I dont know if any of you are in the beta or not but I have recently caught wind of a little tidbit of news that seems to be more than a little offputting to say the least.  The FATIGUE system, one of the worst ideas I have ever seen any company try to enforce on a game that I will pay to play.  I have been trying for the past week to come up with some way that makes this system make sense, trying to convince myself that this isnt that big of a deal, but in actuality its a deal breaker for me and I cant ignore that.  I shouldnt have to be forced to play different classes when I want to play a particular one because thats what I paid them to do.  This is absolutely absurd, this game is borderline brilliant as far as im concerned, until I found this out.  How can they do this?  I would really like to hear some opinions on this system and if Im alone on this or not because I cant justify shelling out 15 bones a month on top of the 100 ill spend through buying the pc and ps3 versions if square is going to tell me how to play the game.  I was gonna get guild wars 2 anyways because its f2p only have to buy the game and just play both at the same time, but now I might not buy ffXIV at all.  sorry about the rant by every other site and board is full of douchebags and Id much rather talk to you guys/gals about it.

More then likely the implented the 'Fatigue system' into the beta so you testers can go around testing more than just one job class. They needed the hobby jobs tested too. This system has been blown out of proportion by the media, but what else is new

I like the idea of the system. But the way it was implemented at start of Phase 3 was too harsh. SE acknowledged that by saying it really was, and also it was quite buggy.

Fansites had mistranslations, and combine that with the community not understanding what had been imposed on them. All hell broke loose.

I'm glad that SE got the OFFICIAL translation up today. and they said that it will not be as harsh as many think. You do not have to wait an entire week to replay as once you stop playing that class. A timer of sorts clocks you back to full 100% exp over a duration of time.

The weekly refresh is a benediction of sorts where no matter your exp rates, you will be back at full 100%.

:)

Thanks for clearing that up Wagram, just from everything Ive been hearing it sounded like the worst idea ever.  I dont mind them trying to keep power levelers out as it does even the playing field a bit for those without as much time as others, but I also dont want some 8 hour limit with full experience, then it will drop to 0 after the next 7 which is what I read they were doing.  As long as its not that harsh and still allows me to get in a decent amount of time a week (I do have a job and go to school so its not like I need to play 80 hours a week) then I dont mind the system at all.  Im glad theyre looking to adjust it, I wasnt giving up hope I was just thrown off by the amount of criticism it was recieving.  I still have mine paid off in full : )

Something that should ease your pain also is that I believe those hours clocked have to be active time. So time spent running/looking at things does not count on the timer.

That definitely sounds a whole lot better, because a majority of time is usually spent traveling/exploring what not.  Like I said as long as they dont limit us to a miniscule amount of time per class (Im hoping they keep it at maybe 15-20 hours which would be a perfect amount, good enough to get some work done but still limits the power levelers).  I do plan on playing more than one class of course, but the other thing this could affect is getting a good mix of players together in a group, especially if youve timed out a couple classes that are needed.  I have faith though, I know itll work out in the end which is why im still pumped and getting the game.  It may not be that bad though even if it is something like 8-10 hours though, because the fact that you can mix and match skills from different classes means that I will eventually have to switch it up, and I guess leveling a number of classes each week would be beneficial.

Regarding Surplus

I want to dispel some rumors that have been going around about you being only able to play XIV for an hour a day or 8 hours a week. There were many fan mis-translations and false rumors spread.

Let me say this like this: IT'S A DAMN LIE!

Sakura complex spread a false rumor about something that wasn't even based on. This is the official statement from a Square dev.

Once again, we would like to thank you all for your participation and support during the Closed Beta. We will continue to take your valuable feedback into consideration as we develop the game during Open Beta and even beyond the official release.

Now I would like to take a moment to respond to the many questions and opinions regarding the manner in and rates at which experience and skill points are obtained in Beta 3.

Firstly, the concept for FINAL FANTASY XIV was to design a system of character progression that offers meaningful advancement for those with limited time to dedicate to playing. We did not want to create a game that forced people to play for hours on end to see their efforts rewarded. To that end, in addition to the Guardian's Aspect and guildleve systems, we introduced a means of apportioning swifter advancement to shorter periods of play.

In order to achieve this balance, we calculated a value for the amount of skill or experience points that could be earned in a one-hour period. This theoretical value represents an hour spent engaged solely in combat, levequests, or any other activities that earn skill or experience points, and sets a threshold delimiting how many of these points can be earned in a period of play.

Based on this, we have implemented a “threshold value” concept. These thresholds are regulated by a one-week timer that begins counting down the instant you earn skill/experience points. After a week has passed, the thresholds will reset, and the moment skill/experience points are earned again, the timer begins counting down anew.

For the first eight thresholds during this week-long period, players will receive skill/experience points at the maximum rate possible. The actual amount of time spent reaching these thresholds is not significant. That is to say, a player who exceeds eight hours of gameplay will still be rewarded the maximum amount of skill/experience points, so long as the total amount earned is below the eighth threshold value. For the subsequent seven thresholds, players will earn skill/experience points at a gradually decreasing rate, eventually reaching a rate of zero.

It is worth noting, however, that the reduced rate will also gradually recover while players are engaged in activities that do not yield skill/experience points. In this manner, it is possible for the threshold value to reset completely, even before the completion of the one-week timer.

Any skill points earned in excess of the threshold maximum—that is, at a rate of zero—will be stored as "bonus skill points." These are specific to each class, so players limited to earning bonus skill points still have the freedom to change classes and begin earning skill points again at the maximum rate, allowing their reduced skill rates to recover in the meantime.

The experience point threshold, however, is unrelated to class, and switching classes will have no effect on the decreasing rate of earnable experience.

