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Latest Final Fantasy XIV Update Brings Game Closer To MMO Standards

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by Phil Kollar on June 27, 2011 at 08:00 PM
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It's been a while since we've checked in on Final Fantasy XIV, Square Enix's much-maligned second attempt at an MMO. A new team has taken over updating the game, and they've announced some pretty serious sweeping changes that will be hitting soon.

The news comes via a new Letter from the Producer on the official FF XIV forums. Naoki Yoshida begins his letter by saying that the changes mark a major change in the design philosophy of FF XIV: "Final Fantasy XIV will gradually shift from being a grind-centric game to one that offers enjoyment for all playing styles and circumstances with its ever-expanding variety of content."

So what does a "shift from being a grind-centric game" mean? Well, for starters, FF XIV will receive instanced raids, and the simplistic guildleve system is being supplemented by a huge number of more traditional MMO quests. Yoshida says that guildleves "will no longer be central to Final Fantasy XIV." Instead, players will be able to take on "large volumes of quests" that require actual interaction with NPCs.

The guildleve content that's left in FF XIV will now reward players with bonuses based around the region they're adventuring in as well as skill points. This is all coming in patch 1.18, which was originally scheduled to be out already but has been delayed to fit in all of these huge changes.

Yoshida also mentions some of what's in store for even further FF XIV patches down the road, including a complete reworking of the game's recipe/crafting system, a stealth skill, an improved in-game map, and more.

These are certainly some major revisions for the title (and much-needed ones at that), but I have to wonder if it's already too late for Final Fantasy XIV. Many hopeful gamers bought it at launch, got burned, and gave up already. Can Square hope to win back those fans by making design changes they probably should have implemented before launch?

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  • by Monday, June 27, 2011 at 08:26 PM
    Final Fantasy is one of the most boring games to me :(
  •
    by Monday, June 27, 2011 at 08:29 PM
    Sounds great! Too bad it's too little too late to change my mind, someone might be interested tho.
  •
    by Monday, June 27, 2011 at 08:30 PM

    Flog that dead pony!

  •
    by Monday, June 27, 2011 at 08:39 PM
    This is what I'm waiting for before buying me a ps3. FF MMO.
  •
    by Monday, June 27, 2011 at 08:46 PM

    Well, good luck to 'em. I hope they can turn FFXIV into something successful. Although it's gonna be hard when most gamers/fans have already stopped paying attention to this one, and they're facing some nasty competition from many other promising MMOs in the future.

  •
    by Monday, June 27, 2011 at 08:47 PM
    Still playing this thing and much looking forward to these changes, i can see the game being fantastic in a few months.
  •
    by Monday, June 27, 2011 at 08:54 PM

    Phil, are you ready to hop back in and then do a Respec Radio about it? You played it more than I could manage, so I'd like to know if you think their changes have finally made it worth playing.

  •
    by Monday, June 27, 2011 at 09:13 PM

    Hopefully this can bring some hope to gamers (the ones that haven't cancelled their subscriptions yet) that got the game and were let down by it.

  •
    by Monday, June 27, 2011 at 09:21 PM
    I'm one of the people who got burned buying this game at launch. I waited patiently for 6 months for the game to get better and it never did.

    I moved onto playing Rift with all my friends, and when Star Wars: The Old Republic, Guild Wars 2, and The Secret World come out I'll probably end up jumping to one of those.

    Square-Enix would have to pull of a miracle to get me to even try the game out again. Let alone be willing to pay a monthly fee for it. This is coming from someone who played and loved Final Fantasy XI for almost 7 years.
  •
    by Monday, June 27, 2011 at 09:23 PM

    way too late

  •
    by Monday, June 27, 2011 at 09:29 PM
    Of course it's not too late. If they can manage to fix the broken/nonexistent stuff in the PC version, then the PS3 version will the the actual finished product. The PC version is just another beta at this point. If they can get the game up on its feet, the PS3 version will save the game. There are plenty of people waiting for that version before plunging in to XIV, my self included, and those burned will most likely see what changes have been made...since they already have the game it'll cost them nothing to check it out to see if it's worth while or not.
  •
    by Monday, June 27, 2011 at 09:30 PM
    As much as I love Final Fantasy (Squaresoft era mostly), I won't pay for this until they make the big changes AND bring it to PS3 AND make it feel like Final Fantasy again. Not some new MMO experiment they threw together...
  •
    by Monday, June 27, 2011 at 09:33 PM

    the pc version may be dead, but the ps3 version may still have hope.

  •
    by Monday, June 27, 2011 at 09:42 PM

    I think i will wait for the ps3 version, but its finally good to hear something good about FF XIV. At the same time, isnt it too late? I mean the winter months are approaching, not to mention FF XIII-2, Mass Effect 3 and Skyrim being released. Even I have lost interest over this title, when i can play more polished experiences for cheaper. I hope i am wrong, but i dont see FF XIV getting out of the huge hole it dug itself into. They should just use that money to work on Final Fantasy 15.

  •
    by Monday, June 27, 2011 at 09:54 PM

    Good it's about time they started fixing the immense problems this game has.

  •
    by Monday, June 27, 2011 at 10:17 PM
    I firmly believe (and I don't know if this is even possible) that what they need to do is get the game playable (finally) and then hand out a several free one-or-two month subscriptions to several video game review sources (GameInformer, 1UP.com, GameSpot, etc.) and get some second opinions. I mean, I don't know if that ever happens, but it would be nice if they could get the word out in the public that the game has improved (if indeed it has).
  •
    by Tuesday, June 28, 2011 at 01:26 AM
    I was really interested in this game before it was released having never played a Final Fantasy game before, but maybe if the subscribtion fees go down or it becomes free to play will I consider getting it. :)
  •
    by Tuesday, June 28, 2011 at 01:36 AM
    They are getting to the point when there are too many of them. They should come up with a different series now. One thing I never did understand is why they are all Final Fantasy when there is only a couple that contain the same characters and plot.
  •
    by Tuesday, June 28, 2011 at 01:43 AM

    Just bury the game, it's fubar.

  •
    by Tuesday, June 28, 2011 at 02:22 AM

    People still play this game?? lol no offense

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