Us others who haven’t been that lucky got to keep trying every now and then to get a key. I really hope I’ll get one before the weekend!

Cheers! I managed to get a key! Now there’s only a couple of hours before I’m done at work then it’s home and try! (Hopefully)

Entry page:
http://entry.ffxiv.com/

Square-Enix Account Login page:
Login page

Good luck!

FINAL FANTASY XIV Open Beta Test Will Start on Sep. 2!

We would like to take this opportunity to provide an update regarding FINAL FANTASY XIV Open Beta Test, which was announced to be postponed on Aug. 31, 2010.

Along with the completion on investigation and correction of the critical issue, we have decided to begin FINAL FANTASY XIV Open Beta Test on Sep. 2, 2010 at 02:00 (GMT).

Starting on Sep. 2, 2010 at 02:00 (GMT), acquisition of registration code required for FINAL FANTASY XIV Open Beta Test will become available.

We are looking forward to your participation in FINAL FANTASY XIV Open Beta Test!

Cheers! This means I get to try the beta before I travel to Houston for work! Hope to see you there!^^

FINAL FANTASY XIV Open Beta Test Postponed: Follow-up

We would like to take this opportunity to provide an update regarding the FINAL FANTASY XIV Open Beta Test, which was announced to be postponed on Aug. 31, 2010.

A critical issue where the client software for the open beta test would not respond on certain rare occasions has been addressed. As of now, we are in the final stages of preparation for the start of the FINAL FANTASY XIV Open Beta Test.

A new schedule will be released at a later date. Until then, we ask for your patience in this matter.

Woot! Seems like they fixed their critical bug! (hopefully) Now waiting eagerly for the schedule when OB is officially open! Stay tuned!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um4537apXYc

FINAL FANTASY XIV Open Beta Test Postponed

FINAL FANTASY XIV Open Beta Test, which is scheduled to begin at 02:00 (GMT) on Sept. 1, 2010, will be postponed due to a confirmation of critical bugs. New schedule will be releaseｄ at a later date.

Along with the postponement of FINAL FANTASY XIV Open Beta Test, the issuing of registration code for FINAL FANTASY XIV Open Beta Test will be postponed as well. With the download of client software’s installer, it will be suspended at 02:00 (GMT) on Sept. 1, 2010.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

You can read and get more information about this here: http://entry.ffxiv.com/

It doesn’t really surprise me that this happened. I was a little disappointed of course, since I’ve been waiting for some time now to be able to play the game. And it would be awesome as well if I got around to try it out before I go to Houston/Bahamas to work. Buuuuuut no. Well, it’s okay. It’s not like I can’t wait any longer than I already have. Also Square Enix have made alot of commotion regarding FFXIV due to changes they’re planning on implementing for release. One of these changes are Surplus & Fatigue system. Now allow me to say that I don’t base this take on first hand testing, but on reading what the system is all about.

The community in general seem to dislike this system before even trying. Heck I can say myself that I don’t know whether I like it or not. But what I can say is that after thinking about it for a while, i don’t really mind. Yet. I can’t think of one MMO out there which limits you (and says it so clearly without being vague) that you can’t “play” as much as you want. Now I think this is where most people haven’t read about the system at all. What this system literally is, is a cap for a class/skill experience.

The most common misconception is that if you level one class for 8 hours straight, you’ll receive 100% EXP as expected. But once you’ve passed 8 hours, you’ll gain nothing. This is wrong. You’ll still gain experience, but for the next 7 consecutive hours you still play the same class the EXP you gain will decrease from 100% ~ 0%. So in other words you’ll still gain EXP, but it won’t be beneficial in the long run since you get less exp/hour by keeping up with leveling the same class. Now here is where most people start to rage.  Why do SE think they can limit how much time I spend playing a game I’m subscribing for playing ? That is indeed a very valid point. Since it’s real money we’re talking about here. On the other hand I can see a few reasons why they also want to do this. What many people has failed to notice is that if you stop leveling that specific job, they’ll start to “recharge” so you can continue leveling it. And if you decide to not play it, come back exactly 1 week from when you hit the surplus cap, and it’ll reset for that specific job. If you continue to level one class to max before moving on to the next, you can literally play as much as you’d want. Just not the same class as you’re forced to in most other MMOs out there.

