Final Fantasy XIV news [Archive] - Bordersdown (NTSC-uk)

vwilsonuk

22-09-2009, 04:25 AM

Rumours are increasing pace around the release of FFXIV, and some videos are now available from the alpha as well as details of proposed gameplay.

Player classes and monsters (art plus info) - 18 days ago (http://ffxiv.zam.com/story.html?story=19521)

Interview with producer and director, and gameplay screenshots - 10 days ago (http://ffxiv.zam.com/story.html?story=19635)

Alpha gameplay videos - 31 days ago (http://ffxiv.zam.com/story.html?story=19349)

It looks like they have listened to feedback that the game was very time intensive, although whether this has been addressed adequately or without undermining the challenge of the game remains to be seen.

Who will be investing days of their lives in the next Square MMO adventure? I can feel it pushing my buttons already! :rolleyes:

Beta rumours indicate possible start early 2010.

Kerushi

22-09-2009, 02:05 PM

Rargh will rawr into ffxiv as well as some of the departed members such as DJ so there will be familiar faces there, Velma :)

nakamura

22-09-2009, 05:49 PM

Is it gonna be on 360?

Rep

22-09-2009, 06:21 PM

Is it gonna be on 360?

Prob not, only time will tell, all the answers to the question have been vague. Microsoft won't allow cross platorm online play, the reason FFXI slipped through was because it was released around launch time. I'll be sticking with PC version.

nakamura

22-09-2009, 06:35 PM

Cheers for info. I never got around to playing FFXI. Dont have a PC you see and only just got a 360. I will most likely end up with a PS3 due to titles like Persona if they dont appear on 360.

vwilsonuk

23-09-2009, 02:27 AM

I will most likely end up with a PS3 due to titles like Persona if they dont appear on 360.

FFXIV will definitely be on the PS3 (as will FFXIII standalone). I personally found the 360 port of FFXI to be lacking - the screen resolution was pretty poor, which affected playability quite severely when you're competing with those around you for pops. It was probably equal to the PS2, though.

Darwock

23-09-2009, 04:00 AM

I would love to get into this but I can't shake the feeling that it's a bad idea. It won't be a decent MMORPG if it isn't substantial, and life is probably too short to get involved in that kind of thing more than once.

Daragon

23-09-2009, 09:41 AM

I'm playing XI on 360 atm and it looks pretty good to me. It didn't start off so however, had to wait for an update a good few months after the version went live before they increased the screen resolution.

As for XIV being a substantial MMORPG, I wouldn't expect it to be to begin with - such is the nature of these games, perhaps moreso with this, what with it looking like one of the strongest examples of the genre in terms of visuals. Still, I would imagine there is at least enough content in place to keep you busy until an expansion. One thing that bugs me however, is the reliance on equipment to enhance your character rather than levels. If this isn't going to shake off it's 'evercamp' nature then I see it eventually becoming just as frustrating as XI is, most likely more.

Shakey_Jake33

23-09-2009, 10:11 AM

Microsoft allowed a 360 port of FFXI in order to get SquareEnix on board. They also bent the rules for them by initially not supporting Achievements, and still not supporting in-game voice chat. Now SquareEnix are very much focused on 360, they're not willing to make the same exception with a game like FFXIV which has cross-compatibility with the PS3.

The 360 port was very lackluster, the game resolution was much lower than the screen resolution, and it was very noticable. Compare it to the PC version running at the same resolution, and the 360 version was clearly rendering in a much lower resolution. Not to mention the amount it struggles in places like Whitegate and Jueno. That said, it was an upgrade from the PS2 version, and that would be the main thing for most people. Just don't go playing your friend's PC version.

The 360 version did add proper positional 5.1 sound though, and is the only version of the game to have this.

But anyway, I suspect we'll have to approach FFXIV with an open mind, and bear in mind that there will be substantial changes as hand-on user feedback appears. We will probably have to deal with the fact that SquareEnix will be working hard to have a much more open, inviting game. However, this doesn't necessarily have to imply a lack of depth. Hopefully we'll see a beta appear at some point.

23-09-2009, 10:21 AM

I've heard some strong rumours that an initial beta may be open in December this year but I imagine that will be Japan only with other regions being included early next year.

Whether this will be PC and/or PS3 hasn't been mentioned.

Certainly I'll be doing everything I can to get involved with this as soon as I can. One of my most anticipated games for 2010.

vwilsonuk

23-09-2009, 01:17 PM

I would love to get into this but I can't shake the feeling that it's a bad idea ... life is probably too short to get involved in that kind of thing more than once.

Aah, sounds like the angelic voice in my right ear, suggesting I run as fast as I can!!

:blush:

If you really can play for just half hour or an hour though, and achieve something meaningful, that'd sure as hell take the edge off ten hour days when there isn't enough time to do anything sociable anyway.

(says the demon voice :curse: mwahahahaha)

Kerushi

23-09-2009, 02:02 PM

I hope they still have the hume angry motion dance in xiv! Darwok! Come join the angrymotiondancecongaline! I need my dancing partner back!

vwilsonuk

24-09-2009, 02:58 PM

New trailer from the Tokyo Game Show (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLvKAqfTolE)

Rep

24-09-2009, 03:48 PM

Looks awesome, should hopefully have money to do brand spanking new pc build tomorrow too. Bit off-topic but when applying thermal coating between the heatsink and cpu, do you cover the whole of the cpu, or just around the square chip in the middle?

Kerushi

24-09-2009, 05:28 PM

I hope your talking about an AMD chip ... if so its on and around the chip cause when the sink goes on it spreads it for you ... if its not an AMD processor your lubing up the wrong side!

Rep

24-09-2009, 08:06 PM

Cheers Rush. Yes, it's an AMD Phenom II X4 940 (overclocked to 3.6gig). Pretty excited as it's the first ground up build i've done in over 10years. Pretty sure i'll be knocking on Scan's door if all goes well in the morning.

Nvida 896MB XFX GTX 260 (216 cores) GPU.
Corsair 8GB DDR2 1066 RAM (DDR3 stuff is beyond my budget for now)
1TB Hitachi 7200rpm SATA 3GB/PS HDD.

Hopefully that level of build should run XIV with no issues.

Shakey_Jake33

24-09-2009, 09:34 PM

^If it doesn't, we're all screwed.

vwilsonuk

25-09-2009, 01:07 AM

Sounds wicked. My self-build box is back in the UK atm, burning money through depreciation and storage costs -.- but it weighs a tonne so I'll probably dispose of it some time and get a ps3 over here to play.

When I put that together I was expecting to have trouble with thermal paste, but it was already stuck where it needed to be (on the heatsync i think) - you just peeled the cover off and went for it. The heatsync was built for that processor as well (Intel).

Kerushi

25-09-2009, 09:21 AM

Thats a sweet rig! Thats more than wicked! That setup should last about 3-5 years! Where'd you get most of yer parts from?

Rep

25-09-2009, 10:33 AM

Haha cheers, the parts are all from Scan in Bolton, under £600 easy. Had a shop around and the money saved by doing a self build is staggering. Sadly no student loan today though.

vwilsonuk

29-09-2009, 05:07 AM

New news from Eorzeapedia (http://www.eorzeapedia.com/2009/09/28/game-watch-interviews-tanaka-and-komoto-at-tgs/) via Zam (http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=19881)...

Developers plan to have FFXIV support Windows 7, 64-bit systems, multicore processors and are trying to plan for how technology will have evolved by the game's release in 2010.
Beta testing will begin for Windows PCs only. They will be conducted as focus groups that last around 3-4 hours at a time. This will be to iron out every little detail of the game utilizing player feedback. The next stage will be weekly tests that last a full 24 hours. After this, they will begin to stress test the servers by adding people in increments - they will start at 10,000 and double the amount for each subsequent test. Finally, after expanding the pool of testers to their liking, a full open beta will be initiated.

Rep

29-09-2009, 06:33 AM

djtickle

29-09-2009, 08:44 AM

Finally, after expanding the pool of testers to their liking, a full open beta will be initiated.[/LIST]

I like this bit, if they handle it like the 360 beta it was well good! Free for 3 months then transfer to a retail server.

Just hope i can get on it.

vwilsonuk

30-09-2009, 01:12 AM

I like this bit, if they handle it like the 360 beta it was well good! Free for 3 months then transfer to a retail server.

That does sound good. Elsewhere in the article they say the betas will be just for windows machines to start off with, which is a bit frustrating for me.

30-09-2009, 10:16 AM

I would be very surprised if the beta follows the same rules of the 360 beta. Allowing people to carry over their characters to the existing servers wasn't a cause for any balance issues as we already had thousands of people at the level cap already.

