The ultimate massively multiplayer online role-playing game news source
Final Fantasy XIV
Final Fantasy XIV News
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn: Tempting FATE
Apr 3rd
It seems that 'dynamic content' is all the rage in MMOs these days. But sometimes that dynamic content can be a double-edged sword. In today's Eorzea Reborn column, we take a look at how that might manifest in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. Read on before heading to the comments.
In the recent Video Producer’s Letter embedded above, Yoshida demonstrates a couple of FATE iterations. For an example, see the 1:05:33 mark of the producer’s letter. In one example, the players have to fend off waves of rushing Goblins. In the video, FATE appears both on the mini-map and zone map (1:06:59) and appears to have context sensitive pop-up text for each FATE (in Japanese, so I can’t be certain). In the second demonstration (1:09:25), the heroes are working together to take a fort from bandits. Entering a FATE area prompts the player with a large splash screen message and gives the player a set of objectives for the FATE. Players appear to work together to complete the FATE, regardless of whether or not they are in a party.
Read more of Ryahl Smith's Eorzea Reborn: Tempting FATE.
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn: PAX East 2013 Panel Report
Apr 1st
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn was at this year's PAX East, but if you were looking for any new information, you may have come away disappointed. Read on for our breakdown of the Final Fantasy panel.
Final Fantasy XIV is set to relaunch as Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn sometime this year, and with the new version now in closed beta, fans were looking forward to this year’s PAX East for some new bits of information. Unfortunately, Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XIV plans for PAX East appeared to be more introductory than anything else.
Read more of Michael Bitton's Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn: PAX East 2013 Panel Report.
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn: Square Enix President Resigns
Mar 26th
Yoichi Wada, president of Square Enix, has announced his resignation as the company warns of poor earnings. According to sources, Square Enix's sales of console and arcade titles has been sluggish, forcing Wada's resignation.
“The company forecasts that actual business results from its Digital Entertainment Segment substantially fall below its plan primarily due to slow sales of major console game titles in North American and European markets.”
Source: Kotaku
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn: Preparing for Beta Phase 2
Mar 19th
The latest Producer's Letter for Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn has been published. The letter reveals the fact that 100,000 players are taking part in the closed beta thus far and have been providing feedback to the team. Most notably, game pad support will be dropping into the second beta slated to kick off in early April.
Keep in mind that testing the gamepad is the focus of the second phase, so the available content will be mostly the same. In my last letter I briefly mentioned guildhests, which are based on behests from Version 1.0. After reading your feedback, we decided to adjust this system so that you can attempt them at a lower level. Guildhests are scheduled for phase 3, and I hope you'll be ready when they're finished!
Read the full letter on the Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn site.
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn: Cerebral vs Visceral Combat, Part 1
Jan 8th
In a two part series in and around Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, we will take a look at the differences between cerebral and visceral combat systems and what the developers might have in mind for the game. Check it out and then leave your thoughts in the comments.
"Same old [insert derogatory adjective] combat system.”
The statement above pops up in pretty much every FFXIV discussion at some point or another. The other variant of this comment tends to be that “tab-based combat is dead, everyone knows the genre is all about action combat." This is a bit odd, since no incarnation of the Final Fantasy series mirrors TERA-esque action combat. Expecting action combat in FF is a bit like wondering where the full body contact is in a Magic: the Gathering match.
Read more of Ryahl Smith's Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn – Cerebral vs Visceral Combat, Part 1.
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn: Producer’s Letter Details Alpha Purpose
Nov 30th
The latest edition of Letter from the Producer has been published on the Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn forum. In it, the reasons behind alpha testing are revealed as players get ready to dive into the latest iteration of the game.
The Restriction on Tester Numbers
As you already know, our primary objective for the Alpha Test is to conduct stress tests on the servers. For this reason, as yet there aren’t a lot of things for players to do in the game. Alpha versions of a game typically feature unrefined graphics, with many UI elements still provisional. There aren’t any scenarios or quests to undertake, and the focus is on engaging in battles in large groups.
Read the full letter on the Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn forum.
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn: Alpha Notices Headed Out
Oct 23rd
Square Enix has announced that the first round of alpha tester acceptance notices has been sent out for Final Fantasy: A Realm Reborn. The first group will go to the Japanese region with other world zones to be added at a later date.
We have recently begun sending notification e-mails to players accepted as alpha testers for FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn. For those who do not receive an acceptance notification this time, do not be disheartened! We are planning to augment the ranks of testers over time, and there will be more opportunities for you to join the fray.
Find out more about alpha testing on the Final Fantasy XIV site.
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn: Glory or Death – Part One
Oct 16th
Square Enix is preparing to relaunch Final Fantasy XIV nearly two years after the first iteration was disastrously panned by nearly MMO player on the planet. In a new EDITORIAL at MMORPG.com, we take a look at whether or not players should care. See if you agree and then add your voice to the discussion in the comments.
We all know that Square Enix's latest foray into the online realm is, shall we say, troubled. Final Fantasy 14's launch was about as successful as that of New Coke, with many accusing the legendary Japanese studio of releasing an unfinished product: and if we are being honest we'd have to agree.
Read more of Adam Tingle's editorial, Final Fantasy XIV: Glory or Death – Part One.
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn: New A Realm Reborn Screens
Oct 11th
Square Enix has released several new screenshots from Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, the new iteration of Final Fantasy XIV that is set to be released later this fall. These in particular are from the new PS3 version of the game. Check them all out in our Final Fantasy XIV screenshot gallery.
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn: Alpha Testing Coming at the End of October
Oct 5th
According to the latest Letter from the Producer, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is likely to enter its alpha testing cycle towards the end of this month. In addition, players wishing to continue playing the current version of the game will be allowed to do so even after the v2.0 goes live later this year. The caveat is that if log ins drop below 30%, the servers will be shut down.
However, we’re going to take a look at the login numbers at the end of each month. In the event that numbers drop below 30%, we’ll take the servers down again, and decide where to go from there. Expect more details on when the servers will be back online after everything’s been shut down. But for now, go and have as much fun as you can before November 1
Read the full Producer’s Letter on the Final Fantasy XIV site.