As SE said themselves is that they want the casual player who can’t commit as much time into the game as a hardcore gamers, to have a enjoyable experience as well. This is a difficult way to weigh things. While it may improve the experience for casual players, it’ll most likely make the hardcore group of players disappear. And I’m pretty sure it’ll affect the sales and reputation this game will receive upon release. The PR for this game thus far has been horrible to say the least and the community in itself is split into two factions. The people who still want to play regardless of what SE does to the game, and those who would like to play but feel neglected due to not being heard. As for where I am, I’m probably more towards the first kind. I still want to play the game despite all these setbacks, delays and tweaks. But I believe that I can’t really base or judge my decision before I’ve tried it myself.

It seems like SE has released the patches for the Open Beta which is starting today or tomorrow! So don’t wait and start downloading and patching now!

FFXIV Beta Client (Hosted by FilePlanet)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-y99G0cH3k

Logitech G35

Hiya guys!

Today after work I was walking downtown and popped into a electronics store. Just walking around and having a look. I’ve been thinking that I should get myself a decent headset for gaming and whatnot and actually earlier today I was looking at Logitech G35 while taking a break at work. Anyhow, in the store I found the headset and I ended up buying it. I got it for 127$ and the list price was 160$, so I think the lady behind the register did something wrong, but hey! I got it cheaper!

Anyways. I’ve installed the software and have played around with the settings. Also tested various functions and used it for some hours. I’m quite impressed with it thus far. The sound picture is very good, quite sharp, a little lacking with bass even though it’s at full. Anyways if I wanted a awesome headset for music I’d buy something else.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6oNByVGjmM

Source: www.famitsu.com

At Gamescom, we bumped into the Final Fantasy XIV triumvirate: Producer Tanaka, Director Komoto, and Global Online Producer Sage Sundi. We pulled them aside and asked them for an interview, and they acquiesced. HARDCORE!

Looking back over the year

Famitsu (F): It’s been over a year since you revealed FFXIV at E3 last year. How has that year treated you?

Producer Tanaka (PT): Wait, did we reveal it at E3 last year? (He laughs) We’ve been working on it so long we’ve kinda lost track of the time.
Director Komoto (DK): Time’s really flown, especially this last year. It’s hard to believe the E3 at which we revealed FFXIV was a year ago already.

F: So basically you haven’t had time to look back?
Sage Sundi (SS): Right now, not in the slightest. (He laughs)

F: I’m sure you’re busy cramming a lot of work into the last few weeks before release, but can you tell us when open beta starts?
DK: The plan is to start it at the beginning of September.

F: Yeah yeah, tell us what day!
PT: Would you let us off the hook if we told you “As soon as possible?” (He laughs)

Changes between phases two and three of the beta

F: What changed with the beginning of phase three of the beta?
DK: We added a few things, but a couple of big things that changed were the tempo of battle and the feel of the game. Also, for the players outside of Japan, the changes to the mouse controls were probably pretty big.

F: So mouse control was a pretty big deal to users overseas?
PT: I would say about 90% of the feedback we got about things people wanted to see in the game was related to the mouse.
DK: If you look at it globally, there was more feedback about that than anything else.
SS: Outside of Japan, many PC gamers use a mouse as the main controls for all games, from FPS’s to MMORPG’s.
PT: Gamepad and mouse controls are different at the most fundamental of levels. With a gamepad, you have to go through a layered structure command input for control, a mouse needs to be able to get things done with just a click. We have to set the game up to be able to handle both.

F: So there wasn’t much feedback from Japan about all that?
DK: Not really, but we got a lot of feedback about the user interface as a whole, so we’re working around the clock to fix that right now.

Don’t forget the other requests

F: Was there any other kind of feedback you received?
DK: There was a lot about guildleves, like allowing retries on failed guildleves or suiting them more for party play. We on the development team also believe we could do more to promote party play. We’re trying to figure out how to find that balance of enjoyable party play without taking away from the soloing experience.