I would imagine that for a new game launch they will want everyone to be at the same level on day one (especially if the open beta is Windows users only which would be a massive disadvantage to PS3 players).

vwilsonuk

06-12-2009, 12:35 AM

Haven't had time to check the FFXIV sites for a while but I've taken a look today, and it seems like a real slow trickle of information now the autumn game shows have passed. Some commentators are even suggesting an end-2010 launch date :scared: Would give me more time to improve my nihongo but after all the recent promotion and inclusion in games magazines monthly it seems odd that they'd string it out for a whole year.

Am also hoping they live up to their promises about making this game more flexible in terms of time demands; little and often is ok, but I don't really want to get sucked into a game that consumes my life again.

In terms of hardware, since FFXI was so much stronger on PC than consoles am toying with getting a copy of Windows 7 for my year old "big" laptop now instead of a PS3, as I figure that'll be cheaper. But if it doesn't come out for another year I may have to upgrade, which would count against it :(

Frustrating. Still... guess I'll have plenty of time to practice drawing with all the artwork and stills that are being released! How about you guys? What are your hopes/perspectives on this new game hype-machine...

V

Shakey_Jake33

06-12-2009, 12:42 AM

06-12-2009, 01:00 AM

According to a recent Shon Jump in Japan Final Fantasy XIII will contain a PS3 beta code for Final Fantasy XIV. There are photos online of the magazine announcement, I can't link to magazine photos/scans but if you copy what's quoted below and search for it on Google it's easy enough to find them.

5 Responses to “FFXIII to include FFXIV beta code; Hope’s summon, Chocobos in leaked Jump scans”

vwilsonuk

07-12-2009, 04:24 AM

You shouldn't need Windows 7 for FFXIV, and it's not likely to give any performance benefit.

Well that'd be good news... the hardware is my biggest worry really, the budget for everything is very, very small at the moment.

According to a recent Shon Jump in Japan Final Fantasy XIII will contain a PS3 beta code for Final Fantasy XIV

Ah yes, sorry should've mentioned that... here's the scans (http://www.eorzeapedia.com/2009/11/06/rumor-beta-codes-for-ffxiv-oh-yeah-and-some-chocobo-images/).

Also there's some info in a January mag about the fighting classes (http://http://www.ffxivcore.com/topic/2297-connecton-january-gladiator-and-pugilist-speculation/page__s__ba6166a112042e438569a121ab84e956) (though I'm not sure if it adds anything beyond the official site atm).

Really need to learn some game vocab soon so I can translate the Japanese materials.

V

djtickle

07-12-2009, 08:47 AM

Nice info hic, 2nd link doesn work for me :(

abigsmurf

07-12-2009, 08:55 AM

^You shouldn't need Windows 7 for FFXIV, and it's not likely to give any performance benefit.

EDIT - Reading your earlier post, I wonder what they mean by 'Windows 7 support'. It's unlikely they'll bother with a 64-bit executable. It could end up being DX10/11 only, but that seems unlikely.

DX11 can theoretically give some performance benefit with hardware tessellation and use of the GPU for non-graphical functions. However given this is designed to run on a PS3/360, it's unlikely they'll implement those things.

I just hope they include a windowed mode and don't quit the game if you alt+tab.

Rep

07-12-2009, 02:08 PM

I just hope they include a windowed mode and don't quit the game if you alt+tab.

This was added officially (http://www.ffxionline.com/forums/news-ffxi/64673-official-ffxi-windowed-mode-support-confirmed.html) to FFXI a long time ago.

vwilsonuk

08-12-2009, 01:24 AM

Nice info hic, 2nd link doesn work for me :(

It seems to have two http:// s at the start, try taking one off.

(I tried to edit the post but it won't let me change the link)

V

djtickle

08-12-2009, 08:52 AM

Cheers hic, didnt work if i took the 1st set off in firefox, took 2nd on off worked a charm. Thanks

mikewl

17-12-2009, 05:55 AM

Beta application for PC version is now up.

Rep

17-12-2009, 06:57 AM

Beta Link (http://entry.ffxiv.com/) Some neat questions on there like your existing Playonline ID etc. Quite alot of PC spec questions.

Largo

17-12-2009, 07:02 AM

Rep

17-12-2009, 07:07 AM

im trying to apply but i cant remember my bloody square enix id, i know my registered email, and password, and all my pol details, however i must of put something random in for the id thinking id never use it, because everything i try turns up zilch...would really like to register for the beta too hehe

Playonline ID is the one that's automatically generated for you, is the combination of letters and numbers mines 4letters and 4numbers, not sure if all same. So ABCD1234

Square Enix ID is the one brought in last year, you have to manually apply for it (see security token) Link (https://secure.square-enix.com/account/app/svc/login?cont=account)

17-12-2009, 08:06 AM

Rep

17-12-2009, 08:10 AM

Urgh, so many conflicting thoughts with that. It won't let me log into the UK applications page as I have an NA account and I don't want to apply with my "fake" NA details in case that stuffs up my app.

Do I cut my losses and create a new Europe S-E account for XIV?

Can't see it stuffing up your app, address details etc are trival? You should be ok on the NA page, it's just a link and an email address that's likely to be used?

17-12-2009, 08:15 AM

A lot of the details they ask for are country specific (i.e. service provider).

I have got an EU account now. Just trying to decide which to apply on.

I'll do a check around the usual places see what the other "fake" EUers have been doing.

redael

17-12-2009, 08:28 AM

I've signed up on both my NA and EU accounts and stuck my UK address in both of them , anything country specific like ISP I just answered 'Other' to.

Doubt there will be any problems with me using my real address with my NA signup as it wasn't an issue when they posted my security tokens to me.

vwilsonuk

18-12-2009, 01:32 AM

Just signed up for a Japanese ID and nearly got tangled up in something called Crysta, which I see from Google is their new currency system for in-game/out-game purchase (authorised RMT)!

Haven't got time to fill in the whole beta application now as I have to get ready for work, but it looks fairly straightforward... at least the first page does. It's all in Japanese, but they say you're ok as long as you can submit bug reports in Japanese or English (or German I think).

It didn't ask me for anything to do with my PlayOnline ID, and I didn't have to put in an address yet (but probably will for the beta selection). I created an entirely new login using the link on the beta signup page.

:thumb:

Now here's an incentive to get back to my study (which has gone on hold for the last two weeks due to illness/workload/general pre-xmas-break exhaustion)!

V

Largo

18-12-2009, 12:17 PM

Playonline ID is the one that's automatically generated for you, is the combination of letters and numbers mines 4letters and 4numbers, not sure if all same. So ABCD1234

Square Enix ID is the one brought in last year, you have to manually apply for it (see security token) Link (https://secure.square-enix.com/account/app/svc/login?cont=account)

aye, i signed up for the enix id a while back but as i say i cant remember what details i put in, however if i try to reclaim my password etc it accepts my email address so i know that and pass
the enix id site winds me right up to be honest its as fickle as bloody konami id, well at any rate ill try send them some email about it

*edit* ar-harrrr i got it

Daragon

18-12-2009, 12:19 PM

Any word on the PS3 beta at all? My PC is far too archaic to even consider applying for this one :(

vwilsonuk

18-12-2009, 12:23 PM

Just worked my way through the enormous form for the beta application, all in nihongo! Painful, but great practice... I have some new kanji to learn now!!

They really do ask everything. And yeah, I see the address stuff now!

Dara - there are some questions on the Japanese form about whether you can do the beta on a Windows PC or a PS3.... there must be some type of beta for the PS3 at some point. Is there nothing on the EU form?

V

MrKirov

18-12-2009, 12:27 PM

Im sure the EU form mentions "would you like to play the beta on PC or PS3" and they you click that relevant option. I filled in the EU form yesterday and I know I had that question and promtly chose the ps3 option.

Went through fine too.

Daragon

18-12-2009, 12:30 PM

Awesome pie is awesome.

Will do that then :)

Rep

18-12-2009, 12:40 PM

Any word on the PS3 beta at all? My PC is far too archaic to even consider applying for this one :(

You could always come visit Rep's PC building service, i'll sort you out. The PS3 one will be inferior :rolleyes:

Daragon

18-12-2009, 12:43 PM

You could always come visit Rep's PC building service, i'll sort you out. The PS3 one will be inferior :rolleyes:

Do you accept payment in forms other than money?

Perhaps the only commodity in life I am currently lacking in, sadly :(

18-12-2009, 12:58 PM

What are you implying Dara?

Payment in forms other than money O_o

Largo

18-12-2009, 01:03 PM

hmm now i can actually sign up, its down for maintenance doh

djtickle

18-12-2009, 01:18 PM

What are you implying Dara?

Payment in forms other than money O_o

Sexual favors i thinks, hes offered them to me before!

