О новизне подхода FF XIV
We want FF XIV to introduce a new generation of gamers to MMOs. We want the beginning of the game to be stress-free, giving players an incentive to give it a try.
- The beginning of FFXIV: ARR has been designed to offer newcomers that same sense of wonderment.
- Create a quality character to represent you, be it manly, cute, rugged, or sexy.
- Enjoy a beautiful, expensive world that's constantly changing.
- Connect with other players from around the world.
- Speak with NPCs and reveal the game's story.
- Take your time as you use the map and explore.
- Take on fearsome looking monsters and revel in your victories.
- Enjoy the freedom of progressing through the story alone or with friends.
- Discover something new each time you visit your favorite places.
- Follow the story of a crystal, befitting a FINAL FANTASY title.
- Start off as a fledgling adventurer and grow to be something greater.
- Board an airship and set out on a great adventure.
As a FINAL FANTASY game, I feel these elements make for a solid beginning in an MMO. What's important is whether or not players feel comfortable in the world of Eorzea. Players should find the game easy to get into, but also fun and exciting.
For a player new to MMOs, the individual systems that make up the game are small pieces of a beautiful all-encompassing world. Eventually, they may realize these small systems make up a much greater part of the game than they first thought. Nevertheless, players aren't thinking that far ahead at the beginning of the game. Above all else, players should feel the game offers a world they can enjoy.
FF XIV ориентирована на игроков иного игроощущения. Игроков, прежде всего ценящих красоту мира, персонажей, общения, социальных отношений. Это игра для тех, кто хотел бы задержать то великолепное чувство радости и восхищения, которое возникает при первом знакомстве с миром Эорзии. Это игра, в которой начиная создавать маленького симпатичного персонажа, вдруг начинаешь понимать, что участвуешь в процессе возрождения огромного великолепного мира. Так пусть это царство возродиться! A Realm Reborn, long live the Realm!
Many games on the market attempt to rationalize needlessly complicated game features with phrases like "Dynamic Action!" or "Revolutionary Gameplay!" but with FFXIV: ARR, we have no intention of misleading our player base. There are only two things we wish to emphasize.
- If players have a goal, they should not be impeded by overly cumbersome obstacles.
- Players should not feel the need to avoid or sneak past enemies to enjoy any given content.
Разработчики FF XIV ARR никогда не кричали о "динамическом акшене" и "революционном геймплее". Никаких попыток вводить игроков в заблуждение. При разработке игры внимание уделялось всего двум моментам:
- Если у игрока есть цель, то не будет непреодолимых препятствий в её достижении.
- Мобы не должны мешать наслаждаться красотами мира Эорзии.
Браво Йошида! Прекрасный лозунг для игры: "Ставьте цели и наслаждайтесь миром Эорзии!".
FFXIV - это как покер
This may be a stretch, but I'd like to take a moment to break down the combat system by comparing it to Texas hold ‘em poker
- There is little time where you will be sitting there doing nothing. (However, there's always enough time to strategize)
- You won’t start with a full hand, overwhelmed by too many options
- As more cards are revealed (as you level up and acquire more actions/traits), the number of options (skill combinations) available to you increases
- Each weapon skill serves as a "card," with combos and triggered effects serving as "hands."
- You change your "hand" according to how a fight plays out (but you’ll always have time to think on your strageies).
- Limit breaks, which are planned for implementation in phase 3, will serve as "hands" shared by the party.
- Auto-attack serves as one of your "cards" when all other options have been exhausted, as it's still a means of sustaining that base damage.
This is the premise of the battle system. I know poker wasn't the best analogy to describe how the battle system will work, but I hope you guys get the general idea.
Йошида описывает принципы FF XIV на примере Техасского покера. Буду теперь предлагать друзьям: "А не перекинуться ли нам картишками в FF XIV?"
Есть ли жизнь в Эорзии?
There are a ton of plans in store: primals that are summoned in to Eorzea, the housing system, what happened to Bahamut, the Crystal Tower, large scale PvP, company crafting, and more. The feeling that you are living in Eorzea will really take place.
Мне лично не хватает современной игры, в которой можно жить, изредка выходя в реальность.
О системе боёв
We have built the content and the battle system:
- Visually noticeable AoE attacks that you can avoid by moving
- A system where you can boost damage by attacking from certain positions
- Freedom to put things together by executing skills that follow a specific route
- Being able to fixate on dealing the most damage while giving consideration to TP/MP costs in the end-game.
- Jump not being essential for clearing content
Принципы системы боя:
- Возможность уворачиваться от AoE атак.
- Разный урон в зависимости от позиции атакующего.
- Свобода комбинирования заклинаний.
- Тактические решения расходования очков TP/MP для нанесения большего урона.
- Отсутствие необходимости прыгать при открытии мира.
Про прыжки — это «камень в огород» GW2, где приходилось совершать сложные jump-puzzle при прохождении. Мне лично все эти jump puzzle в GW2 не нравятся.
О заклинаниях AoE (область атаки)
The over use of non-targeted / area of effect skills can result in bland gameplay. Encounters meant to be challenging such as dungeons tend to become unbalanced.
Атаки AoE без цели ухудшают баланс, особенно в подземельях.
О времени перезарядки (Global Cooldown)
The current implementation of the GCD (Global Cooldown) is a result of our aim to keep things simple while ensuring players can enjoy the game for a long time. Unfortunately for seasoned MMO players, the beginning of the game may seem dull and boring. However, the GCD is in place to give players time to think about what their next move is going to be. This includes combos, weapon skill and action rotations, debuff skills, and crowd control skills. As you acquire more skills to use in battle, the 2.5 second GCD won't seem as long as you think it is. I hope you all will continue testing and explore the potential of the current system.