F: So you’ll be adding content to that purpose?
DK: Right now our greatest priority is to increase the merits for party play. Though we still want guildleves to be a rewarding solo experience, we also want to add things that would make them rewarding to complete as a party.
SS: We got a lot of feedback about that, and all the feedback was consistent; players’ first concern was the user interface, then the merits of party play. Thanks to this, we know what everyone is focusing on.

From “Bun-bun” to “Shei-shei-ha! Shei-ha!”*

F: The battle system changed drastically from alpha to the first phase of beta. Do you think the battle system could change even more?
DK: We feel that the battle system has become pretty set. What we have left to adjust are the abilities, monsters, and guildleve balance. The biggest part is probably the balance of the growth system, so we’ll be looking at that a lot during the third beta phase.
PT: Speaking of which, in open beta, the placement of monsters and their aggro settings will change greatly, so you may have to change your battle strategies, too.

F: So the changes are going to be so big they’ll even affect strategizing?
PT: FFXI was the same way. The system and balances change and adapt like a living creature.
DK: You’ll also be able to start in any of the three starting capital cities. It’s not just about the three different stories; it is from this point that you’ll actually see the economy begin to work the way we imagined it, and we can’t wait for you to see it.

F: So in open beta, will you be able to go between cities?
DK: But of course.

Where’s the magic?

F: Right now there’s only two Discipline of Magic classes available. Will there be any more than these?
DK: We’d like players to enjoy these two classes for a while. The caster class system is still being tweaked. However, this doesn’t mean we’re going to wait for the release of an expansion to release the class; it’ll be out when the timing is right.

F: So you’re saying that there will be more Disciples of Magic?
DK: Yes. They might come in a patch, they might come in an expansion. We’re not sure yet.

F: What about pet classes, like FFXI’s beastmaster?
DK: There was a lot of feedback asking for those. We’d like to be able to provide that, but it might come in an expansion…

F: …or it might be in a patch. We get it (He laughs)
DK: If you put a pet class in right from release, balance is really difficult, so right now we’re not putting them in.

F: Do you have plans for any other new classes?
PT: We’ve got a few in mind, but we’re keeping them under wraps for now.

F: What kind of class will they be? Give us a hint!
PT: No! (He laughs evilly, clutching his pitchfork and stepping on the interviewer’s toes with the malice of a kindergartener. Ok, the Japanese just says he laughs, but WE know what happened, don’t we, folks? –Manly)

*The “Ideal FFXIV Battle Tempo” according to the Japanese. In a Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus video posted on Japanese video site Niconico Douga, (14th in a series of DoC vids, which probably drew in people looking for FFXIV videos) bun-bun is the sound Vincent’s slow-firing gun makes, and shei-shei-ha is what Vincent says during his melee attack. Months ago, a common post on Japanese boards was, “The current FFXIV battle tempo: Bun… bun… Ideal battle tempo: SHEI-HA! SHEI-SHEI-HA! SHEI-SHEI! HAA… SHEI!”

F: Tell why you decided to implement Fatigue and Latency (note: I really don’t know how to translate that, but it’s something in-game to keep you from playing too long at a time on one class).

DK: We’d like you to think of it as a reward to those players who don’t have much time to commit to the game. Those hardcore players out there might think it’s a little unfair, but the main concept behind it is that you don’t need to put in massive amounts of time to enjoy the game.

F: Still though, there are a lot of disgruntled looks coming from those hardcore gamers.

DK: For those who have more time on their hands, they’ll be able to try out all the various classes. Fatigue doesn’t carry over when you change weapons, so we hope that they’ll try out not just battle-oriented classes but maybe some crafting or gathering ones as well. So for those who end up with many high-level classes, they’ll have more choices when it comes to any situation, whether solo or party play.

That Lovely Guildleve Delay

F: Will there be a change to the two-day cooldown on guildleves?

DK: There’s been a lot of debate over this even among the development staff, so it may or may not. We decided on the current set-up to allow those who only have an hour a day to play to be able to progress only via guildleves, so balance does become an issue. We want to encourage people who’ve completed their leves to group up and help others, but currently there isn’t enough benefit to forming leve parties.

F: Creating a gap in merit between solo and party play seems difficult to manage, though.