18-12-2009, 01:26 PM

My beta application is in. I ummed and ahhed about whether to apply with my current US S-E account but instead used my newly created EU one just to be totally honest with them. It accepted my POL ID in the field that requested it so I think I made the right choice.

When XIV is out anyway I planned to have a proper account anyway so I've just gone with it earlier than intended. Will need to pony up the cash for another security token when the time comes though.

Daragon

18-12-2009, 01:37 PM

Sexual favors i thinks, hes offered them to me before!

Don't flatter yourself :lol:

And no offense to rep, but I'd much rather pay for his computer related services in cash and I don't ****ing have any lol.

Rep

18-12-2009, 02:08 PM

Don't flatter yourself :lol:.

I was thinking the same :lol:

Largo

18-12-2009, 02:11 PM

fs i just get an error "the region is different" yes i am using the EU apply page (http://entry.ffxiv.com/eu/index.html)

Rep

18-12-2009, 02:16 PM

fs i just get an error "the region is different" yes i am using the EU apply page (http://entry.ffxiv.com/eu/index.html)

Is your account tied to the US Client version?

Largo

18-12-2009, 02:24 PM

nope my enix account isnt tied to anything pol related atm, i forget my pol password, theyre requirements dont list a valid pol id tho right? mines been deactivated for months again now anyhow

i get the same error trying the usa beta login too hmm weird

sod it, just made a new enix account with other email and that works fine, no worries since its not tied to pol anyway, hassle

talizker

18-12-2009, 02:55 PM

Signed up last night and now waiting (im)patiently...!

Largo

18-12-2009, 03:24 PM

Signed up last night and now waiting (im)patiently...!

how long till we find out?

vwilsonuk

19-12-2009, 12:48 AM

They say applications aren't processed in order of submission, that testers are selected randomly (gradually increasing throughout the beta) and that they won't answer any questions on the selection process!!

I didn't have to enter my POL ID but that's because I put that I had played FFXI but wasn't playing any more. I think when the "am playing now" button is selected it pops up questions on your POL ID.

V

Tobal

24-12-2009, 03:23 PM

http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/

been updated with new screenshots and new music(very ff7 like), can't wait for a new trailer.

Famitsu interview talks about the character creator and the main story setting, translators say...

the land is split between 3 forces , the savages(the beastmen of the game) which compose of a various tribes each with there own god(all very magical like FFxi people), the Garlean Empire who live in the north on a conquest to control the whole country(these guys are Steampunk FF7 style technology) and finially the normal people of Eorzea+Adventures(us), we'll be fighting both and have a "power" to view history going back 10 years before adventures turn up, its not clear if we'll be able to actually fight in the past or just view them as cutscenes but it was made clear it wouldn't change the present.

Tsingtao

02-01-2010, 09:46 AM

Finally got round to registering for the Beta, have to see what this ones like still not sure I want to start another MMORPG but will take a look. Been off with Falout 3, MW2 and Assassins Creed on 360 of late.

Happy New Year adn all that, might take a nosey back at XI after the holidays :)

Tobal

02-01-2010, 05:09 PM

i hope someone comes back, need help getting the pld AF body :)

mikewl

02-01-2010, 06:27 PM

Tsingtao

06-01-2010, 04:08 PM

I can pop back I soloed PLD body on RDM, you pop both NMs and zone them to monastc cavern. Zone back out they will have lost hate and be walking back to pop, NQs will depop. Pull the one that drops the weight took a couple of attempts to just get one for me. Kill it get the well weight job done, the solo is trivial.

Give me a kick next time I'm on 360 playing fallout 3 right now.

Tobal

06-01-2010, 05:18 PM

thats what i did on sunday after missy pointed it out, so got all the pld af now. Also managed to get the tanking ring set off the new nm's

lvl55, -1% phy dmg, -1% mag dmg, set gives 50hp/50mp, went 1/3 and 1/5 on the nm's which is a realllllly good record for TH1 when other are at 1/20 with TH3 or 4.

Shakey_Jake33

04-03-2010, 09:33 PM

For those who didn't manage to get a invite for the alpha, you can apply for the beta now http://entry.ffxiv.com/eu/index.html

Those who did get access to the alpha will get automatic access into later betas anyway.

04-03-2010, 09:37 PM

That's the same application page that went up before Christmas I think.

Tsingtao

05-03-2010, 12:50 PM

Did anyone get an alpha invite? I think beta has been selected as well for phase 1, list should be published soon I think.

vwilsonuk

11-03-2010, 12:55 AM

Haven't received anything here. Probably just as well for me because reading everything and finding the time would still be quite a challenge. Am guessing FFXIV development is taking longer than planned, given their announcement of a year's worth of further work on FFXI.

All the promotion here is for FFXIII too, at the moment.

It'd be great if someone from Rargh got in, though!

Decider-VT

11-03-2010, 03:14 AM

I can't sign up for the closed PS3 beta with the code that came with FFXIII- I have the e-mailed code but I can't log in to make my application, despite joining the Square Members club and entering the correct details. I'd read somewhere that a Square Enix ID differed from a Members account but apparently the two were due to be amalgamated this year. I've tried to sign up for a Square Enix ID but the logon screen says that my details are invalid and that my username is in use. Is anybody else here having trouble with this?

11-03-2010, 09:17 AM

Apparently, there has been articles on XIV in both Famitsu and Dengeki magazine this week. The information from Famitsu (detailing many of the current job classes) has been translated and posted here (http://www.eorzeapedia.com/2010/03/11/detailed-class-info-from-famitsu-and-4gamer/).

Some very interesting information.They definitely seemed to have amalgamated many of the defining abilities of different jobs in XI and created hybrids of them in this. Gladiator is basically PLD but has it's own Provoke tool (but no mention of any White Magic yet). Lancer appears to have techniques that we associate SAM and DRK, Pugilist is MNK and THF etc.

Really tempted to start with Thaumaturge though.

They've said that distance (in relation to your enemy) will play an important role in combat with different jobs having optimum distances to be at. Not just for traditional 'backline' jobs like mages and RNG but also Lancer is shown to stand slightly outside of standard melee range.

http://scrawlfx.com/gallery/albums/final-fantasy-xiv/march-10-2010/Final-Fantasy-XIV_2010_03-10-10_29.jpg

Translated version:
http://www.ff14news.com/wp-content/gallery/2010-03-10-jp-magazine-leaks/positioning.jpg

mikewl

16-03-2010, 03:20 PM

Nice find Rare, some interesting stuff there.

Im very pleased to see battle system not being a stripped down version of XI's, this looks like its going to be excellent.

Of the job selection revealed so far im thinking Conjurer or Archer will possibly be my first main job.

There is a Q&A with the developers here (http://www.eorzeapedia.com/2010/03/15/march-dengeki-playstation-qa-part-i/#more-2746) about what can be expected in the beta.

FSW

16-03-2010, 03:33 PM

Is that a ... giant enemy crab!?

29-03-2010, 05:59 PM

May be worth checking your emails as it appears another batch of beta invites have gone out.

Still not got in myself but know someone who has.

Moot

31-03-2010, 04:32 PM

Hey everyone, not speak to most of you in a while :D

Some new pictures released.

Elezen

Forester
http://www.eorzeapedia.com/wp-content/uploads/Gahoo/2010/03/forseter.jpg

Shader
http://www.eorzeapedia.com/wp-content/uploads/Gahoo/2010/03/shader.jpg

Hyur

Midlander
http://www.eorzeapedia.com/wp-content/uploads/Gahoo/2010/03/midlander.jpg

Highlander
http://www.eorzeapedia.com/wp-content/uploads/Gahoo/2010/03/highlander.jpg

Lalafell

Plainsfolk
http://www.eorzeapedia.com/wp-content/uploads/Gahoo/2010/03/plainsfolk.jpg

Dunefolk
http://www.eorzeapedia.com/wp-content/uploads/Gahoo/2010/03/dunesfolk.jpg

Roegadyn

Seewolf
http://www.eorzeapedia.com/wp-content/uploads/Gahoo/2010/03/seewolf.jpg

Lohengarde
http://www.eorzeapedia.com/wp-content/uploads/Gahoo/2010/03/lohengarde.jpg

Migo'te

Seekers of Sun
http://www.eorzeapedia.com/wp-content/uploads/Gahoo/2010/03/seekersofthesun.jpg

Keepers of the Moon
http://www.eorzeapedia.com/wp-content/uploads/Gahoo/2010/03/keepersofthemoon.jpg

(Sorry about the huge images, there are more on http://www.eorzeapedia.com )

They are apparently different clans for each race. There is also a gameplay video that has been released.