Игра рассчитана на тех, кто собирается играть долго, а не на сезонных игроков. Спасибо Йошиде, что игру не делали на тех, кто играет годами (это я про слоупоков). Тогда время перезарядки было бы не 2.5 сек, а секунд 7-10. :-D
О заклинаниях в PvP
When discussing the design of actions and weaponskills, we originally planned for actions geared toward PvP to automatically be learned by leveling, just as is the case with PvE actions. However, realized this would create problems. For those who only play PvE, they would have no use for skills catered to PvP. In contrast, those who do play PvP would inevitably have too many to sort through. What we've decided to do is create two separate sets of skills for that players will have the freedom to interchange depending on whether they’re playing PvE or PvP. These PvP actions will be obtained through participation in PvP.
В PvP будет свой набор заклинаний.
О дистанцировании от Action
While it might be thought of as simplistic, the end-game after reaching the level cap is where a good deal of player skill differences will start to appear, especially when adding equipment into the mix. We started designing this game by making the first goal of FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn having everyone enjoy this aspect.
This is the reason why there are no action elements in FFXIV content and battle. While I’m repeating myself, just like FFXI was trying to show FINAL FANTASY users the excitement of MMORPGs at that time, we would like to show players of the current time period the excitement of MMORPGs once again through FFXIV. Showing that it’s possible to play and enjoy it by spending time, without rushing, at their own pace.
Многие игры, позиционируя себя как MMORPG, фактически представляют собой жанр Action. FF XIV не идёт в этом направлении и остаётся в рамках жанра ролевых игр.
О квестах
Without a pile of quests, it’s not possible to have players learn about the world, and there are ton of benefits for having these so users can play the game with a sense of progression.
In order to make it so FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn does not just become a fetch quest game we decided to add some variety and flavor. Of course, we’ve created a really large story since this is a new FINAL FANTASY title after all. However, for the so-called side-quests that have been spread along the main questing line, we’ve done our best to reduce the text, making it so the text can be skipped by spamming through it. For quests where major characters appear, we’ve made this clear by adding a special icon, and also spruced them up to make them exciting by adding voices and cutscenes. While we did not add voices to class and job quests, we still made them with the same thought process.
FF XIV - ролевая игра, рассказывающая о перипетиях мира Эорзии. Повествование (раскрытие сюжета) ведётся через квесты. Но помимо основных, сюжетных квестов будет множество боковых квестов, связанных с профессиями и ремёслами. Сюжетные квесты будут с озвучкой и катсценами. Боковые — текстовые и без озвучки, что позволяет пропускать описания, если в них нет необходимости.
О монстрах
Rather than focusing on encounters with common enemies out in the field, we want to place greater emphasis on FATE, dungeons, bosses, and other content we're preparing for A Realm Reborn. At the end of the day, normal enemies seen running around outside the cities aren't meant to require a great deal of effort. In contrast, when facing a boss while trying to clear a dungeon, for example, we want players to give it their all and have a fun time doing so.
Монстры для красоты. Следует основное внимание уделять FATE, подземельям, боссам и сюжетным квестам.
О PlayStation
FFXIV will again be the first MMORPG experience for many console gamers. With this in mind, we designed the battle system based on three key principles.
- Playing in a party should not be necessary until level 15. This includes story-related events.
- Regardless of the learning curve, new players should not feel overwhelmed.
- The game's core design should allow for leisurely play over a long period of time.
FFXIV становится ведущей MMORPG игрой для PlayStation.
Играть группой не обязательно до 15 уровня. Достаточно выполнять квесты основной истории.
Игра для тех, кто любит играть не спеша. Тем, кто за 3 дня доходит до капа и уходит в бету следующей игры, игра не понравится.
О модели оплаты
Unlike games from other genres, the use of a subscription model makes this much more important. Looking at MMORPG demographics, for example, your average player is younger now than when the first generation of MMORPGs were released. Nevertheless, players tend to be older due to the use of a subscription model. So when they come home from work or school and decide to play, even if it's only for an hour or two, they should be able to enjoy themselves. In other words, the use of mundane grinding for hours on end is no longer an effective means to stay competitive in the current MMORPG market.
Забавно! Оказалось модель оплаты сильно влияет на демографию игроков. F2P игры для молодой аудитории (читай для школоты). А P2P разко сдвигает аудиторию к среднему возрасту (люди работающие, уже окончившие учебные заведения).
Об анализе других MMORPG
I've spent a fair bit of time studying other large MMORPGs currently on the market. More importantly, I've been monitoring their retention rates. Of course, people tend to concern themselves with sell-in and sell-through, but the longevity of an MMORPG depends on retention. This is why it's important to understand that game developers for online games always make their decisions based on retention rate.
Для разработчиков основным критерием оценки MMORPG игры является рейтинг удержания потребителя (retention rate). Важна не столько численность, сколько длительность и количество транзакций. Именно поэтому SE стремится снизить перепродажи через сторонние организации. Те, кто знаком с маркетингом сразу поймут, что SE использует модель лояльности потребителя.
Ответ любителям привлечь внимание разработчиков количеством лайков
Also, please know that we are not making decisions solely based on the number of “Likes” a post has on the forum. There are a lot of differing opinions on the forums and it’s the important work of the operations team to read this data objectively and collect it so there is no bias, reporting it as a ratio of those who post from the total player population.
Одно сообщение по существу значит гораздо больше тысячи лайков под глупостью.