Dengeki - Devs Talk Future Beta Plans

Dengeki magazine was lucky enough to get a shot at the alpha build
for Final Fantasy XIV. They printed most of the information we saw
yesterday in Famitsu, but also got some time to sit down with Producer
Hiromichi Tanaka and Director Nobuaki Komoto! Together, they discussed
details of the alpha and plans for the progression of beta testing.
Check out the details below.
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- When Final Fantasy XI first started, it began with a beta
test. Why did you decide to go back even further this time and start
with an alpha?
Komoto: At the beta stage, a game is relatively
complete. In order to better take in user opinions and make more
adjustments, we wanted users to see an earlier version and let their
feedback affect the direction of the game itself.
- So, does that mean there could be some dramatic changes
after the alpha version?
Komoto: Yes, there could. We're already wondering
ourselves what shape the game will take after the alpha testing is
complete. There are issues we have seen arise, and we want to think of
how to best fix these and add in user suggestions at the same time.
Tanaka: For the alpha test, we only have one World.
The idea is we first test that World for stability and then in phase 1
of the beta test, we begin to add more Worlds and collect as much data
as we can.
- Will the amount of playable cities increase in the beta
phase?
Tanaka: More than simply increasing the play area,
we want to test and adjust the core mechanics of the game. For example,
we want to see if leveling up works properly or if attaining a new
skill rank works properly. Our number one priority is to monitor these
things closely.
Komoto: Just like how we set a limit to the levels,
we want to place benchmarks and see if they can be reached without major
issues. We expand the system a bit, and then sample data from within
those constraints.
Tanaka: We want to examine the speed at which people
grow, as well as the core game mechanics, and see if we need to make
any adjustments.
- So, then it sounds like we won't really get the full game
until the official release version.
Komoto: We think the full scope of the game will
come together sometime during the beta phase.
Tanaka: The game system will be completed during the
beta phase, but I would say you probably won't see the entirety of what
the game world has to offer until the official release.



- I got to try out the Guildleve
system, and it feels like a great way to manage your play time. You can
complete a quest within 30 minutes and then start a new one right
away. It feels like Assault in FFXI, where you can enjoy some casual
challenges divided into easy to manage chunks. Forgive me if I'm wrong,
but it feels like a system really designed around light, casual play.

Komoto: That's true, but I
wouldn't say it's just a system for light play. What we wanted to do
is design something that casual players could enjoy. That entails
making it simple and easy at first. However, while the rules are simple
early on, future quests add more rules and more variations to Guildleve
while at the same time putting players up against tougher monsters.
That's the kind of system we're considering.

- As for character growth, it
appears there are Skill Ranks for each Class and Physical Levels for the
avatar itself. Physical Levels are where you can freely spend points
on different parameters, right?

Komoto: In the alpha,
there is a cap on Physical Levels, and you can't redistribute points
already spent on parameters just yet. Later on, we want to allow
players to reallocate points in case they focus too heavily on a certain
attribute and want to adjust that. We also plan to make it so you
cannot simply max out every attribute, so players will have to work to
find a good balance. For example, you may raise a certain skill in
order to play a Warrior-type class. If you later want to go as a
Disciple of Magic, you can then reallocate those points into something
more beneficial for a magic-user.

- Regarding character
customization, will there be any limitations on attaching skills from
one Class onto another?

Komoto: If we can, we want
to allow players to use skills from other Classes on their current
one. However, there are many things to test out regarding this, such as
how the effects of skills will be weakened when used with other
Classes. For example, maybe a certain combination of skills doesn't
work well together, or perhaps another combination is too powerful -- we
want to maintain game balance as we go forward. There will, of course,
also be some skills that we simply won't allow to be attached to other
Classes. At this stage, we are still looking to see how things work, so
feel free to try out any combinations you wish.

- With FFXI and Support Jobs, there
was a limitation, and in general you wanted users to play Jobs a
certain way, which made it easy for other players to pick up on what
that Job's role was. If you can freely set abilities on different
Classes and freely boost your parameters, will that make it difficult
for players to define roles for Classes?


Komoto: That's why we feel
it is most important to have Classes defined by their main skills.
Although there is wiggle room for adding other abilities, a Class that
excels at tanking will usually be considered a tank first and foremost.
From that starting point, you can begin to fine-tune your role based on
the situation and see how your Class works with other Classes.

- How are crafting skills coming
along at this point in the alpha?

Komoto: We've touched on
them so far and let players get the basics of cultivating materials, but
we're still seeing how the system will take shape. We plan to have
players able to gather materials in field areas and are preparing
Guildleves that involve cultivation and harvesting. However, we're
still in the testing phase for these aspects of crafting. Also, we're
going to make skills for harvesting and crafting and want to make the
whole experience fun for players. Fighting battles is fun, but we hope
to create a game where players can have just as much as crafters --
raising skills, going on adventures, and even completing storylines.
Guildleves should be very useful for making this happen.

- How many different types of
Guildleves are there in the alpha version?

Komoto: Not so many. A
little less than 20.

- Will players be able to solo even
some high-level Guildleves?

Komoto: We hope to allow
that by use of the selectable difficulty levels. That isn't to say
there won't be any party-related Guildleves, but we want to allow solo
players to enjoy Guildleve as much as possible.

- Speaking of which, is 6 members
the average party size?

Komoto: This time, we've
set the maximum for parties at 15 members -- almost the size of an
alliance. However, they aren't divided into units. A party of 3 is
fine, a party of 8 is fine, and we don't want to impose any standards
from our end. Instead of forcing minimum party sizes on players, we
want to allow them to freedom to put together any group they wish.

- I was surprised to see that
Teleport and Warp were available to every Class right from the start!

Komoto: There will be
costs attached to those abilities, but that hasn't been implemented yet
in the alpha. We hope to make it so players with limited time can
travel quickly, but also add elements that players with time to spare
can enjoy if they decide to travel back on foot. We are looking to
provide enough warp points to make these abilities a real help for
players short on time. As for costs involved, we don't plan anything
really restricting, and hope to keep it down to almost nothing.



- The range of motion for avatars
was astounding. Lalafell are especially cute.

Komoto: They're
sickeningly cute, aren't they? (laughs) This time around, the amount of
motions and equipment and everything has been expanded extensively.
Then there's the facial improvements.

- The facial expressions are
amazing. Characters in cut scenes are so expressive and have voices,
too. Compared with current MMOs, especially FFXI, the world of FFXIV
just draws you in completely.

Komoto: I had that same
feeling when viewing the cut scenes myself.

- The alpha only supports Windows,
but will the beta phase add support for PS3?

Tanaka: We may not make it
in time for phase 1 of the beta, but around phase 2 of the beta we
believe we will be able to support PS3.

- How long do you plan to run the
alpha and stage 1 and 2 of the beta? Are you just seeing how things go
and playing it by ear?

Tanaka: Things may change
as the product we are making changes through testing. The alpha and
phase 1 of the beta will be pretty similar. Phase 2 of the beta is
where the game will begin to change based on the feedback collected from
the alpha.

- Will phase 1 of the beta add more
Worlds than the alpha? Will any of the feedback from the alpha
influence the initial beta stage?

Tanaka: Between the alpha
and phase 1 of the beta, we don't expect much to change at all. Phase 2
of the beta and onward will see the game get updated and become vastly
different.

Komoto: More than a set
length for each phase, I would say it's how many stages we need.