EDIT: Couldn't get the video to work but here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-vjy97RuoA&feature=player_embedded

Still not got in myself but know someone who has. :thumb:

Rep

31-03-2010, 04:40 PM

The video looks great, but are you sure WoW hasn't made you soft mate? :lol:

Tobal

31-03-2010, 09:51 PM

Like the graphics, but seems to be way to bland for a SE game, every ffxi low end gear doesn't look that drab.

vwilsonuk

01-04-2010, 02:27 AM

What, no highlander women? :happy:

The video worked ok for me, here's an alternative link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-vjy97RuoA).

It's still looking far too much like FFXI for my liking. The graphics aren't great in the video but I'm hoping they are saving the really cool stuff for release time (or a later beta stage). But the whole styling makes me feel like I would be playing exactly the same game again. I'm also concerned the stories won't be up to much.

Hopefully something will come out of the beta to allay my concerns.

V

Moot

02-04-2010, 11:42 AM

mikewl

06-04-2010, 04:47 PM

"The FINAL FANTASY XIV installer will be available for download on Tuesday, April 6th, 2010 at approximately 8:00am (GMT).

Further details regarding the starting date of the Alpha Test phase will be released shortly."

:w00t:

Flukey git lol, you managed to get in the Alpha test then, I guess its going to have the usual NDA so you'll have to limit what you can reveal to us all.

Any idea how long the Alpha test will last?

Moot

06-04-2010, 06:10 PM

Testers are not meant to tell anyone that they're even in but I don't think they're going check this website really. They haven't got a finishing date yet but the download is now available and is going to be playable from the 8th.

One thing that sucks is that it's only going to be able to play three days a week for 4 hours (7-10pm). People are still getting invited into so you all still have a chance.

I'll try and post some screenshots when it starts if you want me to.

vwilsonuk

07-04-2010, 01:34 AM

I'll try and post some screenshots when it starts if you want me to.

It'd be great to see some of it but please take care - don't do anything that could jepoardize your involvement! :ph34r:

It'd be great to hear what you think about the gameplay and changes from FFXI (what they are, are there too many, not enough, do they work etc). If you can :ph34r:

V

FSW

07-04-2010, 01:40 PM

I haven't used my FFXIII beta application code yet. Is there any point in trying to sign up for this now or am I too late?

djtickle

07-04-2010, 01:42 PM

I haven't used my FFXIII beta application code yet. Is there any point in trying to sign up for this now or am I too late?

yeah get signed up, them codes are for ps3 beta not the PC alpha thats starting now.

FSW

07-04-2010, 01:44 PM

Oh cool. When's the PS3 beta then?

dataDave

07-04-2010, 01:44 PM

I wouldn't mind playing the beta, I certainly can't afford to move over to retail though once it hits.

I've signed up through the website but haven't yet received a code.

mikewl

07-04-2010, 05:44 PM

Moot

07-04-2010, 06:11 PM

Yeah I was thinking the same, I'll make sure to send them to you and anyone else who wants them.

djtickle

08-04-2010, 09:12 AM

Cheers moot and gl playing! Lets hope its good!! Any ideas on race/class what your going to try out? And the burning question on everyones lips are you going to be called MOOT!?

dataDave

08-04-2010, 10:08 AM

Argh. I thought I'd registered but I haven't, and everytime I try to it says my password is wrong, when it blatantly isn't.

It's probably for the best anyway.

Rep

09-04-2010, 12:15 AM

I just read MP isn't restored through resting anymore (hMP). Any idea how it's done? You can also move and cast at the same time now, which sounds awesome.

Daragon

09-04-2010, 08:23 AM

Would be nice if mp was dropped imo, I've never really viewed it as fair for mages to have 2 'hp' bars if you will (a blm without mp for example may as well just stand there for ass rapage).

Failing that, I do think spell cost needs to be considered.

Moot

10-04-2010, 09:13 AM

http://www.ffxivcore.com/

Loads of pics and info there from the alpha testing.

10-04-2010, 02:19 PM

http://www.ffxivcore.com/

Loads of pics and info there from the alpha testing.

Oh cool. When's the PS3 beta then?

According to Moot's link, PS3 will be included when they get to the Beta2 stage (currently in Alpha which will move on to Beta 1 in the near future).

vwilsonuk

11-04-2010, 12:52 PM

Cheers for the link, it's looking good. I especially like that battles require you to activate each move (unlike the FFXI system where aside from skillchains the melee just have to stand there while their moves automatically happen). That would make skilling up a bit less grindy.

On the other hand, the "everything is instanced" comment worries me. Eliminating shouts and noise during cutscenes is good, but I quite liked that you could pass by strangers on your way to a quest, or that perhaps one of them would help you, in FFXI. That was how people made connections. I hope they've not done away with that entirely... I can't imagine people making new friends much when they're in towns doing their AH runs or similar. Can you confirm whether you ever pass strangers outside the towns, Moot?

V

djtickle

14-04-2010, 08:53 AM

I found this today, some chap doing a blog on his alpha.

http://ffxivjourney.blogspot.com/

Rep

14-04-2010, 10:04 AM

Looks like he'll be the next to get banned :rolleyes:

vwilsonuk

15-04-2010, 02:12 AM

Perhaps. Or perhaps it's an official, "unofficial" leak ;)

What's with the spooky blue faces on his most recent screenshots?

:scared:

V

mikewl

28-05-2010, 02:42 PM

Woo, got my Beta invite today, anyone else get in?

28-05-2010, 02:45 PM

Moot got in weeks ago and has barely touched it.

I tried it out when I got my new computer a few weeks ago and wasn't really impressed. Was very bored after about 5 minutes.

mikewl

28-05-2010, 04:14 PM

Moot got in weeks ago and has barely touched it.

I tried it out when I got my new computer a few weeks ago and wasn't really impressed. Was very bored after about 5 minutes.

Would you say it seems a bit incomplete?

This can be one of the problems with Betas that it actually puts you off the game.

I'll give it a try.

Rep

28-05-2010, 04:31 PM

I was under the impression it's Alpha stage not Beta?

mikewl

28-05-2010, 04:55 PM

I was under the impression it's Alpha stage not Beta?

Yep 2nd stage of the Alpha, begins on 2nd June.

Number45

04-06-2010, 10:32 AM

I have an invite to the beta, hopefully I'll give it a go over the weekend. No idea what to expect though, I've not played FFXI at all.

dataDave

04-06-2010, 10:37 AM

Any chance of me getting on the beta at all?

Number45

04-06-2010, 10:38 AM

Have you applied? I just applied through the website.

abigsmurf

04-06-2010, 10:38 AM

All the combat vids I've seen are painfully slow. Any info on whether they've just lowered the speed for the alpha?

Shakey_Jake33

04-06-2010, 10:39 AM

The game definately feels like a pre-pre Alpha right now, it's more of a chore to play than anything else. The potential is evident... but it's hard to see how they can get something substantial ready in their proposed timeframe.

abigsmurf

04-06-2010, 10:45 AM

They can get quite a bit done during alpha and beta testing.

I remember WAR had a massive revamp of it's combat system during the beta as it was slow to respond and the animations lacked any impact.

I remember WoW at launch completely redesigned the paladin class between the end of the beta and the launch. Of course this had been done without full testing and was spearheaded by a designer known to hate hybrid classes so paladins were pathetic for a period of about a year (lowest on DPS charts and worst healers).

MyNameIsBruce

04-06-2010, 02:05 PM

Ok, I am starting to want this...

could someone tell me please, is the Alpha/beta on PC only at moment?
and is there anywhere to find what kinda pc can run this very well? I doubt this one could...

Number45

04-06-2010, 02:43 PM

PC only at the moment yeah. Later in the year for the PS3. I'm hoping to get into the PS3 test as well, because that's where I'm likely to pick it up.

You can sign up here (http://entry.ffxiv.com/). I think they also list the requirements in there.

abigsmurf

04-06-2010, 03:37 PM

at the moment they're only after top end systems I believe. May start targetting lower end systems nearer release

04-06-2010, 03:54 PM

My brother got on and he submitted his laptop specs (which is far from high end). Game barely runs on it but it doesn't appear they took his specs into account when granting him access.

Since transferred over to my new PC which is much more powerful (Intel Core i7, 4GB RAM although not a great GPU, Nvidea GT240) and whilst it runs better it's still nowhere near smooth. I presume this is down to it being unoptimised in its Alpha status. You also can't actually change any graphical settings yet either.

djtickle

04-06-2010, 06:09 PM

Below is the recommened specs from a friend i have on the alpha.

