy collecting them as well. Of the sheets you can acquire, there will be those which can be created by Disciples of the Hand by obtaining items such as sound producing rocks. We’ll be implementing 47 songs in Patch 3.2, and we plan on releasing 20-30 songs in updates afterwards.
The Hall of the Novice
Players will be able to train in two ways: training for each role and training which doesn’t involve roles. Training unrelated to roles, such as dodging area of effect attacks, will be available right before entering Sastasha. After this, players will be able to start training for each role which has about seven tasks each. By completing all the training, players will be awarded with level 15 equipment. There will be a specific building for this, and inside you’ll find books which will explain terms such as “DoTs”.
The Mentor System (Tentative)
This system will allow veteran players who have certain achievements to be called “Mentors” for Disciples of War/Magic and also Disciples of Land and Hand. Once players become a “Mentor” they will be able to use a system which will help new adventurers. Players will be able to use features such as a roulette called the “Mentor Roulette,” which is close to volunteering, but we hope we can motivate those who want to support beginners.
1:00:23
Striking dummy training mode (Tentative)
The naming is still tentative, but this is single player challenge content where players can test their skills. This is not something where you can calculate your damage values, but a challenge where players test to see if they can defeat the striking dummy within the 3 minute time limit. I realize that skill rotations will differ depending on the encounter, but we’re hoping that players can practice with this striking dummy and use it to gauge whether or not they will be able to defeat their target enemy.
Materia system changes
As mentioned in the previous Letter LIVE, from Patch 3.2, equipment such as those that can be obtained with Allagan tomestones will include materia slots, which will allow players to build equipment to match their job. The new tomestone will be called Allagan tomestone of lore.
New Allagan tomestone
We’ll be implementing a new type of Allagan tomestone.
1:04:38
Other features
Players will be able to sell items directly from their retainers.
In 3.0 we wanted players to enjoy flying up and down with their flying mounts, so we haven’t implemented elevation information to see if your party members are in a higher or lower position on the mini-map. However, this was something we received feedback on, so you will be able to see if your party members are above or below you by looking at numbers on the mini-map. This information will be displayed as z-axis values when using thetext command.
We’ve been receiving comments from players who have high-spec PCs and 4K displays mentioning that the UI is too small. We'll be addressing this over multiple patches.
Further details for content that will be implemented in Patch 3.2 and various other information, such as other existing ground mounts which will be able to fly and dyeable Allagan/High Allagan gear, will be discussed in the next FATE in Kagoshima, so please look forward to it!
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01-12-2016 04:17 PM #1
Letter from the Producer LIVE Part XXVI Digest (01/12/2016)
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