Patch 1.16 due in early March, details listed. Also, Yoshi-P Letter #4

[Loony BoB]

Reading it on the Lodestone is better because of bullet points which I can't be bothered putting in, but the details are in the spoiler tag.

(SPOILER)

Patch 1.16 is scheduled to go live in early March, bringing with it new quests, various improvements to the user interface, and more!

The list below briefly outlines the content slated for release in the forthcoming patch.


◆Outline of Patch 1.16 Content

Storylines and world quests
Quest-related system changes
Addition of icons to make quest NPCs easily recognizable
Addition of quest NPC locations to maps
Journal improvements
Reexamintion of data transfer mechanics to display all current quests and levequests on one screen
Increased speed for text scrolling in general, and further speed increase for continuous scrolling
Addition of page-scrolling control for gamepads
Rank/Level up fanfare
Examination of dramatic effects when a new rank or level is attained
Camera improvements
Ability to adjust camera distance when locked onto a target
Ability to freely adjust camera distance when playing with a gamepad
Targeting system improvements
Ability to target by type ("PC only" or "NPC only") when using a gamepad
Ability to target by clicking on character name displays
Auto-translate dictionary update
Update of auto-translate dictionary contents
Guildleve usability improvements
Reexamination of and balancing of local levequest issuing conditions
Adjustments to item condition values
Adjustments to lower the rate at which item condition deteriorates
Synthesis interface improvements
Adjustments to the item synthesis process
Increased pace of gathering actions
Changes to the frame rates of action animations to speed up gathering
Retainer system improvements
Ability to summon retainers currently operating a bazaar
Reexamination of enemy size
Optimization of enemy size for ease of play
Reexamination of stats
Addition of an auto-MP regeneration feature


For more details, be sure to keep an eye on further Topics posts in the coming days. In addition, comprehensive patch notes will be available on the day of the patch's release. Relevant dates and times will be announced in Informations posts as they become available.

[nirojan]

I hope review sites give it another chance when the PS3 version drops. It's weird going on sites and seeing the 4-6 score on a numbered Final Fantasy game....

Looks like some good improvements are rolling in! Glad to hear! The auto-translate dictionary intrigues me! So if a JPN/EUR player were on your server, their language would auto translate for you to understand?

[*Devore*]

Sounds good, but what does "Optimization of enemy size for ease of play" mean?
Also, do you think "Addition of an auto-MP regeneration feature" will be for all classes or those that are more magic oriented?

[Rostum]

Wow, all that in this update? Nice. Go Yoshi-P!

[Loony BoB]

I hope review sites give it another chance when the PS3 version drops. It's weird going on sites and seeing the 4-6 score on a numbered Final Fantasy game....

It'll definitely be re-reviewed for the PS3 by most sites, I'm sure. Most sites give games seperate ratings for each console.

Looks like some good improvements are rolling in! Glad to hear! The auto-translate dictionary intrigues me! So if a JPN/EUR player were on your server, their language would auto translate for you to understand?

Have you played FFXI? It's the same as the feature in that. Basically, there are set phrases you can insert easily by pressing a couple of keys after you type in the start of a word. For example, it has things such as "I don't speak any English" and "Bronze Dagger" and "Need repair" etc. as well as more social things such as thanks, congratulations, etc.

Sounds good, but what does "Optimization of enemy size for ease of play" mean?

My guess for this is that it involves some creatures being too small. It's very awkward when you're facing a really small enemy - particularly for me as a Roegadyn - as you spend your entire time looking directly downwards at the guy at your feet. This is annoying due to not being able to see any other monsters that might creep up on you.

Also, do you think "Addition of an auto-MP regeneration feature" will be for all classes or those that are more magic oriented?

No idea!

[Mirage]

It's got a few good things in there, I'll admit. I would say there's more good and significant stuff there than in the 1.15 update, but I hope they plan on letting this update fix a lot more than what they have said so far.

Didn't they say they were aiming for two updates each month? Because the 1.15b update was pretty much just a minor bugfix/adjustment to the a-update, I don't really want to consider it a separate full fledged update, and that leaves us at one update per month.

[Carl the Llama]

As I said in the previous thread I'm sure that they will do 1 content 1 bug fixes patch per month whether or not you consider them to be proper patches or not in the eyes of most people they will be - especially with the exp changes I would consider it a small but not an over night bug fix, that aside with regards to the MP regeneration I am pretty sure it will be fore all classes just at different rates for the caster rolls.

Can't wait to see the side quests to open up ^^

[Mirage]

Seriously, dude, look at this
FINAL FANTASY XIV, The Lodestone

Then look at this
FINAL FANTASY XIV, The Lodestone

The second is barely worth even a mention. It doesn't seem like anything but a minor adjustment to some of the things they changed in the first update.

I think if "most people" are satisfied with this being their "two updates a month", it is more a sign of most FF14 players having pretty low standards.

[Loony BoB]

I'll agree with that. Despite that, I also can understand that people who are playing the game would consider any exp/sp fix that actually resolves the issue they have with it to be a fairly major update, since it's one of the most complained about things in the game for those who battle. I don't battle much, I'm more of a synth junky at the moment.

As for 1.16 being significant or not, I would say that largely will come down to how many miniquests they actually put in. The big thing for me in the game is the lack of things to do, and I think miniquests is what I personally felt was missing most once I got to around rank 15. I just wanted something to waste my time on that actually felt like there was a reason to it. Guildleves don't give you any real interaction with NPCs at all, at least not enough to suit my tastes.

[Mirage]

I'll agree with that about leve quests. It really isn't good as a substitute for all normal quests, and I'm glad they're finally gonna give us both sorts.

[Loony BoB]

I just hope they bring these NPCs dotted around the place to life. I adored how in FFXI every character had some kind of purpose. In FFXIV, most of them have their only purpose being "I say something irrelevant and that is all."

Here's hoping for quests that also allow us to do something in those random little villages!

[Mirage]

Same problem as FF13 had, in my opinion. Lack of interaction with NPCs just makes the world seem dead and unimportant.

[Loony BoB]

I didn't mind in FFXIII because - and I seem to be alone in this - it added to the atmosphere of 'being on the run'. It made sense, basically. That and they still said about as much as most FFVII characters said, just without you needing to press a button first. But an MMO should be much, much more immersive than that. Then again, I'm probably spoiled as I only began playing FFXI after at least four expansions had already been released. I think it was 2008.

[Mirage]

But being on the run like that didn't even make any sense. Most of their marks weren't even visible when wearing normal clothing. There's no reason people would even know you were "bad guys" for most of the game, had they just kept their mouths shut.

[Loony BoB]

If they were televised globally at one point, I'm sure there would have been at least a few people out there that knew about them through various means, particularly soldiers. But this is probably a discussion for a different forum.