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo (2.4 GHz) AMD Athlon X2 (2.4 GHz)
RAM: Windows XP: 1.5GB Windows Vista / Windows 7: 2GB
HDD: Installing: 10 GB Downloading: 10GB on the drive containing the My Documents folder
GFX CARD: NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800 or higher VRAM 512 MB Radeon™ HD 2900 or higher VRAM 512 MB

Number45

04-06-2010, 06:19 PM

HDD: Installing: 10 GB Downloading: 10GB on the drive containing the My Documents folder
Argh, I hate that shit. Windows 7 doesn't have a My Documents folder as such, I'll have to make sure to shift any reference to it to the right drive.

Number45

04-06-2010, 11:17 PM

Downloading the updates now. For anyone that got the invite but can't login until the 9th, some kind chap on GAF uploaded the installer. :)

Still needs lots of downloads though. And it's going slow. And it plays music that you can't disable (Yay for W7 in that respect!).

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=21591867&postcount=783

Number45

04-06-2010, 11:27 PM

So slow... :(

mikewl

04-06-2010, 11:50 PM

I was invited to yesterdays beta test but didn't have it downloaded in time, after a day and a half of downloading, getting 0-4kb/s. Tried the download after the beta had finished and I suddenly was getting 400-500kb/s, im ready to test it Saturday evening.

Number45

05-06-2010, 05:58 PM

Still waiting for my download to finish. No idea what the bloody speed is:

mikewl

06-06-2010, 07:01 PM

Still waiting for my download to finish. No idea what the bloody speed is:

Mine did that a few times, I think you can restart it and it will resume from where it was.

Had a go on the beta briefly last night, its got a ways to go still from what I saw, will be interesting to see how it changes upto release.

MyNameIsBruce

06-06-2010, 07:47 PM

Number45

07-06-2010, 12:56 PM

Download completed after about 36 hours. I just left my PC running, but the window corrupted so I had no idea how long was left or what speeds I was getting! :D

Don't suppose anyone has a FFO for dummies guide do they? Can I just create a single character and have access to everything the game offers (With enough time/effort, obviously) through the job system or is it like WoW/CoH (My only reference points) that has classes with unique abilities?

One for FFXI would probably be fine, I'm sure the nuts and bolts of the game will be the same or similar.

07-06-2010, 01:36 PM

From what I played of XIV before I got bored, other than the character races (which are the same but have been renamed) this game is not like XI at all.

In fact, that is probably why I am having so many difficulties getting engrossed in the alpha. Everything just feels alien and wrong.

The job system is totally different, subjobs don't exist (as yet), combat is dealt with in a different way (no auto-attack).

Number45

07-06-2010, 01:40 PM

I read somewhere that the combat system will be completely different when they finally get to beta, it's just a place-holder system at the moment.

Got a schedule mail earlier. Didn't realise the servers were only available at set times. :D

Is there any way for NTSC-uk'ers to get in touch in-game in the alpha?

Number45

08-06-2010, 12:19 PM

So I'm going to be giving this a bash tonight hopefully. Anyone else going to be on?

Number45

08-06-2010, 08:10 PM

Bah, still won't let me log in. I guess I'll be waiting for Thursday.

mikewl

08-06-2010, 09:26 PM

So I'm going to be giving this a bash tonight hopefully. Anyone else going to be on?

I've just been on for a bit, starting to get to grips with it now.

Number45

09-06-2010, 02:08 PM

I've logged in finally, so at least tonight I can spend some time reading up ready to play tomorrow night.

Number45

10-06-2010, 08:16 AM

Looking forward to giving this a try tonight. :happy:

In other news, Solid Snake presents a look at the upcoming beta (HD in the link):

8Rp1Wryh93s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Rp1Wryh93s&feature=player_embedded#!

vwilsonuk

10-06-2010, 02:11 PM

That vid definitely makes me want to play. I just hope it is different to FFXI - otherwise what's the point?

Bah. If they carry on like this I'm going to have to buy a PS3.

mikewl

10-06-2010, 03:23 PM

Number45

14-06-2010, 08:17 PM

Another round of testing this week. Hopefully I'll have a little more time to play it.

dataDave

14-06-2010, 09:50 PM

8Rp1Wryh93s

Argh! Noooooooo!!! I want it!!!!111

Largo

15-06-2010, 01:09 AM

Number45

15-06-2010, 07:50 AM

Apparently if you quit and start again each time it gets bad it kick starts the download speeds. Also, you can't kill the music through the client, but if you have W7 you can mute applications from the built in mixer.

Largo

15-06-2010, 12:08 PM

Ahh yeah i forgot W7 can do that, thanks

Number45

17-06-2010, 01:33 PM

mikewl

17-06-2010, 02:35 PM

i got in the beta, but the download is just bs, XI had terrible patch delivery too, and this looks no better, of course it could be because everyone and their dog is hammering the servers tyring to download.

I get about 0kbs to 5, and thats for about 2 seconds before it drops to 0 again, also how do i shut off the gdanm music

At this point in time i really cant be bothered to download

When you download it do you get any remote connections, these are what gives you a faster download, if your getting zero connections then its likely you need to open some ports on your router, I had to do this and it made a big difference, 5kb to a steady 30-50kb/s, also a couple hours after the beta had ended for the day I found the d/l speed improved to about 300kb/s, must have been after everyone had logged off.

mikewl

17-06-2010, 02:37 PM

Looking forward to trying some more tonight, its annoying I can't really talk about any specifics yet.

mikewl

17-06-2010, 02:46 PM

http://download.nvidia.com/downloads/nZone/demos/FFXIVBenchmark.zip

Benchmark tool. Going to run it when I get home tonight. :)

I might give the alpha another go tonight as well. Going to try and get a SIXAXIS working on W7 64-bit.

Cheers for that, just ran the benchmark and scored 2830 with Load Time 17080 ms.

Interestingly the benchmark ran a fair bit smoother to when playing the Alpha.

Rep

17-06-2010, 05:30 PM

Scores (whatever they mean) for both resolution settings, both are a lot choppier then I would have expected.

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/9742/benchmarku.png

mikewl

17-06-2010, 06:25 PM

I retried mine through my tv on 1080p and it hit the frame rate pretty hard, the score was about 1800.

Number45

18-06-2010, 02:56 PM

1080p
http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/1188/highr.png

720p
http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/4207/low.png

I'd normally run at 1680*1050 in fullscreen, so somewhere between the two.

abigsmurf

18-06-2010, 07:22 PM

crashes before it starts on my system

*edit*

working now

4162 @ 720p

mikewl

19-06-2010, 03:22 AM

This video shows the updated battle system which will be implemented for Beta test which will likely start mid July.

<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/eONoACmL5AM&hl=en_GB&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/eONoACmL5AM&hl=en_GB&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>

It looks like quite a nice improvement, if you've played the Alpha you will notice how much faster paced this video looks, i'm looking forward to trying this.

mikewl

19-06-2010, 03:34 AM

Here's the new trailer

<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/f8_Y6vlDm14&hl=en_GB&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/f8_Y6vlDm14&hl=en_GB&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>

Tripple screen 3D setup, hmm tempting.

<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Yq-hDTCtLxk&hl=en_GB&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Yq-hDTCtLxk&hl=en_GB&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>

Number45

19-06-2010, 05:14 PM

No joy getting the SIXAXIS setup in Windows and I'm not sure I can be bothered trying to play the game with the mouse/keyboard controls in their current state. :(

vwilsonuk

22-06-2010, 10:49 AM

I think this means I can't play, doesn't it...

http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/7551/ffxivsm.jpg

:thumbd:

abigsmurf

22-06-2010, 10:52 AM

Curse of the laptop GPUs strikes again!

That must've been <1fps

vwilsonuk

22-06-2010, 03:51 PM

It didn't look good, that's for sure. But I'm surprised it's quite so bad... I specifically chose this laptop because of it's strong graphics configuration with dedicated (physical) graphics memory on a fast bus... it ran the FFXI benchmark to a level comparable to other games machines.

To be honest if I'm serious about playing I'd already considered buying a PS3 to be a better bet, but recently I've been reading a lot about climate change and causes of it rooted in human consumerism, so the fact that an eighteen month old machine could be incapable of running a game like this does irk me somewhat. I'm not a luddite but there has to be a better reason for plundering finite resources than "some pretty new pixel patterns".

Oh well :s

mikewl

23-06-2010, 04:47 PM

Thats a shame your laptop struggled with it, on the Alpha forums there are alot of people struggling to run it, the only thing I can say is these are not your usual sort of games that are just here for the moment, they need to still hold up in 5 years time, i'm glad they have made use of the newest tech available, I see it as something that is more worth the extra investment than say the next Crysis game which after a week you will be finished with.

I'm holding out to see how my PC handles the Beta version but if its not much improved from Alpha I am going to upgrade my graphics card nearer to the games launch.

abigsmurf

23-06-2010, 05:06 PM

you may find there are hacks to boost the frame rate. Turning off effects, lowering the resolution etc.

