Yesterday Square Enix surprised many as they revealed for the first time ever their new MMO, to be none other than Final Fantasy XIV Online. Today they held a Q&A session on the subject and shared some new details on the game.
Included is the fact that certain portions of the Final Fantasy XIV Online teaser trailer are not CG -- they use the game's engine!
The game's engine is used in this screen cap, rather than CG.
While we all know from yesterday's details that it will be a global release in four languages on both the PS3 and Windows, Square Enix is also considering other hardware platforms (XBOX mentioned specifically), though nothing is finalized in that regard. Square Enix also, at this point in time, plans to continue with their worldwide server model, meaning that players from around the globe will be able to play on the same servers.
As for similarities to Final Fantasy XI Online races, there are no ties between the two games, other than so that players of SE's current MMO feel familiarity when moving on to the new title. The character creation is being designed so that those who have spent the past few years in Vana'diel can create a character that looks similar to what they're used to.
Final Fantasy XIV Online is being designed with casual players in mind as well; Square Enix has learned quite a bit over the years not only from their own experience, but from industry competitors. You can expect solo- group- and raid content in the game, including both solo- and- group-play while leveling up.
While no concrete details were given on the combat or job systems, Square Enix did make a very interesting comment. "However, we are trying to implement a lot of new systems that other MMO's haven't used in the past," said when asked what they were looking to improve from the genre.
They also mentioned focusing on the growth of the character, introducing a job system that will be a bit different from FFXI, while keeping with the same storytelling and focus on graphics that Square Enix is known for. The goal is to introduce content for players whether they want to play solo, in a group, for only 40 minutes at a time, or even all day long.
Finally, the other interesting tidbit -- and I'm sure many of you will be happy about this -- is that Final Fantasy XIV Online will not be using PlayOnline. I've personally had some fairly bad experiences with the PlayOnline system, so I'm excited to hear that they're focused on improving the experience -- both in and out of the game.
Stay tuned in the coming months as we find out more information on Final Fantasy XIV Online, leading up to its expected 2010 release!
Comments
Curse.com volounteer Moderator
Curse.com volounteer Moderator
Looking forward to this game. since Final Fantasy series always been my favourite games to play
Kick A!
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