Part 1: Hiromichi Tanaka and Nobuaki Komoto

Servers slowly stabilizing

Dengeki PlayStation (DP): What’s the current status of the alpha test?
Komoto (NK): A lot of problems came up that we weren’t expecting, most of which were due to the load on the servers. It was a constant cycle; a problem would show up as soon as we fixed another problem. It caused a lot of problems for the players, and we’re really sorry about that.
Tanaka (HT): We found other problems hiding in the code and have done our best to CRUSH them.

DP: Have you been able to fix a lot of problems through the alpha tests up to this point?
NK: We haven’t been able to fix as much as we’d like. We wanted players to go even further into the game to find the problems in other places, but right now, even the basics aren’t complete, so it’s more like the players are helping us stabilize the servers.

DP: When will the players be able to play without time limits?
HT: Players will be able to log in freely by the time beta starts.

DP: Did the number of players that logged in exceed your expectations?
NK: It did at first, but now we announce the test times pretty close to when we start the test, so now there are actually a few less than we’d like.
HT: Right now we want to get one world server stabilized, so we’ll try to add enough people to it to test its stability. After that we’ll increase the number of world servers. Our aim is to let in about 50,000 people.

DP: When will you be adding more players?
HT: We’ll add them when alpha 2 starts, which is pretty soon. We already have the players chosen.
NK: Once we stabilize it on the alpha level, we’d like to add even more players.

DP: The alpha test started with the game at a rather unpolished state. How are the players taking this?
NK: A lot of players have been pointing out the poor tempo of battle and the lack of explanation for parts of the game. We are trying to decide how write the explanations for beta and commercial release, so these are really helpful comments.
HT: Komoto told the testers before alpha started that the tempo of battle is something we’re looking at. When beta test starts, we will be implementing a completely different battle system, practically remade from the ground up. We weren’t planning on using the current battle system in the first place, but we didn’t want players to wait until beta, so we explained the situation and opened the test.

DP: There were times when players couldn’t see the aetherite or times when character motion and attack timings were off. Were these caused by the heavy server load?
NK: Most likely. The play was smoothest in dungeons with no people in them, so it would be nice if we could have more players play in areas like that. The aetherite problem had other causes, and we’re in the middle of implementing solutions.

DP: How about the error messages that appear when attempting a battle regimen?
NK: When this happens, it’s caused by server load and a bug which we’re working on fixing.
HT: Right now, the battle is done through a time gauge system, which makes for a bad battle tempo. Once we’re in beta, the battle system will be completely different, and you’ll be able to use moves in more rapid succession.

DP: Apparently there’s also a problem people have been having with earning gil, and are unable to advance to try new things as a result.
NK: Guildleves are the best way to earn money, but due to the server problems, players were having problems finishing them. We are thinking of solutions to this problem, such as adding a way to retry failed guildleves. Furthermore, right now, the only person being rewarded for clearing a guildleve is the person who accepts the guildleve, so we’re looking into rewards for party members, as well.

Beta brings changes

DP: Will the number of playable races increase from alpha to beta?
NK: We plan on having all races included in the final version made playable in the beta. People seemed a little put off that they couldn’t use the Miqo’te (he laughs).

DP: Will there be any graphical changes?
HT: The character textures won’t change, but there will be a lot of lighting and wall-texture changes for Limsa Lominsa. Shadows will change a lot, like the way a shadow is cast based on the direction and distance of the light source causing it. We’ll also be implementing SSAO (Screen Space Ambient Occlusion, the shadow emulation method first used in the PC game Crysis), which should give the game a more three-dimensional feel. Also, we’re trying to make the way the camera focuses in the opening cut scene also useable in the play area.

DP: Do you plan on increasing the area of play in the beta test?
NK: We don’t have any plans to extend the play area that much, but many players are sticking to one area so we’re going to add the option to play in other places and increase the level cap. At the moment, the playable area isn’t being used to the extent that we’d like, so we’d like players to explore a bit more.
HT: There aren’t many players checking out the dungeons, but we’d like some players to go spelunking from time to time. Right now, monsters lose interest in players rather quickly when they run away, but when beta begins, monsters may start to agro. If players are going to go exploring, now would be the time to do it.

DP: The field has a very three-dimensional feel to it, with lots of highs and lows. It feels like a completely different world from FFXI.
HT: Limsa Lominsa is almost too three-dimensional, and many players are getting lost. Right now, the whole map is limited to one screen, but by beta we’ll split the map into higher- and lower-layer sections to make the city easier to navigate.

DP: Why is it that incoming battle log messages from party members come even when the party members are so far away?
NK: The chat and battle log system now is set up to show all the things within the player’s viewable range. FFXI prioritized listing actions by how close they happened to you, where FFXIV battle log focuses on things happening related to your party. We’re trying to make it so you can decide if only you will be able to see the monsters for your guildleve, or have control over other things you want to show or not to show people.

DP: There are also an excessive amount of battle messages coming from people fighting in the vicinity. What about those?
NK: We’d like to add a filter players can use to block the messages they don’t want to see. The filter didn’t see completion by the start of the alpha test, so we’d like to adjust it from here on out.

DP: There’s nothing like FFXI’s mog house in the current test, but will players see something like this later in the game?
NK: In FFXI, the mog house’s role was to act as storage space for the adventurers’ items and a place for job changing, but those won’t be needed this time since jobs are changed by changing weapons and adventurers can hold a great number of items. We wanted to make it so adventurers wouldn’t have to travel back to the city, so we didn’t prepare anything like that for the test.
HT: We do have plans to make something large-scale, like a house, in the future.

DP: Will the bazaar and market system be different from the FFXI auction system?
NK: We wanted to present a system other than a standardized auction system, but this system would get pretty heavy on the server if everyone needed to be logged in at the same time to use it, so we’re trying to make something like a bazaar that can stay up even when you’re logged off.

DP: Do you have any words for your users?
NK: Even though we’ve not been able to show you what we’d like to have shown you by now, we’re very thankful for your positive attitudes while playing. We really want to hear from you, and we’re looking forward to the opinions of the incoming alpha testers and, when the time comes, the many opinions of the beta testers. We want to create this world with your help.
HT: Since this is only the alpha test, we’re able to collect a lot of data with every single login, and we thank you for that. The battle tempo and graphics are about to change drastically, so please look forward to it!

That is how ffxi was kind of built as well. First 10-12 you get used to the game and from there it is party on. I did 1-6 last night in 45 minutes but i had some cheaters... emp band and a page. but still you can get through the first 6 in under 2.