Number45

24-06-2010, 07:14 PM

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/closed-xbox-live-blocked-ffxiv

Looks like it's dead in the water for 360, for now at least.

Also, beta coming soon (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/ffxiv-online-beta-starting-soon) and they expect to meet their 2010 release window.

vwilsonuk

25-06-2010, 01:38 PM

The only thing I can say is these are not your usual sort of games that are just here for the moment, they need to still hold up in 5 years time, i'm glad they have made use of the newest tech available, I see it as something that is more worth the extra investment than say the next Crysis game which after a week you will be finished with.

Yes, that is a good point. Guess I have to decide whether I am likely to play it for five years. That's what will determine whether the investment is worthwhile for me. It's possible!

Here are some updates:

Famitsu scans on ZAM - new enemies: http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=22634

Video - Transition for alpha to beta: -99sSSS3eP4

Number45

25-06-2010, 01:49 PM

Argh, trying to fix your link and I've broken it even more! Have you got the original YT link to the video? You only need the video 'code' between the tags. :)

mikewl

25-06-2010, 04:22 PM

Argh, trying to fix your link and I've broken it even more! Have you got the original YT link to the video? You only need the video 'code' between the tags. :)

I think this is the videos main link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-99sSSS3eP4&feature=player_embedded

Number45

25-06-2010, 06:46 PM

Awesome, there we go. :)

vwilsonuk

28-06-2010, 01:36 AM

Strange, it worked last time I loaded it. I did modify the post myself to try and fix it once. It's a bit unsettling to log in after a day or two and find someone has changed my post without me knowing about it because of something as banal as a broken link. It hardly seems the most demanding case for moderator intervention. >.>

Number45

28-06-2010, 08:32 AM

:mellow:

Interestingly, this is the second time in the last few months I've been reprimanded for fixing something.

Number45

30-06-2010, 06:36 PM

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/39797/Final-Fantasy-XIV-dated

September 22nd for the PC, March next year for the PS3.

£8.99, with an additional £2.10 for additional character slots. Does this mean that the £8.99 allows you to create one character only?

shafropuff

30-06-2010, 07:19 PM

^ Yup

Japan and NA got packshots... I wanna see the EU packshot... I hope we don't get gimped with a paperback book like Batman and Tekken 6 -_-

30-06-2010, 08:03 PM

The Collector's Edition is so getting pre-ordered.

http://www.ffxivcore.com/gallery/1276718353/gallery_96_7_147559.png

Onion Helm looks awesome. :thumb:

http://www.ffxivcore.com/gallery/1276718353/gallery_96_7_96193.png

£2.10 for an extra character is pretty steep. Fingers crossed the lack of "PS2 limitations" means we don't need mules in this.

EDIT -Ah there may be seperate "retainers" who act as mules.

Each account is eligible for one free retainer (a non-playable character that maintains item sales and storage when users are logged out) with each additional retainer costing £0.70 (€1.00).

Slightly more reasonable.

Still give it a couple of years and no doubt they will be blaming "PS3 limitations" whenever they can't be bothered fixing something.

talizker

30-06-2010, 08:13 PM

elaniel

30-06-2010, 09:06 PM

I gave up on FFXI myself (moved and was away for 6 months and never got back to it.) However, I will definitely be playing this, although on the PS3. Slightly annoyed we have a 6 month late start. I would play on my laptop, but it's too awkward playing on here.

vwilsonuk

01-07-2010, 01:59 AM

...is wondering how many of the FFXI RarghLS crew will be playing FFXIV, and if this will be the start of another several thousand hours of mmo'ing /panic

Am still not really feeling FFXIV... it's still far too similar to a game I already spent over 40 x 24hrs of my life playing. The graphics might be prettier but the fundamental story is exactly the same. I'd have to buy a PS3 (am still not sure about how I could ship the 50kg media centre out here even if I wanted to) and then to lose six months on the start of the game is really bad. How can they have been developing it for all this time and it still take so long to port to the PS3? That's absurd.

Not wishing to get all eco-warrior on y'all but there's a whole real world out here that needs saving, with concrete action required by everyone in the next 4.5 years :ph34r: By the time the servers on FFXIV are turned off the game might really be over, and there will be no raise.

mikewl

01-07-2010, 03:32 AM

...is wondering how many of the FFXI RarghLS crew will be playing FFXIV, and if this will be the start of another several thousand hours of mmo'ing /panic

Also liking the look of the Collectors Edition ^_^

I'll be on it, i've enjoyed the Alpha so far but I do think i'll be abit more casual with it, the good thing is that the game is more accomodating to those with less time this time around.

Bit dissapointing they delayed the PS3 release, but its good to know when this will be kicking off, will be pre-ordering the limited edition for sure.

talizker

01-07-2010, 10:03 AM

the good thing is that the game is more accomodating to those with less time this time around.

That goods to hear for sure. I'm hoping to get a Beta invite when that kicks off in a week or two.

Number45

01-07-2010, 01:09 PM

Apparently the CE releases 6 days before the SE, so if you want to play day one with the PC you'll need the CE. :blink:

Shame the PS3 version isn't releasing at the same time. Hopefully the game will control OK with the mouse/keyboard, in which case I'll pick up the SE when it releases and transfer to the PS3 version when that comes out.

Number45

01-07-2010, 03:00 PM

Just got an invite to the beta. :happy:

Client available from tomorrow at 09:00. Hopefully this will control better.

mikewl

01-07-2010, 03:20 PM

That goods to hear for sure. I'm hoping to get a Beta invite when that kicks off in a week or two.

You should do, from what i've read they will roll out the Beta to everyone who was on the Alpha and then send more invites on a regular basis.

mikewl

01-07-2010, 03:22 PM

Just got an invite to the beta. :happy:

Client available from tomorrow at 09:00. Hopefully this will control better.

Wired 360 pad works perfect if you have one.

Number45

01-07-2010, 03:24 PM

'fraid not. :(

I did try to get the DS3/SIXAXIS working with the MotionInJoy driver, but had no luck.

mikewl

01-07-2010, 04:26 PM

This is available for preorder now from Gameplay and Game, put my order in already for the collectors edition.

01-07-2010, 04:41 PM

Ordered! :D

djtickle

02-07-2010, 08:44 AM

I put a order in yesterday too for the CE from game, heres hopin for a day early delivery :)

Maybe we should make a post for whos getting etc, make sure we all end up on the same server and stuff at the start of play?

Infact ill msg a mod, might be a good idea to seperate the FF14 stuff from the 11 stuff from now on. Number45 is knocking about :)

talizker

02-07-2010, 08:58 AM

Ordered! :D

Same :thumb:

02-07-2010, 09:07 AM

NoelEdwards

02-07-2010, 10:09 AM

I've ordered the CE from game, I'm looking forward to losing my life again in a final fantasy mmorpg.

abigsmurf

02-07-2010, 10:14 AM

I really enjoyed FFXI, had an incredibly soothing atmosphere. Think I'll start up FFXIV. Really liking the fact they're making the game more solo friendly. Spending an hour looking for groups for Valkrum dunes is my send most vivid FFXI memory (second being {moat carp} {do you have it?} )

Buying the special edition will still work out cheaper than starting up WoW again for cataclysm.

Number45

02-07-2010, 01:24 PM

With the test entering beta now, have they increased the number of hours playtime we have available over the alpha?

Decided to cut back on FFXI for a while so hoping to put some proper hours into this.
Doesn't mention when the beta is going to start, just that the client should have been available to download this morning. It isn't though, technical difficulties.

abigsmurf

02-07-2010, 02:00 PM

technical difficulties = 50,000 people hammering the site at once.

Number45

02-07-2010, 02:01 PM

No, I don't even think they published the link for the new client actually. :D

elaniel

02-07-2010, 02:59 PM

I've just pre-ordered the PC version as well, I can't wait until March. I'll play on PC, then move over to PS3.

They have guaranteed that you can cross-play correct?

Still haven't been emailed to beta test yet either :(

Number45

02-07-2010, 03:02 PM

Yeah, that they can control both platforms independently is the reason they've cited for going with PC/PS3 over 360.

elaniel

02-07-2010, 03:03 PM

Cool. Hope my Alienware can run it though. (I've had it about 3 years now) Does anyone know the System Requirements?

Number45

02-07-2010, 03:07 PM

Run the benchmark app and you'll soon see. :)

EDIT: Also, UK website has been updated now.

elaniel

02-07-2010, 03:12 PM

Thanks, I remembered there being one for FFXI.

Hopefully I can invest more time in this than I did on 11 all those years ago. Gotta wait until I get home to see if it will work though. Fingers crossed there!

mikewl

02-07-2010, 06:31 PM

With the test entering beta now, have they increased the number of hours playtime we have available over the alpha?