DK: Definitely. We want solo play to still be worthwhile, but we also want to add a bonus to those who decide to group up.

F: So soloing will be the basis of the game?

DK: Yes. More than a one-man army, it’s more of a slow-and-steady kind of thing. In FFXI many things weren’t possible solo, so we’d like to avoid that from developing this time around.

Armor

F: Right now you can’t buy armor from vendors, it looks like.

DK: Another point of contention among the staff. We do plan to add some more armor for the beginning part of the game, but we really want to encourage the crafting community to establish itself.

PT: Crafters can’t really take part in battle, so we want them to enjoy their role in the game fully.

F: So at a certain point, crafters will become necessary?

DK: Indeed. The depth of play for crafters will also expand. For now, I think providing repairs will be a big source of income for them, and they can even repair their own.

F: It sounds like that will play into their game experience, as well.

DK: It would be pretty easy to design a guildleve around it. A “go to this aetheryte and look for the guy who needs repairs done” kind of thing. Probably a guard at a specific aetheryte.

Auto-translate

F: Aside from set phrases, will you be adding any other ways to communicate with players overseas?

DK: It’s something we’ll be watching as things progress. Regarding vocabulary not added yet, we’ll be listening to the requests of the players. So it’s something that can be expanded if needed.

Required Specs

F: The current specs needs to run the game are pretty high. Will they be lower for the official release?

DK: The specs had already been decided. But since then, we’ve seen the need to lower them a little to cater toward more casual gamers. However currently, there is no difference between the minimum specs for open beta and official release.

PT: Early on, beta wouldn’t run properly on certain set-ups, but we’ve had a chance to smooth most of the wrinkles out.

Servers

F: Will we be able to choose our server once the game is out?

PT: Absolutely.
DK: However, if certain worlds become over-populated, we may add restrictions. As long as everything’s normal, you can choose as you wish.

PS3

F: You mentioned it earlier, but can you tell us more about the status of the PS3 version?

PT: We had hoped for a simultaneous release, but there have been problems with linking to the hard disk, etc, and that has caused delays. That being said, even while we’re talking here in Germany the staff is hard at work on it back home.

F: So will you be having a PS3 beta test?

PT: Of course. It’ll be after the game has been released on PC, so testers will be playing the final version. Once we have a date decided, we’ll let you all know.

F: With the start of the PS3 version, more players will be arriving in Eorzea. Will you be adding servers to compensate?

PT: It’s a definite possibility.

*Well that about wraps it up. The game comes out soon, so stay tuned!

From Gamewatch

Here’s some stuff I picked out that looked interesting:

• About 90% of non-Japanese players had requests concerning mouse control. Most Japanese players use a controller, but Americans, specifically, seem to be more mouse-oriented. They’re looking into what can be done.
• There are no plans to increase the level cap in Open Beta.
• Guilds appear to be scattered among the three main cities. Though they’re designing it so there won’t be any gaps in leveling up to rank 20, it seems that certain cities may be more suitable for certain classes.
• It’s not impossible to walk from city to city (though they are rather far apart), but geographically you’ll need a boat to go to and from Limsa Lominsa. Distance between cities is similar to FFXI, and if you level up a bit it’s not that difficult a journey. So if you’re playing with friends, you don’t necessarily have to start in the same city.
• Open Beta will have almost all the fundamental parts of the game, but it will only include a small portion of storyline quests.
• There are plans for giving monthly subscription discounts if you purchase three or six months’ worth at a time, however details are not yet available.

It’s great news to see that they’ve listened to the NA/EU community regarding the issues with the mouse and UI. The community for FFXIV has felt ignored during the beta since we’ve heard nothing regarding the concerns we’ve stated out. Hopefully things will settle down internally on various community sites regarding all the problems and hopefully we’ll see a change when the released version is out.

Just wanted to inform you that I’ve updated alot of pages and under you’ll find a list of the ones in question. Have a look and give me feedback, thanks! ^^

• Races index page (FFXIV) added
• Hyur description page added
• Miqo’te description page added
• Lalafell description page added
• Elezen description page added
• Roegadyn description page added

More updates will come in the future, so stay tuned! And remember to subscribe with RSS.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIO2gS5ZeLI