This is how the progression system currently works.

This system was not introduced in Beta 3, but has been in place since the beginning of beta testing. There are several reasons why many people believe that these features were only recently implemented:

- Leading into Beta 3, operation hours were extended, making it possible to play more often during the span of a week.
- To encourage players to form guidleve parties in Beta 3, skill and experience point rewards for guildleves were significantly increased.
- The process that reduced the amount of skill/experience points awarded for weak enemies attacking in groups was unintentionally removed at the start of Beta 3. (This issue has been addressed.)

That last reason in particular was the biggest cause for players running up against the threshold penalty, with characters earning far more skill/experience points than we anticipated. We also faced an issue where we were simultaneously unable to adjust the amount earned for guildleves as well as the effects of crossing each threshold.

We sincerely apologize for the lack of explanation and our failure to make the necessary adjustments in the game.

The threshold values are being reexamined, and we plan to further adjust the different rates of earnable points based on feedback from our testers. One of the top issues we are looking at right now is fixing the excessively rapid drop after crossing the eighth threshold. We also plan to improve experience point reduction rates, even more so than for skill points, considering the threshold is unaffected when changing class.

At the very least, we can promise that players won't be running into the threshold penalty in the same short time span as they did in the beginning of Beta 3.

We would like to take this opportunity to also explain the following issues.

The diminishing results experienced during gathering are a function related to that class alone, and have no connection to this progression system. We are in the process of adjusting this system, and plan to make changes based on tester feedback.

We are currently in the process of considering the means in which bonus skill points can be used. There have been suggestions for various types of incentives, but as encouraging people to play with that in mind defeats the purpose of this threshold system, we will be examining this issue very carefully.

These are not the only adjustments we have planned for Open Beta. As mentioned previously, we are looking into increasing the amount of skill points earned when fighting in a party, and we look forward to seeing your input on these changes.

Last of all, I would like to apologize for the delay in releasing a developer's comment due to my recent attendance to Gamescom. The article based on my interview during that trip, coupled with conjecture, outdated information, and some misunderstandings on overseas websites, only added to the confusion. In the future, I hope to avoid similar problems by responding directly through official developer's comments as often as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

See you in the Open Beta Testing!

FINAL FANTASY XIV Director
Nobuaki Komoto

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Open Beta has started!

There's a new look of the boot/login version client. It's a bit nicer looking and if the game currently is down you're greeted with a new screen which you can view below.




Open Beta Client Download Available

You can now download the Final Fantasy XIV Open Beta Client. Launch your FFXIV client and there should be a small download for the actual updater and after that the file D2010.08.30.2000.patch should download. The size of this "patch" is 1.24gb.

Resized to 94% (was 641 x 309) - Click image to enlarge

* All commands must begin with a / (forward slash) and contain only half-width characters.

Emotes and Signs
This feature allows players to use expressions, gestures, and signs to communicate with other players. The Emote & Signs menu is bound to the N key in the default keyboard setup, and can also be accessed by selecting the second icon from the right on the action bar.

Emotes and signs are broken down into: emotes, enemy signs, and ally signs.

Emotes
Emotes are a collection of expressions and gestures that can be used to convey the emotional state of your character. The emote list can be accessed by selecting the Emote tab from the Emotes & Signs window.

Enemy Signs
While in a party, players can express their various desires regarding monsters in the field. Players can suggest ways of attacking or slowing down specific enemies.
Enemy signs can only be used when you are participating in a levequest.

Selecting the Enemy Signs tab from the Emotes & Signs window will display the enemy signs list. Select the message you would like to convey to your party members while selecting a monster with your cursor and your enemy sign will be displayed over the monster's name.
Enemy signs can also be performed through text commands.

Ally Signs
While in a party, players can express various desires to other members of the party. Players can suggest use of a Battle Regimen and agree with other members' suggestions.

Selecting the Ally Signs tab from the Emotes & Signs window will display the ally signs list. Select the message you would like to convey to your party members and your ally sign will be displayed over your name.

Ally signs can also be performed with the sign0 to sign7 text commands.

Dictionary
Open the dictionary by pressing the Tab key while entering a message. In addition to completing the word or phrase you were entering, the completed text will be intelligently displayed to players in the language they are using.



There are two ways to use the dictionary:
1.Searching for text based on what you've entered
Suggestions will be displayed based on the entered text.

2.Searching by Category
You can display various categories to search by opening the dictionary and pressing the Tab key without having entered anything into the chat field.

Examine
Targeting another player character will cause Examine to appear in the Interactions menu. SelectExamine, and that player character's equipment will be displayed.

The Friend List and the Blacklist

Friend List
The friend list allows players to see the login status of characters registered to that list and to send tells to them.

• Select Friend List under Social Lists on the main menu to display the friend list window.
• Select a character name from the list to send that character a tell or to delete the character from your list. Select Add to add a new character to your list.

• Select Blacklist under Social Lists on the main menu to display the blacklist window.
• Select a character name from the list to delete that character from your list. Select Add to add a new character to your list.

*You cannot register a character on your friend list to your blacklist. Likewise, you cannot register a character on your blacklist to your friend list.

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Pre-Release Trailer!

The song played in the video is called "Answers" and it is sung by Susan Calloway. I will be the first to admit that I fricken HATED this song. But as time went by I took the time to actually listen to the song. and I am in love with it now. I hope you do as well. It is very deep.

The trailer itself is very good, and I am very curious as to who the hell that guy/gal at the end is!

The Making of a Realm # 5

So Open Beta is being pushed back... well that sucks.

I hope it won't affect the release date.

Last time beta was delayed only by a day or so. They found some crtical bugs, which is a good thing I guess. Get them out of the way before release. :)