Decided to cut back on FFXI for a while so hoping to put some proper hours into this.

I think they have mentioned on the Beta site that they hope to get it running 24/7 but will start off with allocated time slots to begin with.

elaniel

02-07-2010, 09:25 PM

Well I've just run the benchmark, and I don't even get an image! I guess that doesn't bode well!

No way will a 2 and a half year old Alienware laptop be that out of date already would it? I spent over 2 grand on it!

Don't want to post the image as it's so big but it's here the results I get:
http://i50.tinypic.com/auvs7.jpg

abigsmurf

02-07-2010, 11:07 PM

Squarenix say anything under 1000 is unplayable in practice.

It's possible they may let you turn settings down and go sub 720P though.

I'd be willing to bet it's memory bandwidth crippling your frame rate. With lower res textures and a lower overall resolution, I'd bet on a decent speed boost.

elaniel

02-07-2010, 11:10 PM

I suppose there's no way I can improve that is there?

Sigh.... it seems I may have to wait for the PS3 version. Or buy a new pc?
I know a laptop isn't ideal for gaming, but I thought my Alienware would last a bit longer :D

abigsmurf

02-07-2010, 11:16 PM

Sadly even the top of the range laptops will perform like a lower-mid end PC which means they age fast.

Could always see how much the laptop is worth on Ebay and see how much you'd need to upgrade to a more up to date gaming machine

elaniel

02-07-2010, 11:24 PM

It doesn't seem like the laptop will be worth anything (£50 most it seems as the cable is busted and webcam doesn't work, it's falling apart it seems.)

I may have to buy a Dell and spend about £600 I guess. Don't want to spend that much, but if I want to play....

Maybe if I get an upgradable Dell laptop (non-integrated graphics card?) that would work for me?

It's just I kind of need the laptop for work as well, and getting two in one would be beneficial to me.

vwilsonuk

03-07-2010, 12:08 AM

I may have to buy a Dell and spend about £600 I guess. Don't want to spend that much, but if I want to play.... It's just I kind of need the laptop for work as well, and getting two in one would be beneficial to me.

Well a PS3 won't cost £600. That's why I'll be waiting for the PS3 release (if I do decide to play, that is). There's not much sense in spending £600 to play a game six months earlier - that's £100 a month. That's more than council tax.

elaniel

03-07-2010, 12:10 AM

Well I kinda need a new laptop/PC anyway thinking about it. I'll think about it, no point making an irrational decision at the moment :D

abigsmurf

03-07-2010, 12:17 AM

Sadly upgradable laptops don't really exist.

There are some with replaceable graphics but they're so expensive, you may as well just get a top of the range one.

Gaming laptops, unless you spend megabucks, are a series of compromises really.

I'd be willing to bet you could build a budget gaming PC that will outperform any laptop under £1000 for ~£450

On the laptop front, this is around the best you'll get for <£600:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/222512

And this is the level of gaming performance you'll get:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/ATI-Mobility-Radeon-HD-5650.23697.0.html

elaniel

03-07-2010, 12:23 AM

Thanks for the reply, and apologies for taking the thread so far off topic. I'm going to have a think about it tomorrow, and see where it stands. I know it's silly for only 6 months play advance. If there was confirmation that we get the special edition on PS3 as well, I would probably wait. However thinking about it more and more, I really need a new computer, so it's just a matter if it will be one I order for gaming, or just for the stuff I really need it to do. (As I rarely play PC games anyway)

I'm not really PC literate, so it may come down to me trying to get some advice and possibly getting someone to build one for me, or get a Dell recommended to me.

Number45

03-07-2010, 10:50 AM

elaniel

03-07-2010, 10:56 AM

I updated the drivers yesterday, no joy.

I've settled on getting a new PC now. I've posted in the PC section about my looking for a new PC. Don't want to clog up this thread any more with my laptop issues.

Cheers for the help though!

abigsmurf

03-07-2010, 11:16 AM

Make sure all of your drivers are up to date. It's no guarantee, but it might improve things.

So many MMOs get the performance side wrong, WoW is the benchmark for that as far as I'm concerned - you absolutely NEED to allow as many people as possible access to these games.

WoW's requirements were relatively intensive at the time of release, especially when it came to RAM requirements (too little ram = HDD thrashing when raiding). It's only the fact it's 6 years old that makes it so universally accessible now.

Number45

03-07-2010, 11:21 AM

I think RAM is always going to be a sticking point when you have a requirement to load so much in at once - unless you're going to instance everything that's a concession that I think you have to make.

RAM is the easiest (And often cheapest) thing to upgrade as well.

shafropuff

03-07-2010, 02:03 PM

mikewl

03-07-2010, 04:05 PM

Beta client is now up for those in the beta, slow as hell as to be expected.

mikewl

03-07-2010, 04:23 PM

I haven't used a PC in forever and all my gaming is done on my bootcamp partition but I get a score of 850 or so on the benchmark -_-

I've been planing to get the new Mac Mini but can someone tell me if its specs would be decent to run the game on a windows partition?

Here the specs:
2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB memory
NVIDIA GeForce 320M

I would take a guess that the Mac Mini would struggle, though the CPU and Memory would probably be ok, I have no idea on the graphics card though.

abigsmurf

03-07-2010, 05:34 PM

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-320M.28701.0.html

Here's the benchmark for the CPU for other games.

However I've done some reading and it seems the 320M gets a benchmark score of around 800 (1000 is the minimum require for the game to be playable according to Square).

Unless the final retail game has a lot more graphical options to turn down. I wouldn't expect good frame rates.

shafropuff

04-07-2010, 02:34 AM

Damn seems about the same as my iMac. I wish I had room for a damned desktop, I hated playing XI on laptop so thats out of the question.

I'm gonna look into upgrading my brothers desktop but its a good 3 years old. I can't imagine life without OSX at the moment so I don't wanna get a PC after I sell my Macs lol

abigsmurf

05-07-2010, 11:02 AM

Few people in the beta saying there are more graphics options now although it seems to be relating to the AA and depth of field effects.

Is the beta on standard "There is a beta, I am in it" NDA clauses?

Number45

05-07-2010, 11:18 AM

Just had a quick read through, we MAY NOT POST OR PUBLISH IN ANY WAY OUR EXPERIENCE IN THE BETA TEST OR OUR OPINION OF THE NON-RETAIL VERSION OF FINAL FANTASY XIV ONLINE. :D

Haven't managed to finish the download yet. It was flying along this morning, but I had to stop it when I came to work.

Rep

05-07-2010, 11:21 AM

SE did a pretty good job of enforcing the Alpha NDA, most people had been removed from the Beta by about day 2. We didn't even talk about it in game (XI) though fear.

abigsmurf

05-07-2010, 11:25 AM

mikewl

05-07-2010, 05:24 PM

I finished my Beta download last night, as far as NDA goes I would say they likely won't be as bothered now its in Beta, I could see why they didn't want Alpha content leaked everywhere as it had some significant parts that were not finished.

elaniel

05-07-2010, 06:02 PM

mikewl

05-07-2010, 06:46 PM

I'm getting frustrated, as I really want to try out the beta, but still haven't got an invite.
I filled in on the site and from registering FFXIII on PS3.

I guess they saw my laptop specs and laughed. Now that I have a new PC on the way, should I retry, or just leave it

I'm not sure whether they take peoples specs into account or not, there are lots of people on the Beta forum who have pc's below the minimum spec but they still got an invite.

Number45

05-07-2010, 06:46 PM

Worthwhile applying again when you have your new PC built I'd say, filling in the new specs. You never know. :)

shafropuff

06-07-2010, 02:49 AM

I'm pretty sure it says u forfeit ur PC beta application when u register for the PS3 one.

I'm wondering when the PS3 version will go into beta...

Number45

06-07-2010, 05:21 PM

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=22243567&postcount=6922

Tanaka : The alpha test was very useful, it helped us to test the stability of the servers and we were able to adapt in the meantime. But in fact, we will have several phases of beta testing. In the first phase, we have a version that will incorporate feedback from our alpha testers who will, hopefully available this week. At first, it will resemble the alpha test phase, in the sense that each test session lasted four hours.

But if things go well, the beta 2 will follow shortly, which will allow players to access the game 24 hours 24. Then, hopefully, by early August, we will open the beta test phase 3 which will remain operational until the game launches

JeuxOnLine: It will be open?

Tanaka: No, closed.

JeuxOnLine: There will be no open beta?

Tanaka: After Phase 3 of the beta, we have an open beta will be available just before the release of the game, but we can not guarantee this last phase opened.

abigsmurf

07-07-2010, 08:22 PM

Open Betas are just glorified demos.

Sometimes they're legitimately used as stress tests but not often.

Number45

08-07-2010, 09:36 AM

Beta Test Start Date: Saturday, July 10, 2010

08-07-2010, 09:38 AM

Fingers crossed it will be downloaded by then...

I actually hit a new low of sustained 0.0 kb/s last night at around 82%.

Number45

08-07-2010, 09:42 AM

Yeah mine's done now, finally. It's like the alpha at first though, so only allowed times:

Tue/Thu/Sat @ 19:00 > 23:00 BST

So next Tuesday before we can actually play. Do we have some means of meeting up in-game as a group?

toythatkills

08-07-2010, 01:36 PM

http://download.nvidia.com/downloads/nZone/demos/FFXIVBenchmark.zip

Benchmark tool. Going to run it when I get home tonight.

What is this supposed to do? For a total PC gaming n00b.

I ran it, the screen stayed black for ages and then I got a score of 264, which I assume is bad, looking at other people's results. How can my PC possibly be that shite?

No FFXIV for me.

Number45

08-07-2010, 01:42 PM

It should run the opening cinematic from the game, and have a performance graph that will show you the framerate that the game is running at. When it has run its course it'll give you a score - apparently anything less than 2000 is bad, though people on GAF are (rightly I would think) saying that if you think it looks playable then the score should be relatively meaningless.

None of that helps you though! I'm going to suggest the same as I did for Elaniel - make sure all drivers are up to date etc. There are some recommended specs for the beta but I'm not sure I'm allowed to post them.

toythatkills

08-07-2010, 02:19 PM

I had a look at the beta specs on the official website and they looked OK, well, I just met them.

Tried Windows Update to find updates for drivers but it didn't find owt, not sure what to do beyond that.

Probably for the best, really, the game comes out right at the start of the second year of uni :lol:

elaniel

08-07-2010, 02:44 PM

I just remembered, when I registered FFXIII on the Square Enix Members site, I applied for the PS3 beta using the code. Guess I won't be getting into the PC one. Oh well...

Number45

08-07-2010, 02:49 PM

Are they exclusive then? I hope not, because I still expect to play more of this on the PS3 than the PC.

elaniel

08-07-2010, 08:54 PM

I'm sure when I used the code it asked which I wanted to apply for, as I had no intention of playing on PC (then they delayed PS3 version) I chose PS3.

Oh well.

Number45

08-07-2010, 08:55 PM

I didn't do mine through FFXIII, I just registered on the site. Picked PC because that's the only one they were really talking about at the time, hopefully there will be some crossover.

mikewl

09-07-2010, 12:48 PM

There is a new patch update for the Beta, not sure how big it is.

Number45

09-07-2010, 04:22 PM

Just over 40MB all in. :)

mikewl

09-07-2010, 05:48 PM

Im struggling to download it, pathetic d/l speed and only 1 remote connection.

Number45

09-07-2010, 06:25 PM

I must have got in early enough before it got busy, it all came down in a few minutes for me. I'm not sure if I launch the client whether it'll share or whether it stops when you're not downloading yourself?

mikewl

09-07-2010, 07:40 PM

I think once you've downloaded you can't seed.

elaniel

09-07-2010, 07:45 PM

Well I've got my new PC, and I ended up having to go for the Dell sadly (it was all I could afford.)

The benchmark played near perfectly (there was one jump), however it only gave me a score of 690.

Now, could it be just the score is screwy, as the video did play great.
http://i31.tinypic.com/k4un1l.png

mikewl

10-07-2010, 03:13 AM

Very strange score, if the benchmark ran well then I would just put it down to some odd bug or something in the benchmark, maybe you could try getting newer gfx card drivers, also maybe run some other benchmark software and see if they behave strange.

I use a HD3800 card and score around 2900, I would have thought a 5400 would be hitting near enough 4000 on the benchmark.

elaniel

10-07-2010, 08:17 AM

abigsmurf

10-07-2010, 01:37 PM

To be honest, that's probably around what I'd expect from that graphics card. It's not a good gaming card. Even overclocked (dangerous given it's probably passively cooled) I can't see that card getting reasonable frame rates.

Here are the benchmarks for it: http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=455&Itemid=72&limit=1&limitstart=7

It's *possible* you may be able to change it for a card that would give playable frame rates for about £50 but it's entirely dependent on the PSU. 300W and you've some options. 225W and you're probably stuck.

However it would probably void your warrenty.

mikewl

10-07-2010, 02:23 PM

Any recommendations on other benchmarks I can check out?
I've upgraded the graphics card drivers (or at least I think I did correctly).
My PC-whiz buddy said he thought it ran pretty damned well (except a bit of juttering at the beginning) but the boat scene played almost perfectly.

EDIT: Well I went into device manager and updated drivers there, and now the benchmark crashes straight away, I've rolled back and it works fine again.
Any advice? I already have directx 11 and ati catalyst 10.6

3DMark is probably the best benchmark software, there may be others though.

Do you have a link to the pc you bought, it may be you could swap the graphics card, like smurf says it would depend on a few things, your case and psu but its worth a look.

elaniel

10-07-2010, 03:45 PM

Well this is everything:

Base
Intel® Core™ 2 Quad-Core Q8300 Processor (2.50GHz, 4MB cache, 1333MHz FSB)
Memory
4096MB Dual Channel DDR3 [4x1024] Memory
Keyboard
Dell™ USB Entry Keyboard - UK/Irish (QWERTY)
Monitor
Dell ST2310 23" Full HD Widescreen Monitor - UK/Irish
Video Card
ATI Radeon™ HD 5450 1GB DDR3 graphics
Hard Drive
750GB (7200rpm) SATA Hard Drive

I guess the problem is the PSU may not be powerful enough if I update the graphics card? Plus I've never opened a cabinet up anyway to check.

Here is the link to it: http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?b=&c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&kc=DRS56003&l=en&m_30=322299&oc=D005641&rbc=D005641&s=dhs

It's weird that the video played so well and the score was so shocking (only about 200 more than my alienware laptop from 3 years ago that wouldn't even display a video)

mikewl

10-07-2010, 05:04 PM

Can't find anywhere that states the PSU wattage, I would say if the benchmark look and runs satisfactory I would just go with it as it is.

elaniel

10-07-2010, 07:02 PM

Thanks for looking though! I think I'll just have to run with it and hope when the beta opens up that it works. I'll just worry about it then if not. (Maybe open it up to have a look at the PSU when I have time next weekend for curiosity sake)

Reading about, the scores don't seem to be very accurate at all according to some people.

abigsmurf

10-07-2010, 07:26 PM

From what I can tell, it has a 300W PSU which means you should be able to run a GT240.

Still not a powerhouse but I'd imagine it'd get 30fps+ on medium settings.

elaniel

10-07-2010, 10:03 PM

Will this GT240 definitely work fine? And display 1920x1080 okay?

redael

11-07-2010, 08:49 AM

Recently got pretty much the same Dell PC as you elaniel the only differences being I went for

CPU: AMD Phenom™ II X4 820 (2.8GHz, 6MB Cache)
Memory: 6144MB Dual Channel DDR3
HDD: 1TB (7200rpm) SATA Hard Drive

and my benchmark figures are pretty much the same disappointingly

High (1080p): 337
Low (720p): 692

Also investigating replacing the 5450 , was busy in XI last night so had to miss out on the first beta night.

abigsmurf

11-07-2010, 09:17 AM

Will this GT240 definitely work fine? And display 1920x1080 okay?

It *should* work fine on the PSU in your system but can't garentee it for sure. Remember distance selling laws allow you to return things for any reason if it doesn't work. Put it in as soon as you get it and run it through some benchmarks on loop. If you get artifacting, crashing or rebooting, the psu can't take it.

Here's some benchmarks for it (comparing the 512mb model to the 1gb one)

http://www.overclock.net/nvidia/766625-512mb-vs-1gb-gddr5-gt-240-a.html

1000 for FFXIV in 1080 (just under what's playable according to square)
2000 in 720p (more than comfortable)

elaniel

11-07-2010, 09:52 AM

I'm thinking of actually returning the Dell now under DSR. As even they recommended to me that the card would be fine (the 5450). I'll see what they say when I call. As my mother just offered to give me the extra to upgrade to that other pc you recommended to me.

abigsmurf

11-07-2010, 09:58 AM

If you're going to so that, remember you've only 7 working days from receipt.

talizker

11-07-2010, 10:01 AM

I have a 2 year old Dell Vostro 200 (Core2Duo E4500 @ 2.20GHz) with 3Gb Ram and an ATI 512MB Sapphire HD 4670 (this was the best graphics card that could be fitted with the stock PSU) and (under Windows 7 64 Bit) I get around 1700 (I forget the exact score) in the 720P benchmark and it looks great.